Monks, while the Thus-Gone One was being praised by the gods after he had reached perfect and complete awakening, he stared at the king of trees without blinking and without getting out of his cross-legged position. Seven days passed in this way while he was at the foot of the Bodhi tree experiencing bliss from the sustenance of concentration and joy.

Then, once the seven days had passed, the gods from the desire realm approached the Thus-Gone One, carrying tens of thousands of vases containing scented water. The gods from the form realm also approached the Thus-Gone One, carrying tens of thousands of vases containing scented water. When they arrived, they bathed the Bodhi tree and the Thus-Gone One with the scented water. Innumerable gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas anointed their own bodies with the scented water that had come into contact with the body of the Thus-Gone One. This engendered among them the intention set on unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening. Even after the gods and the others had returned to their respective realms, they did not part from the scented water and desired no other scent. Through the joy and the supreme joy that are born from respectfully taking to heart the Thus-Gone One, they became irreversible from unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening.

Monks, then a god named Samantakusuma, who had joined in that very audience, bowed down to the feet of the Thus-Gone One, and with palms joined said to him, “What, O Blessed One, is the name of the absorption in which the Thus-Gone One remained for seven days without moving from the cross-legged position?”

Monks, thus addressed, the Thus-Gone One answered the god, “Array of the food of joy, O divine son, is the name of the meditative absorption in which the Thus-Gone One remained for seven days without moving from the cross-legged position.”

Monks, the god Samantakusuma then praised the Thus-Gone One with these verses:

“Your feet are covered with wheels And shine with the brilliance of stainless, thousand-petaled lotuses. The crowns of gods brush your feet; To your feet, replete with splendor, I bow down!”

When he bowed to the feet of the Well-Gone One, The god became delighted. He said this, which was soothing to gods and humans, And removed their doubt:

“You give joy to the Śākya clan; You bring an end to attachment, anger, and delusion. You bring the culmination of all wishes; Please dispel the doubts of gods and humans.

“You have gained immeasurable omniscience, A buddha with the ten powers. So, Victorious One, why do you remain at the center of the earth In the cross-legged pose for seven days?

“What are you staring at for seven days, With your eyes that are like blooming hundred-petaled lotuses As you gaze, O Lion among Men, With your unblinking and pristine eyes?

“Is it your aspiration That makes you remain cross-legged For seven days at the king of trees? Or is it common to all the lions of speech?

“With teeth so even and pure, And with the supremely fragrant breath of one with the ten powers, Please speak words of unadulterated truth, And thus bring joy to gods and humans!”

The Moon-Faced One replied: “Listen, divine son, to what I say! I will briefly offer A response to these questions.

“Just as a king does not leave the place Where he was consecrated by his kinfolk For a duration of seven days, Since that is the duty of kings,

“So also victorious ones, even with the ten powers, When consecrated, their aspirations fulfilled, Remain in the cross-legged position At the center of the earth for seven days.

“Just as a warrior stares At vanquished enemy troops, Buddhas too, at the seat of awakening, Stare at the afflictions, now destroyed.

“Attachment and anger, born from delusion, Are like the foes of beings. Like thieves with their stolen goods, I have destroyed them here.

“Here I destroyed manifold forms of pride And arrogance too, so that they exist no more. I relinquished all defilements, And the highest wisdom has dawned in me.

“Here the ignorance that drives the thirst for existence And induces inappropriate actions— A network of roots including latent formations— Was burned up by the intense fire of wisdom.

“Here the belief in ‘I’ and ‘mine’ And its tangle of faults, With roots that extend far, knotted tight with obscurations, Has been severed by the blade of wisdom.

“Here those enduring deceptions of mine Have at long last ended in destruction. The aggregates, along with the clinging to them, I have discerned through my wisdom.

“The dualistic delusions, erroneous fixations, Which eventually land one in hell, I have removed here So that they are certain never to arise again.

“Here the forest of obscurations Has been burned away by the fire of my roots of virtue. I have utterly burned up The fourfold misconception, too.

“The harmful garland of thoughts Strung on the thread of conceptions, I have utterly reversed With the rosaries of the branches of awakening.

