The Beginning
“Lo these gray hairs,” and so on.
This story was told by the Śāsta while dwelling within Maghadeva’s Park near Mithilā, while smiling. One day at evening time, the Śāsta, together with a large Bhikṣusaṃgha, were walking up and down the Mango Park. Therein, He saw a certain spot and wanting to tell of His former deeds in past lives He allowed a smile to adorn His face. When asked by the Venerable Ānanda why He was smiling, He answered:
“In that spot, O Ānanda, in the time of King Maghadeva, I once dwelt deep within dhyāna.”
Then, at His request, He sat upon an offered seat, and told His story of days long-past.
Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Videha, in the city named Mithilā. Therein lived a certain King Maghadeva. This king had taken pleasuance as a young man for eighty-four thousand years, then became a viceroy for another eighty-four thousand years, before finally becoming a king for another eighty-four thousand years.
Now, at that time, he had requested his barber that were any grey hairs to form, that the barber would be sure to inform the him. As time went on and the barber saw few grey hairs form, he informed the king. The king thus instructed the man to pull those hairs out with tweezers and to lay them upon his hands. In seeing that the sign of death itself had clung to his head, he said:
“Now it is time for me to renounce the world.”And so he gave his barber the choice of a village, and asked that his son succeed him in governance.
“Why my lord?” asked the prince.
And to this the king replied in verse:
“Lo these grey hairs which now do appear,
Take of my short life, herein, year by year;
These messengers of Yama, bring hence to my mind:
That I shall renounce the world at this time.”
With these words he anointed his son to be king, left him instructions on right governance, and left the city. Ordaining as a bhikṣu, he cultivated the Four Brahmaviharas for eighty four thousand years, and was reborn in the heavens of Brahma.
And in like manner, the next son too renounced the world, and became destined for birth within the heavens of Brahma. So too the next son; and the next; and so on for eighty-three thousand nine-hundred and ninety-eight members each, that as they saw a grey hair appear on their heads, became ascetics in this Mango Park, cultivated the Four Brahmaviharas, and were reborn in the heavens of Brahma.
Now, that first in line to be born there, the King Maghadeva, while standing within the heavens of Brahma, looked down upon the fortunes of his family. He was gladdened to see that eighty-three thousand nine-hundred and ninety-eight of them had renounced the world and so he pondered:
“Will there be any who achieve Nirvāṇa or not?”
And seeing this not to be so he resolved that he and no other could bring balance his family. In that fashion, he had left from there and was conceived within the womb of the king’s consort, within Mithilā City. On this day the Brahmins seeing his marks said:
“O Great King, this prince is born to bring completion to your family. Your family of ascetics will be no longer.”
Hearing this the king said:
“This prince is born to bring completion to my family like the rim of a chariot-wheel!”
And so he named the prince, “Nimi”.
King Nemi’s Virtuous Life and Deeds
From his childhood and up, the prince was constantly devoted to dāna, śīla, and to upholding the upoṣadha. Then as usual, his father saw a grey hair, anointed his son as king, left to become an ascetic in the Mango Park, and was destined for birth in the heavens of Brahma.
Thus, King Nimi, in his devotion to almsgiving, constructed five almsgiving halls, with one at each of the four gates of the city, and one in the centre, wherein he distributed gifts. In each of those halls he distributed a hundred thousand coins, which was a total of five-hundred thousand a day. He continually upheld the Five Precepts, upheld the Upoṣadha days, encouraged the multitudes in almsgiving and good works, pointed them unto the paths of the devas, shocked them with the fear of death, and so in preached the Dharma far and wide. They, abiding in his admonitions, gave gifts and did good works, and so as each passed away, day by day, they were all reborn in the heavens.
As the heavens grew full and the hells were as if empty, the Devas of the Trāyastriṃśa assembled in Sudharmā Hall. Therein the assembly cried out in joy:
“Hail! Unto our teacher, the King Nimi! Through his deeds and through his knowledge which is like a Buddha’s, we have come to attain this divine enjoyment of the heavens!”
