The Long Āgama Sūtra 23.33

23.33

「時，諸大臣即白王言：『如是，如是，如王所說。欲設大祀，已語宮內，而未語太子、皇子、大臣、將士，王當語之。』時，王聞諸臣語已，即語太子、皇子、群臣、將士言：『我國富兵強，庫藏盈溢，欲設大祀。』時，太子、皇子及諸群臣、將士即白王言：『如是，如是，大王！今國富兵強，庫藏盈溢，欲設祀者，今正是時。』時，王復告大臣曰：『我國富兵強，多有財寶，欲設大祀。已語宮內、太子、皇子，乃至將士，今欲大祀，斯何所須？』諸臣白王：『如大王言，欲設祀者，今正是時。』王聞語已，即於城東起新堂舍，王入新舍，被鹿皮衣，以香酥油塗摩其身，又以鹿角戴之頭上，牛屎塗地，坐臥其上，及第一夫人、婆羅門、大臣，選一黃牸牛，一乳王食，一乳夫人食，一乳大臣食，一乳供養大眾，餘與犢子。時，王成就八法，大臣成就四法。」

“The ministers then said to the king, ‘So it is, so it is! It’s as the king says. He wants to arrange a large sacrifice and has told the palace wives about it, but he hasn’t told the prince, crown prince, great minister, and the officers. The king should tell them.’

“Hearing what the ministers said, the king then told the princes, crown prince, ministers, and officers, ‘My country is wealthy, the army is strong, and the treasury is overflowing. I want to arrange a large sacrifice.’

“The princes, crown prince, ministers, and officers then said to the king, ‘So it is, so it is! Great king, the country is now wealthy, the army is strong, and the treasury is overflowing. If you want to arrange a sacrifice, now would be the right time for it.’

“The king again told the great minister, ‘My country is wealthy, the army is strong, and I possess many treasures. I’ve talked to my palace wives, the princes, crown prince, and even the officers. Now, I want to arrange a large sacrifice. What will be needed for this?’

“The ministers said, ‘It’s as the great king says. If he wants to arrange a sacrifice, now would be the right time for it.’

“Hearing them say this, he had a new palace built to the east of the city. Entering that new palace, the king put on a deerskin garment and rubbed incensed ghee onto his body. He also wore deer antlers on his head and had cow dung spread on the ground, which he sat and laid on. His first wife and priestly great minister selected a yellow cow. It was milked once for the king to drink, once for his wife to drink, once for the minister to drink, and once to give to the great assembly. The rest was given to its calf.

“The king then accomplished eight things, and his great minister accomplished four things. What were the eight things that the king accomplished? That warrior king was descended from seven generations of fathers and mothers who were genuine, so he wasn’t slighted by others. This was the first thing he had achieved. That king was a handsome-looking member of a warrior tribe. This was the second thing. The virtue of that king’s precepts was higher, and his wisdom was complete. This was the third thing. That king practiced a variety of skills such as riding elephants, horses, and chariots, swordsmanship, archery, and other martial arts. There was nothing that he didn’t fully know. This was the fourth thing. That king possessed great authority that brought together the lesser kings. There were none who didn’t submit to him. This was the fifth thing. That king was well-spoken. What he said was gentle, and his meaning and content were complete. This was the sixth thing. That king possessed many treasures, and his treasury was overflowing. This was the seventh thing. That king was shrewd, bold, and had no weaknesses. This was the eighth thing. That warrior king accomplished these eight things.