“The sixty-five travails, The thirty impure delusions, And the forty misdeeds I eliminated here at the center of the earth.

“The sixteen uncontrolled things, The eighteen elements, And the twenty-five pains I eliminated while sitting at the center of the earth.

“The twenty streams of passion And the twenty-eight fears of beings I utterly transcended Through the force and commitment of my perseverance.

“Likewise five hundred roars of buddhas I perfectly comprehended here. Phenomena, one hundred thousand strong, I also perfectly comprehended.

“Here all the ninety-eight latent formations, Down to the bottom of their roots And all their sprouting shoots, Were burned up by the fire of my wisdom.

“The reservoir of doubt and uncertainty, Filled with the waters of views From the river of craving—the fount of nonvirtue— Is dried up by the sun of my wisdom.

“When I rid myself of pretense and guile, Here I cut down the forest of afflictions That is teeming with deception, stinginess, hatred, and jealousy, And burned it up with the fire of my discipline.

“Here, through the medicine of wisdom most sublime, I purged myself of the root of conflict That induces the nausea of the lower realms— Namely, disparaging remarks made toward noble ones.

“Here I reached the end of all crying, Wailing, anguish, and lamentation, Once I attained The absorption and qualities born of wisdom.

“Here I triumphed over all the streams of tormenting anguish, With their tributaries and bends Of conceit and negligence, Once I attained the absorption in harmony with truth.

“Here I cut down with the ax of mindfulness The entire dense jungle of afflictions, Teeming with the trees of existence and overgrown with the roots of concepts, And burned it up with the fire of my wisdom.

“Just as Śakra did to the lord of the demigods, Here I destroyed with the sword of wisdom The deceptive one who, self-obsessed, Was powerful enough to rule over the three realms.

“Here at the center of the earth, I cut through the entire snare of thirty-six courses of action With the powerful sword of insight, Then burned it up with the fire of wisdom.

“Here with the plowshare of trenchant insight, I uprooted all the root afflictions Along with their latent formations, Which yield suffering and anguish.

“Here I cleansed the eye of wisdom, Naturally pure in all beings; With the great balm of insight, I removed the thick cataract of delusion.

“Here, with the sunlight of mindfulness and tranquility, I dried up the ocean of existence, An expanse of craving churned up By the intoxicated crocodiles of the four physical elements.

“Here I extinguished, with the cool water of liberation, The great fire of lust, With its billowing smoke of thought Raging through the timber of objects.

“Here, with the gusts of fierce determination, I drove away and dispersed The cloud of latent formations, With its lightning of proclivities and its thunder of concepts.

“Here I attained the absorption of pristine mindfulness And struck down with a strong blow of the sword of knowledge The enemies of conceptual mind and actions, And the hostile way they reinforce existence.

“Here, having acquired love, I vanquished The armies of persistent demon hordes With disfigured shapes, bearing the highest crests On chariots mighty with elephants and horses.

“Here I fastened down The horse of the six sense fields, Engorged with the five sense objects and ever careless with intoxication, Once I attained the absorption of repulsiveness.

“Here I reached the end Of infatuation and aggression, The travails of conflicts and disputes, Once I attained the absorption of wishlessness.

“Here I exhausted all conceits, Thoughts, and concepts, Rooted inside of me and out, Once I attained the absorption of emptiness.

“Here I relinquished, without exception, All the pleasures of gods and humans, Up to the peak of existence, Once I attained the absorption of signlessness.

“Here, once I attained the threefold liberation, I completely released All the fetters of existence Through the power of my knowledge.

“Here, through witnessing causality, I vanquished the three causal conceptions: Conceptions of permanence and impermanence, Self and lack of self, pleasure and pain.

“Here, at the trunk of the king of trees, I severed with the blow of impermanence The unfoldings of different karmas, All rooted in the six sense fields.

“Here, with the sun of wisdom, I dispelled the fog of delusion, debased with impurities, Thick with views of arrogance and anger, Thus illuminating what was darkened for so long.

“Here, with the boat of tenacity, I crossed the great ocean of cyclic existence With its crocodiles of passion and desire, Its waves of craving, and its grasping at wrong views.

