THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
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beings in great agony, serving terms of punishment according to their deserts, depending
upon the intensity of their guilt. All the people on this earth could see these planes of
misery and miserable beings clearly, by virtue of the glories of the Exalted One.
All the devas and BrahmÈs in the ten thousand universes, who had arrived by means of
their great powers, could be seen paying homage to the Buddha with hands raised and
heads bowed in adoration and with minds filled with overwhelming wonder and devotion.
They uttered stanzas in praise of the splendours and glories of the Buddha and spoke words
of exuberant joy and happiness.
All these strange phenomena, such as the Twin miracles, six Radiations from the body of
the Buddha and ten thousand universes could be seen by all the people on this earth, caused
much delight and reverential faith.
Miraculous Display of Iridescence in Six Colours.
(1) (
N¢LA
) Dark-blue radiation: The Buddha, who had demonstrated the Twin Miracles,
had caused, by virtue of
yamaka patihariya-ÒÈÓa
, radiation from His body: the dark-blue
radiation emanated from where the hair and the beard grew and the iris of the eye, with the
result that the whole sky appeared to have been sprinkled and scattered with powder of
antimony or covered by the butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) and the blue lotus flowers; it
resembled a moving fan made of bluish-green rubies; the whole sky was flooded with the
sapphire blue light.
(2) (
P¢TA
) Yellow Radiation: emanated from the skin and the sockets of the eyes and all
the golden parts of the Buddha. The entire environs were brightened by a golden colour as
though the whole area was poured over with liquid gold or covered by a garment of gold,
or as if saffron was sprinkled and golden silk cotton flowers strewn over it.
(3) (
LOHITA
) Red Radiation: emanated from flesh and blood and certain parts of the eyes
and other red parts of the body. The entire environmental area was brightened by the red
light as though dyed with vermilion or coated over with red liquid of lac, or covered with
red velvet, or as if cloaked with flowers of Pentapeters phonecea, and Indian coral were
strewn over it. The whole area was strangely and beautifully brightened by this radiation.
(4) (
ODATA
) White Radiation: emanated from the bones, teeth, the eye-tooth of the
Buddha and the whites of the eyes. The whole area looked as though covered with milk
flowing constantly from silver pots, or with a silver ceiling hung with silver leaves and
plates laid out layer upon layer, or a silver fan in motion, or as if wild jasmine, white lores,
streblus asper, jasmine, Arabian jasmine were strewn over the place.
(5) (
MANJE®®HA
) Crimson Radiation: emanated from the palms of the hands and soles
of the feet, thereby beautifully brightening up the environs as though covered by a net of
coral and flowers of the barleria prionitis species.
(6) (
PABHASSARA
) Resplendent radiations: emanated from a single hair on Buddha's
fore-head, nails of the fingers and toes, and all parts that shone, thereby brightening up the
region as though filled with many constellations of the evening star and with flashes of
lightning and currents of electricity. It was indeed a wondrously beautiful scene.
——
Excerpts from Patisambhida MaggaÔÔhakatha, Second Vol.
——
The emanation of the six-hued radiance was indeed a strange phenomenon which
resembled the continuous flow of streams of liquid gold, silver and ruby from a
fountainhead shooting up to the roof of the universe and then descending to the edge of the
universe. All the thousands of universes merged into a great elegant wonderful and
beautiful golden mansion as it were with beams, rafters of assorted precious jewels.
The Buddha delivered Discourses while walking on The Walk
On that day, the Buddha preached discourses in harmony with the inclinations of the
people, at intervals while demonstrating the Twin Miracles on the Walk, which was laid
from east to west, across the thousands of world-systems. He suspended the performance
of miracles to allow a short interval of rest for the audience who, in return, said: ‘
SÈdhu
’ as