English
The king, delighted, took a golden pitcher, poured water into the elder's hand, and donated the Mahāmeghavana Park. The elder, after eating at the royal palace again the next day, preached the Anamatagga Sutta in Nandanavana. The next day, he preached the Aggikkhandhopama Sutta. In this way, he preached for seven days, and one and a half million beings experienced the Dhamma. On the seventh day, the elder, after preaching the Appamāda Sutta to the king in the inner palace, went to Cetiyagiri. Then the king thought, "The elder came here invited by me, so it is possible he might leave without asking." Having mounted his chariot, he went to Cetiyagiri. Traveling with great royal power, he approached the elders, appearing very weary. Then the elder said to him, "Why have you come, great king, so exhausted?" "You gave me profound advice, and now..." Knowing whether they wanted to go. "We do not want to go, great king, but it is time for the rains retreat, and it is proper for the monk to know the place for the rains retreat." The king, at that very moment, surrounded the courtyard of the Karaṇḍaka Cetiya, started work on sixty-eight dwellings, and then went to the city. And those elders, advising the great multitude, resided on Cetiyagiri during the rains. Then, the venerable Mahinda, having completed the rains retreat and celebrated the Pavāraṇā on the full-moon day of Kattika, said this to the king: "It has been a long time, great king, since we have seen the Fully Enlightened One, and there is no place for paying homage, attending, offering reverence, and performing proper deeds, therefore I am longing for it." "Did you not say, venerable sir, that the Fully Enlightened One has passed away?" "Although, great king, he has passed away, his bodily relics remain." "Then, venerable sir, I will establish a stupa; find a suitable site." "But where shall we obtain the relics?" "Consult with Sumana, great king." The king approached Sumana and asked, "Where shall we now obtain the relics, venerable sir?" Sumana said, "Be without anxiety, great king, have the streets cleaned, decorated with flags, banners, and full water pots, observe the Uposatha with your retinue, have all musical instruments prepared, have a fully adorned auspicious elephant prepared, raise a white parasol above it, and in the evening, go towards the Mahānāga pleasure garden, for surely in that place relics will be obtained." The king agreed, saying, "Good." The elders went to Cetiyagiri. There, the venerable Mahinda said to the novice Sumana: "Go, novice, to Jambudīpa, approach your grandfather, King Asoka, and say to him in my words: 'Your friend, King Devānampiya Tissa, is pleased with the Buddha's Dispensation and wishes to establish a stupa. It is said that you have in your possession the bowl used by the Blessed One and a relic; give them to me.' Having taken them, quickly Approaching Sakka, the king of gods, "O Great King, you have two relics, The right tooth and the right collarbone. Worship the right tooth, But give me the right collarbone," And say to him, "Why, O Great King, having sent us to Tambapaṇṇidīpa, Have you been negligent?" "Good, venerable sir," Accepting the words of the Elder Sumana, Taking bowl and robe, He rose into the sky, Descended at the gate of Pāṭaliputta, Went to the king, And announced the matter. The king, pleased, Taking the bowl from the novice's hand, Fed him, Perfumed the Buddha's bowl, Filled it with relics like excellent pearls, And gave it. Taking it, He approached Sakka, the king of gods. Sakka, the king of gods, seeing the novice, Said, "Why, venerable Sumana, do you wander about?" "Why, O Great King, having sent us to Tambapaṇṇidīpa, Are you negligent?" "I am negligent, venerable sir, Tell me, what shall I do?" "You have two relics, The right tooth and the right collarbone. Worship the right tooth, But give me the right collarbone." "Good, venerable sir," Sakka, the lord of gods, Uncovered a jeweled stupa about a league in size, Took out the right collarbone, And gave it to Sumana. Taking it, He established it on Cetiyagiri itself. Then Mahinda and all those great Nāgas, Having established the relics given by Asokadhammarāja on Cetiyagiri itself, Taking the right collarbone, Went to the Mahānāga pleasure garden in Vaḍḍhamānakaccha. The king also, Having made offerings and honors as Sumana had said, Riding on an excellent elephant, In the evening, holding a white umbrella on the head of the auspicious elephant, Reached the Mahānāga pleasure garden. Then it occurred to him: "If this is truly the relic of the Perfectly Enlightened Buddha, Let the umbrella fall, Let the auspicious elephant kneel on the ground, And let the relic casket rest on my head." As soon as the king's thought arose, the umbrella lowered itself, and it stood on the elephant's tusks. The relic casket stood on the king's head. The king, with his body as if anointed with nectar, filled with supreme joy and