“Here I awakened to the realization That scorches desire, anger, delusion, And mental concepts, Like grasshoppers fallen into a forest fire.

“Oppressed for so long— For billions of countless eons— On the road of cyclic existence, Here I am revived, my torment now quelled.

“Here I have realized the nectar, Undiscovered by any other exponent, Which brings an end to old age, death, anguish, and pain For the benefit of the world.

“Here I have reached the city of fearlessness, Where suffering born of craving by means of sensory experience, And suffering based on the aggregates, Will arise no more.

“Here I have realized The great enemies within, in all their multitudes. Having bound and burned them up, I have ensured that they can no longer appear.

“Here I have realized the nectar, For the sake of which I gave up my own flesh, my eyes, and many precious jewels For billions of eons.

“Here I understood what was realized By innumerable victorious ones in the past, About which sweet and pleasing words Are exclaimed throughout the world.

“Here I realized The dependently arisen world to be empty, Reoccurring in each moment of cognition Like a mirage, or a city of gandharvas.

“Here I have purified the eye most sublime By which I see all worlds, Like fruit placed In the palm of the hand.

“Here I recollected my former lives. I attained the threefold knowledge, Then remembered immeasurable myriad eons, As if waking from sleep.

“What sets the errant gods and humans aflame Are their misconceptions. Yet here I drank the elixir of nectar, Truly free of error.

“Here, after triumphing through the power of love, I drank the elixir of nectar, For the sake of which Those with the ten powers had cultivated love for all beings.

“Here, having triumphed through the power of compassion, I drank the elixir of nectar, For the sake of which Those with the ten powers cultivated compassion for all beings.

“Here, having triumphed through the power of joy, I drank the elixir of nectar, For the sake of which Those with the ten powers cultivated joy for all beings.

“Here, having triumphed through the power of impartiality, I drank the elixir of nectar, For the sake of which Those with the ten powers cultivated impartiality for myriad eons.

“Here I drank the elixir of nectar That has been drunk by those with the ten powers, The victorious lions of yore, More numerous than the sand in the river Ganges.

“The words that I said Before Māra and his army were: ‘I will not get out of the cross-legged position Until I bring an end to old age and death.’

“I destroyed ignorance With blazing, vajra-hard wisdom, And attained the state of the ten powers. That is why I now abandon the cross-legged posture.

“I attained the level of a worthy one, Exhausted all of my defilements, And destroyed the demon horde. That is why I now get out of the cross-legged posture.

“Here I rent asunder The closed doors of the five obstructions And cut through the vines of craving. Now I get out of the cross-legged posture.”

Then this moon among men Rose slowly from his seat, Accepted the ceremonial anointment, And took his seat on a lion throne.

The assemblies of gods, using jewel pitchers Filled with differently scented waters, Washed the friend of the world, Who reached the culmination of qualities and the ten powers.

Billions of gods, Along with myriad goddesses, Performed an immeasurable worship service, With thousands of musical instruments all around.

Divine sons, it is thus Reasonable, logical, and well grounded Why victorious ones do not leave their cross-legged position At the center of the earth for seven days.

Monks, the perfect and completely awakened Thus-Gone One thus sat for the first seven days on that very seat, thinking, “Here I have reached unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening. Here I have brought an end to the sufferings of beginningless birth, old age, and death.” During the second week, the Thus-Gone One wandered far and wide throughout the entire trichiliocosm. During the third week, the Thus-Gone One gazed at the seat of awakening without blinking and thought, “Here I awakened to unsurpassable, perfect and complete buddhahood, bringing an end to the sufferings of beginningless birth, old age, and death.” Then, during the fourth week, the Thus-Gone One took a walk, but not as far, this time traveling from the eastern ocean to the western ocean.

Then Māra, the evil one, approached the Thus-Gone One and said, “Since the time has now come for the Blessed One to pass into parinirvāṇa, may the Blessed One pass into parinirvāṇa! May the Well-Gone One pass into parinirvāṇa!”

