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"I will fight a very difficult battle with the thieves of defilements." 4. The king repeatedly forbade him, saying this; He repeatedly begged, and with the king's permission, he went forth. 5. Having gone forth, in due course, he attained arahantship; And he became surrounded by five hundred arahants. 6. Seven days after the canopy festival, Abhaya, whose fear had departed; The king, having been consecrated, did so with great splendor. 7. He went to Tissavāpi, adorned with festive arrangements; To play, and to protect the custom of those consecrated. 8. All the king's paraphernalia, and hundreds of offerings; They placed at the site of the Maricavaṭṭi Vihāra. 9. At that very stūpa site, the spear-bearers placed the excellent spear with relics; Straight, the king's men. 10. The great king, with his retinue, having played in the water during the day; Said, "We will go in the evening, remove the spear, sirs!" 11. The king's officers could not move it, the spear; The royal army gathered and worshipped it with perfumes and garlands. 12. The king, seeing that great wonder, with a joyful mind; Having established a guard there, then entered the city. 13. Having caused the spear to be encircled, he built a cetiya there; Having caused the stūpa to be encircled, he also built a vihāra. 14. In three years, that vihāra was completed by the lord of men; He assembled the Saṅgha for the great occasion of the vihāra. 15. To the bhikkhus, One hundred thousand, then the bhikkhunis, however; Ninety thousand, came together. 16. In that assembly, to the Saṅgha, the king said this: "Venerable Sirs, having forgotten the Saṅgha, I ate the pepper-stalk. 17. "Let this be a light punishment for me," he caused to be made; a lovely Maricavaṭṭi Vihāra with a cetiya. 18. "May the Saṅgha accept it," thus he, the water of dedication; having poured, to the community of bhikkhus, the vihāra, with a glad mind, he gave. 19. Around that vihāra, a great, beautiful pavilion; having caused to be made there, for the Saṅgha, a great offering he performed. 20. Even having established its feet, in the water of Abhayavāpi; that pavilion was made, the rest in the air, it is said. 21. For seven days, food and drink, etc., having given, the lord of men; gave all the requisites for recluses, very valuable. 22. The requisites, at first, were worth one hundred thousand; finally, worth a thousand, and the entire Saṅgha received them. 23. Brave in battle and in giving, wise in the Triple Gem; with a pure and clear mind, desiring to illuminate the Dispensation. 24. By that grateful king, from the making of stupas; and countless vihāras, to honor the Triple Gem. 25. The wealth sacrificed here, priceless, having been released; the remainder was nineteen crores less one. 26. Even though stained by ten kinds of faults, attained by people endowed with special wisdom; they indeed become essence-grasped, possessing five qualities, thus, in grasping its essence, wisdom should arise. In the Mahāvaṃsa, made for the joy and spiritual urgency of good people, named "The Great Offering of the Maricavaṭṭi Vihāra," the twenty-sixth chapter. Twenty-seventh chapter The Great Offering of the Brazen Palace 1. Then the king reflected, on what was well-known, well-heard, heard; the greatly wise, always meritorious, whose resolve was made by wisdom. 2. "The elder who illuminated the island, to my royal grandfather; thus, it is said, you, King Duṭṭhagāmaṇi, 3. "Greatly meritorious, a great stupa, beautiful, adorned with gold; one hundred and twenty cubits high, will cause to be made in the future." 4. Again, the Uposatha hall, adorned with various gems; Making it nine-storied, and also a Brazen Palace. 5. Thinking thus, the king of the land, had it written down and kept; Showing it in the royal palace, in a casket that was there. 6. Having obtained a golden plate, he read the inscription on it; “Four hundred and forty years, having passed in the future. 7. The wicked king Duṭṭhagāmaṇi, son of Kākavaṇṇa, Will do this and that, and thus,” it was written. 8. Having heard it, the king rejoiced and exclaimed, and clapped his hands; Then, going early in the morning, to the beautiful Mahāmeghavana. 9. Having gathered the assembly, he spoke to the community of monks; “I will build for you a palace, like a celestial mansion. 10. Having sent a divine mansion, then the inscription was given to me”; The community of monks dispatched, eight Arahants there. 11. In the time of Kassapa Muni, a brahmin named Asoka; Offered eight portions of food, to the Saṅgha. 12. He told his slave girl Bharaṇī, “Give it always”; Having given them respectfully, for her whole life, she passed away from there. 13. In a celestial mansion in the sky, she was reborn, beautiful and radiant; Always surrounded by a thousand nymphs. 14. Her gem-palace, was twelve yojanas high; Its circumference, was forty-eight yojanas. 