Then the gods from the pure realms circumambulated the Thus-Gone One, who sat at the seat of awakening. They showered him with a rain of divine sandalwood powder and praised him with these fitting verses:

“You are a light that has dawned upon this world! Illuminating Lord of the World, You have given eyes for abandoning afflictions To this world gone blind!

“You are victorious in battle! Through merit you have fulfilled your aim! Replete with virtuous qualities, You will satisfy beings!

“Sinless, you have crossed the mire And stand on dry ground, O Gautama! You will ferry across other sentient beings, Who are carried away by the swift current!

“Your great insight exalts you! You are without peer throughout the worlds! You are untainted by mundane concerns, Like a lotus floating on water!

“With the torch of your insight, You can awaken This long-slumbering world, Shrouded in the fog of darkness!

“Into the world of the living, Chronically troubled with the disease of afflictions, You have come, O King of Physicians, To cure the world of all illnesses!

“Now that you have appeared, O Lord, The unfortunate states will become vacant! Gods and humans Will become filled with happiness!

“Those who seek to behold you, O Gentle Bull among Men, Will never go to the lower realms For thousands of eons!

“Those who listen to the Dharma Will become scholars and be free of illness. They will be profound and bring an end to the aggregates, And be free from fear!

“As they sever the bonds of affliction, They will all be free of clinging And swiftly become liberated, And thus attain the fruition of supreme virtue!

“They will be objects of generosity in the world, Worthy of receiving gifts! Donations to them will not diminish, But become causes for all beings to reach nirvāṇa!”

Monks, once the gods from the realm of the pure realms had praised the Thus-Gone One in this manner, they prostrated to the Thus-Gone One with palms joined and stood to one side.

Monks, then the luminous gods paid homage to the Thus-Gone One sitting at the seat of awakening with a plethora of flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, unguents, parasols, standards, and flags. When the offerings had been made, they circumambulated him three times and then praised him with these verses:

“Your mind is profound, O Sage, and your voice is sweet; O Supreme Sage, your song-like voice is melodious like Brahmā’s. You have discovered the absolute awakening, most sublime! Homage to you, who has reached the culmination of all melodious tunes!

“You are protection, an island, the highest goal! You are the compassionate and loving lord of this world! You are the supreme physician, remover of thorns! You are the healer who brings sublime benefit!

“As soon as you saw Buddha Dīpaṃkara, You attained the cloud masses of love and compassion. Release a torrential downpour of ambrosia, O Lord! Quell the torment of gods and humans!

“Like a lotus you are untainted by the three worlds! Like Meru you are immovable and unshakable! Like a vajra your pledge is unwavering! Like the moon you are replete with the best of all qualities!”

Monks, once the luminous gods had praised the Thus-Gone One so, they bowed to him with palms joined and stood to one side.

Then the gods from the Brahma realm, led by the son of gods, Subrahman, covered the Thus-Gone One sitting at the seat of awakening with a jewel net studded with many trillions of gems. They circumambulated him three times, then praised him with these fitting verses:

“With your virtuous and stainless insight, you radiate and shine. You are replete with the thirty-two most sublime characteristics; Attentive and intelligent, you possess wisdom. Tireless One, to you we bow down.

“Utterly devoid of the three stains, you are stainless and pure. Renowned throughout the three worlds, discoverer of the threefold knowledge, You bestow insight into the threefold liberation. We bow to you who possesses the three stainless eyes.

“You have banished this foul dark eon, you of well-restrained mind; Exalted in compassion and love, you work for the welfare of beings. Sage Exalted in Joy, your mind is tranquil; Deliverer from Doubt, you delight in impartiality.

“Exalted in discipline and austerity, you act for the welfare of beings; Having purified your own conduct, you have reached the culmination of conduct. As the teacher of the four truths, you delight in emancipation; Being liberated yourself, you liberate other beings as well.

“When Māra, powerful and persistent, arrived, You defeated him with your insight, diligence, and love, And then you attained the deathless supreme state. Vanquisher of the Villainous Hordes, to you we pay homage!”

Monks, once the gods of the Brahma realm, led by the god Subrahman, had praised the Thus-Gone One with these verses, they bowed to him with palms joined and stood to one side.