Monks, to these words of Māra the evil one, the Thus-Gone One replied, “Evil one, I will not pass into parinirvāṇa until my elder monks have become restrained, lucid, proficient, courageous, and learned; until they have embarked on the Dharma in an authentic way and become masters themselves; and until they can overcome opponents in concordance with the Dharma and teach the Dharma in conjunction with miracles. Evil one, I will not pass away into parinirvāṇa until the tradition of the Buddha, his teaching, and his community are well established in the world; and until infinite bodhisattvas are prophesied to reach unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening. Evil one, I will not pass away until all four of my assemblies become restrained, lucid, proficient, and courageous, and can teach the Dharma in conjunction with miracles.”

As soon as Māra, the evil one, had heard these words, he stepped aside and stood there anguished and depressed. Dejected, with his head hung low, he wrote on the ground with a stick, “He has gone beyond my range!”

Then three of Māra’s daughters—Rati, Arati, and Tṛṣṇā—spoke this verse to Māra, the evil one:

“Father, why are you unhappy? Tell us who this man is! We will bind him with the lasso of desire And lead him like an elephant.

“Leading him, we will promptly Bring him under your control. So cast off your bad mood! You are going to be elated.”

But Māra, the evil one, replied:

“The Well-Gone One is the worthy one of the world; He will never fall under the power of desire. He has gone beyond my range; This is why I grieve so strongly!”

Even though the girls had already experienced the deeds of the Bodhisattva and the power of the Thus-Gone One, out of their fickleness they did not listen to their father’s words. They transformed into girls in the prime of youth, who had just reached maturity and, in order to bewilder the Thus-Gone One, they went before him, summoning all their womanly guiles. However, as the Thus-Gone One paid them no heed, they were transformed into decrepit old ladies. The girls then went before their father and said:

“It is indeed true what you said, father: ‘He is not swayed by desire; He has gone beyond my range. This is why I grieve so strongly!’

“The form that we manifested to destroy Gautama Would have broken his heart, Had he only seen it. Father, please do away with these decrepit bodies of ours.”

Māra, the evil one, told them:

“I am not aware of anyone in the animate or inanimate world Who can change what has been done by the Buddha’s power. Go promptly and confess to the Sage the offense that you committed; He will then return your bodies to their previous form as you wish.”

So the daughters went and asked the Thus-Gone One for forgiveness, saying: “Well-Gone One, please forgive our offense! Blessed One, forgive the offense that we childish, stupid, uncultivated, unskilled, ignorant women committed with the wish to insult the Blessed One!”

The Thus-Gone One spoke to them with these verses:

“You want to scrape through a mountain with your fingernails, Chew through iron with your teeth, Penetrate a mountain with your head, And measure an unfathomable depth. Thus do I forgive the offense That you girls have committed.

“Why is that? Because it is an advancement in the training of the noble Dharma to understand a fault to be a fault, to confess it, and to vow to abstain from it henceforth.”

Monks, during the fifth week, the Thus-Gone One dwelt in the domain of the nāga king Mucilinda. Since the weather that week was intemperate, the nāga king Mucilinda, worried that the Blessed One’s body would be harmed by the cold and the wind, came out of his abode, coiled his body around that of the Thus-Gone One seven times, and shielded him with his hoods. From the east as well, several more nāga kings arrived. Worried that the cold and wind would harm the Blessed One’s body, they too coiled their bodies seven times around the body of the Thus-Gone One and shielded him with their hoods. Just like the nāga kings from the east, nāga kings from the south, west, and north also came, worried that the cold and wind might harm the Thus-Gone One’s body. They too coiled their bodies around the Thus-Gone One’s body seven times and shielded him with their hoods. That pile of nāga kings loomed at a height like that of Meru, king of mountains. Those nāga kings had never before known such bliss as during these seven days and seven nights, because of being close to the Thus-Gone One’s body.

When seven days had passed, the nāga kings understood that the bad weather had let up, and so they unfurled their bodies from the Thus-Gone One’s body. They then bowed their heads at the feet of the Thus-Gone One, circumambulated him three times, and returned to their respective homes. The nāga king Mucilinda also bowed his head to the feet of the Thus-Gone One, circumambulated him three times, and then set out for his domain.

