English
He [said] to them, "Do not engage in quarrelsome disputes, for our Lord is an advocate of patience." Saying thus, he declared it improper to cause strife over the bodily relics of one so endowed with patience, loving-kindness, and compassion. (King Ajātasattu, the Licchavis, and the rulers of men; The Sakyas, the Allakappas, and the Koliyas of Rāmagāma; The Brahmin of Veṭhadīpa, and the Mallapāveyyakas; And the Mallas, for the sake of the relics, disputed with each other. Thus being, then Droṇa the Brahmin spoke thus; "Hear, good sirs, my words, fraught with benefit and meaning. An advocate of patience in the time of ascetics, as Dhammapāla Kumāra; In Chaddanta, Bhūridatta, and in Campeyya, Saṅkhapālaka. In the time of the Mahākapijātaka, our leader of the world; Without anger towards others, the Victor only practiced patience. In what is proper and improper, in happiness and suffering, in gain and loss, in fame and disgrace; Endowed with such characteristics, what need is there to speak of patience? Thus, in your dispute, striking each other is not good; All of you be united, harmonious, rejoicing. Let us divide the body of the Tathāgata into eight parts; Let stupas be spread abroad, so that many people may be pleased. Therefore, divide it, O Brahmin, into eight parts; Let stupas be spread abroad, so that many people may be pleased." Thus spoken, then Droṇa the Brahmin, the chief of the assembly; Having made a golden vessel, equally divided it among the kings. There were sixteen measures, all those remaining relics; Two measures each Droṇa then gave to the inhabitants of each city. Having taken the relics, the rulers of men, joyful and delighted; Having gone to their own countries, they built cetiyas. Droṇa, having taken the vessel, made the vessel-cetiya; The Moriyas, with delighted minds, made the charcoal-stupa.) One in Tavatimsa heaven, one in the Naga realm, One in the Gandhara country, one with the Kalinga king. Who is Dona there? He was the teacher of the group. As he was dividing the relics, he took one right canine tooth relic and placed it in a cloth wrapping. Then Sakka, thinking, "Who will receive the right canine tooth relic today?" saw it in the wrapping. Taking a jeweled casket, he went with an invisible body, took the relic, and in Tavatimsa heaven, at the Culamani Cetiya, he built a great stupa, one yojana in circumference, and placed it there. He took one right canine tooth relic, stepping on it with his toe. Thus far, the story of the tooth relic in Tavatimsa heaven should be understood as complete. Then, a Naga king named Jayasena, hearing of the Buddha's passing away, thinking, "Today I will see the last sight," taking great Naga royal wealth, went to Kusinara, made a great offering, stood to one side, saw the relic standing on his toe, took it with Naga power, brought it to the Naga realm, and placed it in a jeweled shrine in the middle of the Naga city. In Tambapanni, during the reign of King Kakavannatissa, a disciple of Mahadeva Thera named Mahinda Thera went to the Naga realm, took the right canine tooth, conquered Serunagara in Tambapanni, and had a shrine built on the Serunagara mountain of Giriabhaya, and placed it there. Thus far, the story of the tooth relic in the Naga realm should be understood as complete. Who is this Gandhara resident? One left canine tooth was taken by a teacher named Dona, who placed it in a cloth wrapping. Then a resident of Gandhara, who had previously received predictions and made aspirations, seeing the tooth relic placed in the cloth, with a wholesome mind, took the tooth relic from there, and together with the residents of Gandhara, went to his own country and placed it in Cetiyavana. Thus far, the story of the left canine tooth relic should be understood as complete. There, Khema, a monk, a disciple of Sariputta Thera, flew up from a latticed coffin, took the lower left canine tooth, and brought it to Kalingapura. Having gone to King Brahmadatta, and showing the tooth relic? "O Great King, the Buddha's left canine tooth, he himself declared, would, in this Jambudīpa, until the line of Guhasīva, benefit gods and humans, and in the end, he would entrust it to King Guhasīva." Later, Princess Hemamālā, having taken the tooth relic, disguised as a Brahmin along with Dantakumāra, having fled, informed a merchant, and the ship went swiftly, and having caused great veneration by nāgas and supaṇṇas, gradually arriving, reached Jambukoḷapaṭṭana, and by the path shown by the excellent twice-born, having reached Anurādhapura, having inquired about the conduct of Kittissirimegha, having heard of his faith in the three refuges, being nine years of age, having gone to Meghagiri Mahāthera, having paid homage, having sat down to one side, having declared the fact of having brought the tooth relic from Jambudīpa, showed it. And having seen it, filled with joy, having made provision for both, having adorned the Mahāvihāra, having