Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v1.c23.968

v1.c23.968

The same sutta, with several variations, is given at greater length in the Majjhima Nikāya,² where five messengers are spoken of, the first and fourth being the sight of a new-born babe and the sight of a guilty robber being punished for his offences respectively. The sutta is referred to for a description of Avīci.³ It was preached by Mahādeva to the people of Mahisamaṇḍala,⁴ and by Mahinda at Anurādhapura, on the first day of the latter’s arrival there, when one thousand people became sotāpannas.⁵