Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c36.125

v2.c36.125

Sakka’s devotion to the Buddha and his religion is proverbial. When the Bodhisatta cut off his hair and threw it into the sky, Sakka took it and deposited it in the Cūḷāmaṇi-cetiya.³⁵ He was present near the Bodhi-tree, blowing his Vijayuttara-saṅkha (q.v.), when Māra arrived to prevent the Buddha from reaching Enlightenment.³⁶ When the Buddha accepted Bimbisāra’s invitation to dine in his palace, Sakka, in the guise of a young man, preceded the Buddha and his monks along the street to the palace, singing the Buddha’s praises.³⁷ When the Buddha performed his Yamaka-pāṭihāriya at the foot of the Gaṇḍamba, it was Sakka who built for him a pavilion, and gave orders to the gods of the Wind and the Sun to uproot the pavilions of the heretics and cause them great discomfort.³⁸ When the Buddha returned to Saṅkassa from Tāvatiṃsa, whither he went after performing the Twin Miracle, Sakka created three ladders—of gold, of silver, and of jewels respectively—for the Buddha and his retinue.³⁹