[33] 5. [Guttila:]
"The seven-stringed [lute], most sweet, delightful — I taught it [to him];
now he challenges me upon the stage: be my refuge, O Kosiya!"
[Sakka:]
"I shall be your refuge, for I am one who honours teachers;
the pupil shall not vanquish you — teacher, you shall vanquish the pupil."
"You who stand with surpassing beauty, O devatā,
illumining all the quarters like the morning star:
by what is such beauty yours? By what does this prosper for you here,
and there arise for you whatever enjoyments are dear to the heart?
I ask you, O devī of great majesty:
when you were a human being, what merit (puñña) did you do?
By what is your majesty thus ablaze,
and your beauty radiant in all the quarters?"
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
when asked the question, declared of what deed (kamma) this is the fruit:
"A woman who gives the best of cloth
becomes foremost among men and among women;
giving thus what is dear in form, she gains,
on passing there, a heavenly station that delights the heart.
Behold my mansion (vimāna) for that:
I am a celestial nymph (accharā) of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening (vipāka) of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
The remaining four Mansions should be elaborated in the same way as the Mansion of the Giver of Cloth (Vatthadāyika-vimāna).
(1) "With surpassing beauty …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"A woman who gives the best of flowers
becomes foremost among men and among women;
giving thus what is dear in form, she gains,
on passing there, a heavenly station that delights the heart.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
________________
(2) "You who stand with surpassing beauty, O devatā,
… like the morning star:
by what is such beauty yours? …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"A woman who gives the best of perfumes
becomes foremost among men and among women;
giving thus what is dear in form, she gains,
on passing there, a heavenly station that delights the heart.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
________________
(3) "You who stand with surpassing beauty, O devatā,
illumining all the quarters like the morning star:
by what is such beauty yours? …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"A woman who gives the best of fruits
becomes foremost among men and among women;
giving thus what is dear in form, she gains,
on passing there, a heavenly station that delights the heart.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
________________
(4) "You who stand with surpassing beauty, O devatā,
illumining all the quarters like the morning star:
by what is such beauty yours? …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"A woman who gives the best of flavours
becomes foremost among men and among women;
giving thus what is dear in form, she gains,
on passing there, a heavenly station that delights the heart.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
________________
"You who stand with surpassing beauty, O devatā,
… like the morning star:
by what is such beauty yours? …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"A five-finger mark of perfume I gave
at the stūpa (thūpa) of the Blessed One Kassapa.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
The remaining four Mansions should be elaborated in the same way as the Mansion of the Five-finger Mark of Perfume (Gandhapañcaṅgulika-vimāna).
(1) "With surpassing beauty …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"Bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs
I saw, faring along the road;
having heard the Dhamma from them,
I kept a single uposatha observance.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
(2) "With surpassing beauty …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"Standing in the water, I gave water
to a bhikkhu, with a mind (citta) of clear confidence.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
______________________
(3) "With surpassing beauty …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"My mother-in-law and my father-in-law,
fierce, wrathful, and harsh,
I served free from envy,
heedful, with my own virtue (sīla).
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
______________________
(4) "With surpassing beauty …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"A doer of work for others I was,
a servant-woman unwearied in her duty,
free from anger, free from arrogance,
a sharer of my own portion.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
______________________
"You who stand with surpassing beauty, O devatā,
… like the morning star:
by what is such beauty yours? …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
"Milk-rice I gave
to a bhikkhu walking for alms.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
Among these, the twenty-five Mansions should be elaborated in the same way as the Mansion of the Giver of Milk-rice (Khīrodanadāyikā-vimāna).
"With surpassing beauty …
and your beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
That devatā, elated, questioned by Moggallāna,
… of what deed this is the fruit:
(1) "Molasses (phāṇita) I gave
(2) a piece of sugar-cane …
(3) a timbarūsaka fruit
(4) a cucumber (kakkāruka)
(5) a gourd (eḷāluka)
(6) ripe fruit of a creeper (vallipakka)
(7) a phārusaka fruit
(8) a hand-warming brazier (hatthappatāpaka)
(9) a handful of potherbs
(10) a handful of flowers
(11) a radish (mūlaka)
(12) a handful of neem (nimba)
(13) sour mango-gruel (ambakañjika)
(14) trough-pressings (doṇinimmujjana)
(15) a waistband
(16) a shoulder-strap (aṃsabandhaka)
(17) a binding-band (āyogapaṭṭa)
(18) a fan
(19) a palm-leaf fan
(20) a peacock-feather fan (morahattha)
(21) a sunshade
(22) sandals
(23) a cake
(24) a sweetmeat (modaka)
(25) a crisp cake (sakkhalī)
— to a bhikkhu walking for alms.
Behold my mansion for that:
I am a celestial nymph of desirable appearance,
and among a thousand nymphs I am the foremost —
behold the ripening of merits!
By that is my beauty such …
and my beauty is radiant in all the quarters."
[Guttila:]
"Truly a welcome [day] is mine today — a fair dawning, a fair arising —
in that I have seen the devatās, celestial nymphs of desirable appearance.
Having heard the Dhamma from them, I shall do abundant wholesome (kusala) deeds:
by giving, by even conduct, by restraint, and by taming,
I shall go to that place where, having gone, one sorrows not."
The Guttila Mansion, the fifth.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.