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40. The Chapter on Pilindavaccha 1. The Account of Thera Pilindavaccha 1. In the city of Haṃsavatī, I was a doorkeeper; Immeasurable, unshakeable wealth Was accumulated in my house. 2. Having gone to a secluded place, Having gladdened my mind; Sitting in the excellent palace, I thought thus then. (The manner of thinking) 3. ‘Much wealth has come to me, My inner palace is prosperous; Even the king, Ananda, The lord of the earth, invited me. 4. ‘And this Buddha has arisen, A sage of extraordinary arising; And I possess wealth, I shall give a gift to the Teacher. 5. ‘By Prince Paduma, An excellent gift was given to the Conqueror; Elephant-chiefs and couches, And not a little support. 6. ‘I too shall give a gift To the Saṅgha, the supreme assembly; Never given before by others, I shall be the first doer. 7. ‘Having thought in many ways, About the offering whose fruit is happiness; I saw the gift of requisites As fulfilling my resolve. 8. ‘I shall give requisites To the Saṅgha, the supreme assembly; Never given before by others, I shall be the first doer.’ (Preparation of the gift items) 9. Approaching the reed-workers, I had umbrellas made at once; A hundred thousand umbrellas, I gathered together. 10. A hundred thousand cloths, I gathered together; A hundred thousand bowls, I gathered together. 11. Razors and knives, Needles and nail-clippers; I had them placed under the umbrellas, Having had them made appropriately. 12. Fans, palm-leaf fans, Peacock-feather whisks and fly-whisks; Strainers, oil-holders, I had them made appropriately. 13. Needle-cases, shoulder-straps, And also waist-bands; And well-made stands, I had them made appropriately. 14. And utensils for use, And also metal plates; Having filled them with medicines, I placed them under the umbrellas. 15. Acorus calamus, vetiver, Licorice, long pepper and black pepper; Chebulic myrobalan, ginger, All I filled. in the vessel. 16. Sandals, shoes, and also water-wipers; Well-made walking sticks, I had them made appropriately. 17. Medicine and eye-salve tubes, and excellent probes; Keys of five colors, in sewn key-cases. 18. Strainers and smoke-pipes, and also lamp-holders; Gourds and boxes, I had them made appropriately. 19. Tongs and pestles, and also dirt-removers; And medicine pouches, I had them made appropriately. 20. Chairs and stools, and four-sided couches; Having had them made appropriately, I placed them under umbrellas. 21. Woolen cushions, cotton cushions, and also stool cushions; And well-made pillows, I had them made appropriately. 22. Red chalk, honey-wax, oil for warming hands; Clean wooden boards, and beds with coverings. 23. Foot-wipers for dwellings, and sticks for beds and seats; Tooth-sticks and brushes, and fragrant head-ointments. 24. Fire-sticks and fruit-boards, and leaf-covered plates; And water-ladles, powder and dyeing vessels. 25. Brooms, water-bowls, and also rain-cloaks; Sitting cloths, itch-coverings, and inner robes. 26. Upper robes, outer robes, nose-wipers, face-cleaners; Abundant salt and pepper, and honey and curd-drink. 27. Incense, wax, and rags, and face-wiping threads; Whatever is to be given, and whatever is suitable for the Teacher. 28. Having gathered all these, I approached Ananda; Having approached the king, the father of the great sage; Having saluted with my head, I spoke these words. Born and raised together, One mind for both of us; Sharing joys and sorrows, Both are followers. There is mental suffering, Dependent on you, O subduer of foes; If you are able, You should dispel that suffering, O warrior. Your suffering is my suffering, One mind for both of us; Know that it is finished, If you are dependent on me. Know, O great king, My suffering is hard to dispel; Being powerful, roar (make your vow), One boon is hard for you to give. Whatever is in my kingdom, Whatever is my life; If you have need of these, I will give them without hesitation. You have roared, O god, That much roaring is wrong; I will know you today, Established in all truths. You press too hard, While I am willing to give; What is your purpose in pressing me? Tell me what you desire. I desire, O great king, The supreme, incomparable Buddha; I will feed the Fully Enlightened One, Let my life not be a fault. I will give you another boon, Do not ask for the Tathāgata; The Buddha is not to be given to anyone, Like a wish-fulfilling gem. Did you not roar, O god, "Even my own life"? By giving life, It is proper to give the Tathāgata. The Great Hero is to be kept, The Conqueror is not to be given to anyone; The Buddha was not promised by me, Ask for immeasurable wealth. Let us go to a judgment, We will ask at the judgment; As they explain the situation, We will question them accordingly. Taking the king by the hand, I went to the judgment; Before the judges, I spoke these words. Let the judges hear me, The king gave me a boon; Without excluding anything, Even life... "To me, to whom the boon was given, I chose the Buddha, the best; May the Buddha be well-given to me, Cut off my doubt. We will hear your words, And the words of the king, the lord of the land; Having heard the words of both, We will cut off the doubt here. All, O deva, was given by you, Everything for him; Leaving nothing aside, You even offered your life. Having fallen into difficulty, He begged for the unsurpassed boon; Knowing him to be very distressed, I gave him everything. Your defeat, O deva, Let the Tathāgata be given; The doubt of both is cut, Remain as you are. The king, standing right there, Said this to Akkhadassa: 'Rightly, give him to me too, So that I may obtain the Buddha again.' 