During the sixth week, the Thus-Gone One proceeded from the nāga king Mucilinda’s domain to a banyan tree of a goat herder. On the way, on the bank of the Nairañjanā River between the nāga king Mucilinda’s domain and the goat herder’s banyan tree, the Thus-Gone One was spotted by some carakas, parivrājakas, vṛddhaśrāvakas, gautamas, nirgranthas, ājīvikas, and others as well. They asked him, “Blessed One, did Gautama fare happily during the unseasonable seven-day storm?”

Monks, at that time the Thus-Gone One spoke these meaningful words:

“Happy is the solitude of the contented one Who has heard the Dharma and can see. Happy is the abstention from injury, in this world, Of the one restrained toward living beings.

“Happy is the freedom from desire That transcends evil. Happy is the subjugation of selfishness and pride. These are indeed the supreme forms of happiness!”

Monks, seeing the world ablaze with birth, old age, sickness, death, anguish, lamentation, suffering, discontent, and strife, the Thus-Gone One next uttered this meaningful verse:

“This world is tormented By sounds, sensations, tastes, forms, and smells. Even while frightened of existence, Due to craving after existence, beings continue to pursue existence.”

During the seventh week, the Thus-Gone One sat at the trunk of a bodhi tree. During that time, two learned and clever merchant brothers from the north, Trapuṣa and Bhallika, were traveling back from the south, after having gained much profit, with a caravan of five hundred fully loaded carts carrying many kinds of merchandise.

They had two bullocks called Sujāta and Kīrti. These two bulls had no fear of being waylaid, and thus they could be employed where no other bullocks would pass. Wherever there was a threat, they would stand as though fastened to stakes. They could not be goaded by a whip, but only by handfuls of lotus flowers, or garlands of jasmine flowers.

When this caravan of merchants approached the Bodhi tree, a goddess who lived in a forest of milk trees enchanted all the carriages, thus rendering them motionless. All the parts of the carriages, such as the harnesses and the rest, tore and split, and the wheels of the carriages sunk into the ground up to their axles. Even with everyone making great effort, the carts would move no farther.

Shocked and frightened, the members of the caravan thought, “Why have the carriages stopped here on this plain? What has happened?”

They brought out the two bullocks Sujāta and Kīrti, but they also would move no farther, even though they were goaded with bunches of lotuses and garlands of jasmine. So the merchants thought, “Since even these two animals will not move, there certainly must be some threat up ahead.”

Thus they dispatched scouts on horseback. When the scouts returned, they reported, “There is no threat whatsoever.”

The goddess then revealed her form and consoled the members of the caravan, saying, “Do not fear!”

Now the two bullocks could lead the carts to where the Thus-Gone One was. When they arrived, they saw the Thus-Gone One blazing like the god of fire, well adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great being, shining with splendor, like the sun just after dawn.

Seeing him, the merchants were amazed and thought, “Is this Brahmā who has come here? Or is it Śakra, lord of the gods? Or is it Vaiśravaṇa, or perhaps the sun or the moon? Or is it some mountain god, or some river god?”

The Thus-Gone One then revealed his saffron robes, and so the merchants said, “This person in saffron-colored robes is a renunciant, so he is no threat to us.” They had in fact developed devotion to him, and so they said among themselves, “It must be mealtime for this renunciant. What morsels do we have?”

A few members of the caravan said, “There is honey, gruel, and stripped sugar cane.”

So, carrying the honey, gruel, and stripped sugar cane, they went to where the Thus-Gone One was seated, bowed down their heads to his feet, circumambulated him three times, and stood to one side. Then they requested the Thus-Gone One, “Please regard us with compassion and accept these alms!”

Monks, the Thus-Gone One then wondered, “It would not be appropriate for me to take these alms with my hands. What vessel did the previous perfect and complete awakened ones use to accept alms?” Right then the answer dawned on him.

Monks, knowing that it was time for the Thus-Gone One to eat, at that very moment the Four Great Kings appeared from the four directions carrying four golden alms bowls. They offered them to the Thus-Gone One, saying to him, “Please regard us with compassion and accept these four golden alms bowls!”

