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then, while contemplating the twenty-four conditional relations, his omniscience definitely found its scope in the Mahāpakaraṇa. Just as the great fish, Timirapiṅgala, finds its scope only in the great ocean eighty-four thousand leagues deep, even so, omniscience definitely found its scope only in the Mahāpakaraṇa. "When the Master, with his thus-obtained omniscience, was contemplating the subtle and delicate Dhamma as he pleased, six-colored rays, blue, yellow, red, white, crimson, and brilliant, emanated from his body. Blue rays emanated from the hair of his head and beard and from the blue parts of his eyes, whose..." By their power, the sky was as if strewn with collyrium powder, as if covered with blue lotus petals of flax flowers, as if a jeweled fan were passing by, and as if a dark blue cloth were spread out. From the skin and from the yellow parts of the eyes, yellow rays emerged. By their power, the directions were as if pouring forth golden juice, as if golden cloths were spread out, and shone as if scattered with saffron powder and Kanikara flowers. From the flesh and blood, and from the red parts of the eyes, red rays emerged. By their power, the directions were as if dyed with cinnabar powder, as if pouring forth well-ripened lac juice, as if covered with red blankets, and shone as if scattered with jayasumana, pāribaddhaka, and bandhujīvaka flowers. From the bones and teeth, and from the white parts of the eyes, white rays emerged. By their power, the directions were as if scattered with streams of milk pouring from silver peaks, as if silver canopy cloths were spread out, as if silver fans were passing by, and shone as if covered with kundha, kumuda, sindhuvara, sumana, mallikā, and other flowers. And brilliant crimson rays emerged from various parts of the body. Thus, these six-colored rays, having emerged, enveloped the solid great earth. The great earth, two hundred thousand yojanas and forty thousand yojanas thick, was like a mass of molten gold. Having pierced the earth, they reached the water below. The water supporting the earth, four hundred thousand yojanas and eighty thousand yojanas thick, was like molten gold poured from golden pitchers. Having pierced the water, they reached the wind. The wind, nine hundred thousand yojanas and ninety-six thousand yojanas thick, was like a raised golden pillar. Having pierced the wind, they plunged into the unformed space below. Rising upwards, they also enveloped the Four Great Kings. Having pierced them, they reached the Tāvatiṃsa gods, then the Yāma gods, then the Tusita gods, then the Nimmānaratī gods, then the Paranimmitavasavattī gods, then not And in the Brahma world, then in Vehapphala, then in the five Pure Abodes, having penetrated, they attained the four formless attainments. And having penetrated the four formless attainments, they plunged into the unmoving space. From the horizontal directions, infinite world-systems plunged in. In that place, in the moon, there was no moonlight, in the sun, there was no sunlight, in the forms of stars, there was no starlight, in the gardens, mansions, wish-fulfilling trees, bodies, and ornaments of devas, there was no radiance anywhere. Even Mahābrahmā, capable of pervading light throughout the three-thousand-great-thousand world-system, was like a firefly at sunrise. Only the mere outlines of the moon, sun, star-forms, devas, their gardens, mansions, and wish-fulfilling trees were discernible. That entire space was completely enveloped by the Buddha's rays. And this was neither an iddhi of the Buddhas' determination, nor an iddhi born of development. But as the Lord of the World contemplated the subtle and refined Dhamma, his blood became clear, his physical form became clear, his skin color became clear. And the color element, arisen from the mind, stood motionless all around in a space of eighty cubits. "Thus seated" means having arisen from that concentration and being seated. "One brahmin" means one brahmin unknown and not prominent by name and clan. "Wandering about saying 'Hum, hum!'" means seeing everything as impure, he wanders about disgusted, saying "Hum, hum!" "He said this" (Udāna Commentary 4) means he said the words "How far indeed..." which are now to be spoken. There, "kittāvatā" means "by what measure." "Nu" is a particle for doubt, "kho" is a particle for filling out the sentence. "Bho" is a form of address for brahmins, arising from their birth. For thus it is said: "He is called 'Bhovādī' if he has some possession." (Dhp. 396; Sn. 625). "Gotama" is addressing the Blessed One by his clan name. "But how did this brahmin, having just arrived, know the clan name of the Blessed One?" "He did not just arrive; for six years, during the time of his striving, by the five ascetics who attended him..." And while wandering with him, later, having abandoned that vow, in the military village of Uruvelā, being alone, without a second, even while