Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then the venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near, he paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the venerable Ānanda addressed the Blessed One:
“sammukhā metaṁ, bhante, bhagavato sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ: ‘bhagavato, ānanda, sikhissa abhibhū nāma sāvako brahmaloke ṭhito sahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpesī’ti. Bhagavā pana, bhante, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho kīvatakaṁ pahoti sarena viññāpetun”ti?
“I heard this directly from the Blessed One, venerable sir, and learned it in his very presence: ‘Ānanda, a disciple of the Blessed One |Sikhī::name of the 5th previous Buddha; lit. with a crest [sikhī]| named Abhibhū, standing in the Brahma world, made his voice heard throughout a thousandfold world system.’ But how far, venerable sir, can the Blessed One, the Arahant, the perfectly Awakened One, make his voice heard?”
“Sāvako so, ānanda, appameyyā tathāgatā”ti.
“He was a disciple, Ānanda; Tathāgatas are immeasurable.”
Dutiyampi kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “sammukhā metaṁ, bhante, bhagavato sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ: ‘bhagavato, ānanda, sikhissa abhibhū nāma sāvako brahmaloke ṭhito sahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpesī’ti. Bhagavā pana, bhante, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho kīvatakaṁ pahoti sarena viññāpetun”ti?
For a second time, the venerable Ānanda addressed the Blessed One: “I heard this directly from the Blessed One, venerable sir, and learned it in his very presence: ‘Ānanda, a disciple of the Blessed One Sikhī named Abhibhū, standing in the Brahma world, made his voice heard throughout a thousandfold world system.’ But how far, venerable sir, can the Blessed One, the Arahant, the perfectly Awakened One, make his voice heard?”
“Sāvako so, ānanda, appameyyā tathāgatā”ti.
“He was a disciple, Ānanda; Tathāgatas are immeasurable.”
Tatiyampi kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “sammukhā metaṁ, bhante, bhagavato sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ: ‘bhagavato, ānanda, sikhissa abhibhū nāma sāvako brahmaloke ṭhito sahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpesī’ti. Bhagavā pana, bhante, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho kīvatakaṁ pahoti sarena viññāpetun”ti?
For a third time, the venerable Ānanda addressed the Blessed One: “I heard this directly from the Blessed One, venerable sir, and learned it in his very presence: ‘Ānanda, a disciple of the Blessed One Sikhī named Abhibhū, standing in the Brahma world, made his voice heard throughout a thousandfold world system.’ But how far, venerable sir, can the Blessed One, the Arahant, the perfectly Awakened One, make his voice heard?”
“Sutā te, ānanda, sahassī cūḷanikā lokadhātū”ti?
“Have you heard, Ānanda, of a minor world system consisting of a thousand worlds?”
“Etassa, bhagavā, kālo; etassa, sugata, kālo, yaṁ bhagavā bhāseyya. Bhagavato sutvā bhikkhū dhāressantī”ti.
“Now is the time for this, Blessed One; now is the time for this, Accomplished One. Whatever the Blessed One speaks, having heard it, the bhikkhus will remember it.”
“Tenahānanda, suṇāhi sādhukaṁ manasi karohi, bhāsissāmī”ti.
“Then listen to this, Ānanda, and pay close attention; I will speak.”
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho āyasmā ānando bhagavato paccassosi. Bhagavā etadavoca:
“Yes, venerable sir,” the venerable Ānanda replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
“Yāvatā, ānanda, candimasūriyā pariharanti, disā bhanti virocanā, tāva sahassadhā loko. Tasmiṁ sahassadhā loke sahassaṁ candānaṁ, sahassaṁ sūriyānaṁ, sahassaṁ sinerupabbatarājānaṁ, sahassaṁ jambudīpānaṁ, sahassaṁ aparagoyānānaṁ, sahassaṁ uttarakurūnaṁ, sahassaṁ pubbavidehānaṁ, cattāri mahāsamuddasahassāni, cattāri mahārājasahassāni, sahassaṁ cātumahārājikānaṁ, sahassaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ, sahassaṁ yāmānaṁ, sahassaṁ tusitānaṁ, sahassaṁ nimmānaratīnaṁ, sahassaṁ paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ, sahassaṁ brahmalokānaṁ— ayaṁ vuccatānanda, sahassī cūḷanikā lokadhātu.
