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who wish to venerate the relics. Come instantly, venerate the relics here; And return to their own homes," and it happened as he aspired. That great king, of great fame, for the great assembly of monks; Having continuously offered great alms, for those seven days. Declared: "The task in the Relic Chamber, has been completed by me; The closing of the Relic Chamber, the Saṅgha should know." The Saṅgha appointed those two novices to that task. They sealed the relic chamber with a stone that had been brought. 120. “May the garlands here not wither, may these perfumes not dry up; May the lamps not go out, may nothing whatsoever be lost. 121. May the six stones, the color of fat, be joined without a gap.” Thus, those free from defilements resolved all this here. 122. The great king commanded, “Let the great populace, according to their ability, make relic deposits here,” being desirous of their welfare. 123. And behind the great relic deposit, the great populace made a thousand relic deposits, according to their strength. 124. After everything was sealed, the king completed the Thūpa; and he completed the square shrine that was there. 125. Thus, the pure and tranquil ones themselves perform merits for the sake of attaining the highest prosperity; And those with completely purified minds, for the sake of a retinue endowed with various excellent qualities, also cause others to perform them. Here ends the Thirty-first Chapter, called “The Deposit of Relics,” in the Mahāvaṃsa, composed for the serene joy and emotion of the good. Chapter Thirty-two Going to the Tusita Heaven 1. While the parasol work and the plaster work of the shrine were not yet finished, the king became ill with a fatal disease. 2. He summoned Tissa, his younger brother, from Dīghavāpi, and said, “Complete the unfinished work on the Thūpa.” 3. Because his brother was weak, he had a covering made by tailors from pure cloths, and with it, he covered the shrine. 4. He had the artists skillfully make a railing there, and a row of full pots, and a row of five-fingered ornaments. 5. He had a parasol made of bamboo in the shape of a parasol, and sun and moon made of rough leaves on the pinnacle. 6. Having had it painted beautifully with lacquer and saffron, he informed the king, “The work to be done on the Thūpa is finished.” 7. Lying in a palanquin, the great lord came here; and circumambulating the shrine while still in the palanquin. 8. Having paid homage at the southern entrance, he lay down on a bed spread on the ground, and lay down on his right side. to the right, that excellent Great Stūpa. 9. Having gone to the left, that excellent Brazen Palace; Seeing it, he was joyful, surrounded by the assembly of monks. 10. To inquire about the sick, having come from here and there; Ninety-six crores of monks, were present at that gathering. 11. The monks performed group chanting, in sections; The king, not seeing Thera Theraputtābhaya there, 12. “He who fought twenty-eight great battles, undefeated; That great warrior, my master, who never retreated, 13. When the battle with death arrived, I think he saw defeat; Now he does not come to me, Thera Theraputtābhaya.” 14. Thus the king thought, the Thera, knowing his thought; Residing at the source of the Karinda River, on Pañjalipabbata, 15. With five hundred Arahants as his retinue, by psychic power; Having come through the sky, he stood surrounding the king. 16. The king, seeing him, was pleased, and he sat before him; “I, having taken ten great warriors before, 17. Fought; now I alone, have begun battle with death; I cannot defeat the enemy of death,” he said. 18. The Thera said, “Great King, do not fear, O lord of men; Without conquering the enemy of defilements, the enemy of death is unconquerable. 19. All conditioned things, must inevitably break apart; ‘All conditioned things are impermanent,’ thus indeed was taught by the Teacher. 20. Shame, free from old age, impermanence comes even to the Buddha; Therefore, contemplate that conditioned things are impermanent, suffering, and not-self. 21. Even in your second existence, with a strong desire for the Dhamma, for great welfare; When you appeared in the deva world, having abandoned divine happiness, 22. You came here and performed much merit, in various ways; Even the establishment of a single kingdom, was for the glorification of the Dispensation. 23. The merit performed by you, the great meritorious one, up to this day; Remember all of it, and happiness will immediately be yours. 24. Having heard the Thera’s words, the king became joyful; “You are my refuge even in the battle with death,” he said. 25. Then, having caused to be brought, He, delighted, the book of merits, Bade the scribe read it, and he read that book. 26. One hundred minus one monasteries, were built by the great king; Nineteen crores, the Maricavaṭṭi monastery too. 27. The excellent Brazen Palace, Was built for thirty crores; In the Great Stūpa, priceless things, Twenty-four were made. 28. The rest in the Great Stūpa, were made by the wise one; "They are worth a thousand crores, O great king!" he declared. 