English
The king took the relic casket and placed it on the elephant's forehead. The delighted nāga uttered a joyful cry. A great cloud arose and rained down a shower. A great earthquake occurred, making it like a water's edge. "Even in the border regions, the relic of the Perfectly Enlightened One will be enshrined!" The devas and humans rejoiced. Thus, generating joy among devas and humans with such miraculous power and glory— "On the full moon day, in the Cātumāsinī month, here, the Great Hero, having come from the deva world, is enshrined on the elephant's forehead." Then that elephant-nāga, attended by many musicians, being honored with very grand offerings and honors, facing only the western direction, moving away, went as far as the eastern gate of the city, entered the city through the eastern gate, while grand offerings were being made throughout the entire city, exited through the southern gate, and there is said to be a place called Mahejavatthu to the west of Thūpārāma; having gone there, it turned back again, facing Thūpārāma. And at that time, in Thūpārāma, the former It is a place of relics used by three Fully Enlightened Buddhas. In the past, it is said, this island was named Ojadīpa, the king was named Abhaya, the city was named Abhayapura, the stupa-mountain was named Devakūṭa Mountain, the Thūpārāma was named Paṭiyārāma. Now, at that time, the Blessed One Kakusandha had arisen in the world. His disciple, the elder named Mahādeva, together with a thousand monks, settled on Devakūṭa, like Mahinda Thera on Cetiyapabbata. Now, at that time, the beings on Ojadīpa were afflicted by a plague, falling into ruin and disaster. Indeed, the Blessed One Kakusandha, surveying the world with his Buddha-eye, saw those beings falling into ruin and disaster. Having seen them, surrounded by forty thousand monks, he went there. By his power, the plague immediately subsided. When the disease had subsided, the Blessed One taught the Dhamma. There was an attainment of Dhamma for eighty-four thousand beings. The Blessed One, having given his water-strainer, departed. Having placed it inside, they made a cetiya at Paṭiyārāma. Mahādeva continued to instruct the island. Now, in the time of the Blessed One Koṇāgamana, this island was named Varadīpa, the king was named Sameṇḍī, the city was named Vaḍḍhamāna, the mountain was named Suvaṇṇakūṭa. Now, at that time, on Varadīpa, there was a drought, a famine, a bad harvest. Beings were afflicted by starvation, falling into ruin and disaster. Indeed, the Blessed One Koṇāgamana, surveying the world with his Buddha-eye, saw those beings falling into ruin and disaster. Having seen them, surrounded by thirty thousand monks, he went there. By the power of the Buddha, the sky poured down rain properly. There was plenty. The Blessed One taught the Dhamma. There was an attainment of Dhamma for eighty-four thousand beings. The Blessed One, having established the elder named Mahāsumana, surrounded by a thousand monks, on the island, and having given his waist-band, departed. Having placed it inside, they made a cetiya. Now, in the time of the Blessed One Kassapa, this island was named Maṇḍadīpa, the king was named Jayanta n... Yes, the city is named Visāla, the mountain is named Subhakūṭa. At that time, there was a great dispute in Maṇḍadīpa. Many beings, caught in quarrels and strife, fell into ruin and misfortune. The Blessed One Kassapa, looking upon the world with his Buddha-eye, saw those beings falling into ruin and misfortune. Having seen them, accompanied by twenty thousand bhikkhus, he came and settled the dispute, and taught the Dhamma. Eighty-four thousand beings attained the Dhamma. The Blessed One, leaving the elder Sabbananda, accompanied by a thousand bhikkhus, established him on the island, gave him a water-robe, and departed. Putting that inside, they made a cetiya. Thus, in Thūpārāma, the cetiyas of the former three Buddhas were established. These perished with the disappearance of the Dispensation, only the site remained. Therefore it is said – "At that time, Thūpārāma was the site of the cetiyas of the former three Fully Enlightened Ones." This site, after the cetiyas had perished, by the power of devas, stands surrounded by various trees with thorny, entangled branches – "Lest anyone defile it with remnants, impurities, dirt, and refuse." Then, in front of the elephant, royal officers went ahead, cut down all the bushes, and cleared the ground, making it like the palm of a hand. The lordly elephant went and, making that spot its front, stood in the Bodhi tree's place to its west. Then they began to lower the relic from its forehead. The elephant did not allow it to be lowered. The king asked the elder – "Why, venerable sir, does the elephant not allow the relic to be lowered?" "It is not proper, great king, to lower what has been mounted." At that time, the water in Abhayavāpi was cut off. The surrounding ground was cracked, and lumps of clay were