THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
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His mother was Queen VipulÈ.
He reigned for six thousand years and His three palaces were Sudassana,
Ratanagghi and ŒveÄa.
His Chief Consort was SudassanÈ, who had thirty-three thousand maids of honour.
His son was VaruÓa.
Having seen the four omens, He renounced the world in a chariot drawn by
thoroughbred horses. He practised
dukkaracariyÈ
for seven months.
His two male Chief Disciples were VaruÓa Thera and Brahmadeva Thera. His
attendant was Sambhava Thera.
His two female Chief Disciples were Bhadda TherÊ and SubhaddÈ TherÊ.
His Bodhi tree was a NÈga tree.
His male noble supporters were the wealthy men Paduma and KuÒjara. His female
noble supporters were SirÊmÈ and YasavatÊ.
Buddha Revata's height was eighty cubits. He illumined all the directions like the
hoisted banner of Sakka. His physical rays spread all round, up to one league, day
and night.
The life span during His time was sixty thousand years. He lived throughout the
period equal to four-fifths of this life span, rescuing numerous devas, humans and
BrahmÈs from
saÑsÈric
waters and placed them on NibbÈnic shores.
Having taught the doctrine of Deathlessness to the world by showing the powers
of the ten-fold wisdom of Enlightened Ones, Buddha Revata attained ParinibbÈna,
like great flames of fire that become extinct as the fuel runs out.
SaÑvega
That Buddha Revata's frame, which was like a solid gem stone, and His incomparable
ten-fold Dhamma had all vanished. Unsubstantial and futile indeed are all conditioned
things!
When His ParinibbÈna was drawing near, Buddha Revata resolved: ‚May My relics
remain not in a mass but split into pieces and reach various places so that, when I am gone,
all beings may attain celestial abodes and NibbÈna (as a result of them).‛ Then He attained
ParinibbÈna in the NÈga grove, neither too near nor too far from the city. His relics did not
form into one mass, a deviation from the usual mode of relics of long-lived Buddhas, but
dispersed and spread to every nook and corner of JambudÊpa, in accordance with His
resolve and were held in honour by devas, humans and BrahmÈs.
Here ends Revata BuddhavaÑsa
____________________________
6. SOBHITA BUDDHAVA¥SA
After Buddha Revata's ParinibbÈna, the life span of human beings decreased gradually
from sixty thousand years to ten years and then from ten years, it increased to
asa~khyeyyas
. When the life span became ninety thousand years on its second decline,
Bodhisatta Sobhita, after complete fulfilment of the Perfections for four
asa~khyeyyas
and
one hundred thousand aeons, was reborn in TusitÈ, a common practice by all Bodhisattas.
While living there, he accepted the request made by devas, and then descended from his
celestial abode to the human world and took conception in the womb of Sudhamma, Chief
Queen of King Sudhamma, in the city of the same name. Ten months thereafter, the
Bodhisatta left his mother's womb in Sudhamma Park, like the way the big full moon came
out of the clouds.
Royal Household Life
When Bodhisatta Prince Sobhita came of age, he lived in three golden palaces, namely,
Kumuda, Nalina and Paduma, and enjoyed a heavenly-like royal household life with his
Chief Consort Manila, and being entertained and waited upon by thirty-seven thousand