And so they sang of the virtues of this Mahāsattva such that it could be heard even within the world of men. Like oil which spreads over the surface of the Great Deep.
The Śāsta expounded this further to the Bhikṣusaṃgha in verse:
“A marvel it was of good men who would rise,
In the days of King Nemi, the worthy and wise.
In dāna, the monarch, the conqueror of foes,
Giving there his charity, a thought there arose:
“Of which of these here is greater a fruit,
The Brahmacarya’s or here dāna’s roots?””
At that time, Śakra’s throne became hot and pondering the reason, he saw the king and then thought:
“I will resolve that question.”
And traversing there swiftly through the air, he caused the king’s palace to ablaze with light. Therein, he entered the king’s kūṭāgara and stood there aglow, and at the king’s request, explained everything to him in detail.
To explain this further the Śāsta spoke in verse:
“Having thus therein known his inner-most thoughts,
The Maghavān had come, therein blazing forth;
Devakuñjara he is, who did so draw near,
The Sahasranetra did thus there appear,
Dispelling the darkness there far and wide
With radiant splendour, he came there to guide.”
Great Nimi then spoke to the Vāsava in verse, while his hairs stood on end:
“Be this a gandharva or devatā bright,
Or Śakra Purandara crowned with golden-made light?
Never such a splendor have I thus on e known,
Nor thus have I heard, nor witnessed, or shown;
Pray tell me, Bhadanta, who is here revered,
By what such address shall I give you here?”
Then knowing that his hairs stood on end, the Vāsava replied to Nimi in verse:
“Śakra the Devendra, addressed thus am I,
And unto you now I have thus drawn nigh;
O King of Great Men, may your fear now cease,
Ask what you are willing, with your heart at peace.”
Then King Nimi spoke to the Vāsava in verse, making this invitation:
“I ask of you now, Mahārāja, in awe,
Pray tell, Sarvabhūtānām-Īśvara, I implore;
Of which of this virtues, Brahmacarya or Dāna,
Is the noble virtue the greater, nobler phala?”
Then the Vāsava replied to Nimi in verse, answering his question. He told of the Noble Life to him; for this one who did not know:
“Only through the lesser, the Brahmacarya’s way,
A Kṣatriya or Brahmana, one becomes thus one day;
By middling virtue is heaven thus won,
With highest made purity of deeds one has done.For such an exalted form and of such birth
Are not here obtained by prayers on this earth;
But won here by those who have cast aside
The householder’s life with renunciant’s stride.”
With these verses he illustrated the fruitfulness of the Brahmacarya, and thus recited the names of others, naming the kings of yore who had been unable to transcend the kāmadhātu through great gifts alone:
“Dvīpa, Sāgara, and Śaila renowned,
Mukajindra and Bhagīrasa, O so crowned;
Uṣindara and Kāsyapa, O they so divine,
Asaka here too, and pṛthagjana-kind.These and many kings who art on the side,
Kṣatriyas and Brāhmaṇas swollen there with pride,
With great sacrifice they performed there with flame,
Still yet they descended to Preta-Domain.”
Having then explained how far greater the Brahmacarya was compared to almsgiving, he then gave examples of ṛṣis who practised the Brahmacarya and passed the Preta Realm and were born in the heavens of Brahma. He said in verse:
“There were those who there renounced worldly ties,
Anāgārā, and Tapasvī wise;
Śaktisaya, and Yāmahanu famed,
Somayāma and Manojava named.
Samudra, Māgha, and Bharata bright,
Ṛṣis of Kālapuraskṛta’s light;
Aṅgira and Kāsyapa, these ṛṣis of old,
Kisavakṣa, and Akartti the bold.”
