Dighanikaya 17.246

17.246

Evaṃ pātubhūtacakkaratanasseva cakkavattino amaccā pakatimaṅgalahatthiṭṭhānaṃ samaṃ sucibhūmibhāgaṃ kāretvā haricandanādīhi surabhigandhehi upalimpāpetvā heṭṭhā vicittavaṇṇasurabhikusumasamokiṇṇaṃ upari suvaṇṇatārakānaṃ antarantarā samosaritamanuññakusumadāmapaṭimaṇḍitavitānaṃ devavimānaṃ viya abhisaṅkharitvā – ‘‘evarūpassa nāma deva hatthiratanassa āgamanaṃ cintethā’’ti vadanti. So pubbe vuttanayeneva mahādānaṃ datvā sīlāni ca samādāya taṃ puññasampattiṃ āvajjanto nisīdi. Athassa puññānubhāvacodito chaddantakulā vā uposathakulā vā taṃ sakkāravisesaṃ anubhavitukāmo taruṇaravimaṇḍalābhirattacaraṇagīvāmukhapaṭimaṇḍitavisuddhasetasarīro sattapatiṭṭho susaṇṭhitaaṅgapaccaṅgasanniveso vikasitarattapadumacārupokkharo iddhimā yogī viya vehāsagamanasamattho manosilācuṇṇarañjitapariyanto viya rajatapabbato hatthiseṭṭho āgantvā tasmiṃ padese tiṭṭhati. So chaddantakulā āgacchanto sabbakaniṭṭho āgacchati. Uposathakulā āgacchanto sabbajeṭṭho. Pāḷiyaṃ pana uposatho nāgarājā icceva āgataṃ. Nāgarājā nāma kassaci aparibhogo, sabbakaniṭṭho āgacchatīti aṭṭhakathāsu vuttaṃ. Svāyaṃ pūritacakkavattivattānaṃ cakkavattīnaṃ vuttanayeneva cintayantānaṃ āgacchati. Mahāsudassanassa pana sayameva pakatimaṅgalahatthiṭṭhānaṃ āgantvā taṃ hatthiṃ apanetvā tattha aṭṭhāsi. Tena vuttaṃ – ‘‘puna caparaṃ ānanda…pe… nāgarājā’’ti.

When the wheel-treasure had thus appeared, the ministers of the wheel-turning monarch had the usual stall of the auspicious state elephant made into an even and clean area of ground, smeared with fragrant scents such as yellow sandalwood, strewn below with fragrant flowers of various colors, and decorated above like a heavenly palace with a canopy adorned with pleasing garlands of flowers hanging down between golden stars, and they said: 'Sire, think of the arrival of an elephant-treasure of such and such a kind.' Having given a great gift in the manner stated earlier and undertaken the moral precepts, he sat reflecting on that achievement of merit. Then, prompted by the power of his merit, wishing to enjoy that special honor, coming from either the Chaddanta clan or the Uposatha clan, an excellent elephant arrived and stood in that place—his pure white body adorned with feet, neck, and mouth as red as the orb of the morning sun; well-supported on seven points; with the arrangement of his limbs and minor limbs well-proportioned; having a trunk as lovely as a blooming red lotus; possessing supernormal potency like an ascetic; capable of traveling through the air; resembling a silver mountain whose edges are tinged with realgar powder. If coming from the Chaddanta clan, the youngest of all comes; if coming from the Uposatha clan, the eldest of all comes. But in the Pāli text, it only occurs as 'Uposatha, the nāga king.' A nāga king is never used by anyone; it is stated in the commentaries that the youngest of all comes. He comes in the manner described to wheel-turning monarchs who have fulfilled the duties of a wheel-turning monarch and are reflecting [upon it]. But in the case of Mahāsudassana, he came by himself to the usual stall of the auspicious state elephant, displaced that elephant, and stood there. Therefore it was said: 'Furthermore, Ānanda... the nāga king.'