Sutta Nipata 3.7: Selasutta

So it was heard by me:

At one time Bhagavat wandering about in Anguttarapa, with a large assembly of Bhikkhus, with 1250 Bhikkhus, went to Apana, a town in Anguttarapa.

And Keniya, the ascetic, with matted hair (jatila) heard the following: ‘The Samana, the venerable Gotama, the Sakya son, gone out from the family of the Sakyas, wandering about in Anguttarapa with a large assembly of Bhikkhus, with 1250 Bhikkhus, has reached Apana, and the following good praising words met the venerable Gotama: “And so he is Bhagavat, the venerable, the perfectly enlightened, endowed with science and works (vijjacarana), the happy, knowing the world, the incomparable, the charioteer of men that are to be subdued, the master, the enlightened of gods and men, the glorious; he teaches this world and the world of gods, of Maras, of Brahmans, and beings comprising Samanas and Brahmanas, gods and men, having himself known and seen them face to face; he teaches the Dhamma (which is) good in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, is full of meaning and rich in words, quite complete; he teaches a religious life, and good is the sight of such saints.”’

Then Keniya, the Jatila, went (to the place) where Bhagavat was, and having gone there he talked pleasantly with him, and after having had some pleasant and remarkable conversation (with him) he sat down apart; and while Keniya, the Jatila, was sitting down apart, Bhagavat, by religious talk, taught, advised, roused, and delighted him. Then Keniya, the Jatila, having been taught, advised, roused, and delighted by Bhagavat through religious talk, said this to Bhagavat:

‘Let the venerable Gotama accept my food tomorrow, together with the assembly of Bhikkhus.’

This having been said, Bhagavat answered Keniya, the Jatila: ‘Large, O Keniya, is the assembly of Bhikkhus, one thousand two hundred and fifty Bhikkhus, and thou art intimate with the Brahmanas.’

A second time Keniya, the Jatila, said this to Bhagavat: ‘Although, O venerable Gotama, the assembly of Bhikkhus is large, one thousand two hundred and fifty Bhikkhus, and I am intimate with the Brahmanas, let the venerable Gotama accept my food to-morrow, together with the assembly of Bhikkhus.’

A second time Bhagavat said this to Keniya, the Jatila: ‘Large, O Keniya, is the assembly of Bhikkhus, one thousand two hundred and fifty Bhikkhus, and thou art intimate with the Brahmanas.’

A third time Keniya, the Jatila, said this to Bhagavat: ‘Although, O venerable Gotama, the assembly of Bhikkhus is large, one thousand two hundred and fifty Bhikkhus, and I am intimate with the Brahmanas, yet let the venerable Gotama accept my food to-morrow, together with the assembly of Bhikkhus.’ Bhagavat assented by being silent. Then Keniya, the Jatila, having learnt the assent of Bhagavat, after rising from his seat went to his hermitage, and having gone there he addressed his friends and servants, his relatives and kinsmen (as follows): ‘Let my venerable friends and servants, relatives and kinsmen hear me;—the Samana Gotama has been invited by me to (take his) food (with me) to-morrow, together with the assembly of Bhikkhus; wherefore you must render me bodily service.’

‘Surely, O venerable one,’ so saying the friends and servants, relatives and kinsmen of Keniya, the Jatila, complying with his request, some of them dug fireplaces, some chopped firewood, some washed the vessels, some placed waterpots, some prepared seats. Keniya, the Jatila, on the other hand, himself provided a circular pavilion.

At that time the Brahmana Sela lived at Apana, perfect in the three Vedas, vocabulary, Ketubha, etymology, Itihasa as the fifth (Veda), versed in metre, a grammarian, one not deficient in popular controversy and the signs of a great man, he taught three hundred young men the hymns. At that time Keniya, the Jatila, was intimate with the Brahmana Sela. Then the Brahmana Sela surrounded by three hundred young men, walking on foot, arrived at the place where the hermitage of Keniya, the Jatila, was. And the Brahmana Sela saw the Jatilas in Keniya’s hermitage, some of them digging fireplaces, some chopping firewood, some washing the vessels, some placing waterpots, some preparing seats, and Keniya, the Jatila, on the other hand, himself providing a circular pavilion; seeing Keniya, the Jatila, he said this: ‘Is the venerable Keniya to celebrate the marriage of a son or the marriage of a daughter, or is there a great sacrifice at hand, or has Bimbisara, the king of Magadha, who has a large body of troops, been invited for to-morrow, together with his army?’

