Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c31.2185

v2.c31.2185

1. Mahāsamaya Sutta.—Preached at Mahāvana in Kapilavatthu, where the Buddha was staying with five hundred arahants. The gods of the ten thousand world systems had come to visit the Buddha and the monks, and were joined by four gods from the Suddhāvāsā, who saluted the Buddha in verse. The Buddha then addressed the monks and recited this sutta.¹ It is possible to divide the discourse into three parts. The first contains a list of the devas² and other beings present to worship the Buddha. It is a long list of strange names given in verses, mostly doggerel. Many of the beings mentioned are to us now mere names, with no special information attached. Most of them were probably local deities, the personification of natural phenomena, guardian spirits, fairies, harpies, naiads, dryads, and many others, who are here represented as adherents of the Buddha, come to do him honour. It is noteworthy that even the most important gods—e.g., Soma, Varuṇa and Brahmā—are only incidentally mentioned, added to the list, as it were, without special distinction.