THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
786
Mass Conversion (DhammÈbhisamaya)
After the Buddha went on alms-round in the city of ŒÄavÊ and when He had finished His
meal, He sat on the splendid seat which was prepared under a tree in quietude at the city
gate. Then came King ΀avaka with his hosts of ministers, troops and were joined by the
citizens of ΀avi who did obeisance to the Buddha and sat down around him and asked:
‚Exalted Buddha, how could you tame such a wild and cruel ogre?‛
The Buddha then delivered the aforesaid ΀avaka Sutta in twelve verses in which He
started His narration with the attack made by the ogre and went on relating in detail: ‚In
this manner did he rain nine kinds of weapons, in this manner did he exhibit horrible
things, in this manner did he put questions to me, in this manner did I answer his
questions.‛ By the end of the discourse eighty-four thousand sentient beings realized the
Four Truths and found emancipation.
Regular Offerings made to The Ogre
Now King ΀avaka and the citizens of ΀avi built a shrine for the ogre ΀avaka, near the
(original) shrine of Vessavana Deva King. And they regularly made to the ogre, offerings
worthy of divine beings (
devatabali
) such as flowers, perfumes, etc.
When the little prince grew up into an intelligent youth, they sent him to the Buddha with
these words: ‚You, Prince, have secured a new lease of life because of the Exalted One.
Go and serve the Master. Serve the Order of Monks as well!‛ The Prince approached the
Buddha and the monks and rendered his service to them, practised the Dhamma and was
established in the
anÈgÈmÊ-phala
. He also learned all the teachings of the Three PiÔakas and
acquired the retinue of five hundred lay devotees of the Buddha. At a later time the Buddha
held a convocation where the devout lay man and AnÈgÈmin Prince Hathaway Lavaca was
placed foremost among those who lavishly showered upon their audience the four
Sangha-
vatthus
.