Then those sons of Māra who were on the side of righteousness approached the Thus-Gone One and covered him with giant jewel parasols and canopies. Then with palms joined, they praised the Thus-Gone One with these fitting verses:

“When we, the dreadful army of Māra, appeared before you, In your vast power, you vanquished instantaneously our terrifying demonic horde, Without rising, moving, or saying a word. Sage who accomplishes all aims and is honored in the three worlds, we pay homage to you!

“The trillions of demonesses, numerous as the grains of sand in the river Ganges, Could not move or sway you from the trunk of the sublime Bodhi tree; They made trillions of offerings to you, as many as the grains of sand in the Ganges. That is why, O Lord, seated here today at the foot of the Bodhi tree, you shine!

“While pursuing the conduct of supreme awakening, You gave up your dearest wives, beloved sons, servants, gardens, towns, Your cities, kingdoms, harems, and elephants, Your heads, eyes, tongues, and feet—that is why you shine today!

“ ‘As a buddha, wearing the armor of concentration, miraculous power, and intelligence, I myself will ferry across trillions of beings, swept away in the ocean of suffering, In the ship of the sublime Dharma.’ This aspiration that you repeatedly voiced Is now fulfilled, and you will liberate all beings!

“By the merit of praising you, Most Eminent of Speakers, who gave eyes to the world, May we all, rejoicing, aspire to omniscience! As we attain the sublime and peerless awakening that all buddhas praise, May we defeat the demon hordes and awaken to omniscience!”

Monks, once the sons of Māra had praised the Thus-Gone One in this manner, with palms joined they bowed to the Thus-Gone One and stood to one side.

Then a god from the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations, surrounded and escorted by millions of gods, sprinkled the Thus-Gone One with golden lotuses from the Jambū River. Then, in his presence, they praised him with these verses:

“Your speech is gentle, calm, and forthright; Free of the stains of darkness, you have realized the immortal state. You deserve an unparalleled treatment in heaven and on earth; Your intelligence is blazing—to you we bow!

“You bring joy and have abandoned afflictions and removed stains and blemishes; With your joyous speech, you delight gods and humans! With the light rays from your stainless and effulgent sublime body, You triumph over this world, like the master of gods and humans!

“Vanquisher of Foes, you are knowledgeable in the conduct of others; Beloved in the world of gods and humans, you overturn the thoughts of others; Brilliant and Wise One, you illuminate the conduct of others. Walk here on this path traversed by those with the ten powers!

“Having relinquished the ubiquitous clinging to existence, suffering falsely construed, May you train gods and humans by training their minds. May you course in the sky throughout the four directions like the moon, And so be a sublime eye and a final refuge in these three worlds!

“Though beloved in the world of gods and humans, you do not gravitate toward sense objects; Without indulging in desire, you take pleasure in virtue. Proclaimed far and wide, you are without equal in the three worlds; You are the protector, the refuge, the only resort of beings here!”

Monks, once the gods from the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations, led by the god in charge, had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed to him and stood to one side.

Next the god Sunirmita, surrounded and escorted by an assembly of gods from the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations, covered the Thus-Gone One with ribbons of silk studded with various gemstones, and in his presence praised him with these verses:

“You are the light of Dharma that has arisen from relinquishing the three stains; You destroy delusion, beliefs, and ignorance, and unfold brilliance and glory! You place in the deathless state those who indulge in the wrong path! You are an object of veneration here in the world, honored in heaven and earth!

“You are a physician skilled in healing, who dispenses the elixir of happiness. Through the path of the previous victorious ones, you eradicate all illnesses of beings, The lingering symptoms of false belief, affliction, and ignorance that has accumulated. For this reason, you are the sublime physician and guide who courses upon the earth.

“Sunlight, moonlight, stars, firelight, and the luster of jewels, The luster of Śakra and Brahmā—none of it shines in the presence of your splendor! With your brilliance and illuminating insight, you are replete with radiance and glory! To you whose extraordinary wisdom has directly manifested, we bow down!

“Consummate Guide, whose melodious speech relates what is true and untrue, Whose mind is gentle, composed, with subdued sense faculties, and great calmness, A teacher who can instruct the audiences of gods and humans in need of instruction, To you, Sage of the Śākyas, bull among men, honored by gods and humans, we pay homage!

