[253] "'I was a laywoman disciple of the One with Vision,
and my name was Gopikā;
deeply confident in the Buddha and in the Dhamma,
with a confident mind (citta) I served the Saṅgha.
Through the excellence of that very Buddha's Dhamma,
I am now a son of Sakka, of great power,
of great splendor, reborn in the heaven of the Three-and-Thirty;
even here they know me as Gopaka.
I saw bhikkhus whom I had seen before,
gone to the company of the gandhabbas—
these very ones were disciples of Gotama,
whom formerly, when we were human beings,
we served with food and drink,
clasping their feet in our own home.
Whither indeed were these venerable ones facing,
that they did not receive the Buddha's Dhamma?
For the Dhamma is to be known each for oneself—
well taught, awakened to by the One with Vision.
I, merely attending upon you
and having heard the well-spoken words of the noble ones,
am now a son of Sakka, of great power,
of great splendor, reborn in the heaven of the Three-and-Thirty;
whereas you, though attending upon the Best of Men
and having lived the holy life (brahmacariya) under the Unsurpassed One,
have been reborn, venerable sirs, in an inferior host (hīnakāya)—
a rebirth into existence that is unbefitting.
A sorry sight indeed have we seen:
fellows in the Dhamma reborn in an inferior host.
Gone to the company of the gandhabbas, venerable sirs,
you come merely to wait upon the gods;
while I dwelt in a house—
behold this distinction of mine!
Having been a woman, today I am a male god,
endowed with divine sensual pleasures.'
Scolded by that disciple of Gotama,
having come to understand Gopaka,
they were struck with a sense of urgency (saṃvega):
'Come, let us strive, let us endeavor;
let us not be servants of others!'
Two of them roused energy (vīriya),
recollecting the teachings of Gotama;
right here they made their minds dispassionate,
and they saw the danger in sensual pleasures.
The fetters (saṃyojana) and bonds of sensuality—
the yokes of the Evil One (pāpimant), so hard to overcome—
having cut them, as a bull elephant snaps the tethers that hold him,
they passed beyond the gods of the Tāvatiṃsa heaven.
The gods together with Inda and with Pajāpati
had all entered the Sudhammā assembly hall;
and as they sat there, those heroes passed over them—
dispassionate, working the stainless state.
Seeing them, Vāsava was struck with urgency—
the overlord of gods, in the midst of the host of gods:
'These indeed, who were reborn in the inferior host,
now pass beyond the gods of the Tāvatiṃsa heaven!'
Observing them, Gopaka addressed
Vāsava, in whom urgency had arisen:
'There is a Buddha, lord of the people, in the human world;
the conqueror of sensuality, he is known as the Sakyan Sage.
Those sons of his had become bereft of mindfulness (sati);
scolded by me, they regained mindfulness.
Of those three, one remains here,
still gone to the company of the gandhabbas;
but two, following the path to full awakening,
their minds concentrated, spurn even the gods.
Such is the proclamation of the Dhamma here
that no disciple therein doubts anything at all.
We pay homage to the Buddha, the victor, the lord of the people,
who has crossed the flood (ogha) and cut off doubt.
Whatever Dhamma of yours they came to understand here,
by that they attained distinction:
two of them, gone on to distinction,
reached the host of the Brahmapurohita gods.'
We too have come, dear sir, in order to attain that Dhamma;
if the opportunity is granted by the Blessed One,
we would ask a question, dear sir."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.