Having described the lineage of the great fruit of the Brahmacarya, he went on to declare what he had thus seen himself:
“To the north, does flow, the Śītā, so deep,
Uncrossable it is, with roaring it sweeps;
Like fire which shines a golden-made glow,
Gold Monts on its banks do thenceforth then show.With tagara groves on each of its sides,
With forested hills both deep and so wide;
Ten thousand such ṛṣis in days of there of old,
Within that great land thence lived and thence told:“I stand within giving, restraint, and control,
Aligned in such conduct, I make myself whole;
I make a great vow, unmatched and supreme,
With such steady balance do I here-so deem:“Whether caste or non-caste, I see these as one,
For such upright men, outshine the great sun;
Beyond all such caste or status or name,
The upright and noble, are one and the same.All such caste-bound ranks through Adharma do fall,
And thence they’re consumed in hell’s fiery walls;
But those hence purified with Dharma’s great way,
Rise up ever higher and never thence stray.””
Having said this he informed the king:
“But remember, King Nimi, that although the Brahmacarya is far more fruitful than almsgiving, these are both yet still the thoughts of Mahāpuruṣas. So remember to be mindful of both by giving alms and cultivating virtue.”
With this advice Śakra ascended back to the heavens.
Therein, the assembly of devas said:
“Sire, we have not seen you lately, where have you been?”
He then replied to them saying:
“Bhadantas, a doubt arose in the mind of King Nimi of Mithilā, and I went to aid him in his question and establish him beyond his doubts.”
He then described what had happened in verse:
“Behold, O Bhadantas, give heed and do hear,
For all you should know, having gathered now here;
Of such righteous humans that I shall display,
Whether castes, high or low, all these I shall say,
Therein King Nemi, who art wise in thought,
Of great wholesome purpose, and the truth he’d there sought;He, the great King of Videha’s great land,
A subduer of foes, he’s firm of his hand.
With dāna, he gives, and mindful of will,
But doubt still arose within him there still;
“Brahmacarya or Dāna, which of these here two,
Herein doth bear the greater fruit, one can do?””
Having them pass by the devas who were sat waiting for King Nimi’s arrival saw them pass by and went out to meet him with flowers and perfume from as far as the Great Citrakūṭa Gateway. Presenting him with flowers and perfume, they brought him to Sudharmā Hall. The king then dismounted from the chariot and entered into that Hall of the Devas and the devas offered him a seat, to meet Śakra, and all sorts of heavenly pleasures.
And so he told them everything, without omission, speaking of the king’s virtues. This then caused those devatās to long to see the king and so they said:
“Sire, King Nimi is our teacher. Having followed his admonitions in the past, and his means, we have now attained the birth here in the heavens. We wish now to see him, please send for him, O Sire, please show him to us!”
Śakra then consented and sent Mātali, the divine charioteer. He said:
“Dear Mātali, please yoke my divine chariot and bring it and the horses here.”
Mātali then consented and deparated.
But while Śakra was speaking with the devas, and having given orders to Mātali to bring the chariot, a month had passed by the human realm. Therein, it was the upoṣadha day of the full moon, and King Nimi having opened up his eastern window, was sitting on the upper floor surrounded by his courtiers, contemplating virtue. And just as the Candramaṇḍala rose in the east, the divine charioteer then appeared.
The people who had eaten their afternoon meal were sitting together and talking comfortably. Therein, having seen the spectacle they cried:
“Why, there are two moons today!”
But as they gossiped about the sight, the chariot itself became clearer in view. And they cried:
“No, wait, it’s not a moon, but a chariot!”
And so in due time, Mātali with retinue of a thousand thoroughbreds, and the chariot of Śakra, became clear in view. Therein, they wondered who this was for. They remembered that their king had been so righteous and so that Śakra’s divine charioteer must be here for him. So delighted they then cried out in verse:
“A marvel indeed in this world is seen,
Stirring awe — a hair-raising scene;
A celestial chariot appears in sight,
For the famed Videhan, who shines so bright.”
