1"Bhikkhus, do not be afraid of merit. This is a designation for happiness, that is, merit.

"I recall that for a long time I experienced the desirable, lovely, agreeable result of merit that had been made over a long time. For seven years I developed a mind of loving-kindness. As a consequence, for seven eons of world-dissolution and evolution I did not come back to this world. When the world was dissolving I fared on to the realm of streaming radiance. When the world was evolving, I was reborn in an empty mansion of Brahmā. [n.1551] On the evolution of a new world system after a period of dissolution, see DN 1.2.2–4, I 17,24–18, 4.

2There I was Brahmā, [n.1552] Ce has in brackets sattakkhattuṁ, "seven times," not in Be or Ee. The addition may have been intended to make the prose match the verse. the Great Brahmā, the vanquisher, the unvanquished, the universal seer, the wielder of mastery. I was Sakka, ruler of the devas, thirty-six times. Many hundreds of times I was a wheel-turning monarch, a righteous king who ruled by the Dhamma, a conqueror whose rule extended to the four boundaries, one who had attained stability in his country, who possessed the seven gems. I had these seven gems, that is: the wheel-gem, the elephant-gem, the horse-gem, the jewel-gem, the woman-gem, the treasurer-gem, and the adviser-gem as the seventh. I had over a thousand sons who were heroes, vigorous, able to crush the armies of their enemies. I reigned after conquering this earth as far as its ocean boundaries, not by force and weapons but by the Dhamma. [n.1553] This is a stock description of a wheel-turning monarch. On the seven gems, see MN 129.26–36, III 172–76.

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3"If one seeks happiness, look to the result
of merit, the result of wholesome deeds.
For seven years, I developed a loving mind,
O bhikkhus, and for seven eons
of dissolution and evolution,
I did not come back again to this world.

4"When the world was dissolving,
I fared on to the realm of streaming radiance.
When the world was evolving,
I fared on to an empty Brahmā mansion.

5"Seven times I was Great Brahmā,
the wielder of mastery;
thirty-six times I was ruler of the devas,
exercising rulership over the devas.

6"I was a wheel-turning monarch,
the lord of Jambudīpa, [n.1554] Ee has Jambusaṇḍassa, Ce Jambudīpassa (perhaps a normalization), Be Jambumaṇḍassa. Jambusaṇḍassa is at Sn 552 = Th 822. I use the familiar name Jambudīpa, the "Rose-Apple Island," the greater Indian subcontinent.
a head-anointed khattiya,
the sovereign among human beings.

7"Without force, without weapons,
I conquered this earth.
I ruled it by righteousness,

8without violence, by Dhamma, [n.1555] I read with Ce and Ee asāhasena dhammena, as against Be asāhasena kammena.
exercising rulership by Dhamma
over this sphere of the earth.
"I was born into a rich family,
with abundant wealth and property,

9a family endowed with all sense pleasures,
and possessing the seven gems.
This is well-taught by the Buddhas,

10the benefactors of the world:
this is the cause of greatness by which
one is called a lord of the earth. [n.1556] Ce pathavyo [Ee pathabyo] yena vuccati. Be is less satisfactory: pathabyo me na vipajjati.
"I was [n.1557] I read with Ce and Ee homi here and in the first line of the next verse. Be has hoti in both places. a king bright with splendor,

11one with abundant wealth and commodities.
I was a lord of Jambudīpa,
powerful and glorious.
Who, even though of a low birth,
would not place trust on hearing this?

12"Therefore one desiring the good,
aspiring for greatness,
should deeply revere the good Dhamma,
recollecting the Buddhas’ teaching." [n.1558] The verse is also in AN4.21.

1"Mā, bhikkhave, puññānaṁ bhāyittha. Sukhassetaṁ, bhikkhave, adhivacanaṁ yadidaṁ puññāni.

Abhijānāmi kho panāhaṁ, bhikkhave, dīgharattaṁ katānaṁ puññānaṁ dīgharattaṁ iṭṭhaṁ kantaṁ manāpaṁ vipākaṁ paccanubhūtaṁ. Satta vassāni mettacittaṁ bhāvesiṁ. Satta vassāni mettacittaṁ bhāvetvā satta saṁvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe nayimaṁ lokaṁ punāgamāsiṁ. Saṁvaṭṭamāne sudāhaṁ, bhikkhave, loke ābhassarūpago homi, vivaṭṭamāne loke suññaṁ brahmavimānaṁ upapajjāmi.

2Tatra sudaṁ, bhikkhave, brahmā homi mahābrahmā abhibhū anabhibhūto aññadatthudaso vasavattī. Chattiṁsakkhattuṁ kho panāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sakko ahosiṁ devānamindo; anekasatakkhattuṁ rājā ahosiṁ cakkavattī dhammiko dhammarājā cāturanto vijitāvī janapadatthāvariyappatto sattaratanasamannāgato. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, imāni satta ratanāni ahesuṁ, seyyathidaṁ – cakkaratanaṁ, hatthiratanaṁ, assaratanaṁ, maṇiratanaṁ, itthiratanaṁ, gahapatiratanaṁ, pariṇāyakaratanameva sattamaṁ. Parosahassaṁ kho pana me, bhikkhave, puttā ahesuṁ sūrā vīraṅgarūpā parasenappamaddanā. So imaṁ pathaviṁ sāgarapariyantaṁ adaṇḍena asatthena dhammena abhivijiya ajjhāvasinti.

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3Passa puññānaṁ vipākaṁ,
Kusalānaṁ sukhesino;
Mettaṁ cittaṁ vibhāvetvā,
Satta vassāni bhikkhavo;
Sattasaṁvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe,
Nayimaṁ lokaṁ punāgamiṁ.

4Saṁvaṭṭamāne lokamhi,
homi ābhassarūpago;
Vivaṭṭamāne lokasmiṁ,
suññabrahmūpago ahuṁ.

5Sattakkhattuṁ mahābrahmā,
vasavattī tadā ahuṁ;
Chattiṁsakkhattuṁ devindo,
devarajjamakārayiṁ.

6Cakkavattī ahuṁ rājā,
jambumaṇḍassa issaro;
Muddhāvasitto khattiyo,
manussādhipatī ahuṁ.

7Adaṇḍena asatthena,
vijeyya pathaviṁ imaṁ;
Asāhasena kammena,
samena manusāsi taṁ.

8Dhammena rajjaṁ kāretvā,
asmiṁ pathavimaṇḍale;
Mahaddhane mahābhoge,
aḍḍhe ajāyihaṁ kule.

9Sabbakāmehi sampanne,
ratanehi ca sattahi;
Buddhā saṅgāhakā loke,
tehi etaṁ sudesitaṁ.

10Eso hetu mahantassa,
pathabyo me na vipajjati;
Pahūtavittūpakaraṇo,
rājā hoti patāpavā.

11Iddhimā yasavā hoti,
jambumaṇḍassa issaro;
Ko sutvā nappasīdeyya,
api kaṇhābhijātiyo.

12Tasmā hi attakāmena,
mahattamabhikaṅkhatā;
Saddhammo garukātabbo,
saraṁ buddhānasāsanan"ti.

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Navamaṁ.