“A thousand times the world in which the sun and moon revolve and light up the quarters with their brightness is called a thousandfold minor world system. In that thousandfold world system there are a thousand moons, a thousand suns, a thousand Sinerus king of mountains, a thousand |Jambudīpa::India; lit. rose-apple land [jambudīpa]|s, a thousand Aparagoyānas, a thousand |Uttarakuru::lit. north Kuru [uttarakuru]|s, a thousand |Pubbavideha::lit. eastern Videha [pubbavideha]|s, and a thousand four great oceans; a thousand four great kings, a thousand [heavens] of deities [ruled by] the four great kings, a thousand heavens of the Thirty-Three gods, a thousand Yāma heavens, a thousand Tusita heavens, a thousand heavens of Gods who delight in creation, a thousand heavens of Gods who wield power over others’ creations, and a thousand Brahma worlds. This, Ānanda, is called a thousandfold minor world system.
Yāvatānanda, sahassī cūḷanikā lokadhātu tāva sahassadhā loko. Ayaṁ vuccatānanda, dvisahassī majjhimikā lokadhātu.
A world that is a thousand times a thousandfold minor world system, Ānanda, is called a thousand-to-the-second-power middling world system.
Yāvatānanda, dvisahassī majjhimikā lokadhātu tāva sahassadhā loko. Ayaṁ vuccatānanda, tisahassī mahāsahassī lokadhātu.
A world that is a thousand times a thousand-to-the-second-power middling world system, Ānanda, is called a |thousand-to-the-third-power great world system::galactic supercluster; (comm) consisting of one billion worlds [tisahassimahāsahassilokadhātu]|.
Ākaṅkhamāno, ānanda, tathāgato tisahassimahāsahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpeyya, yāvatā pana ākaṅkheyyā”ti.
If he wishes, Ānanda, a Tathāgata can make his voice heard throughout a thousand-to-the-third-power great world system, or as far as he wishes.”
“Yathā kathaṁ pana, bhante, bhagavā tisahassimahāsahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpeyya, yāvatā pana ākaṅkheyyā”ti?
“But how, venerable sir, can the Blessed One make his voice heard throughout a thousand-to-the-third-power great world system, or as far as he wishes?”
“Idhānanda, tathāgato tisahassimahāsahassilokadhātuṁ obhāsena phareyya. Yadā te sattā taṁ ālokaṁ sañjāneyyuṁ, atha tathāgato ghosaṁ kareyya saddamanussāveyya. Evaṁ kho, ānanda, tathāgato tisahassimahāsahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpeyya, yāvatā pana ākaṅkheyyā”ti.
“Here, Ānanda, a Tathāgata would suffuse a thousand-to-the-third-power great world system with |light::radiance [obhāsa]|. When those beings perceive that light, then the Tathāgata would make a sound, making his voice heard. In this way, Ānanda, a Tathāgata can make his voice heard throughout a thousand-to-the-third-power great world system, or as far as he wishes.”
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ānando āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ etadavoca: “lābhā vata me, suladdhaṁ vata me, yassa me satthā evaṁmahiddhiko evaṁmahānubhāvo”ti.
When this was said, the venerable Ānanda said to the venerable Udāyī: “It is a blessing for me, it is most fortunate for me, that my Teacher is of such |great psychic power::great spiritual power [mahiddhika]| and such great might!”
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā udāyī āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca: “kiṁ tuyhettha, āvuso ānanda, yadi te satthā evaṁmahiddhiko evaṁmahānubhāvo”ti?
When this was said, the venerable Udāyī said to the venerable Ānanda: “What does it matter to you, friend Ānanda, if your Teacher is of such great psychic power and such great might?”
Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ etadavoca: “mā hevaṁ, udāyi, mā hevaṁ, udāyi. Sace, udāyi, ānando avītarāgo kālaṁ kareyya, tena cittappasādena sattakkhattuṁ devesu devarajjaṁ kāreyya, sattakkhattuṁ imasmiṁyeva jambudīpe mahārajjaṁ kāreyya. Api ca, udāyi, ānando diṭṭheva dhamme parinibbāyissatī”ti.
When this was said, the Blessed One said to the venerable Udāyī: “Do not say so, Udāyī; do not say so, Udāyī. If, Udāyī, Ānanda were to pass away |without having removed his lust::not free from desire, i.e. not an Arahant [avītarāga]|, by virtue of his mental confidence he would exercise celestial kingship among the gods seven times and great kingship right here in Jambudīpa seven times. However, Udāyī, Ānanda will attain |final Nibbāna::complete cooling, full quenching, total emancipation, dying one’s final death [parinibbāyi]| in this very life.”