And as they talked and murmured among each other, Mātali came down as swift as the wind, circling the chariot before bringing it to rest next to the king’s window-sill.
To explain this further, the Śāsta spoke in verse:
“That devaputra of mighty power,
The Charioteer, within that hour,
Invited the king with words there made bright,
Unto the Videhan of Mithilā’s light.“Come, mount this chariot, rise up and ride,
O king of all directions wide;
The devas wish to see your face,
In Trāyastriṃśa, they now do wait;
Their hearts are fixed in joyful play,
In Sudharmā hall, your presence they pray.”
Then swiftly rose the royal king,
The Videhan lord of Mithilā’s ring;
From out his seat he’d stood upright,
And mounted first that chariot bright.
The king thought:
“I shall see the abode of the devas, which I have never seen, I should now show kindness to Mātali!”
And so he addressed his women and all the people and said:
“In short time I shall return. Continue being mindful, doing good, and giving alms.”
He then ascended into the chariot.
The Journey through the Realms
Wishing to explain it further, the Śāsta spoke in verse:
“Then swiftly rose the king, so eager,
With kindness to give the celestial seeker;
Leaving his seat, he stepped forward with grace,
And climbed atop that chariot’s place.Ascending upon his heavenly cart,
Mātali then asked of places afar:
“Which road shall I now guide you through,
O benevolent king, what say you?
The path where evil-doers do fall,
Or where the good now rise above all?”
At this the king thought to himself:
“I have never seen either of these places before, thus I shall like to see both!”
And so he answered aloud in verse:
“Lead me onwards, towards both ways,
O Charioteer, Mātali, I do pray;
Please show me where bad actions here lead,
And show me there those who did do good deeds.”
Mātali thought to himself:
“One cannot show both at once, I should question him further.”
And so he questioned King Nimi in verse:
“Where shall we first, O Generous King?
Whichever of these are interesting?
The place in which the righteous abide,
Or there in which wicked reside?”
Then the king reflected that he would see the heaven anyway, and that he may as well see the hells, replied in verse:
“I’d like to see the sinful dens,
The hellish abodes of unvirtuous men;
For those who’d done their evil deeds,
I’d like to see where they now be.”
And so Mātali then showed him the River Vaitaraṇī, the river in hell.
To explain this further, the Śāsta spoke in verse:
“Mātali showed him Vaitaraṇī,
The stinking river’s corrosive sea;
Hot, and burning, and covered in fire,
It burned away those caught in its mire.”
The king was then horrified seeing the creatures who tormented the beings within the River Vaitaraṇī. He thus asked Mātali of the bad deeds they had done. Mātali then explained it to him.
The Śāsta then explained in verse:
“The king there saw those people who’d fall,
Who’d burn amidst that river’s deep thrall;
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!
Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely be casted within this fire,
The deeds they’d done must surely’ve been dire.Then Mātali replied to him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“Those strong in life but now who here dwell,
Had hurt the weak, oppressed, and then fell,
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way
So Vaitaraṇī’s now the place that they stay.”
Thus did Mātali answer his question, and having seen the River Vaitaraṇī, Mātali caused this place to vanish. He drove the chariot away to the place where beings are ripped apart by dogs and other beasts.
The Śāsta, wishing to explain this further, spoke in verse:
“Black dogs and vultures, flocks of crows,
Most horrid of sights, tear row by row,
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely be torn apart in these ways,
The deeds they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“Those rude, or miserly, or foul of tongue,
To brahmins, renunciants, did harm made done,
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So here these ravens pick at them as prey.”
Having asked questions about each of the other hells. Mātali answered in the same way.
“With bodies laid down, and fire ablaze,
They’re pounded with iron, red-hot, and aflame,
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing now this, a fear rises in me!
Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely be bashed apart in this way,
The deeds they had done must surely’ve been grave.Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“In the world of life, with deeds they did then,
They’d hurt innocent people — women and men,
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So bashed with hot iron, here’s now where they stay.””“These others lie struggling, on pits of coals,
Screaming in pain, bodies with burnt holes.
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely have bodies with burnt holes in this way,
The deeds that they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“These people had once, before crowds of men,
Made false testimonies, broke oaths they made then;
So with cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So holes for their bodies, there henceforth now stay.””“Blazing and flaming, a mass of fire,
A cauldron does burn, heating higher and higher.
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing now this, a fear rises in me!Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely be plunged headfirst in this way,
The deeds that they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“These people did once hurt holy men,
Brahmins, ascetics, attacking them then.
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So plunged headfirst, in cauldron they stay.””“Wringing their necks, they’re casted in,
With water aboil dissolving their skin.
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely be wrung with rope in this way,
The deeds that they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“These wicked men trapped birds which they’d kill,
And so they would hunt even animals still.
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So necks there wrung now, to boil they stay.””“A shallow banked river, herein does now flow,
An ease of quenching one’s thirst, does it show.
Yet scorched in heat, one may drink even still,
So to chaff turns the water, the waste of a mill.
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!
Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely now thirst ever in this way,
The deeds that they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”
Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“These wicked men did mix grain with chaff,
Sell it they did, and hurt men with fake maths.
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So thirsting for water, to chaff it does stay.””“With spikes and spears, and arrows they’re pierced,
Screaming and wailing, they cry within fear.
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely be pierced in manifold ways,
The deeds that they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“These wicked men, people’s valuables they’d steal,
Other’s sheep or gold, other’s silver or meals.
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So pierced with these spears, this place now they stay.””“Fastened by neck, some are chopped, some are torn,
To pieces they’re made, such beings forlorn.
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely be chopped and torn in these ways,
The deeds that they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“Butchers, fishers, and hunters of boar,
Slayers of cattle, bulls, goats, or more,
Layers of corpses within slaughter-dens,
Producers of meat, selling to men.
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So torn to pieces, herein do they stay.””“Women here are thus broken, with arms stretched apart,
Bent, they do wail, smeared with stains of blood,
Like cattle in chains, they’re buried here deep,
With bodies ablaze, they, the earth there keeps.
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely be buried and burned in these ways,
The deeds that they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:
“Noble of birth, still with wicked deeds,
They cheated on husband, with lust did they did sleep.
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So buried, aflame, in this place now they stay.””“Seized by the legs, they’re cast into fire,
Headlong first into fiery ire.
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To surely be seized and cast in these ways,
The deeds that they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“Seducing the wives of other such men,
So stole they did, what was precious to them.
In hell, there’s no safety, having done evil deeds,
One’s beaten and tortured from karma one seeds.
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
So cast in to burn, herein do they stay.””
Having said these words, Mātali then caused this naraka to vanish too. He drove the chariot away toward the place where adharmikas are tormented. On request, Mātali explained it to him.
“Many and various hells had he thus seen,
But even more terrible, was this one it had seemed.
In horror he said unto Mātali:
“Seeing this now, a fear rises in me!
Tell me please, what were their sins?
O Charioteer, what evil had been?
To suffer such cruel, intolerable pain in these ways,
The deeds that they’d done must surely’ve been grave.”Then Mātali replied unto him in truth,
Describing the sins which had bore this fruit:“Followers of paths of evil, were they,
Holders of faiths of delusional ways.
They taught them to others, and brought them within,
Leading astray to delusional sin.
With cruelty in heart, they did sins in this way,
In cruel, intolerable, excessive pain, they stay.””
Now currently within the heavens, the devas were sitting in Sudharmā Hall, looking forward to meeting with King Nimi. Śakra then thought:
“Mātali has taken a long time.”
And so he decided to go seek the reason, and having seen it he said:
“Mātali is going around as a guide for the king, showing each of the different narakas and explaining which sin had led beings to that state.”