“In your intelligence, you hold wisdom instructions to be supreme and convey them throughout the three existences; You remove the three stains and teach the threefold knowledge and the threefold liberation. O Sage, you understand, according to intellect, who is a fitting vessel and who is not! To you, unique in the trichiliocosm and honored in heavens and on earth, we pay homage!”

Monks, once the god Sunirmita and his entourage had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed down to the Thus-Gone One and sat to one side.

Next the god Santuṣita, along with other gods from the Heaven of Joy, approached the Thus-Gone One as he sat at the seat of awakening and draped him with a vast patchwork of divine garments. Then he praised the Thus-Gone One in his presence with these verses:

“When you were dwelling in the Heaven of Joy, you taught the Dharma liberally. That teaching of yours continues unabated; even today the gods practice the Dharma. We cannot get enough of looking at you, nor can we get enough of listening to the Dharma; Ocean of Good Qualities, Lamp of the World, to you we bow with head and heart.

“When you departed from the Heaven of Joy, you exhausted all unfortunate states; Then, while seated at the Bodhi tree, you quelled the afflictions of all beings. To those for whom you discovered vast awakening and defeated Māra, With your aspiration now fulfilled, quick, turn the wheel of Dharma in detail!

“There are many thousands of beings throughout the ten directions; Let the Dharma be heard by those who seek it! May you make haste to turn the wheel in detail! May you liberate those thousands of creatures from existence!”

Monks, once the god Santuṣita and his entourage had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed to him and sat to one side.

Then the gods from the Heaven Free from Strife, led by the god Suyāma, went to where the Thus-Gone One was seated. When they arrived, they worshiped the Thus-Gone One sitting at the seat of awakening with a plethora of flowers, incense, garlands, perfumes, and unguents, and in his presence they praised him with these fitting verses:

“Who is superior to you, you who are without equal In discipline, absorption, and insight? To you, Thus-Gone One, adept in inclinations and liberation, We pay homage with our heads bowed!

“We witness at the seat of awakening The magnificent displays performed by the gods. How you are worshiped by gods and humans! No one else deserves this at all!

“It is not in vain that you have come, Enduring great hardship in the process. Defeating the wicked one and his army You attained unexcelled awakening.

“You have illuminated the ten directions, Lit up the three worlds with the lamp of your insight. It is you who will remove the world’s cataracts, Bestowing upon it unexcelled eyes!

“Praising you for an eon Will not even cover the pores of your body. Ocean of Good Qualities, renowned throughout the world, To you, Thus-Gone One, we pay homage with our heads bowed!”

Once the gods from the Heaven Free from Strife, led by the god Suyāma, had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed to the Thus-Gone One and then stood to one side.

Then Śakra, lord of the gods, together with the gods from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, paid homage to the Thus-Gone One with a display of flowers, incense, garlands, unguents, parasols, standards, and flags, then praised him with these verses:

“O Sage, you are unflappable, faultless, and ever stable, like Mount Meru! With merit and splendor, your wisdom light is renowned throughout the ten directions! O Sage, you previously paid homage to hundreds of thousands of buddhas, And in their place, you have overcome the demon horde at the Bodhi tree!

“Source of discipline, learning, absorption, and insight, you are the banner of wisdom! Destroyer of old age and death, you are the supreme physician, who gives eyes to the world! O Sage, having cast off the three defilements and defects, your sense faculties are restrained, your mind composed! To you, O Bull among Śākyas, Dharma King of Beings, we go for refuge!

“Your work to achieve awakening, exalted by the force of your perseverance, was infinite! Your powers—the powers of your insight, skillful means, love, and great merit— Were already infinite, O Blessed One, when you set out for the state of awakening! Thus you have the strength of the ten powers today on the seat of awakening!

“Seeing the infinite hordes of armies, the gods became anxious and frightened, Lest the King of Mendicants in repose at the seat of awakening should be troubled. But the spirits did not frighten you, nor could they move your body; Rather your hand struck hard, shaking them, and you defeated Māra’s army.

“Just as the previous ones attained sublime awakening on the lion throne, You have followed in their footsteps; you awakened and became the same as them. Identical in heart and mind, you have attained omniscience. Thus, Sublime Being in the World, Self-Arisen One, you are a field of merit for beings.”

Monks, once Śakra, lord of the gods, together with the gods from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed to the Thus-Gone One and sat to one side.

