Vimanavatthu1.17

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1.17 KESAKARI'S MANSION (17)

(Kesakari-vimana)

The Bhagava(Lord Buddha) was dwelling at Baranasi, in the deer park at Isipatana. In the morning the monks dressed, took bowl and rove and entered Baranasi. they went near the door of a certain brahaman's house. In that house the brahaman's daughter, Kesakari By name, who was taking lice from her mother's head near the door of the house ,saw the monks going along, and said to her mother, "Mother these men who have renounced worldly life  seem to me to be in their first youth, delicate, very handsome worth looking at, not overcome by any calamity whatever.  Now why is it that they renounce the world at this age?"

Her mother said to her, "Daughter, there is a son of the Sakayans; he has gone forth to monkhood from the Sakyan clan and has appeared in the world as a teacher called the Buddha. He expounds Dhamma(path of eternal truth), lovely in beginning, middle, and ending, with the meaning and the letter; he proclaims a practice of celibacy that is utterly complete and perfectly pure.  Because these men have heard Dhamma(path of eternal truth) they have gone forth to monkhood."

Now at that time a certain lay-follower who had attained the fruit(result) and had understood the Teaching, heard the conversation as he was going along that street and came up to the two women. Then the brahman lady said the him, "here now, lay-follower, many men of good family renounce great wealth and a great circle of relatives and go forth in the Sakyan clan. Now from what motive do they go forth?" The lay-follower heard her and said, "Because of the danger in sense-pleasures and the advantage in renunciation," and he spoke in detail of the motive to the best of his own understanding, explained the qualities of the Three Jewels(Trinity, the Buddha, Dhamma(path), Order of monks) and expounded the advantage and benefit of the five precepts(sheel, morality) in relation to this world and to the world to come

Then the brahman's daughter asked him, "Is possible for us too to partake in the advantage and benefit you have told about, through dependence upon the refuges(Buddha; Dhamma-path ;Sangha-order) and the precepts(sheel, morality)?" "Why not?" he said. "To be shared by all are these things which the Bhagava(Lord Buddha) has spoken," and he gave her the refuges and the precepts. When she had accepted the refuges and had undertaken to observe the precepts, she then said, "What is there further to be done Besides this?". Observing her intelligence he thought, to himself, "She must be one of those who has the qualifications," and explaining the nature of the body,  the spoke of the objects of meditation which are its thirty-two constituents; he aroused disgust in her for the body, and in addition, having moved her with a talk on Dhamma(path of eternal truth) connected with impermanence and so forth, he pointed out the Way to insight and left her. She took to heart all he had said, and with her thoughts composed  by the realization of the impurity of the body, she developed insight and before long won the fruit(benefit)  of stream-entry(sotapana, first stage of spiritual awakening) on account of her attainment of the qualification.

Then later she died and was reborn as a maid attendant upon Sakka(Indra, king of angels). Her retinue(attendants group) was a hundred thousand nymphs. when Sakka saw her, he, astonished and admiring, asked her what deed of merit she had done:

1 "This mansion, my abode, gleaming, lustrous pillared in beryl, well built, to last forever, shaded on every side with trees of gold, was produced as the resultant of the deed of mine.

2 These who have arisen here formerly were nymphs, a hundred thousand; because of your deed, you have attained to this, you are glorious. Shining you stand, a devata(angel) pre-eminent.

3 Even as the moon, the king of constellation, shines forth surpassing(all)  the star, so do you shine forth dazzlingly among this throng of nymphs.

4 Now where have you come from, you of flawless appearance, arising in this abode of mine? As the devas(angels) of the (Three-and-) Thirty with Indra,  as if seen Brahma(archangel), so none will tire of seeing your appearance.

Thus questioned by Sakka(Indra, king of angels), the devata(angel), spoke these two verses:

5 "Since the you kindly ask me, Sakka(Indra, king of angels); 'from where have you deceased and come here?'- there was the city of Kasi people, Banarasi by name. There, in the city, formerly I was Kesa-Karika.

6 With a mind of bliss was I, utterly devoted to the Buddha and the Dhamma(path of eternal truth) and the Order(of monks), without perplexities, the rules of training un-torn, arrived at the fruits, assured in the Dhamma(path of eternal truth) Of Awakening, healthy."

Then Sakka(Indra, king of angels), rejoicing in her attainment of merit and in her deva(angel)-like attainment, said to her:

7 "For that we greatly rejoice and welcome you; with glory do you shine forth through Dhamma(path of eternal truth). Of believing heart are you, utterly devoted to the Buddha, the Dhamma(path of eternal truth) and the Order(of monks), without perplexities, the rules of training untorn, arrived at the fruits, assured in the Dhamma(path of eternal truth) or Awakening, healthy."

And  Sakka(Indra, king of angels), told the venerable Elder Monk Maha-Moggallana about this occurrence; the Elder told it to the Bhagava(Lord Buddha). The Bhagava(Lord Buddha) made the matter the occasion for a discourse and taught Dhamma(path of eternal truth) to the assembled multitude. That teaching was of benefit to the world, including the deva(angel)-world.