And so calling over one of the younger devas, Śakra told him:
“Go tell Mātali to bring the king here. He is using up the life of King Nimi and must not go around the narakas.”
With great speed the young devas left and gave his message. Having heard this, Mātali said:
“We must not delay!”
And then showing the king all of the Great Narakas of the Four Quarters in a single flash, he recited this in verse:
“O Great and Mighty King you have now seen,
These men who were sinners, and how cruel they had been,
Having shown these places to you, Royal Sage,
Let’s go to the heavens where the good now do stay.”
Having said this verse he circled the chariot around and flow them towards the heavens. As the king went up to the heavens he beheld the aerial vimāna of the goddess Vīraṇī, with niryūhas of jewels and suvarṇa. It was ornamented and had great majesty, with a park and lake covered with utpalas, and surrounded with trees worthy of its splendour. Therein, the goddess was seated upon a throne within a kūṭāgāra which faced the front. She was attended by a thousand apsaras who looked out from within the windows. Mātali then spoke in verse:
“Behold this vimāna of five-fold towers,
With garlands, chambers, and five-fold flowers;
Here now dwells a woman so bright,
With majesty, powers, and radiant light.”
King Nimi asked Mātali who the goddess was, and what deeds she had once done in verse:
“A joy arises in me for this sight,
I ask, O Mātali, please shed some light:
What wholesome deeds had she performed,
To have a vimāna so well-adorned?””
To this, Mātali then explained in verse:
“She was the human, Vīraṇī,
A brahmin’s servant of wholesome deeds,
When guests did arrived in their proper time,
She welcomed them there with her conduct so fine.Like a mother would do for her only son,
She gave it to each and did not miss one.
And due to these deeds that she did do well,
This vimāna’s now the place that she dwells.”
Having said this verse he moved the chariot along and brought the king to the Seven Suvarṇa Vimānas of the Deva Suvarṇadatta. Mātali then introduced them in verse:
“Seven vimānas herein blaze forth,
With radiant splendours of heavenly sort;
Within them dwells a yakṣa of might,
Adorned with ornaments, each one there made bright;
Encircling him on all his four sides,
Apsaras there dance, and sing, and do fly.”
Having seen the vimānas the king asked Mātali to detail the Deva’s merits as before:
“A joy arises in me for this sight,
I ask, O Mātali, please shed some light:
“What wholesome deeds had he performed,
To have a vimāna so well-adorned?””
To this, Mātali then detailed them in verse:
“A human once named Suvarṇadatta,
Donated villages and gave vast dāna,
Beholding renunciants or similar ilk,
Seven vihāras for them he’d have built.With reverence attending to bhikṣus there,
With robes, and foods, and lodgings he’d share;
With mind set even and firm within faith,
Renunciants there he would not forsake.On fourteenth, fifteenth, eighth days which would pass,
Fortnightly moon-phases, therein he would fast,
For each of these six observance fast days,
Eight precepts he’d take and would not then stray.Always restrained, and perfecting his śīla,
He’d cultivate discipline, deeper and deeper.
And due to these deeds which he did do well,
These vimānas are now wherein he does dwell.”
Having thus described the former deeds of the Deva Suvarṇadatta, Mātali then moved the chariot onwards towards a Vaiḍūrya Vimāna. It was twenty-five yojanas in height and had hundreds of columns made of the seven jewels. It had hundreds of niryūhas, nets of tinkling bells, with a dhvajas of suvarṇa and rūpya, it had a park and grove beside it full of colourful flowers, with a lovely lake of utpalas, with apsaras singing and making music all around. Mātali thus introduced it in verse:
“A vaiḍūrya palace of majestic height,
Stands now here filled with celestial light;
Herein do dwell women enjoying its splendour,
With mansions, pavilions, of pearlescent render.
Supplied with many a-drink made divine,
Their food and flavours are beyond all such rhyme,
Adorned with jewels, and fabric made fine,
Dance and music sounds all of the time.”
