Aṇguttara Nikāya
Catukka Nipāta
XIII: Bhaya Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fours
XIII: Fears
Sutta 127
Tathāgata Acchariya Suttaṃ
Marvels (a)[1]
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] Thus have I heard:
On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, on the manifestation of a Tathāgata,
Arahant,
a Fully Enlightened One,
four wonderful, marvellous things
are manifested.
What four?
When a Bodhisattva, deceasing from the Tusita-deva-group,
mindful and composed
descends into his mother's womb,
then in the world,
together with its devas,
its Maras,
its Brahmas,
with its host of recluses and brahmins,
of devas and mankind,
then an infinite,
glorious radiance is manifested,
surpassing the deva-majesty of the devas.
Even the gloom of space between the worlds,
the fathomless[2] darkness,
the murk of darkness,
where even the radiance of our moon and sun,
though of such wondrous power and majesty,
cannot be manifested, -
even there an infinite,
glorious radiance is spread abroad,
surpassing the deva-majesty of the devas.
Likewise those creatures that have come into being there,
becoming aware of each other through that radiance,
exclaim:
"It seems, friends,
that there be other creatures also
that have come into being here."
Monks, on the manifestation of a Tathāgata,
Arahant,
a Fully Enlightened One,
this is the first wonderful,
marvellous thing manifested.
Then again, monks, when a Bodhisattva,
mindful and composed,
comes forth from his mother's womb,
then in the world,
together with its devas,
its Maras,
its Brahmas,
with its host of recluses and brahmins,
of devas and mankind,
then an infinite,
glorious radiance is manifested,
surpassing the deva-majesty of the devas.
Even the gloom of space between the worlds,
the fathomless darkness,
the murk of darkness,
where even the radiance of our moon and sun,
though of such wondrous power and majesty,
cannot be manifested, -
even there an infinite,
glorious radiance is spread abroad,
surpassing the deva-majesty of the devas.
Likewise those creatures that have come into being there,
becoming aware of each other through that radiance,
exclaim:
"It seems, friends,
that there be other creatures also
that have come into being here."
Monks, on the manifestation of a Tathāgata,
Arahant,
a Fully Enlightened One,
this is the second wonderful,
marvellous thing manifested.
Then again, monks,
when a Tathāgata is enlightened
with the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment,
then in the world,
together with its devas,
its Maras,
its Brahmas,
with its host of recluses and brahmins,
of devas and mankind,
then an infinite,
glorious radiance is manifested,
surpassing the deva-majesty of the devas.
Even the gloom of space between the worlds,
the fathomless darkness,
the murk of darkness,
where even the radiance of our moon and sun,
though of such wondrous power and majesty,
cannot be manifested, -
even there an infinite,
glorious radiance is spread abroad,
surpassing the deva-majesty of the devas.
Likewise those creatures that have come into being there,
becoming aware of each other through that radiance,
exclaim:
"It seems, friends,
that there be other creatures also
that have come into being here."
Monks, on the manifestation of a Tathāgata,
Arahant,
a Fully Enlightened One,
this is the third wonderful,
marvellous thing manifested.
[135] Yet again, monks,
when a Tathāgata sets rolling the unsurpassed Dhamma-wheel,
then in the world,
together with its devas,
its Maras,
its Brahmas,
with its host of recluses and brahmins,
of devas and mankind,
then an infinite,
glorious radiance is manifested,
surpassing the deva-majesty of the devas.
Even the gloom of space between the worlds,
the fathomless darkness,
the murk of darkness,
where even the radiance of our moon and sun,
though of such wondrous power and majesty,
cannot be manifested, -
even there an infinite,
glorious radiance is spread abroad,
surpassing the deva-majesty of the devas.
Likewise those creatures that have come into being there,
becoming aware of each other through that radiance,
exclaim:
"It seems, friends,
that there be other creatures also
that have come into being here."
Monks, on the manifestation of a Tathāgata,
Arahant,
a Fully Enlightened One,
this is the fourth wonderful,
marvellous thing manifested.
These, monks, are the four
wonderful, marvellous things
manifested on the manifestation of a Tathāgata,
Arahant,
a Fully Enlightened One.'
[1] The first two sections are at D. ii, 13, 15; Dial. ii, 8 [sic. pg 9] n.; cf. M. iii, 118; JA. i, 51. This sort of sutta, acc. to Expos. i, 33, is to be reckoned as belonging to the Abbhuta-dhamma of the nine well-known sections.
[2] Asaṇvuta = heṭṭhāpi appatiṭṭhā. Comy.