Thinking, however, that those bowls were not appropriate for a monk, the Thus-Gone One did not accept them. So the four kings came back with four alms bowls made of silver, four made of beryl, four made of quartz, four made of coral, four made of emerald, and four made of every gem. They offered them to the Thus-Gone One, but he declined, thinking that these were all inappropriate for a monk.

Monks, the Thus-Gone One then wondered what kind of alms bowls the previous thus-gone ones had used to accept alms. He understood that it was alms bowls made of stone, and so that thought dawned in the Thus-Gone One’s mind.

Then the great king Vaiśravaṇa said to the three other great kings, “Friends, when the gods of the blue class gave us four stone alms bowls, we thought that they were for our use. But a god of the blue realm called Vairocana told us the following:

“ ‘Listen, these alms bowls are not to be used. Preserve them! They will become honored as sacred objects. A victorious one called Śākyamuni will appear; Offer these alms bowls to him!’

“Friends, the time has now come To offer a vessel to Śākyamuni. Paying homage with the melodious sound of song and cymbals, We will offer the begging bowls.

“He is a vessel made of Dharma and is indestructible, While these vessels, made of stone, are destructible. He will be unable to accept another bowl; Let’s go so that he can accept them!”

Then the four kings, together with their kinfolk and retainers, went to the Thus-Gone One holding those alms bowls in their hands and carrying flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, and unguents, playing cymbals and gongs, and singing songs. Having paid homage to the Thus-Gone One, they filled the alms bowls with divine flowers and offered them to the Thus-Gone One.

Monks, the Thus-Gone One then thought, “These four devoted great kings are giving me four stone alms bowls. But four are too many for me. Yet if I were to accept only one, the other three would be upset. So I will take all four alms bowls and transform them into one.”

Monks, the Thus-Gone One then extended his right hand and spoke to the great king Vaiśravaṇa in verse:

“Offer an alms bowl to the Well-Gone One! You will become a vessel of the Supreme Vehicle. By offering an alms bowl to the likes of me, You will never be bereft of mindfulness and intelligence.”

Monks, the Thus-Gone One then accepted the alms bowl from the great king Vaiśravaṇa, regarding him with compassion. Having thus accepted it, he then spoke in verse to the great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra:

“Whoever gives an alms bowl to the Thus-Gone One Will never be bereft of mindfulness and insight, And will spend his time happily at ease Until awakening to the state of cool repose.”

Monks, the Thus-Gone One then accepted the begging bowl from the great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, regarding him with compassion. Having accepted it, he spoke in verse to the great king Virūḍhaka:

“Give a pristine begging bowl To the Thus-Gone One, pure in mind, And you will swiftly become pure in mind, Worthy of veneration in the world.”

Monks, the Thus-Gone One then accepted the alms bowl from the great king Virūḍhaka, regarding him with compassion. Having accepted it, he spoke to the great king Virūpākṣa in verse:

“Give, with faultless intention and devotion, A faultless vessel to the Thus-Gone One, Who is faultless in discipline and conduct, And your merit of generosity will be faultless.”

Monks, the Thus-Gone One then accepted the alms bowl from the great king Virūpākṣa, regarding him with compassion. When he had accepted it, he transformed all four alms bowls into one through the power of his wish, and then said this meaningful verse:

“Since, in a previous existence, I offered alms bowls, Filling them with fruit and making them lovely, The four miraculous gods are now giving me These four well-formed alms bowls.”

On this topic, it is said:

This wise one, with insight into ultimate reality, Gazed at the supreme tree of awakening for seven nights. The earth trembled in six ways, And then this lion among men rose, with the movements of a lion.

Like the lord of elephants, he slowly walked about, And eventually reached the trunk of the tree of liberation. Like Mount Meru, the Sage sat there unshakable, Absorbed in concentration and meditation.

At that time the two brothers Trapuṣa and Bhallika, With their caravan of merchants And carriages filled with riches, Reached a grove of sāl trees in full bloom.

Instantly, through the Great Sage’s radiance, The wheels sunk into the earth up to their axles. Seeing such a situation, The merchant caravan was terrified.

Carrying swords, arrows, and spears, They inquired who was dwelling in the forest like a deer. They saw the Victorious One, who was like the sun in a cloudless sky And whose face was like an autumn moon.