The king having seen this asked of the deeds of these apsaras:
“A joy arises in me for this sight,
I ask, O Mātali, please shed some light:
“What wholesome deeds had they so performed,
To have a vimāna so well-adorned?””
To this Mātali replied in verse:
“These women once lived in the human world,
Upāsikās each, with virtue upheld,
Always delighting in giving their dāna,
Their minds were serene in confident śraddhā;
Firm within truth, they practised the ways,
Of upoṣadha moons and its fasting days.
Thus did they abide within their giving,
With discipline, training, they kept on achieving.
And due to these deeds which they did do well,
This vimāna is now the place which they dwell.”
Having thus described the former deeds of these apsaras, Mātali then moved the chariot along towards a Maṇi Vimāna. It stood on even ground, lofty like a mountain of maṇi, shone brightly, and was filled with devas playing and singing music. The king having seen this asked of the deeds of these apsaras to which Mātali replied in verse:
“A maṇi-made palace of majestic height,
Stands herein now filled with celestial light;
Celestial music does here now resound,
Songs, and dance, and drums all around.”“A joy rises in me now for this sight,
I ask, O Mātali, please shed some light.
What wholesome deeds had they so performed,
To dwell in a vimāna so well-adorned?”Therein replied, Mātali, the Charioteer,
Describing the deeds of their wholesomeness here:“These upāsakas in life, in the realm of men,
Provided vast parks, and wells, and dens.
They drew up water, and offered it there,
Giving renunciants each one their own share.
Clothing and beds, with sustenance did feed,
Giving whatever each one would there need.
On the fourteenth, fifteenth, and eighth days of fast,
Each fortnightly moon that came to pass,
For each of these sacred observance days,
Eight precepts they’d take and would not there stray.
Constantly restrained within their śīla,
They practised their discipline deeper and deeper.
And due to these deeds which they did do well,
This vimāna’s the place now wherein which they dwell.”
Having thus described the former deeds of these devas, Mātali then moved the chariot along towards another Vaiḍūrya Vimāna. It had many niryūhas, all manners of flowers around it, beautiful trees, beautiful birds of all kinds singing melodious tunes, and just by a river which flowed with pure water, there was the abode of a virtuous person surrounded a retinue of apsaras. The king having seen this asked of the deeds of this person to which Mātali replied in verse:
“A spaṭhika palace of majestic height,
Herein now stands with celestial light;
Filled with hosts of apsaras there,
Filling the mansions up everywhere.Supplied with many a-drink made divine,
Their food and flavours are beyond all rhyme;
Rivers there flow, and celestial trees,
Release each of their blossoms within the pure breeze.
Rajayatanas, and Kaphittas too,
Amras and Śālas, and Fragrant Jambus,
Tinduka, Piyāla, whatever one sees,
Each one there is covered with fruits O so sweet.”“A joy rises in me now for this sight,
I ask, O Mātali, please shed some light.
What wholesome deeds had they so performed,
To dwell in a vimāna so well-adorned?”Therein replied, Mātali, the Charioteer,
Describing the deeds of their wholesomeness here:“These women once lived in the human world,
Upāsikās each, with virtue upheld,
Always delighting in giving their dāna,
Their minds were serene in confident śraddhā.
Firm within truth, they practised the ways,
Of upoṣadha moons and its fasting days.
Thus they would abide within their giving,
With discipline, training, they kept on achieving.
And due to these deeds which they did do well,
This vimāna is now the place which they dwell.”
