Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Vimanavatthu
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The divine aspect of Buddha and his fully enlightened disciples(arahants) is revealed in Vimanavatthu. It contains the descriptions of the heavens and their mansions(or flying palaces).
As described , the heavens can be of many types. After death, a person (or an animal also), if he had done good deeds(karma), can be reborn in heaven. The fully enlightened holy beings like Buddha & arihants are considered to be one with infinite universe with immense capabilities & virtues because they have removed all defilements hence bear only the last body after which are supposed to go to the highest state of Nibbana (nirvana) the state of eternity. Any help given to them(donation/food), as per divine law, results in immense merit leading to the benefit of being reborn in heaven (as angel) where a huge mansion automatically appears for one with a great number of attendants and delights as per likings of that person.
The heavenly beings , their bodies, mansions and other objects therein are considered to be luminous made of divine light and emit radiance, the brightness of which depends upon the merits of deeds done(karma) while in human form. The brightest beings are those who, following morality(Sheel) & meditation(Samadhi), have had at least a glimpse of nibbana(nirvana) state (trance) in meditation or while in the company of Buddha or equivalent arihant monks who bestowed the blessings resulting in the blissful (trance) experience of the transcendental nibbana state. The first awakening is called Sotapana. In Vimanavatthu many persons who attained Sotapana have been shown as beings with great illumination, shining brightly. The mansions in heaven also move as per the speed of thought. The attendants, creatures & objects belonging to the heavenly being act as per will of the being. But the life in heavens is not forever. Their lifetime may be of hundreds or thousands of years which also varies as per their merit of good deeds(karma) and after their lifetime they are supposed to be reborn somewhere.
Some of the notable mansions are 1.8 Third Boat Mansion (Buddha wins haughty high caste people by showing a miracle, accepts water from a lady who gets merit to reach heaven), 1.10 Sesame Gift mansion (Buddha saves a lady from going to hell by accepting a donation of sesame), 1.15 Uttara's Mansion ( Elder monk Sariputta's blessing results in immense gold for Uttara's father, Uttara feeds Buddha & goes to heaven), 1.16 Sirima's Mansion (Buddha's blessing results heaven for the courtezen lady Sirima) , 2.3 Rice-Crust Giver's mansion (Arihant monk Maha-Kassapa accepts rice crust from his mother of former life & that results heaven for her), 2.4 Chandali's mansion (Buddha saves a low caste woman from going to hell),3.7 Pesavati's Mansion (Sariputta, the chief disciple attains Nirvana) 4.12 Rajjumala's mansion, (Buddha saves a servant girl from suicide, who also achieves divine insight) 5.1 Frog's mansion (A frog attains heaven),5.8 Needle mansion (Even a needle given to enlightened monk results in heaven), 7.7 Kanthaka's mansion (Prince Siddharth who later became Buddha, his horse Kanthaka died & attains heaven & becomes an angel).
I. ITTHI-VIMANAM - FIRST SECTION : WOMEN'S MANSIONS[]
1. THE FIRST DIVISION : SEAT MANSIONS[]
1.1 FIRST SEAT MANSION (1)
1.2 SECOND SEAT MANSION (2)
1.3 THIRD SEAT MANSON (3)
1.4 FOURTH SEAT MANSION (4)
1.5 ELEPHANT MANSION (5)
1.6 FIRST BOAT MANSION (6)
1.7 SECOND BOAT MANSION (7)
1.8 THIRD BOAT MANSION (8)
1.9 LAMP MANSION (9)
1.10 SESAMUM-GIFT MANSION (10)
1.11 FIRST CHASTE WIFE MANSION (11)
1.12 SECOND CHASTE WIFE MANSION (12)
1.13 FIRST DAUGHTER-IN-LAW MANSION (13)
1.14 SECOND DAUGHER-IN-LAW MANSION (14)
1.15 UTTARA'S MANSION (15)
1.16 SIRIMA'S MANSION (16)
1.17 KESAKARI'S MANSION (17)
2.THE SECOND DIVISION: CITTALATA(EDEN)-VAGGO[]
2.1 SLAVE-WOMAN'S MANSION (18)
2.2 LAKHUMA'S MANSION (19)
2.3 RICE-CRUST-GIVER'S MANSION (20)
2.4 THE CHANDALI'S MANSION (21)
2.5 LOVELY LADY'S MANSION (22)
2.6 SONADINNA'S MANSION (23)
2.7 UPOSATHA'S MANSION (24)
2.8,2.9 NIDDA'S AND SUNIDDA'S MANSIONS (25,26)
2.10 FIRST ALMSGIVER'S MANSION (27)
2.11 SECOND ALMSGIVER'S MANSION (28)
