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B020101Pārājikakaṇḍa aṭṭhakathā(grave sins commentary)

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and arrived at Pāṭaliputta. And Queen Anuḷā, with five hundred maidens and five hundred women of the inner palace, undertook the ten precepts, donned saffron robes, had a dwelling built in a part of the city, and resided there. Ariṭṭha also, on that very day, delivered the king’s message, and spoke thus: “Your son, Your Majesty, the Elder Mahinda, says this: ‘It is said that the wife of your friend, King Devānampiyatissa’s brother, Queen Anuḷā by name, desires to ordain. Send the Venerable Saṅghamittā Theri to ordain her, and also the Great Bodhi tree along with the Venerable Lady.’” Having announced the Elder’s message, he approached Saṅghamittā Theri and spoke thus: “Venerable Lady, your brother, the Elder Mahinda, sent me to you. King Devānampiyatissa’s brother’s wife, Queen Anuḷā by name, with five hundred maidens and five hundred women of the inner palace, desires to ordain. Please come and ordain her.” She immediately, in great haste, went to the king and spoke thus: “Great King, my brother, the Elder Mahinda, sent this message: ‘It is said that the king’s brother’s wife, Queen Anuḷā by name, with five hundred maidens and five hundred women of the inner palace, desires to ordain and awaits my coming.’ I shall go, Great King, to the island of Tambapaṇṇi.” The king said: “Mother, my son Mahinda The elder, and my grandson, the novice Sumanas, making me as if my hands were cut off, have gone to Tambapaṇṇi Island. For me, not seeing them, the sorrow that arose, seeing your face, it subsides! Enough, mother, do not go! "Heavy for me, O great king, is my brother's word; the noble lady, surrounded by a thousand women, with renunciation as her aim, awaits me; I must go, O great king." "Then, mother, taking the Great Bodhi, go!" From where did the king have the Great Bodhi? The king, it is said, even before that, wishing to send the Great Bodhi to Laṅkādīpa for the future Sumanas to receive the relic, not seeing a way, "How indeed shall I send the Great Bodhi, which is not to be harmed by weapons?" he asked a minister named Mahādeva. He said, "There are, O king, many wise bhikkhus." Hearing that, the king prepared a meal for the community of bhikkhus, and at the end of the meal, he asked the Saṅgha, "Should the Great Bodhi of the Blessed One go to Laṅkādīpa, venerable sirs, or not?" The Saṅgha entrusted the matter to the elder Moggaliputtatissa. The elder, saying, "The Great Bodhi should go to Laṅkādīpa, O great king," recounted the five great resolutions of the Blessed One. Which are the five? The Blessed One, it is said, lying on his great Parinibbāna couch, for the establishment of the Great Bodhi in Laṅkādīpa, resolved thus: "When King Asoka goes to take the Great Bodhi, then may the southern branch of the Great Bodhi itself break off and be established in a golden bowl!" This is one resolution. And at the time of its establishment there, he resolved, "May the Great Bodhi enter the womb of a snow-cloud and be established!" This is the second resolution. He resolved, "On the seventh day, descending from the womb of the snow-cloud, as it stands established in the golden bowl, may it emit six-colored rays from its leaves and fruits!" This is the third resolution. "On the day of the establishment of the right collar-bone relic in the Thūpārāma cetiya, may it perform the Twin Miracle!" He resolved – this was the fourth resolution. "In Lanka-dvipa itself, when my relics, a doṇa-measure, are being enshrined in the Great Stupa, may they assume the Buddha's form, rise into the air, and perform the Twin Miracle!" Thus he resolved – this was the fifth resolution. The king, hearing these five great resolutions, with a joyful mind, had the path prepared from Pāṭaliputta to the Mahābodhi. He had much gold brought forth for a golden cauldron. Just then, knowing the king's thought, the divine architect Vissakamma created the appearance of a smith and stood before him. The king, seeing him, said: "Son, take this gold and make a cauldron." "Do you know the measure, sire?" "You yourself, son, know and make it." "Very well, sire, I shall do it," he said. Taking the gold, with his own power, he smoothed it with his hand and fashioned a golden cauldron: nine cubits in circumference, five cubits in height, three cubits in width, eight fingers thick, with a rim the size of an elephant's trunk. Then the king, with a great army seven yojanas long and three yojanas wide, departed from Pāṭaliputta. Taking the noble Saṅgha, he went to the Mahābodhi. The army, with raised flags and banners, adorned with various jewels, decorated with many ornaments, strewn with various kinds of flowers, resounding with many musical instruments, encircled the Mahābodhi. The king, taking a thousand leading elder monks, and surrounded by a thousand kings who had received consecration throughout Jambudīpa, and by the Mahābodhi itself, stood at the foot of the