8: The Buddha’s Stay at the Seven Places – 425 

 

thus: “Let there be only one bowl.” No sooner had the Buddha resolved thus, 
than the four bowls reduced themselves to just one bowl with four rims. 

The Buddha then received the rice-cakes and balls of honey-food with that alms 
bowl and partook of them and then delivered a discourse of appreciation which 
was suitable to the merchant brothers. Then the two brothers took refuge in the 
Buddha and the Dhamma only, as the treasure of the Saṅgha had not come into 
existence at that time, and thereby they became devotees who had only to 
pronounce the two-sentence refuge (

devācika-saraṇa

) with reference to the 

Buddha and the Dhamma, saying: 

Ete mayaṁ bhante, Bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ 

gacchāma Dhammañ-ca

, “we take refuge, sir, in the Fortunate One and the 

Dhamma.” These two were the first devotees in whom the two-sentence refuge 
formula was established. 

Thereafter, the two merchant brothers made a request saying: “Blessed Buddha, 
give us something, out of compassion for us, that we can worship forever.” The 
Buddha then rubbed his head with the right hand and gave them his hair, 
acceding to their request. Obtaining the hair, the brothers were very much 
delighted, as if ambrosial waters were poured on them. After finishing their 
trading, they returned and arrived back at their native town of Pukkharavatī in 
the district of Ukkalā where they built a shrine (

cetiya

), enshrining in it the 

hair-relics kept in a golden casket. 

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