'Having fulfilled your wish, And fed the Tathāgata; You will give the Sambuddha again, To glorious Ānanda.' Having saluted Akkhadassa, And also Ānanda, the khattiya; Pleased and delighted, I approached the Sambuddha. Having approached the Sambuddha, Who had crossed the flood, taintless; Having saluted with my head, I spoke these words. 'With hundreds of thousands of ascetics, O Seer, accept my invitation; Delighting my mind, Come to my dwelling.' Padumuttara, the knower of the world, The receiver of offerings; Knowing my intention, The Seer accepted. Knowing the acceptance, And having saluted the Teacher; Joyful and elated in mind, I went to my dwelling. Having gathered friends and ministers, I spoke these words: 'I have obtained something very rare, Like a wish-fulfilling gem. 'With what shall we honor him, Immeasurable, incomparable; Unequalled, unmatched, wise, The conqueror, an unparalleled person. 'Equal to the Tathāgata, The peerless bull among men; Du an act of merit, worthy of the Buddha, by me. 58. “‘Gathering various flowers, we will make a flower pavilion; This is worthy of the Buddha, it will be the supreme offering.’ 59. “A blue lotus, or a lotus, jasmine, or a wild jasmine; Champak and nāga flowers, I made a pavilion. 60. “Hundreds of thousands of seats, I arranged under the shade of parasols; My last seat, was worth more than a hundred. 61. “Hundreds of thousands of seats, I arranged under the shade of parasols; Having prepared food and drink, I announced the time. 62. “At the announced time, Padumuttara, the Great Sage; With a hundred thousand ascetics, came to my dwelling. 63. “Holding an upper parasol, in the fully bloomed flower pavilion; With a hundred thousand ascetics, the Best of Men sat down. 64. “‘A hundred thousand parasols, a hundred thousand seats; Accept this proper and blameless offering, O Visionary One.’ 65. “Padumuttara, the knower of the world, receiver of offerings; Desiring to ferry me across, the Great Sage accepted. (The Story of the Offering) 66. “To each and every monk, I gave a bowl; They abandoned their old bowls, and held metal bowls. 67. “For seven days and nights, the Buddha, sat in the flower pavilion; Enlightening many beings, he set in motion the Wheel of Dhamma. 68. “While setting in motion the Wheel of Dhamma, below in the flower pavilion; For eighty-four thousand, there was an understanding of the Dhamma. 69. “When the seventh day arrived, Padumuttara, the Great Sage; Seated under the shade of parasols, spoke these verses. (The Prophecy) 70. “‘The perfect supreme offering, which that young man gave to me; I will praise him, listen to my words. 71. “‘Elephants, horses, chariots, infantry, and a four-fold army; Will always surround him, this is the fruit of all offerings. 72. “‘Elephant vehicles, a Palaces, and moving palanquins; Will always attend him, this is the fruit of all giving. 73. Sixty thousand chariots, adorned with all ornaments; Will always surround him, this is the fruit of all giving. 74. Sixty thousand musical instruments, adorned drums; Will always play for him, this is the fruit of all giving. 75. Eighty-six thousand women, well-adorned; With varied clothes and ornaments, wearing jeweled earrings. 76. With lovely eyelashes, smiling, well-behaved, slender-waisted; Will always surround him, this is the fruit of all giving. 77. For thirty thousand aeons, he will delight in the deva-world; A thousand times, he will be king of devas, ruling the deva-kingdom. 78. A thousand times, he will be a king, a universal monarch; Vast regional kingdoms, countless in number. 79. While dwelling in the deva-world, endowed with meritorious deeds; Throughout the deva-world, he will bear a jeweled parasol. 80. Whenever he desires shade, a covering of cloth and flowers; Understanding his mind, it will constantly shade him. 81. Having passed away from the deva-world, urged by the root of purity; Endowed with meritorious deeds, he will become a kinsman of Brahmā. 82. In a hundred thousand aeons, born in the Okkāka clan; Gotama by clan name, a Teacher will arise in the world. 83. Knowing all this, Gotama, the Sakyan bull; Sitting in the assembly of monks, will place him at the forefront. 84.