placed the Buddha's tooth relic, having sent a bhikkhu, caused that matter to be announced to the king. Having heard that, the king, filled with joy and delight, like a poor man who has attained the glory of a universal monarch, having seen its miracle, having pondered, having become free from doubt, venerated it with the entire island of Laṅkā. Having made veneration in this manner, in one day alone, he venerated it with nine lakhs. The Sinhala lord, to both, many jewels; And villages and authority, having given, made provision. Thus far, the story of the lower jaw tooth relic should be understood as complete. Forty even teeth, hair and body hair, all the gods took, one by one, throughout the universe. In that statement, "forty even teeth?" The remaining teeth, and hair, and body hair, and nails, all of them, at my passing away, may they not be burned, having been plucked, may they be established in the sky, and to each universe, and each hair, body hair, nail, and tooth relic throughout, having taken, having caused a cetiya to be made, may they benefit gods and humans," he resolved. Therefore, from the time of passing away until... As long as the body does not burn, the six-colored rays do not abandon the hair pores. At the end of the distribution of the relics, Doṇa the Brahmin, realizing that the relics had vanished from the wrapping cloth, the inner garment, and the soles of his feet, fell face down on the ground. Then Sakka, the king of the gods, seeing that this Teacher Doṇa might be consumed by grief, wandering about for the sake of the relics, thought, "I will take the form of a lute teacher, go to him, and dispel his sorrow." Abandoning his form as Sakka, he took the form of a lute teacher, went to him, stood to one side, sang a divine song, played the lute, and exclaimed in various ways, "By this Dharma, I will cut off the argument of that man," saying, "By talk, the greed of the ears, destroying the benefit of another, a man becomes evil through excessive greed." Revealing the Hamsaraja Jataka, he said, "What is obtained is well obtained." Hearing that, Doṇa thought, "This lute teacher knows my thievish nature," and dispelling his sorrow, he arose. Looking around, seeing the gourd with which the bodily relics of the Blessed One had been measured, he thought, "That too is destined for a relic." Thinking, "I will make a stupa with this," he took the gourd and placed it in a shrine. The Moriyas took the embers and made what was called the Angara Cetiya (Embers Shrine). In the city of Kapilavatthu, many with right view; There they made a stupa of bodily relics, made of jewels. In the lovely city of Allaka, the Buddha's relics were established; A stupa with relics was made of sapphire-colored stone. In the Paveyya country, people established the bodily relics; A Paveyya shrine was made of ruby-colored stone. The robe and alms bowl staff were honored in Madhura; The inner garment was honored in Kusaghara by the people. The outer mat in Kapila, the hair between the eyebrows in Kosala; They honored the water pot and waist band in Pataliputta. The seat in Avanti, the water cloth in Campa; The spread in Devarattha, the strainer in Videha. The needle case and sewing needle were honored in Indapattha; The excellent footprint on the stone, the remaining goods in Parantaka. They honored. The people then received the eight doṇas of relics; The relics of the world's savior, the teacher, were spread abroad. Those kings, having taken the relics they had obtained, went to their respective cities, built cetiyas, and performed great acts of veneration. The Blessed One, the one with eyes, had eight doṇas of bodily relics, and one hundred and twenty-eight nāḷikās in a golden tube? The Teacher conceived in his mother's womb under the Uttarāsāḷha constellation. He emerged from his mother's womb under the Visākha constellation. He went forth on the Great Renunciation under the Uttarāsāḷha constellation. He became a Buddha under the Visākha constellation. He set the Wheel of Dhamma in motion under the Uttarāsāḷha constellation. On that same day, he performed the Twin Miracle. He descended from the heavens under the Assayuja constellation. He attained final Nibbāna under the Visākha constellation. The two great elders, Mahākassapa Thera and Anuruddha Thera, distributed the bodily relics of the Blessed One. After those kings had received the bodily relics of the Blessed One and had performed great and precious veneration for seven years, seven months, and seven days, the time came when people with wrong views said, "The ascetic Gotama is extinguished. For the sake of his relics, they destroy our means of livelihood by venerating them," and they became hostile towards the Perfectly Enlightened One. Sakka, reflecting, understood the reason and informed Mahākassapa Thera, "Venerable sir, people with wrong views, having died with hostile thoughts towards the Blessed One, will be reborn in Avīci Hell.