delight, asked, "Venerable sir, what shall I do with the relic?" "For now, Your Majesty, place it on the elephant's forehead." The king placed the relic casket on the elephant's forehead. The delighted elephant roared a triumphant cry. A great cloud arose and rained a shower of water, making it knee-deep. A great earthquake occurred, signifying that even in the borderlands, relics of the Perfectly Enlightened One would be established. Then that elephant, surrounded by many musicians, being honored with exceedingly grand offerings and respect, facing westward, retreating until it reached the eastern gate of the city, entered the city through the eastern gate. While grand offerings were being made throughout the entire city, it exited through the southern gate and went to a place called Pabhejavatthu on the western side of Thūpārāma. Then it turned back towards Thūpārāma. That place is where the former three Perfectly Enlightened Ones established their Dharma water pot, body belt, and bathing cloth, and it became a place for a constructed shrine. Even when the shrines are destroyed, by the power of the deities, it stands surrounded by thorn-filled branches and various thickets, lest anyone defile it with leftovers or unclean rubbish. Then, the king's men, going in front of that elephant, cut down all the thickets, cleared the ground, and made it like the palm of a hand. The elephant went, making that place its front, and stood on the western side of the Bodhi tree platform. Then they began to take the relic from its head, but the elephant did not allow it to be taken. He asked the elder, "Why, venerable sir, does the elephant not allow the relic to be taken?" "It is not proper to take it down after it has been mounted, Your Majesty." At that time, the water in Abhayavāpi was old, and the ground all around was cracked. Those were pure clods of clay. Then the great crowd quickly brought clay and made a base the size of a hand-span. Just then, they began to make bricks for the construction of the stupa. While the bricks were being finished, the elephant stayed for a few days during the day in the elephant stable at the Bodhi tree site. At night, it roamed the ground where the stupa would be established. Then, after preparing the site, the king asked the Elder, "What kind of stupa should be built, Venerable Sir?" "Like a heap of rice, Great King," he replied. "Good, Venerable Sir," said the king, and had a stupa built to the height of a man's shin, and made great preparations for the enshrining of the relic. Then all the townspeople and country folk gathered to see the relic. And when that great crowd had assembled, the relic of the Ten-Powered One rose from the elephant's trunk to a height of seven palm trees in the sky and performed the Twin Miracle. From those places of the relic, six-colored rays and streams of water and masses of fire flowed forth. The miracle was like the miracle shown by the Blessed One at the foot of the Gandamba tree in Savatthi. And that was not through the power of the Elder, nor through the power of the deities, but truly through the power of the Buddhas themselves. It is said that the Blessed One, while still living, had determined: "In Tambapanni Island, in the southern part of Anuradhapura, at the site of the shrines of the three former Buddhas, on the day of the enshrining of my right collarbone relic, may the Twin Miracle occur." Thus, inconceivable are the Buddhas, inconceivable are the Buddha-teachings, For those who are devoted to the inconceivable, the result is inconceivable. From the relic-body, with showers of water, there was no place on the entire surface of Tambapanni Island that was not touched. Thus, that relic-body, by the showers of water, calmed the burning heat of the land of Tambapanni, and, showing a miracle to the great crowd, descended and rested on the king's head. The king, thinking he had gained a fruitful attainment of human existence, made great offerings and enshrined the relic. With the enshrinement of the relic... Then a great earthquake occurred. When the stupa was finished, the king, royal brothers, and queens, each made a stupa, terrifying gods, nāgas, and yakkhas. Thus, though the Victorious One is gone, with his relics and body, may he still do good and happiness for the people, and much joy through the Dhamma. Even while gone, the protector would act as if present. Here ends the story of Thūpārāma, in the Thūpavamsa, composed for the pleasing of good people's minds. 13. After the completion of the relic veneration, and the establishment of the excellent relic, the Elder Mahinda went to the Mahāmeghavana garden and made it his residence. At that time, Anulādevī, wishing to renounce the world, informed the king. The king, hearing her words, said to the Elder: "Venerable sir, Anulādevī wishes to renounce the world." "It is not proper for us, great king, to ordain women. But in Pāṭaliputta there is my sister, the Elder Saṅghamittā by name.