Having thus described the former deeds of these persons, Mātali then moved the chariot along towards another Vaiḍūrya Vimāna. This was filled with even more manners of fruits, groups of trees, and flowers. The king having seen this asked of the deeds of this man to which Mātali replied in verse:
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Having thus described the former deeds of these apsaras, Mātali then moved the chariot along towards another Maṇi Vimāna like the first. The king having seen this asked of the deeds of the joyous deva who lived there, to which Mātali replied in verse:
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Having thus described the former deeds of this joyous deva, Mātali then moved the chariot along towards another Suvarṇa Vimāna. It shone as bright as the sun. The king having seen this asked of the deeds of this deva, to which Mātali replied in verse:
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Having thus described these eight vimānas, Śakra Devānām Indra, thinking that Mātali was taking a long time to arrive, sent another swift messenger deva. Having heard the message, Mātali saw that there must be no more delay, and so in a flash showed the king the many other vimānas and described the former deeds of their inhabitants in verse:
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Having thus shown these other vimānas, Mātali then set forth to come before Śakra with this verse:
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Having thus said these words, Mātali then moved the chariot along towards the Seven Encircling Mountains around Mt. Meru.
The Śāsta wishing to expound what the king had said spoke in verse:
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To this question, Mātali then replied to King Nimi with this verse:
“The might peaks of Sudarśana do rise,
Khadiraka, itself rises into skies
Īṣādhara, Yugandhara, Nimindhara vast,
Vinataka and Aśvakarṇa last.
These seven such ranges in Śītāntara there stand,
Encircling Mt. Meru, therein band by band.”
Having thus described these Heavens of the Four Mahārājikas, Mātali then moved the chariot along until they saw the statues of Indra which stood around the Great Citrakūṭa Gateway of Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. The king having seen this asked about it, to Mātali replied in verse:
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Having spoke this verse, Mātali then led King Nimi within and said:
And as they passed through, King Nimi saw the place where the devas had assembled in Sudharmā Hall. He questioned Mātali who replied in verse:
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Wishing to expound this further the Śāsta spoke in verse:
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Thus Śakra offered the king these heavenly pleasures, however, the king declined in verse:
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And in this way did that Mahāsattva expound to the devas in a sweet voice, and after having expounded to them over seven days in the human realm, he gave delight to that whole assembly of the devas. And while standing in the mids of the assembly, he described the virtue of Mātali in verse:
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Then, wishing to take leave to the human realm again, King Nimi informed Śakra. Śakra then said:
“Dear Mātali, please take Nimi once again to Mithilā.”
Thus Mātali once again readied the chariot as the king exchanged friendly words with the assembly of devas, before ascending into the chariot again. As they bid farewell, Mātali then drove the chariot eastwards back to Mithilā. There the crowd saw the chariot returning and were delighted to know that their king now returns. Mātali then passed by, and through the air, circled it, keeping it towards the right, and rested the chariot by the side of windowsill again, returning the Mahāsattva to his palace.
Therein, a great many people surrounded the king and asked of him his travels to the heavens and what it was like. King Nimi then described what he had seen, describing the happiness of the devas and their Lord Śakra, and exhorted them to do good works and to give alms so that they too may be born in that divine place.
And then, as he once did those many lifetimes ago, when he was informed by his barber of his grey hairs, he had the barber put aside the hair. Therein, he gave his son the kingdom, and renounced the world. And so when he was asked likewise why he was renouncing the world and his kingdom, he replied:
“Lo these grey hairs.”
And so like the former kings who renounced the world, he dwelt with. The same mango grove, cultivated the Four Brahmaviharas, and became destined for birth in the Heavens of Brahma.
And wishing to expound further on King Nimi’s renouncing of the world, the Śāsta once again spoke in verse:
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And so his son, named Kalara Janaka too renounced the world, he brought an end to his line.
When the Śāsta had finished his telling of the story, He said:
“In this way, O Bhikṣus, this was not the first time that the Tathāgata had left the world, for He had done so before.”
He then revealed the identities of those births:
“At that time, Aniruddha was Śakra, Ānanda was Mātali, the eighty-four thousand kings were the Buddha’s followers, and King Nimi’s was Myself.”
Thus ends the Nimi Jātaka.
Saddharmatā 