1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesalī in the Great Wood in the Hall with the Peaked Roof. Then Mahali the Licchavi approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:

2"Venerable sir, has the Blessed One seen Sakka, lord of the devas?"

3"I have, Mahali."

4"Surely, venerable sir, that must have been one who looked like Sakka, lord of the devas; for Sakka, lord of the devas, is difficult to see."

5"I know Sakka, Mahali, and I know the qualities that make for Sakka, by the undertaking of which Sakka achieved the status of Sakka.

6"In the past, Mahali, when Sakka, lord of the devas, was a human being, he was a brahmin youth named Magha. Therefore he is called Maghava … ."
Here follows the names of Sakka as in the previous sutta and the seven vows as in the sutta preceding it.sn.i.231

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ vihārati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ. Atha kho mahāli licchavī yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho mahāli licchavī bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

2"Diṭṭho kho, bhante, bhagavatā sakko devānamindo"ti?

3"Diṭṭho kho me, mahāli, sakko devānamindo"ti.

4"So hi nūna, bhante, sakkapatirūpako bhavissati. Duddaso hi, bhante, sakko devānamindo"ti.

5"Sakkañca khvāhaṁ, mahāli, pajānāmi sakkakaraṇe ca dhamme, yesaṁ dhammānaṁ samādinnattā sakko sakkattaṁ ajjhagā, tañca pajānāmi.

6Sakko, mahāli, devānamindo pubbe manussabhūto samāno magho nāma māṇavo ahosi, tasmā maghavāti vuccati.

7Sakko, mahāli, devānamindo pubbe manussabhūto samāno sakkaccaṁ dānaṁ adāsi, tasmā sakkoti vuccati.

8Sakko, mahāli, devānamindo pubbe manussabhūto samāno pure dānaṁ adāsi, tasmā purindadoti vuccati.

9Sakko, mahāli, devānamindo pubbe manussabhūto samāno āvasathaṁ adāsi, tasmā vāsavoti vuccati.

10Sakko, mahāli, devānamindo sahassampi atthānaṁ muhuttena cinteti, tasmā sahassakkhoti vuccati.

11Sakkassa, mahāli, devānamindassa sujā nāma asurakaññā pajāpati, tasmā sujampatīti vuccati.

12Sakko, mahāli, devānamindo devānaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ issariyādhipaccaṁ rajjaṁ kāreti, tasmā devānamindoti vuccati.

13Sakkassa, mahāli, devānamindassa pubbe manussabhūtassa satta vatapadāni samattāni samādinnāni ahesuṁ, yesaṁ samādinnattā sakko sakkattaṁ ajjhagā. Katamāni satta vatapadāni? Yāvajīvaṁ mātāpettibharo assaṁ, yāvajīvaṁ kule jeṭṭhāpacāyī assaṁ, yāvajīvaṁ saṇhavāco assaṁ, yāvajīvaṁ apisuṇavāco assaṁ, yāvajīvaṁ vigatamalamaccherena cetasā agāraṁ ajjhāvaseyyaṁ muttacāgo payatapāṇi vossaggarato yācayogo dānasaṁvibhāgarato, yāvajīvaṁ saccavāco assaṁ, yāvajīvaṁ akkodhano assaṁ – sacepi me kodho uppajjeyya, khippameva naṁ paṭivineyyanti. Sakkassa, mahāli, devānamindassa pubbe manussabhūtassa imāni satta vatapadāni samattāni samādinnāni ahesuṁ, yesaṁ samādinnattā sakko sakkattaṁ ajjhagāti.