29. "In Malaya, at a place called Koṭṭha, when I was famished and starving, Having given two valuable ear-rings, I took them. 30. To five Arahant great elders, the best of them, With a joyful mind, a ball of millet gruel was given. 31. In the battle of Cūḷaṅganiya, having been defeated and fleeing; Having announced the time, to him who came through the sky. 32. To the Arahant ascetic, disregarding my own life; 'Rice with sauce was given,' when this was said, the king spoke. 33. At the great festival of the monastery, and likewise at the great festival of the palace; And at the start of the stūpa, for a week, and likewise at the relic enshrinement. 34. To the Sangha from all four directions, and to both sides by me; A great and worthy offering, without distinction, was given. 35. And twenty-four great Vesākha pujas, I caused to be made; Thrice in the island, I caused the three robes to be given to the Sangha. 36. For seven times seven days, this kingdom in the island; Five times to the Dispensation, I gave with a joyful mind. 37. Continuously at twelve places, with pure wicks of ghee; I lit a thousand lamps, worshipping the Fortunate One. 38. Always at eighteen places, prepared with instruments, I; Medicine and food for the sick, I caused to be given to the sick. 39. At forty-four places, prepared honey-rice; And at exactly those same places, oil for anointing. 40. Large fried cakes cooked in pots, at exactly those same places; And likewise with rice, I always caused these to be given. 41. On Uposatha days, and in eight months each month; In the monasteries of the island of Laṅkā, I caused lamp oil to be given. 42. Having heard that the gift of Dhamma is great, and material offerings from giving. Below the Brazen Palace, on a seat in the midst of the Sangha. 43. "I will recite the auspicious Sutta to the Sangha," I thought. Seated to recite, I could not, out of reverence for the Sangha. 44. From then on, in Lanka, in various monasteries, I had Dhamma talks given, honoring the speakers. 45. To each Dhamma speaker, I gave a nāḷi of ghee, honey, and sugar, and gave a four-finger measure. 46. I gave a handful of licorice, and two robes. All this giving, did not gladden my mind. 47. Disregarding my life, though I was poor, the two gifts I gave, those gladdened my mind. 48. Hearing that, Thera Abhaya, those two gifts, he praised in many ways, to gladden the king's mind. 49. Among those five Theras, the one who received gruel with kangu, the Great Thera Maliyadeva, on Sumanakūṭa mountain. 50. Having given it to nine hundred bhikkhus, he partook of it. The Dhamma Sutta Thera, the earth-shaker, he, however, 51. in the Kalyāṇika monastery, divided it among bhikkhus; he made it for the use of ten thousand five hundred. 52. The Thera Dhammadinna, resident of Talaṅgara, in the island of Piyaṅgu, having given it to ten thousand, partook of it. 53. The Great Thera Khuddhatissa, resident of Maṅgaṇa, endowed with great psychic power, on Kelāsa, having given it to sixty thousand, partook of it. 54. And the Thera Mahābyaggha, in the Ukkanagara monastery, having given it to seven hundred, made it for their use. 55. And the Thera who received rice with sarakā, in the island of Piyaṅgu, having given it to twelve thousand bhikkhus, partook of it. 56. Having said this, Thera Abhaya gladdened the king's mind. The king, with a gladdened mind, spoke to that Thera thus: 57. "For twenty-four years, I have been a helper of the Sangha. May my body also be a helper of the Sangha. 58. At the place of seeing the Great Stupa, in the work-hall of the Sangha, my body, a servant of the Sangha, burn me, you all.” 59. He said to his younger brother: “O Tissa, the Great Stūpa is unfinished; You must complete all the work diligently and well. 60. Morning and evening, offer flowers at the Great Stūpa; And make offerings to the Great Stūpa three times. 61. And all the duties that I have prepared in the teaching of the Sugata; My dear, do not neglect any of them, but perform them. 62. My dear, never be negligent in the affairs of the Saṅgha.” Having thus advised him, the king became silent. 63. At that moment, the community of bhikkhus recited a communal chant; And deities brought six chariots with six gods. 64. Standing in those chariots, the gods each separately implored the king: “Come, O delightful king, to our divine world.” 65. The king, hearing their words, said: “Until I hear the Dhamma, Please wait,” and he waved them away with his hand. 66. The bhikkhus, thinking that the communal chant was being stopped, Paused the chant, and the king asked the reason for the pause. 67. They said: “Because we were given a sign to wait.”