Without hostility or pride, They bowed down, wondering who he was. A deity said from the sky, “He is a buddha acting for the welfare of the world.

“For seven days and nights, This embodiment of compassion has not consumed food or drink. If you want to assuage your own afflictions, Feed this cultivated body and mind!”

When they heard that sweet speech, They bowed down to the Victorious One and circumambulated him. Pleased, they decided with their companions To feed the Victorious One.

Monks, at that time the herd of cows belonging to the merchants Trapuṣa and Bhallika was grazing at a neighboring village. There the cows were milked and yielded clarified butter, which the herdsmen brought to the two merchants, Trapuṣa and Bhallika, saying, “O my lords, please advise us! When we milked all your cows, they yielded clarified butter. Is this auspicious or not?”

Some priests, who were gluttonous by nature, said, “It is inauspicious, so a grand offering of this butter should be made to the priests.”

Monks, at that time, however, a priest named Śikhaṇḍī spoke. He had been a kinsman of the merchants Trapuṣa and Bhallika in a previous life. He had been reborn in the Brahma realm, and now manifested among them in the form of a young brahmin. He spoke the following verses to the merchants:

“In the past you made the aspiration: ‘When the Thus-Gone One reaches awakening, May he partake of our food And turn the wheel of Dharma!’

“This aspiration has now been fulfilled. The Thus-Gone One who reached awakening Should be offered this food. Once he has eaten, he will turn the wheel of Dharma.

“That your cows yielded clarified butter Is very auspicious, and occurred under an auspicious constellation. This is due to the meritorious actions Of this great sage.”

Once Śikhaṇḍī had inspired the merchants, He returned to his own abode. Trapuṣa and the others Were all elated.

They combined without exception All the milk of one thousand cows, Collected the cream from the top, And respectfully prepared a meal.

They cleaned, polished, and sanitized A jewel bowl called Moon, Which cost one hundred thousand coins for just one ounce, Then filled it to the brim with food.

Carrying honey and the jewel bowl, They approached the trunk of the tree of liberation and said to the teacher, “Venerable One, please accept and receive us! We beg that you eat this well-prepared meal!”

Out of compassion for the two brothers, And because he was aware of their previous intent to set out toward awakening, The Teacher accepted and ate the food. Once he had eaten, he tossed the bowl far into the sky.

A divine king called Subrahman Retrieved the supreme jewel bowl, And is still now performing worship with it In the Brahma realm, together with his companions.

On that occasion, the Thus-Gone One delighted the merchants Trapuṣa and Bhallika tremendously with these verses:

“May divine auspiciousness, which accomplishes aims And brings good fortune throughout the ten directions, Fulfill all your aims! May everything promptly be favorable!

“Like a garland around your neck, May there be glory at your right hand, May there be glory at your left hand, And may there be glory surrounding you!

“May the merchants who pursue wealth And travel throughout the ten directions Attain great profit, And may that bring them happiness!

“Should you, for some reason, Need to travel east, May the constellations in that direction Protect you!

“Kṛttikā and Rohiṇī, Mṛgaśirā, Ardra, and Punarvasu, Puṣya, and Aśleṣā— These are the constellations in the east.

“May these seven constellations, Renowned world protectors, The gods that dwell in the east, Fully protect you!

“Their lord and king Is known as Dhṛtarāṣṭra. May this lord of all gandharvas, Together with the sun, protect you!

“May his many sons, wise and mighty, All ninety-one of whom are called Indra, Especially protect you With health and well-being!

“In one area in the east, There are eight goddesses: Jayantī and Vijayantī, Siddhārthā and Aparājitā,

“Nandottarā and Nandisenā, Nandinī and Nandavardhanī. May they especially protect you With health and well-being!

“In a quarter in the east there is a memorial called Cāpāla, Inhabited and known by victorious ones, protector worthy ones. May they especially protect you With health and well-being!

“May the quarters be safe for you! May you not incur evil! May you be protected by all deities, And may you return with great profit!

“Should you, for some reason, Have to travel to the south, May the constellations in that direction Protect you!

“Maghā and also The two Phālgunī, Hasta, And Citrā, the fifth. Along with Svātiś and Viśākhā, are in the south.