3. THE THIRD DIVISION: PARICCHATTAKA-VAGGO (CORAL TREE)[]
3.1 SPLENDID MANSION (29)
3.2 SUGARCANE MANSION (30)
3.3 DEVAN MANSION (31)
3.4 LATA'S MANSION (32)
3.5 GUTTILA'S MANSION (33)
3.6 DAZZLING MANSION (34)
3.7 PESAVATI'S MANSION (35) - Sariputta Attains Nibbana
3.8 MALLIKA'S MANSION (36)
3.9 VISALAKKHI'S MANSION (37)
3.10 CORAL TREE MANSION (38)
4. THE FOURTH DIVISION: MANJITTHAKA-VAGGO (CRIMSON)[]
4.1 CRIMSON MANSION (39)
4.2 SHINING MANSION (40)
4.3 ELEPHANT MANSION (41)
4.4 ALOMA'S MANSION (42)
4.5 RICE-GRUEL-GIVER'S MANSION (43)
4.6 MONASTERY MANSION (44)
4.7 FOUR WOMEN MANSION (45)
4.8 MANGO MANSION (46)
4.9 YELLOW MANSION (47)
4.10 SUGARCANE MANSION (48)
4.11 HONOURING MANSION (49)
4.12 RAJJUMALA'S MANSION (50)
II. PURISA-VIMANAM - SECOND SECTION : MEN'S MANSIONS[]
5. THE FIFTH DIVION: MAHA-RATHA-VAGGO (GREAT CHARIOT)[]
5.1. THE FIRST : FROG-DEVA'S MANSION (51)
5.2 REVATI'S MANSION (52)
5.3 MANSION OF CHATTA, A BRAHMAN YOUTH (53)
5.4 CRAB–SOUP-GIVER-MANSION (54)
5.5 DOOR-KEEPER'S MANSION (55)
5.6 FIRST SHOULD-BE-DONE MANSION (56)
5.7 SECOND SHOULD-BE-DONE MANSION (57)
5.8 FIRST NEEDLE MANSION (58)
5.9 SECOND NEEDLE MANSION (59)
5.10 FIRST ELEPHANT MANSION (60)
5.11 SECOND ELEPHANT MANSION (61)
5.12 THIRD ELEPHANT MANSION (62)
5.13 LITTLE CHARIOT MANSION (63)
5.14 GREAT CHARIOT MANSION (64)
6. THE SIXTH DIVISION : PAYASI-VAGGO[]
6.1 FIRST HOME MANSION (65)
6.2 SECOND HOME MANSION (66)
6.3 FRUIT-GIVER'S MANSION (67)
6.4 FIRST ASYLUM-GIVER'S MANSION (68)
6.5 SECOND ASYLUM-GIVERS'S MANSION. (69)
6.6 ALMSFOOD-GIVER'S MANSION (70)
6.7 BARLEY-WATCHER'S MANSION (71)
6.8 FIRST EARRINGS-WEARER MANSION (72)
6.9 SECOND EARRINGS-WEARER MANSION (73)
6.10 UTTARA'S MANSION (74)
7. THE SEVENTH DIVISION: SUNIKKHITTA-VAGGO[]
7.1 CITTALATA(EDEN) MANSION (75)
7.2 NANDANA MANSION (76)
7.3 JEWELLED SHAFT MANSION (77)
7.4 GOLDEN MANSION (78)
7.5 MANGO MANSION (79)
7.6 COWHERD'S MANSION (80)
7.7 KANTHAKA'S MANSION (81) - Buddha's Horse Becomes an Angel
7.8 MANSION OF DIVERS HUE (82)
7.9 WEARING POLISHED EARRINGS MANSION (83)
7.10 SERISAKA'S MANSION (84)
7.11 SUNIKKHITTA'S MANSION (85)
Download/View English Translation[]
The following .pdf file contains all above stories, open it then save the .pdf file
File:Vimanavatthu Final.pdf
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The Vimanavatthu of the Khuddaka Nikaya is a collection stories in verse describing the vimana [vimaana] — a kind of personal heavenly mansion — inhabited by beings reborn as gods or goddesses (devata [devataa]) as a reward for meritorious deeds performed by them as human beings. All the stories follow a similar pattern. They begin with an introductory verse (or verses) in which the god or goddess is asked about the cause for his or her rebirth within that particular mansion. The deva thereupon relates his or her previous good deeds.
— John D. Ireland, in Vangisa: An Early Buddhist Poet
1.16: Sirima — Sirima's Mansion
(Vv 136-148) The deva Sirima, an entertainer in her previous human birth, explains to Ven. Vangisa how she learned the Dhamma and became a stream-enterer(of first Path).
3.7: Sesavati — Sesavati's Mansion
(Vv 647-658) The deva Sesavati tells Ven. Vangisa how paying her respects to Ven. Sariputta in her previous life was enough to ensure rebirth in a glorious deva realm. This is an example of early Buddhist poetry with a purely devotional message.
Original Pali Version[]
(From www.tipitaka.org)
The following freely available .PDF files were taken from www.tipitaka.org. These are from Vipassana Research Institute. These contain the original words in Pali language.
The translation of original Pali words can never convey exact meaning, hence these are being provided for research & comparison. The www.tipitaka.org website also contains files in many other languages.
It is also to be mentioned that in original Pali language Buddha is referred as Bhagava(God), Bhagvanta(God), Sattha/Satthu(Teacher).
Pali-English Version[]
Mula(Main) Version: File:Vimanavatthupali mula.pdf
Atthakatha (Explanations): File:Vimanavatthu-atthakatha.pdf
Pali-Devnagri Version(Sanskrit/Hindi Script)[]
Mula(Main) Version: File:6.Vimanavatthupali-dev.pdf
Atthakatha (Explanations): File:Vimanavatthu-atthakatha-dev.pdf