English
And the right collarbone relic, and the forehead relic, And one share received by the residents of Rāmagāma, And many other bodily relics, And hair relics, will be established there, And thousands of monasteries. A great multitude, with faith established in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha jewels, will be. Therefore, it is fitting to go to Laṅkādīpa, And having attained absorption there, to return." Having thought thus, he addressed the Elder Ānanda: "Ānanda, inform the five hundred great arahants, Who have attained the fourfold analytical knowledge, That we must go together." The Elder Ānanda, of Kapilavatthu, the Naga He announced it to five hundred great arahant monks residing there. Those five hundred arahants, having been informed, taking their bowls and robes, paid homage to the Teacher, raised their joined hands, and stood respectfully. Not far from the Teacher's Perfumed Chamber called Salala, there was an exceedingly beautiful pond, filled with fragrant various flowers such as red, white, blue lotuses, water lilies, lotuses, white lotuses, hundred-petaled lotuses, and thousand-petaled lotuses. It had beautiful steps, clear, pleasant, delightful, cool, and sweet water, and a landscape adorned with various kinds of flowering and fruit-bearing trees such as sala trees, salala trees, champak trees, asoka trees, naga trees, and others. There dwelt a mighty naga king named Sumana, surrounded by about sixteen thousand naga maidens, enjoying great splendor and wealth. Seeing the form of the Tathagata, which had attained beauty, he experienced great joy and happiness, and placing his mother, the naga maiden Nandana, in a position of respect, he resided in that very pond, attending to her needs. The Teacher, after arranging his departure, addressed the naga king Sumana, who was standing nearby, saying, "Come with your retinue." He, assenting with "Very well," took about six kotis of nagas in his retinue and held a fully blossomed champak tree as an umbrella to ward off the sun's rays from the Tathagata. Then the Blessed One, shining like a golden mountain struck by the sun's rays, took his bowl and robes and rose into the sky. The five hundred arahants who stood surrounding the Teacher also took their respective bowls and robes, rose into the sky, and surrounded the Teacher. The Teacher, surrounded by five hundred arahants, went to Kalyani on the Visakha full moon uposatha day and sat on the excellent Buddha seat prepared in the middle of a magnificent pavilion, surrounded by five hundred arahants. Then a naga king named Maniakkhika, along with the Sangha of monks headed by the Buddha, and satisfied him with various divine foods and drinks, sat down to one side. The Teacher, having given thanks for the meal, showed the footprint on Sumanakūṭa, and having spent the day in meditation on that mountain slope, in a place full of various trees, arose from there, and attained absorption at the Dīghavāpicetiya site. The great earth, with its surrounding water, shook a hundred times, a thousand times. There, having stationed a devaputta named Mahāsena for protection, arose from there, and attained absorption in the same way at the Mahāthūpa site. The great earth shook in the same way. There too, having placed a devaputta named Visālarūpa to take on the protection, arose from there, and attained cessation at the Thūpārāma cetiya site in the same way. The great earth shook in the same way. And there, a devaputta named Pathavipāla, for protection. Having stationed him, arose from there, and having gone to the Maricavaṭṭi cetiya site, attained absorption together with five hundred monks. The earth shook in the same way. In that place, he placed a devaputta named Indaka to take on the protection. Having arisen from there, he attained absorption in the same way at the Kācaragāma cetiya site. The earth shook in the same way. (In that place, he assigned a devaputta named Mahāghosa to take on the protection.) At this Mahācetiya site, having stationed a devaputta named Mahāghosa to take on the protection, arose from there, and attained absorption in the same way at the Tissamahāvihāra cetiya site. The earth shook in the same way. There, having had a devadhītar named Maṇimekhala take on the protection, then at the Nāgamahāvihāra cetiya site, attained absorption in the same way. The earth shook in the same way. There too, he placed a devaputta named Mahinda to take on the protection. Having arisen from there, on the southern side of the Mahāgaṅgā, in the middle of a lake named Seru, on the head of a sandbank named Varāha, a cetiya, extremely beautiful, resembling a water bubble or the peak of Mount Kailāsa, will be established. He entered cessation attainment together with the arahants. Like a potter's wheel spun around on the massive, dense earth, like the making of a sound from the trunk of a great, intoxicated elephant whose pride has been shattered, like the sound of the mouth