“Those seven constellations, Renowned world protectors, Dwell in the southern quarter. May they protect you!

“Their lord and king Is called Virūḍhaka. May that lord of all kumbhāṇḍas, Together with the lord of death, protect you!

“May his many sons, wise and mighty, All ninety-one of whom are called Indra, Especially protect you With health and well-being!

“In one section of the south, There are eight goddesses: Śriyāmatī and Yaśamatī, Yaśaprāptā and Yaśodharā,

“Suutthitā and Suprathamā, Suprabuddhā and Sukhavyūhā. May they protect you With health and well-being!

“In a section of the south is a Padma memorial, Continually shining with brilliance, always illuminating all. May it too especially protect you With health and well-being!

“May the quarters be safe for you! May you not incur evil! May all deities protect you, And may you return with great profit!

“Should you, for some reason, Need to travel west, May the constellations that dwell in that direction Protect you!

“Anurādhā and Jeṣṭhā, Mūlā and Dṛḍhavīryatā, Āṣādhas and Abhijit, And Śravaṇa—these are the seven.

“These seven constellations, Renowned world protectors, Dwell in the west. May they always protect you!

“Their lord and king Is known as Virūpākṣa. May that lord of all nāgas, Together with Varūṇa, protect you!

“May his many sons, wise and mighty, All ninety-one of whom are called Indra, Especially protect you With health and well-being!

“In a section of the west, There are eight goddesses: Alambuśā and Miśrakeśī, Puṇḍarīkā and Āruṇā,

“Ekādaśā, Navanāmikā, Śītā, and Kṛṣṇā Draupadī. May they especially protect you With health and well-being!

“In a section of the west, there is a mountain called Aṣṭaṃga; The sun and the moon also reside there. May that mountain give you wealth And protect you with health and well-being!

“May the quarters be safe for you! May you not incur evil! May you be protected by all deities, And may you return wealthy!

“If for some reason You should travel to the north, May the constellations in that direction Protect you!

“There are seven: Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā, The pair of Pūrva Aparā and Uttara Aparā, Revatī and Aśvinī and Bharaṇī.

“Those seven constellations, Renowned worldly protectors, Reside in the north. May they always protect you!

“Their lord and king Is Kubera, borne by men. May this lord of all yakṣas, Together with Maṇibhadra, protect you!

“May his many sons, wise and mighty, All ninety-one of whom are called Indra, Especially protect you With health and well-being!

“In a section of the north, There are eight goddesses: Ilādevī and Surādevī, Pṛthvī and Padmāvatī,

“Mahārājā, Āśā, Śraddhā, and modest Śirī. May they especially protect you With health and well-being!

“In a section of the north is Mount Gandhamādana. It is the abode of all yakṣas and bhūtas, Has many peaks, and is pleasant to behold. May it too protect you with health and well-being!

“May the quarters be safe for you! May you not incur evil! May all deities protect you, And may you return wealthy!

“The twenty-eight constellations, Seven dwelling in each of the four directions, The thirty-two goddesses, Eight dwelling in each of the four directions,

“The eight renunciates, the eight priests, The eight towns throughout the lands, And the eight gods, together with their Śakras, May they all protect you!

“May you have good fortune going! May you have good fortune returning! May you have the good fortune of beholding your kinfolk! May you have the good fortune of being beheld by your kinfolk!

“Lovingly cared for by numerous yakṣas with their Śakras And by the worthy ones, May you travel happily everywhere And obtain the auspicious nectar.

“Always lovingly protected by Brahmā and Vāsava, And by those free of outflows whose minds are liberated, And also by the nāgas and yakṣas, May your lives be preserved for one hundred autumns!”

The Peerless Guide, Lord of the World, Then lauded their offerings as fortuitous, saying, “Through this virtuous deed, You will become victorious ones known as Madhusaṃbhava!”

This was the first prophecy made By the Victorious One, the Guide of the World. The infinitely many bodhisattvas that were prophesied later Cannot possibly turn back from awakening.

When they heard the Victorious One’s prophecy, The two brothers were elated and supremely pleased. Together with their companions, They went for refuge in the Buddha and the Dharma.