‘I am not to celebrate the marriage of a son or the marriage of a daughter, nor has Bimbisara, the king of Magadha, who has a large body of troops, been invited for to-morrow, together with his army, yet a great sacrifice of mine is at hand. The Samana Gotama, the Sakya son, gone out from the Sakya family, wandering about in Anguttarapa with a large assembly of Bhikkhus, one thousand two hundred and fifty Bhikkhus, has reached Apana, and the following good praising words met the venerable Gotama: “And so he is Bhagavat, the venerable, the perfectly enlightened, endowed with science and works (vijjacarana), the happy, knowing the world, the incomparable, the charioteer of men that are to be subdued, the master, the enlightened of gods and men, the glorious, he has been invited by me for to-morrow, together with the assembly of Bhikkhus.”’

‘Didst thou say that he is a Buddha, O venerable Keniya?’

‘Yes, I say, O venerable Sela, that he is a Buddha.’

‘Didst thou say that he is a Buddha, O venerable Keniya?’

‘Yes, I say, O venerable Sela, that he is a Buddha.’

Then this occurred to the Brahmana Sela: ‘This sound “Buddha” is (indeed) rare, but in our hymns are to be found the thirty-two signs of a great man, and for a great man endowed with these there are two conditions and no more: if he lives in a house he is a king, a universal (king), a just religious king, a lord of the four-cornered (earth), a conqueror, one who has obtained the security of his people (and) is possessed of the seven gems. These are his seven gems, namely, the wheel gem, the elephant gem, the horse gem, the pearl gem, the woman gem, the householder gem, and the chief gem as the seventh. He has more than a thousand sons, heroes, possessing great bodily strength and crushing foreign armies; he having conquered this ocean-girt earth without a rod and without a weapon, but by justice, lives (in a house). But if, on the other hand, he goes out from (his) house to the houseless state, he becomes a saint, a perfectly enlightened, one who has removed the veil in the world. And where, O venerable Keniya, dwells now that venerable Gotama, the saint and the perfectly enlightened?’

This having been said, Keniya, the Jatila, stretching out his right arm, spoke as follows to the Brahmana Sela: ‘There, where yon blue forest line is, O venerable Sela.’

Then the Brahmana Sela together with (his) three hundred young men went to the place where Bhagavat was. Then the Brahmana Sela addressed those young men: ‘Come ye, venerable ones, with but little noise, walking step by step, for Bhagavats are difficult of access, walking alone like lions, and when I speak to the venerable Samana Gotama, do ye not utter interrupting words, but wait ye venerable ones, for the end of my speech.’

Then the Brahmana Sela went to the place where Bhagavat was, and having gone there he talked pleasantly with Bhagavat, and after having had some pleasant and remarkable conversation with him he sat down apart, and while sitting down apart Sela, the Brahmana, looked for the thirty-two signs of a great man on the body of Bhagavat. And the Brahmana Sela saw the thirty-two signs of a great man on the body of Bhagavat with the exception of two; in respect to two of the signs of a great man he had doubts, he hesitated, he was not satisfied, he was not assured as to the member being enclosed in a membrane and as to his having a large tongue.

Then this occurred to Bhagavat: ‘This Brahmana Sela sees in me the thirty-two signs of a great man with the exception of two, in respect to two of the signs of a great man he has doubts, he hesitates, he is not satisfied, he is not assured as to the member being enclosed in a membrane, and as to my having a large tongue.’ Then Bhagavat created such a miraculous creature that the Brahmana Sela might see Bhagavat’s member enclosed in a membrane. Then Bhagavat having put out his tongue touched and stroked both his ears, touched and stroked both nostrils, and the whole circumference of his forehead he covered with his tongue.

Then this occurred to the Brahmana Sela: ‘The Samana Gotama is endowed with the thirty-two signs of a great man, with them all, not with (only) some of them, and yet I do not know whether he is a Buddha or not; I have heard old and aged Brahmanas, teachers and their previous teachers, say that those who are saints and perfectly enlightened manifest themselves when their praise is uttered. I think I shall praise the Samana Gotama face to face in suitable stanzas.’ Then the Brahmana Sela praised Bhagavat face to face in suitable stanzas:

‘Thou hast a perfect body, thou art resplendent, well-born, of beautiful aspect, thou hast a golden colour, O Bhagavat, thou hast very white teeth, thou art strong.

‘All the signs that are for a well-born man, they are on thy body, the signs of a great man.

‘Thou hast a bright eye, a handsome countenance, thou art great, straight, majestic, thou shinest like a sun in the midst of the assembly of the Samanas.

‘Thou art a Bhikkhu of a lovely appearance, thou hast a skin like gold; what is the use of being a Samana to thee who art possessed of the highest beauty?

‘Thou deservest to be a king, a king of universal kings, a ruler of the four-cornered (earth), a conqueror, a lord of the jambu grove (i.e. India).

‘Khattiyas and wealthy kings are devoted to thee; rule, O Gotama, as a king of kings, a leader of men.’

