Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c36.4317

v2.c36.4317

5. Sumana.—A garland-maker, given as an example of one whose acts bore fruit in this very life.¹ He was Bimbisāra’s gardener, and provided the king daily with eight measures of jasmine flowers, for which he received eight pieces of money. One day, while on his way to the palace, he saw the Buddha, and threw two handfuls of flowers into the air, where they formed a canopy over the Buddha’s head. Two handfuls thrown on the right, two on the left and two behind, all remained likewise in the air and accompanied the Buddha as he walked through the city, a distance of three leagues, that all might see the miracle.