easily extracted. Then the great multitude quickly brought clay and made a foundation the size of an elephant's head. At that very moment, they began to make bricks for the construction of the thūpa. Not until the bricks were finished did the lordly elephant k In the daytime, he stands at the Bodhi tree site, in the elephant stable; at night, he wanders the ground where the stupa is to be established. Then, having had the foundation built, the king asked the Elder, "What kind of stupa, venerable sir, should be made?" "Like a heap of rice, great king." "Very good, venerable sir," said the king, and had a stupa built the height of a man's thigh. He made great offerings for the enshrinement of the relic. The whole city and the countryside gathered to see the great relic display. When that great multitude had gathered, the relic of the Ten-Powered One rose seven palm-lengths into the air from the elephant's forehead, and displayed the Twin Miracle. From those various relic-places, streams of water of six colors and masses of fire flowed forth. It was a miracle like the one displayed by the Blessed One at the foot of the Gaṇḍamba tree in Sāvatthī. And this was not by the power of the Elder, nor by the power of deities; but indeed, by the power of the Buddha himself. For the Blessed One, while still living, had made a determination: "When I have attained final Nibbāna, on the island of Tambapaṇṇi, in the southern part of Anurādhapura, at the site of the memorial stupas of the three previous Buddhas, on the day of the enshrinement of my right collarbone relic, may the Twin Miracle occur." "Thus inconceivable are the Buddhas, inconceivable are the Buddha-dharmas; For those who have faith in the inconceivable, the result is inconceivable." (Apadāna, Thera 1.1.82) Indeed, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One came to this island three times even during his lifetime. First, to subdue the yakkhas, he came alone, subdued the yakkhas, and declared, "When I have attained final Nibbāna, the Dispensation will be established on this island." Protecting the island of Tambapaṇṇi, he circled the island three times. Second, to subdue the nāga kings, the maternal uncle and nephew, he came alone, subdued them, and departed. Third, accompanied by five hundred bhikkhus, he came to the site of the Great Cetiya, and to the site of the Thūpārāma Cetiya, and to the site where the Great Bodhi tree was established, and to the site of the Mahiyangaṇa Cetiya, and to the site of the Mutiyangaṇa Cetiya. and at the Dīghavāpi cetiya site, and at the Kalyāṇiya cetiya site, he entered the attainment of cessation and sat. This was his fourth coming in the form of a relic-body. And from his relic-body, with the water-drops that emerged, there was no place on the entire Tambapaṇṇi island that was not touched. Thus, that relic-body, with its water-drops, having appeased the heat of Tambapaṇṇi island, having shown a miracle to the great multitude, descended and rested on the king's head. The king, considering his human birth fruitful, made a great offering and enshrined the relic. With the enshrinement of the relic, there was a great earthquake. And having purified his mind at that relic-miracle, the king's brother, Prince Abhaya by name, went forth with a thousand men. From Cetaraṭṭhagāma, five hundred boys went forth, and likewise, coming out from villages like Dvāramaṇḍala, five hundred boys each, all of them, from inside the city and outside the city, there were thirty thousand monks who had gone forth. And when the thūpa was finished, the king, the king's brothers, and the queens, causing wonder even to devas, nāgas, and yakkhas, each made an offering. And when the relic-offering was finished, and the supreme relic enshrined, Mahinda Thera went to the Meghavana pleasure grove and resided there. Now at that time, Queen Anuḷā, wishing to go forth, informed the king. The king, hearing her words, spoke to the Thera thus: "Venerable sir, Queen Anuḷā wishes to go forth, please ordain her." "It is not proper, great king, for us to ordain women. But in Pāṭaliputta, I have a sister named Saṅghamittā Theri; have her summoned. And in this island, great king, the Bodhi trees of the three previous Fully Enlightened Ones were established. The Bodhi tree of our Blessed One, which emitted rays of various colors, should also be established here. Therefore, send a message so that Saṅghamittā, taking the Bodhi tree, should come.” “Very good, Venerable Sir,” the king, accepting the Elder’s words, consulted with his ministers and addressed his nephew named Ariṭṭha: “My dear, will you be able to go to Pāṭaliputta and bring the Venerable Saṅghamittā Theri along with the Great Bodhi tree?” “I will be able, Your Majesty, if you permit me to ordain.” “Go, my dear, bring the Theri and then ordain.” So, taking the message of the king and the Elder, by the Elder’s determination, he went to Jambukola port in one day, boarded a ship, crossed the ocean,