1At Sāvatthī. "Bhikkhus, in the evening the lion, the king of beasts, comes out from his lair. Having come out, he stretches himself, surveys the four quarters all around, and roars his lion's roar three times. Then he sets out in search of game. sn.iii.85

"When the lion, the king of beasts, roars, whatever animals hear the sound are for the most part filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror. Those who live in holes enter their holes; those who live in the water enter the water; those who live in the woods enter the woods; and the birds fly up into the air. Even those royal bull elephants, bound by strong thongs in the villages, towns, and capital cities, burst and break their bonds asunder; frightened, they urinate and defecate and flee here and there. So powerful, bhikkhus, is the lion, the king of beasts, among the animals, so majestic and mighty.

2"So too, bhikkhus, [n.105] Spk elaborates point-by-point on the comparison between the lion's emerging from his lair and roaring, and the Buddha’s arising in the world and teaching the Dhamma. The lion's sounding his roar is like the Buddha’s "setting in motion" the Wheel of the Dhamma in the Deer Park, and the terror of the smaller animals like the "arising of the terror of knowledge" (ñāṇasantāsassa uppatti) in the long-lived deities when they hear the Buddha expound the Four Noble Truths. when the Tathāgata arises in the world, an arahant, perfectly enlightened, accomplished in true knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One, he teaches the Dhamma thus: ‘Such is form, such its origin, such its passing away; such is feeling … such is perception … such are volitional formations … such is consciousness, such its origin, such its passing away.’ [n.106] Also at SN12.21, etc.; see II, n. 58. Spk refers to SN22.56 for an explanation of the origin and passing away of the five aggregates.

"Then, bhikkhus, when those devas who are long-lived, beautiful, abounding in happiness, dwelling for a long time in lofty palaces, hear the Tathāgata's teaching of the Dhamma, they are for the most part filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror, saying: ‘It seems, sir, that we are impermanent, though we thought ourselves permanent; it seems, sir, that we are unstable, though we thought ourselves stable; it seems, sir, that we are noneternal, though we thought ourselves eternal. It seems, sir, that we are impermanent, unstable, noneternal, included within identity.’ [n.107] Spk: "For the most part" (yebhuyyena) is said to make an exception of those devas who are noble disciples. For no fear at all arises in the arahants, though they experience "urgency of knowledge" (ñāṇasaṁvega) because they have attained what should be attained through careful striving by one stirred by a sense of urgency. The other devas, as they attend to impermanence, experience both fear as mental fright (cittutrāsabhaya) and, at the time of strong insight, the fear of knowledge (ñāṇabhaya: probably the advanced stage of insight called bhayat’ upaṭṭhānañāṇa, "knowledge of appearance as fearful"; see n. 79). Included within identity (sakkāyapariyāpannā): included in the five aggregates. Thus, when the Buddha teaches them the Dhamma stamped with the three characteristics, exposing the faults in the round of existence, the fear of knowledge enters them. So powerful, bhikkhus, is the Tathāgata over this world together with its devas, so majestic and mighty."

This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this: sn.iii.86

3"When the Buddha, through direct knowledge,
Sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma,
The peerless Teacher in this world
With its devas makes this known:

4"The cessation of identity
And the origin of identity,
Also the Noble Eightfold Path
That leads to suffering's appeasement.

5"Then those devas with long life spans,
Beautiful, ablaze with glory,
Are struck with fear, filled with terror,
Like beasts who hear the lion's roar.

6"‘We’ve not transcended identity;
It seems, sir, we’re impermanent,’
So they say having heard the utterance
Of the Arahant, the released Stable One."

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. "Sīho, bhikkhave, migarājā sāyanhasamayaṁ āsayā nikkhamati; āsayā nikkhamitvā vijambhati; vijambhitvā samantā catuddisā anuviloketi; samantā catuddisā anuviloketvā tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ nadati; tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ naditvā gocarāya pakkamati.

Ye hi keci, bhikkhave, tiracchānagatā pāṇā sīhassa migarañño nadato saddaṁ suṇanti; yebhuyyena bhayaṁ saṁvegaṁ santāsaṁ āpajjanti; bilaṁ bilāsayā pavisanti; dakaṁ dakāsayā pavisanti; vanaṁ vanāsayā pavisanti; ākāsaṁ pakkhino bhajanti. Yepi te, bhikkhave, rañño nāgā gāmanigamarājadhānīsu, daḷhehi varattehi baddhā, tepi tāni bandhanāni sañchinditvā sampadāletvā bhītā muttakarīsaṁ cajamānā, yena vā tena vā palāyanti. Evaṁ mahiddhiko kho, bhikkhave, sīho migarājā tiracchānagatānaṁ pāṇānaṁ, evaṁ mahesakkho, evaṁ mahānubhāvo.

2Evameva kho, bhikkhave, yadā tathāgato loke uppajjati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā. So dhammaṁ deseti: ‘iti rūpaṁ, iti rūpassa samudayo, iti rūpassa atthaṅgamo; iti vedanā … iti saññā … iti saṅkhārā … iti viññāṇaṁ, iti viññāṇassa samudayo, iti viññāṇassa atthaṅgamo’ti.

Yepi te, bhikkhave, devā dīghāyukā vaṇṇavanto sukhabahulā uccesu vimānesu ciraṭṭhitikā tepi tathāgatassa dhammadesanaṁ sutvā yebhuyyena bhayaṁ saṁvegaṁ santāsaṁ āpajjanti: ‘aniccāva kira, bho, mayaṁ samānā niccamhāti amaññimha. Addhuvāva kira, bho, mayaṁ samānā dhuvamhāti amaññimha. Asassatāva kira, bho, mayaṁ samānā sassatamhāti amaññimha. Mayampi kira, bho, aniccā addhuvā asassatā sakkāyapariyāpannā’ti. Evaṁ mahiddhiko kho, bhikkhave, tathāgato sadevakassa lokassa, evaṁ mahesakkho, evaṁ mahānubhāvo"ti.

Idamavoca bhagavā … pe … etadavoca satthā:

3"Yadā buddho abhiññāya,
dhammacakkaṁ pavattayi;
Sadevakassa lokassa,
satthā appaṭipuggalo.

4Sakkāyañca nirodhañca,
sakkāyassa ca sambhavaṁ;
Ariyañcaṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ,
dukkhūpasamagāminaṁ.

5Yepi dīghāyukā devā,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Bhītā santāsamāpāduṁ,
sīhassevitare migā.

6Avītivattā sakkāyaṁ,
aniccā kira bho mayaṁ;
Sutvā arahato vākyaṁ,
vippamuttassa tādino"ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.