Chapter 33
their way, avoiding celestial mansions standing there.
΀avaka's mansion, however, was situated on the ground. It was well secure,
surrounded by properly fixed walls, doors, turrets and archways. Above the
mansion was spread a net made of white brass. The mansion was like a box. It was
three
yojanas
in height, over which there formed an aerial route used by divine
ogres.
When the two friends, the divine ogres SÈtÈgira and Hemavata, happened to come just
above the mansion on their way to visit the Buddha, they were unable to proceed.
In fact, up to Bhavagga above, nobody can pass over the place where a Buddha is
seated.
Therefore, when they thought of the cause for their such inability to go further, they saw
the Buddha and descended to the ground like a thrown up stone falls earth-bound. Having
did obeisance to the Buddha, they listened to a discourse and circumambulated the Buddha,
and asked for His permission to leave: ‚Glorious Buddha, we have to attend a meeting of
divine ogres.‛ Saying some words in praise of the Three Gems, they headed for the
Himavanta, the venue of their meeting.
On seeing the two friends (noble devas), ΀avaka rose from his place and invited them
saying: ‚Please take your seats here.‛
The Fury of ΀avaka The Ogre
The two friends informed ŒÄavaka: ‚Friend ŒÄavaka, in your mansion is the Exalted One
still sitting. You are so fortunate! Go, friend ŒÄavaka, wait upon the Exalted Buddha!‛
(To a faithless person, the pious word connected with faith is unbearable, so is the
word connected with morality to an immoral one; the word connected with
knowledge to an ignorant one; the word connected with generosity to a miser; and
the word connected with wisdom to a fool.)
The words of the two friends encouraging faith with reference to the Buddha was
unbearable to ΀avaka who had no faith. Therefore, on hearing words of praise of the
Buddha, the faithless ΀avaka the ogre became furious. His heart crackled with rage like
lumps of salt thrown into fire. He asked in anger: ‚What kind of man is the so-called
Exalted Buddha who sat in my mansion?‛
Then the two friends (noble devas) said to ŒÄavaka; ‚Friend ŒÄavaka, do not you know of
our Master, the Exalted One? (He is a very prominent and noble personage.) Even while in
the TusitÈ abode of devas, He made five investigations (and they related the biography of
the Buddha up to his delivery of the Dhammacakka Sutta. They also told the ogre fully of
the thirty-two portents that took place at the time when the Bodhisatta was conceived, and
so on.) Friend ŒÄavaka, have you not seen those marvellous portents?‛ they asked.
Although he had seen them, but he was carried away by anger, ΀avaka replied, hiding the
truth: ‚No, I have not.‛
The two devas then became unsatisfied and said: ‚Whether you have seen them or not,
what is the use of your seeing or no seeing? Friend, what are you going to do to our
Master, the Exalted Buddha? Compared with Him, (a) you are like a calf that has been born
today near a bull with his hump swaying; (b) like a baby elephant that has been born today
near a bull elephant in musth with his granular secretion flowing from the three parts,
namely, the trunk, the tip of the male organ and the ears; (c) an old ugly fox, near a lion-
king who is graceful with his round back and shoulders and with long bright mane; and (d)
like a young crow with its broken wings near a garuÄa-bird king with his body of a hundred
and fifty
yojanas
in size. Go and do what is to be done.‛ Being furious, the ogre got up
from his seat, and standing firmly with his left foot placed on the flat rock of red orpiment,
he shouted: ‚Is your Master, the Buddha, powerful? Or, is it I, who is powerful? You will
see now (who is more powerful)!‛ So shouting he stamped his right foot on the top of
Mount Kelasa that was of sixty
yojanas
. Then just as fiery particles fall off from the
glowing iron that has been excessively heated in the blacksmith's furnace and that is put on