Next the Four Great Kings, together with the gods from the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, went to the place where the Thus-Gone One was. When they arrived, they paid homage to him. Hundreds of thousands of gods surrounded him, holding garlands and bouquets of abhimuktaka flowers, campaka flowers, jasmine flowers, nutmeg blossoms, and dhānuṣkāri flowers. Hundreds of thousands of celestial maidens surrounded him, singing divine songs. Thereafter they all praised the Thus-Gone One with these fitting verses:

“You whose speech is exceedingly melodious and whose cadence is captivating, Who is soothing and clear minded like the moon, Whose face is smiling and whose tongue is long, To you, Supreme Enrapturing Sage, we pay homage!

“When your melodious speech, A voice so sweet and beloved among gods and humans, Resounds throughout all the worlds, It surpasses the voice of all who can speak!

“It quells the afflictions of attachment, anger, and delusion; It engenders pristine joy within nonhumans. Upon hearing the Dharma with a stainless heart, They all attain exalted liberation.

“You do not disparage the ignorant, Nor are you ever drunk with conceit about your knowledge. You are neither pompous nor timid, Like a firm mountain in the middle of a sea.

“People here have profited well Since such a being has appeared in the world! Like the goddess of wealth who is the giver of riches, You will bestow your Dharma throughout the whole world!”

Once the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, led foremost by the Four Great Kings themselves, had praised the Thus-Gone One in repose at the seat of awakening, they joined palms and bowed to the Thus-Gone One and stood to one side.

Then the gods of the sky approached the Thus-Gone One. As a way of paying homage to the Perfect and Completely Awakened One, the gods adorned the whole sky with a net of jewels and small bells. They offered him jewel parasols, jewel banners, jewel and silk brocade wreaths, ornate jewel earrings, flower wreaths, and pearl strands of various types held by gods who revealed the upper half of their bodies, as well as crescent moons. Upon making these offerings, in his presence they praised him with these verses:

“Dwelling constantly in the sky, O Sage, We clearly see all the activities of beings as they are. Looking at your conduct, O Pristine Sentient Being, We do not see confusion in your focused mind.

“The sky is filled with the guides of humans, Bodhisattvas who have come to pay tribute. Since in this way they are bodies of space, No harm is caused to the celestial mansions.

“Even though rains of flowers, Enough to fill a world system to the brim, Descend onto your body from the sky, They are like rivers flowing into an ocean.

“We see parasols, flowers, earrings, and garlands, Wreaths of campaka flowers, Necklaces, moons, and crescent moons. The gods bestrew you with them, yet they are not mixed together.

“There is no room here for even a hair— The whole sky is filled with gods. They pay homage to you, Supreme Biped, But you are neither proud nor overwhelmed.”

Once the gods of the sky had so praised the Thus-Gone One in repose at the seat of awakening, they joined palms and bowed to him and stood to one side.

Then the terrestrial gods, in order to pay homage to the Thus-Gone One, cleansed and anointed the entire surface of the earth, sprinkled it with perfumed water, strewed it with flowers, covered it with canopies of various dyed fabrics, and then offered it to the Thus-Gone One. Thereafter they praised him with these verses:

“The trichiliocosm has become as indestructible and firm as a vajra. You sat on the seat of awakening by virtue of your vajra-hard position when you said: ‘Even should my skin, flesh, bones, and marrow shrivel up right here, I will not rise from this place without reaching awakening.’

“If you, Lion among Men, do not consecrate the entire trichiliocosm, Then the whole thing will collapse With the violent shock of the arrival of bodhisattvas, The soles of whose feet will cause ten million realms to quake.

“An illustrious gift is gained by the terrestrial gods Wherever the most sublime being happens to walk. You illuminate darkness everywhere in the world; Now that the trichiliocosm is a basis for worship, how much more so is your body?

“Should we take hold of all the lands of the trichiliocosm— All the myriad hundreds of thousands of subterranean bodies of water, And all the myriad livelihoods of beings in those places— We would offer it all to you. May you use it according to your wishes!

“Wherever you shall sit, travel, or rest, And wherever the hearers, who are the children of the Well-Gone Gautama, Shall preach or listen to the Dharma, We dedicate all the roots of virtue for the sake of awakening!”

Once the terrestrial gods had praised in this manner the Thus-Gone One sitting in repose at the seat of awakening, they bowed to him with palms joined and stood to one side.