wandering for alms, he had been seen by that brahmin, and conversed with. Therefore, remembering the clan name of the Blessed One, which was previously used by the group of five, he addressed the Blessed One by his clan name, saying, "Friend Gotama!" Or, from the time the Blessed One went forth in the Great Renunciation, and renounced on the bank of the Anomā river, from then on, "Samaṇa Gotama" became well-known and renowned, like the moon or the sun. And there is no need to seek a reason for knowing his clan name. "Brāhmaṇakaraṇā" means "making one a brahmin," that is, "making one into the state of a brahmin." And here, by "kittāvatā" (by how much), he asks the measure of those qualities by which one becomes a brahmin. And by "katame" (which ones), he asks their nature. "He uttered an inspired utterance" means he uttered the inspired utterance beginning with "The brahmin who...", but he did not teach the Dhamma to that brahmin. Why? Because he was not a suitable recipient for a Dhamma teaching. Indeed, after hearing this verse, that brahmin did not attain the realization of the truth. Just as with him, so too with Upaka the Ājīvaka, after hearing the declaration of the Buddha's qualities. Indeed, what was spoken by the Blessed One before the turning of the Wheel of Dhamma, even for others who heard it, like the giving of refuge to Tapussa and Bhallika, became merely conducive to future good impressions, not conducive to the stage of a learner or to penetration. For this is the nature of things. "Or the end through knowledge" – here, "end" means Nibbāna, the cessation of all formations. "These excrescences are not" means they do not exist, having been entirely abandoned. The commentary on the Ajapāla story is finished. Commentary on the Mucalinda story 5. "At the root of the Mucalinda tree" (Udāna Commentary 11) – here, Mucalinda is called a nīpa tree, which is also called "nicula." The meaning is "near it." Some, however, say, "Mucala is the name of that tree, but it is called Mucalinda because it is the chief of the forest." "Arose" – the entire cosmos... A great cloud arose, filling the empty space. Such a cloud, they say, rains only on two occasions: when a Wheel-turning Monarch arises, or when a Buddha arises. Here, it arose at the time of the Buddha's arising. "Born in the lotus pond" means there is a nāga abode beneath the lotus pond, and he was born there. "His own abode" means from his own nāga abode. "Thus encircling with coils" means seven times he encircled the Buddha's body with his own body coils. "Spreading a great hood over his head" means spreading his great hood above the Buddha's head region. "Making a hood" is also a reading, and it has the same meaning. It occurred to that nāga king: "The Blessed One is seated at the root of a tree near my abode, and this seven-day rainstorm is occurring. It is fitting for him to have a dwelling place." Although he was capable of creating a seven-jeweled palace, he thought: "If I do so, the essence of the body will not be taken; I will perform service for the body of the Ten-Powered One." So, making himself into a great form, he encircled the Teacher seven times with his coils and held his hood above. "The space within his coils was the size of a treasury chamber in a copper palace," it is said here. In the Majjhima Commentary, however, it is said: "The inner space of the enclosure was the size of the lower copper palace. The nāga king's intention was 'The Teacher will dwell in whatever posture he desires.' Therefore, he enclosed such a large space. In the middle, a jeweled couch was arranged. Above, there was a canopy of fragrant garlands, flowers, and cloths, adorned with golden stars. In the four corners, lamps burned with fragrant oil. In the four directions, open sandalwood caskets were placed." Thus it is said. "He will dwell in whatever posture he desires" was merely the nāga king's intention. The Blessed One, however, spent the seven days just as he was seated. Although... (rest of the text is cut off) some say here, "It is fitting to think..." The mention of the capture of heat is for the purpose of making the extent of the enjoyment vast. For if it were small, the heat arising from the body of the Nāga king would afflict the Blessed One. But by making it vast, such heat would not afflict him. The meaning of the word "saupasagga" (with an obstacle) is understood even without the obstacle, so it says "viddhanti ubbiddha" (pierced, risen up). And its "rising up" is its presence as a distant state due to the removal of defilements, so it says "dūrībhūta" (become distant) by the removal of clouds. "Devo" (sky) means it shines, it gleams, like an Indanīla gem. "Viditvā" (having known) means having known, "Now the sky is free of clouds, there is no affliction of cold, etc., for the Blessed One." "Viniveṭhetvā" (having unwound) means having removed. "Attanorūpaṃ" (his own form) means his own Nāga form. "Paṭisaṃharitvā" (having withdrawn) means having made disappear.