of a sugarcane-pressing machine, it trembled, making a roaring sound a hundred times, a thousand times, as if having attained joy, making the entire island of Lanka resound. Then, rising from it, taking flowers from the champak tree standing in the hands of King Sumana, he worshiped there and repeatedly gazed upon it. Having worshiped the Teacher, he asked, "What should I do, Lord?" "Protect this place," he said. Hearing that, he said, "Lord, while I am protecting your Perfumed Chamber, the attainment of beauty of form, adorned with the eighty minor marks, radiant with a fathom's extent, distinguished by the thirty-two marks of a great man, being the ultimate in seeing, is pleasing to me. Like a young lion roaring on a slab of red arsenic, thundering like a great rain cloud in the rainy season, descending like the Ganges of the sky, stringing together a garland of jewels, uttering a lovely sound endowed with eight qualities, emitting a Brahma-like voice, listening to the sweet Dhamma teaching capable of ferrying across those submerged in the ocean of samsara, speaking various stories in diverse ways, being exceedingly delightful to hear, seeing the eighty great disciples, such as Sariputta and Moggallana, who have reached the pinnacle of wisdom and psychic power, I delight in dwelling right here. I am not able to live elsewhere without you." Hearing his words, the Blessed One said, "Nagaraja, this place has been your dwelling place for a long time. The relics of the Buddha Kakusandha were established in this very place; you yourself, at that time, having been a Nagaraja named Varanidda, took charge of the protection of those relics, and having made offerings with perfumes and garlands, lived for a long time. Again, the relics of the Buddha Konagamana were established in this very place; you yourself, at that time, having been a deva-son named Jayasena, took charge of the protection of those relics, and having made offerings with perfumes Having made offerings with garlands and the like, he stayed there for a long time. Again, the relic of Kassapa Buddha was established in this very place. You yourself, at that time, having become a Nāga king named Dīghasāla, took charge of protecting that relic, making offerings with incense and garlands, and stayed there. When I pass away, King Kākavaṇṇatissa will establish my forehead relic in this very place, therefore, protect this place," he said, establishing him in the five precepts, and together with five hundred arahants, circumambulating the Cetiya site, saying, "Be diligent," he rose into the sky and went to Jetavana. Then, the Nāga king's mother, named Indamānavikā, came, venerated the Tathāgata, and stood to one side, saying, "Venerable sir, where is my son, the Nāga king named Sumana?" "Your son, in Tambapaṇṇidīpa, in the southern part of the Mahāvālukagaṅgā, near the lake named Seru, having applied his mind to the Soṇḍiya named Varāha, taking his retinue of six koṭis of Nāgas, venerating the Teacher, saying, 'Venerable sir, from now on, seeing you will be difficult, forgive me,' confessing his transgression, taking great Nāga wealth, going to his son, the Nāga king Sumana, experiencing great lordly wealth, staying there, taking charge of protection, he stayed for a long time." Greatly wise, greatly faithful, greatly heroic, a great seer, Endowed with great strength, adorned with great virtues; Having gone to Tambapaṇṇi, with compassion for beings, Having gone to the excellent Nāga island, the wise one went to Jetavana. With exceedingly great confidence, bestowing confidence, Exceedingly delightful, the sole eye of the whole world; Exceedingly virtuous, the foremost for all beings, Exceedingly great compassion, he came to this good island. The account of the third visit is complete. Thus, in the Dhātuvamsa composed for the pleasure of noble people, the first chapter, named "The Tathāgata's Visit," is complete. Having come to Tambapaṇṇi, with compassion for beings, Having again gone to the Nāga island, he went to the excellent Jetavana. Excessive, very excessive, bestowing essence, many nights, Exceedingly firm in resolve, delightful, the sole eye of all the world, Exceedingly virtuous, delightful, the path to all peace, Due to excessive, vast giving, he came to Lanka, the good island. Thus it is seen in the Dhātuvamsa composed in the Sinhala language. 2. The Discourse on the Passing Away The Teacher, after teaching the Tipitaka doctrine for forty-five years, Delivered beings from the round of rebirths through the attainment of the four noble paths and fruits, Established them in Nibbana, and in his final days, Dwelling near Vesali, relying on the Chapala Shrine, Was requested by Mara to pass away, And mindfully and consciously relinquished the life force. Only Ananda knew of his relinquishment. There was no one else who knew. Therefore, thinking, "I will inform the Sangha," He went to the Jetavana Monastery, convened the entire Sangha, and said,