The Twenty-Four Buddhas – 193
ask for any other boon than permission to attend upon our elder brother.” When
their request was granted, they invited the Buddha to the towns and villages
under them and attended upon him and honoured him. Accordingly, the Buddha
went and accepted the veneration shown to him. He also gave them a discourse,
as a result of which, 80,000 people became summoned monastics and became
Arahats. In the company of these 80,000 Arahats, in Khemaka Deer Park,
Buddha Vipassī recited the Advisory Rules.
The Bodhisatta as the Nāga King Atula
Meanwhile our Bodhisatta was the Nāga King Atula of great might. In the
company of many millions of Nāgas who were playing celestial musical
instruments, he approached Buddha Vipassī, Lord of the Three Worlds. In order
to honour the Buddha and his monastics, he invited the Saṅgha, headed by the
Buddha to his place. He built a great pavilion which was adorned with the seven
kinds of gems and was pleasing to the eye, like the orb of a full moon. He
accommodated the Buddha with his Saṅgha in the pavilion and performed grand
alms giving to them for seven days. He also offered a golden bench, which was
richly decorated, to the Buddha.
Sitting in the midst of the Saṅgha, the Buddha taught him a discourse in
appreciation of his alms giving and, at the conclusion of the discourse, declared
prophetically about him, saying: “In the 91
st
aeon from the present one, this
Atula Nāga King will indeed become a Buddha.”
Having heard the Buddha’s prophecy, Bodhisatta Atula, the Nāga King, was
overjoyed, and determined to fulfil the perfections even more energetically.
Particulars of Buddha Vipassī
Buddha Vipassī’s birthplace was Bandhumatī city.
His father was King Bandhuma and his mother was Bandhumatī.
He reigned for 8,000 years.
His three palaces were Nanda, Sunanda and Sirimā.
His chief consort was Sudassanā, who had 120,000 maids of honour.
His son was Prince Samavaṭṭakkhandha.
The vehicle he used after seeing the four omens was a chariot drawn by
thoroughbred horses.