Maghadevasutta

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Majjhima Nikāya 83

About King Maghadeva · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā mithilāyaṁ viharati maghadevaambavane.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Mithilā in the Maghadeva Mango Grove.

Atha kho bhagavā aññatarasmiṁ padese sitaṁ pātvākāsi.
Atha kho āyasmato ānandassa etadahosi:
“ko nu kho hetu, ko paccayo bhagavato sitassa pātukammāya?
Na akāraṇena tathāgatā sitaṁ pātukarontī”ti.
Atha kho āyasmā ānando ekaṁsaṁ cīvaraṁ katvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo bhagavato sitassa pātukammāya?
Na akāraṇena tathāgatā sitaṁ pātukarontī”ti.

Then the Buddha smiled at a certain spot. Then Venerable Ānanda thought, “What is the cause, what is the reason why the Buddha smiled? Realized Ones do not smile for no reason.” So Ānanda arranged his robe over one shoulder, raised his cupped palms toward the Buddha, and said, “What is the cause, what is the reason why the Buddha smiled? Realized Ones do not smile for no reason.”

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, ānanda, imissāyeva mithilāyaṁ rājā ahosi maghadevo nāma dhammiko dhammarājā dhamme ṭhito mahārājā;
dhammaṁ carati brāhmaṇagahapatikesu negamesu ceva jānapadesu ca;
uposathañca upavasati cātuddasiṁ pañcadasiṁ aṭṭhamiñca pakkhassa.

“Once upon a time, Ānanda, right here in Mithilā there was a just and principled king named Maghadeva, a great king who stood by his duty. He justly treated brahmins and householders, and people of town and country. And he observed the sabbath on the fourteenth, fifteenth, and eighth of the fortnight.

Atha kho, ānanda, rājā maghadevo bahūnaṁ vassānaṁ bahūnaṁ vassasatānaṁ bahūnaṁ vassasahassānaṁ accayena kappakaṁ āmantesi:
‘yadā me, samma kappaka, passeyyāsi sirasmiṁ palitāni jātāni, atha me āroceyyāsī’ti.
‘Evaṁ, devā’ti kho, ānanda, kappako rañño maghadevassa paccassosi.
Addasā kho, ānanda, kappako bahūnaṁ vassānaṁ bahūnaṁ vassasatānaṁ bahūnaṁ vassasahassānaṁ accayena rañño maghadevassa sirasmiṁ palitāni jātāni.
Disvāna rājānaṁ maghadevaṁ etadavoca:
‘pātubhūtā kho devassa devadūtā, dissanti sirasmiṁ palitāni jātānī’ti.
‘Tena hi, samma kappaka, tāni palitāni sādhukaṁ saṇḍāsena uddharitvā mama añjalismiṁ patiṭṭhāpehī’ti.
‘Evaṁ, devā’ti kho, ānanda, kappako rañño maghadevassa paṭissutvā tāni palitāni sādhukaṁ saṇḍāsena uddharitvā rañño maghadevassa añjalismiṁ patiṭṭhāpesi.

Then, after many years, many hundred years, many thousand years had passed, King Maghadeva addressed his barber, ‘My dear barber, when you see grey hairs growing on my head, please tell me.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ replied the barber. When many thousand years had passed, the barber saw grey hairs growing on the king’s head. He said to the king, ‘The messengers of the gods have shown themselves to you. Grey hairs can be seen growing on your head.’ ‘Well then, my dear barber, carefully pull them out with tweezers and place them in my cupped hands.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ replied the barber, and he did as the king said.

Atha kho, ānanda, rājā maghadevo kappakassa gāmavaraṁ datvā jeṭṭhaputtaṁ kumāraṁ āmantāpetvā etadavoca:
‘pātubhūtā kho me, tāta kumāra, devadūtā;
dissanti sirasmiṁ palitāni jātāni;
bhuttā kho pana me mānusakā kāmā;
samayo dibbe kāme pariyesituṁ.
Ehi tvaṁ, tāta kumāra, imaṁ rajjaṁ paṭipajja.
Ahaṁ pana kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajissāmi.
Tena hi, tāta kumāra, yadā tvampi passeyyāsi sirasmiṁ palitāni jātāni, atha kappakassa gāmavaraṁ datvā jeṭṭhaputtaṁ kumāraṁ sādhukaṁ rajje samanusāsitvā kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajeyyāsi.
Yena me idaṁ kalyāṇaṁ vattaṁ nihitaṁ anuppavatteyyāsi, mā kho me tvaṁ antimapuriso ahosi.

The king gave the barber a prize village, then summoned the crown prince and said, ‘Dear prince, the messengers of the gods have shown themselves to me. Grey hairs can be seen growing on my head. I have enjoyed human pleasures. Now it is time to seek heavenly pleasures. Come, dear prince, rule the realm. I shall shave off my hair and beard, dress in ocher robes, and go forth from the lay life to homelessness. For dear prince, you too will one day see grey hairs growing on your head. When this happens, after giving a prize village to the barber and carefully instructing the crown prince in kingship, you should shave off your hair and beard, dress in ocher robes, and go forth from the lay life to homelessness. Keep up this good practice that I have founded. Do not be my final man.

Yasmiṁ kho, tāta kumāra, purisayuge vattamāne evarūpassa kalyāṇassa vattassa samucchedo hoti so tesaṁ antimapuriso hoti.
Taṁ tāhaṁ, tāta kumāra, evaṁ vadāmi—
yena me idaṁ kalyāṇaṁ vattaṁ nihitaṁ anuppavatteyyāsi, mā kho me tvaṁ antimapuriso ahosī’ti.

When a pair of men are living, the one who breaks such good practice is their final man. Therefore I say to you, “Keep up this good practice that I have founded. Do not be my final man.”’

Atha kho, ānanda, rājā maghadevo kappakassa gāmavaraṁ datvā jeṭṭhaputtaṁ kumāraṁ sādhukaṁ rajje samanusāsitvā imasmiṁyeva maghadevaambavane kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbaji.
So mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā vihāsi, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ; iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ mettāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyābajjhena pharitvā vihāsi.
Karuṇāsahagatena cetasā …
muditāsahagatena cetasā …
upekkhāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā vihāsi, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ; iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ upekkhāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyābajjhena pharitvā vihāsi.

And so, after giving a prize village to the barber and carefully instructing the crown prince in kingship, King Maghadeva shaved off his hair and beard, dressed in ocher robes, and went forth from the lay life to homelessness here in this mango grove. He meditated spreading a heart full of love to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, he spread a heart full of love to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will. He meditated spreading a heart full of compassion … rejoicing … equanimity to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, he spread a heart full of equanimity to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.

Rājā kho panānanda, maghadevo caturāsītivassasahassāni kumārakīḷitaṁ kīḷi, caturāsītivassasahassāni oparajjaṁ kāresi, caturāsītivassasahassāni rajjaṁ kāresi, caturāsītivassasahassāni imasmiṁyeva maghadevaambavane agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito brahmacariyamacari.
So cattāro brahmavihāre bhāvetvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā brahmalokūpago ahosi.

For 84,000 years King Maghadeva played games as a child, for 84,000 years he acted as viceroy, for 84,000 years he ruled the realm, and for 84,000 years he led the spiritual life after going forth here in this mango grove. And having developed the four divine meditations, when his body broke up, after death, he was reborn in a good place, a realm of divinity.

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