Dighanikaya 26.80_2

26.80_2

Bhagavā kira imassa suttassa samuṭṭhānasamaye paccūsakāle mahākaruṇāsamāpattito vuṭṭhāya lokaṃ volokento imāya anāgatavaṃsadīpikāya suttantakathāya mātulanagaravāsīnaṃ caturāsītiyā pāṇasahassānaṃ dhammābhisamayaṃ disvā pātova vīsatibhikkhusahassaparivāro mātulanagaraṃ sampatto. Mātulanagaravāsino khattiyā ‘‘bhagavā āgato’’ti sutvā paccuggamma dasabalaṃ nimantetvā mahāsakkārena nagaraṃ pavesetvā nisajjaṭṭhānaṃ saṃvidhāya bhagavantaṃ mahārahe pallaṅke nisīdāpetvā buddhappamukhassa bhikkhusaṅghassa mahādānaṃ adaṃsu. Bhagavā bhattakiccaṃ niṭṭhāpetvā cintesi – ‘‘sacāhaṃ imasmiṃ ṭhāne imesaṃ manussānaṃ dhammaṃ desessāmi, ayaṃ padeso sambādho, manussānaṃ ṭhātuṃ vā nisīdituṃ vā okāso na bhavissati, mahatā kho pana samāgamena bhavitabba’’nti.

At the time of this discourse's origin, the Blessed One, having risen in the morning twilight from the attainment of great compassion, surveyed the world and saw that through this discourse revealing the future lineage, eighty-four thousand living beings residing in the town of Mātulā would attain the Dhamma. Early in the morning, accompanied by twenty thousand monks, he reached the town of Mātulā. Hearing that the Blessed One had arrived, the khattiyas residing in the town of Mātulā went out to welcome him, invited the One of Ten Powers, led him into the town with great honour, prepared a seating place, sat the Blessed One on an expensive couch, and gave a great donation to the Saṅgha of monks headed by the Buddha. Having finished his meal, the Blessed One thought: "If I teach the Dhamma to these people in this place, this area will be crowded; there will be no room for the people to stand or sit, and indeed there will be a great assembly."