Mahābodhi and looked up at the Mahābodhi. Except for the trunk of the Mahābodhi and a four-cubit section of the great southern branch, the rest disappeared from sight. The king, seeing that miracle, filled with joy and delight, said to the assembly of monks: "Sirs, having seen this miracle, I am pleased and I offer the Mahābodhi the sovereignty of all Jambudīpa." And he performed the consecration. Then, having worshipped with flowers, perfumes, and so on... Having circumambulated to the right, having worshipped at eight places, having risen, having raised his hands in salutation, standing, desiring to take the Bodhi by an act of truth, he had a golden bowl placed upon a jeweled seat, which was made high from the ground up to the southern branch of the Great Bodhi. Having ascended the jeweled seat, having taken a golden stylus, having made a mark with red arsenic, he made an act of truth, saying: "If the Great Bodhi is to be established in the island of Lanka, and if I am unwavering in the Buddha's dispensation, may the Great Bodhi itself descend into this golden bowl and be established!" Immediately with the act of truth, the Bodhi branch was severed at the place marked with red arsenic and stood above the golden bowl filled with fragrant mud. Its trunk was ten cubits high, five great branches were four cubits, adorned with five fruits each, and there were a thousand small branches. Then the king marked another line three finger-breadths above the first mark. Immediately, ten great roots sprouted forth. Again, he marked nine other lines three finger-breadths above each other. From these, ninety roots sprouted forth, ten from each. The first ten great roots extended about four finger-breadths. The others also extended, interwoven like a lattice window. Seeing such a miracle, the king, standing on the jeweled seat, raised his hands in salutation and uttered a great cry. Many thousands of monks uttered "Sādhu!" The entire royal army became tumultuous. Hundreds of thousands of clothes were waved. Beginning with the earth-dwelling deities, up to the Brahmā-deities, they uttered "Sādhu!" While the king was watching this miracle, his body continuously pervaded with joy, as he stood with hands raised in salutation, the Great Bodhi, with a hundred roots, was established in the golden bowl. The ten great roots touched the bottom of the golden bowl and stood firm. The remaining ones did not. The tiny roots grew gradually and descended into the fragrant mud, where they stood firm. As soon as the Great Bodhi was established in the golden pot, the great earth quaked. Divine drums burst forth in the sky. With the dancing of mountains, the acclamations of devas, the roars of yakkhas, the praises and chants of asuras, the claps of brahmas, the rumbling of clouds, the cries of quadrupeds, the songs of birds, and the various performances of all musicians, from the surface of the earth up to the Brahma-world, there was one great clamor, one great din. From the five fruits on the branches, six-colored rays emanated, making the entire cosmos appear as if adorned with jeweled gables, and ascended up to the Brahma-world. From that moment onwards, for seven days, the Great Bodhi entered into a cloud of snow and mist and remained there. No one could see the Great Bodhi. The king descended from the jeweled seat and for seven days performed offerings to the Great Bodhi. On the seventh day, from all directions, the snow and the six-colored rays returned and entered the Great Bodhi. With the cloud of snow and mist gone, and the cosmic space clear, the Great Bodhi, with its full trunk, branches, and sub-branches, adorned with five fruits, was seen established in the golden pot. Seeing the Great Bodhi, the king, filled with joy and delight by these marvels, declared, "I shall honor the young Great Bodhi with the sovereignty of the entire Jambudīpa!" and bestowed the anointing, and for seven days remained at the site of the Great Bodhi. The Great Bodhi was first established in the golden pot on the evening of the Pūrvakattika Pavāraṇā day. Then, after the seven days of the snow-cloud and the seven days of anointing had passed, on the Uposatha day of the dark fortnight, the king entered Pāṭaliputta in a single day and on the first day of the bright fortnight of Kattika, he placed the Great Bodhi at the base of the great eastern hall. On the seventeenth day from the day it was established in the golden pot, new sprouts of the Great Bodhi appeared. Seeing them, the king was again delighted, and again the king He honored the Bodhi with kingship, and gave the anointing of the entire Jambudīpa. Then, on the full moon day of Kattika, the novice Sumanā, who had gone to fetch relics, saw the Kattika festival offering to the Great Bodhi. Thus, referring to the Great Bodhi, brought from the Great Bodhi Maṇḍa and placed in Pāṭaliputta, she said: "Then, mother, take the Great Bodhi and go!" She assented, saying, "So be it!" To protect the Great Bodhi, the king gave eighteen families of deities, eight families of ministers,