Dighanikaya 17.241

17.241

Evaṃ me sutanti mahāsudassanasuttaṃ. Tatrāyaṃ apubbapadavaṇṇanā – sabbaratanamayoti ettha ekā iṭṭhakā sovaṇṇamayā, ekā rūpiyamayā, ekā veḷuriyamayā, ekā phalikamayā, ekā lohitaṅkamayā, ekā masāragallamayā, ekā sabbaratanamayā, ayaṃ pākāro sabbapākārānaṃ anto ubbedhena saṭṭhihattho ahosi. Eke pana therā – ‘‘nagaraṃ nāma anto ṭhatvā olokentānaṃ dassanīyaṃ vaṭṭati, tasmā sabbabāhiro saṭṭhihattho, sesā anupubbanīcā’’ti vadanti. Eke – ‘‘bahi ṭhatvā olokentānaṃ dassanīyaṃ vaṭṭati, tasmā sabbaabbhantarimo saṭṭhihattho, sesā anupubbanīcā’’ti. Eke – ‘‘anto ca bahi ca ṭhatvā olokentānaṃ dassanīyaṃ vaṭṭati, tasmā majjhe pākāro saṭṭhihattho, anto ca bahi ca tayo tayo anupubbanīcā’’ti.

"Thus have I heard" introduces the Mahāsudassana Sutta. Herein, this is the explanation of novel terms: 'Made entirely of jewels'—here, one brick was made of gold, one made of silver, one made of beryl, one made of crystal, one made of ruby, one made of masāragalla stone, and one made of all jewels; this rampart was inner to all the ramparts, sixty cubits in height. However, some elders say: "A city should indeed look handsome to those standing inside and looking out; therefore the outermost was sixty cubits, and the rest progressively lower." Others say: "It should look handsome to those standing outside and looking in; therefore the innermost was sixty cubits, and the rest progressively lower." Still others say: "It should look handsome to those standing both inside and outside looking; therefore the middle rampart was sixty cubits, and there were three each, progressively lower, on the inside and the outside."