15. Adorned with a thousand pinnacled chambers, nine-storied; Possessing a thousand chambers, shining, four-faced. 16. With a thousand conch-like enclosures, having lion-cage windows; Adorned with a net of tinkling bells, and with railings. 17. The Ambalaṭṭhika Palace, stood in its midst; Appearing serene, filled with raised banners. 18. Those who went to Tāvatiṃsa, seeing that very elder; Then wrote the inscription with vermilion, on a cloth. 19. Having returned, they showed the cloth to the Saṅgha; The Saṅgha took that cloth, and sent it to the king. 20. Seeing that, King Sumana, came to the excellent monastery; He made it like the drawing, l the excellent palace. 21. At the time of starting the work, the wealthy man at the four gates; had eight hundred and eighty thousand gold coins deposited. 22. A thousand bundles of cloth, were placed at each gate; many jars filled with jaggery, oil, sugar, and honey. 23. Saying, "No work here should be done without payment," he had the completed work valued, and paid them their due. 24. A hundred cubits by a hundred cubits, was each side; and equally high, was that four-faced palace. 25. In that excellent palace, there were nine stories; and on each story, a hundred pinnacled chambers. 26. All the pinnacled chambers, were adorned with silver; their coral railings, decorated with various gems. 27. Their lotus designs, were adorned with various gems; they were surrounded, by rows of silver bells. 28. A thousand well-constructed, chambers were in that palace; inlaid with various gems, and having lion-cage windows. 29. Hearing of Vessavaṇa's, chariot for women; he then had made, a gem pavilion in the middle. 30. With figures of lions, tigers, and the like, and figures of deities; this gem-pavilion, was adorned with pillars. 31. A net of pearls surrounded, the pavilion all around; and the coral railing here, was of the kind mentioned before. 32. In the very center of the pavilion, adorned with seven gems; a beautiful ivory couch, a delightful crystal bed. 33. Ivory backrests were there, a golden sun; a silver moon, and stars made of pearls. 34. Various gem-lotuses, were here and there as appropriate; and Jātaka stories were there, among golden vines. 35. On the couch, so very pleasing, with precious coverings; a charming ivory fan, was delightfully placed. 36. Coral sandals were there, placed on crystal; a white parasol with a silver handle, graced the top of the couch. 37. Here were the eight auspicious symbols, made of seven gems; and of four-footed creatures, and they were of gems and pearls. 38. Rows of silver bells, hung down from the roof; Palaces, parasols, couches, and pavilions were priceless. 39. He had expensive beds and chairs arranged appropriately; Likewise, floor coverings and precious blankets. 40. Golden pots for gruel, and a ladle were there; And other things for the use of the palace were spoken of. 41. Surrounded by beautiful walls, with four gatehouses; The palace shone adorned, like the assembly of Tāvatiṃsa. 42. This palace was roofed with copper tiles; Hence it acquired the name, "Brazen Palace." 43. When the Brazen Palace was finished, he assembled the Saṅgha; The king and the Saṅgha assembled, as at the great festival of Maricavaṭṭi. 44. Ordinary people stood on the first floor, Those of the Tipiṭaka on the second, and stream-enterers and so on. 45. Each stood on the third and subsequent floors; And Arahants stood on the four upper floors. 46. Having given the palace to the Saṅgha, preceded by the water of donation; The king gave a great offering, for seven days, as before, with love. 47. The great gifts of the palace, given by the king with great generosity; Excluding the priceless ones, amounted to thirty crores. 48. Those of good wisdom, who consider giving to be the essence, Among the accumulation of worthless wealth; They, with abundant giving, free from attachment, Thus give for the highest welfare of beings. In the Mahāvaṃsa, made for the joy and spiritual urgency of good people, The chapter called "The Great Festival of the Brazen Palace," The twenty-seventh chapter. The twenty-eighth chapter The Acquisition of Means for the Great Stūpa 1. Then the king, spending a hundred thousand; Had a most excellent and splendid worship of the Great Bodhi performed. 2. Then, entering the city, seeing the stone pillar placed at the stūpa site, remembering the ancient prophecy. 3. "I will build the Great Stūpa," thus delighted, he ascended to the great terrace, ate at night, and lying down, he thought: 4. "By crushing the Damiḷas, this world has been oppressed." by me. It is not possible to offer a bali, I will offer a bali avoiding that. 5. While building the Great Stupa, bricks made according to the Dhamma; "I will produce them," thus he thought, and his thought was fulfilled. 6. In the parasol, the devas knew, then there was a great clamor; Sakka, knowing this among the devas, spoke to Vissakamma.