‘I am a king, O Sela,’—so said Bhagavat,—‘an incomparable, religious king (dhammarajan), with justice (dhammena) I turn the wheel, a wheel that is irresistible.’

‘Thou acknowledgest thyself (to be) perfectly enlightened (sambuddha),’—so said Sela, the Brahmana,—‘an incomparable, religious king; “with justice I turn the wheel,” so thou sayest, O Gotama.

‘Who is thy general, (who is thy) disciple, (who is) the successor of the master, who is to turn after thee the wheel of religion turned (by thee)?’

‘The wheel turned by me, O Sela,’—so said Bhagavat,—‘the incomparable wheel of religion, Sariputta is to turn after (me), he taking after Tathagata.

‘What is to be known is known (by me), what is to be cultivated is cultivated (by me), what is to be left is left by me, therefore I am a Buddha, O Brahmana.

‘Subdue thy doubt about me, have faith (in me), O Brahmana, difficult (to obtain) is the sight of Buddhas repeatedly.

‘Of those whose manifestation is difficult for you (to obtain) in the world repeatedly, I am, O Brahmana, a perfectly enlightened, an incomparable physician,

‘Most eminent, matchless, a crusher of Mara’s army; having subjected all enemies I rejoice secure on every side.’

Sela: ‘O venerable ones, pay attention to this: as the clearly-seeing (Buddha) says, (so it is): he is a physician, a great hero, and roars like a lion in the forest.

‘Who, having seen him, the most eminent, the matchless, the crusher of Mara’s army, is not appeased, even if he be of black origin (kanhabhijatika).

‘He who likes me, let him follow after (me), he who does not like me, let him go away; I shall at once take the orders in the presence of him of excellent understanding (i.e. Buddha).’

The followers of Sela: ‘If this doctrine of the perfectly enlightened pleases thee, we also shall take the orders in the presence of him of excellent understanding.’

These three hundred Brahmanas asked with clasped hands (to be admitted into the order): ‘We want to cultivate a religious life, O Bhagavat, in thy presence.’

‘A religious life is well taught (by me),—O Sela,’ so said Bhagavat,—‘an instantaneous, an immediate (life), in which it is not in vain to become an ascetic to one who learns in earnest.’

Then the Brahmana Sela together with his assembly took the robe and the orders in the presence of Bhagavat.

Then Keniya, the Jatila, by the expiration of that night, having provided in his hermitage nice hard food and soft food, let Bhagavat know the time (of the meal): ‘It is time, O venerable Gotama, the meal is prepared.’ Then Bhagavat in the morning, having put on his raiment and taken his bowl and robes, went to the Jatila Keniya’s hermitage, and having gone there he sat down on the prepared seat, together with the assembly of Bhikkhus. Then Keniya, the Jatila, satisfied and served with his own hands the assembly of Bhikkhus, with Buddha at their head, with nice hard food and soft food. Then Keniya, the Jatila, having gone up to Bhagavat who had finished eating and had taken his hand out of the bowl, took a low seat and sat down apart, and while Keniya, the Jatila, was sitting down apart, Bhagavat delighted him with these stanzas:

The principal thing in sacrifice is the sacred fire, the principal thing amongst the hymns is the Savitti, the king is the principal amongst men, and the sea the principal amongst waters (nadinaw).

‘Amongst the stars the moon is the principal thing, the sun is the principal thing amongst the burning (objects), amongst those that wish for good works and make offerings the assembly (sangha) indeed is the principal.’

Then Bhagavat, having delighted Keniya, the Jatila, with these stanzas, rose from (his) seat and went away.

Then the venerable Sela together with his assembly leading a solitary, retired, strenuous, ardent, energetic life, lived after having in a short time in this existence by his own understanding ascertained and possessed himself of that highest perfection of a religious life for the sake of which men of good family rightly wander away from their houses to a houseless state; ‘birth (had been) destroyed, a religious life (had been) led, what was to be done (had been) done, there was nothing else (to be done) for this existence,’ so he perceived, and the venerable Sela together with his assembly became one of the saints.

Then the venerable Sela together with his assembly went to Bhagavat, and having gone (to him) he put his upper robe on one shoulder, and bending his joined hands towards Bhagavat he addressed him in stanzas:

‘Because we took refuge in thee on the eighth day previous to this, O thou clearly-seeing, in seven nights, O Bhagavat, we have been trained in thy doctrine.

‘Thou art Buddha, thou art the Master, thou art the Muni that conquered Mara, thou hast, after cutting off the affections, crossed over (the stream of existence) and taken over these beings.

‘The elements of existence (upadhi) have been overcome by thee, the passions have been destroyed by thee, thou art a lion not seizing on anything, thou hast left behind fear and danger.

‘These three hundred Bhikkhus stand here with clasped hands; stretch out thy feet, O hero, let the Nigas worship the Master’s feet.’