1At Sāvatthī. Now on that occasion the Blessed One had gone for his day's abiding and was in seclusion. Then the independent brahmas Subrahma and suddhāvasā approached the Blessed One and stood one at each doorpost. [n.396] Spk-pṭ: A paccekabrahma is a brahma who moves about alone, without a retinue. Spk: They stood outside the door like sentries. Then the independent brahma Subrahma said to the independent brahma suddhāvasā: "It is not the right time, dear sir, to visit the Blessed One. The Blessed One has gone for his day's abiding and is in seclusion. Such and such a brahma world is rich and prosperous, and the brahma there is dwelling in negligence. Come, dear sir, let us go to that brahma world and stir up a sense of urgency in that brahma." sn.i.147

"Yes, dear sir," the independent brahma suddhāvasā replied.

2Then, just as quickly as a strong man might extend his drawn-in arm or draw in his extended arm, the independent brahmas Subrahma and suddhāvasā disappeared in front of the Blessed One and reappeared in that brahma world. That brahma saw those brahmas coming in the distance and said to them: "Now where are you coming from, dear sirs?"

"We have come, dear sir, from the presence of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One. Dear sir, you should go to attend upon that Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One."

3When this was said, that brahma refused to accept their advice. Having created a thousand transformations of himself, he said to the independent brahma Subrahma: "Do you see, dear sir, how much power and might I have?"

"I see, dear sir, that you have so much power and might."

"But, dear sir, when I am so powerful and mighty, what other ascetic or brahmin should I go to attend upon?"

4Then the independent brahma Subrahma, having created two thousand transformations of himself, said to that brahma: "Do you see, dear sir, how much power and might I have?"

"I see, dear sir, that you have so much power and might."

"That Blessed One, dear sir, is still more powerful and mighty than both you and I. You should go, dear sir, to attend upon that Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One."

Then that brahma addressed the independent brahma Subrahma in verse: sn.i.148

The independent brahma Subrahma:

6v.585 "Even though that palace of yours shines
Illuminating the northern quarter,
Having seen form's flaw, its chronic trembling,
The wise one takes no delight in form." [n.398] Pada c reads: rūpe raṇam disva sada pavedhitam. Spk: Having seen form's flaw—the fault (dosa) consisting in birth, aging, and dissolution; having seen its chronic trembling—that form is always trembling, shaken, stricken by cold, etc. The wise one is the Teacher (the Buddha). While the deity is proud of the forms—the figures that ornament his palace—Subrahma reproves him by taking up "form" in its technical sense, as the first of the five aggregates, and then exposing its dangers.

7Then the independent brahmas Subrahma and suddhāvasā, having stirred up a sense of urgency in that brahma, disappeared right there. And on a later occasion that brahma went to attend upon the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One.

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā divāvihāragato hoti paṭisallīno. Atha kho subrahmā ca paccekabrahmā suddhāvāso ca paccekabrahmā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā paccekaṁ dvārabāhaṁ upanissāya aṭṭhaṁsu. Atha kho subrahmā paccekabrahmā suddhāvāsaṁ paccekabrahmānaṁ etadavoca: "akālo kho tāva, mārisa, bhagavantaṁ payirupāsituṁ; divāvihāragato bhagavā paṭisallīno ca. Asuko ca brahmaloko iddho ceva phīto ca, brahmā ca tatra pamādavihāraṁ vihārati. Āyāma, mārisa, yena so brahmaloko tenupasaṅkamissāma; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ brahmānaṁ saṁvejeyyāmā"ti.

"Evaṁ, mārisā"ti kho suddhāvāso paccekabrahmā subrahmuno paccekabrahmuno paccassosi.

2Atha kho subrahmā ca paccekabrahmā suddhāvāso ca paccekabrahmā – seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso … pe … evameva – bhagavato purato antarahitā tasmiṁ brahmaloke pāturahesuṁ. Addasā kho so brahmā te brahmāno dūratova āgacchante. Disvāna te brahmāno etadavoca: "handa kuto nu tumhe, mārisā, āgacchathā"ti?

"Āgatā kho mayaṁ, mārisa, amha tassa bhagavato santikā arahato sammāsambuddhassa. Gaccheyyāsi pana tvaṁ, mārisa, tassa bhagavato upaṭṭhānaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassā"ti?

3Evaṁ vutto, kho so brahmā taṁ vacanaṁ anadhivāsento sahassakkhattuṁ attānaṁ abhinimminitvā subrahmānaṁ paccekabrahmānaṁ etadavoca: "passasi me no tvaṁ, mārisa, evarūpaṁ iddhānubhāvan"ti?

"Passāmi kho tyāhaṁ, mārisa, evarūpaṁ iddhānubhāvan"ti.

"So khvāhaṁ, mārisa, evaṁmahiddhiko evaṁmahānubhāvo kassa aññassa samaṇassa vā brāhmaṇassa vā upaṭṭhānaṁ gamissāmī"ti?

4Atha kho subrahmā paccekabrahmā dvisahassakkhattuṁ attānaṁ abhinimminitvā taṁ brahmānaṁ etadavoca: "passasi me no tvaṁ, mārisa, evarūpaṁ iddhānubhāvan"ti?

"Passāmi kho tyāhaṁ, mārisa, evarūpaṁ iddhānubhāvan"ti.

"Tayā ca kho, mārisa, mayā ca sveva bhagavā mahiddhikataro ceva mahānubhāvataro ca. Gaccheyyāsi tvaṁ, mārisa, tassa bhagavato upaṭṭhānaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassā"ti?

Atha kho so brahmā subrahmānaṁ paccekabrahmānaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

5"Tayo supaṇṇā caturo ca haṁsā,
Byagghīnisā pañcasatā ca jhāyino;
Tayidaṁ vimānaṁ jalate ca brahme,
Obhāsayaṁ uttarassaṁ disāyan"ti.

6"Kiñcāpi te taṁ jalate vimānaṁ,
Obhāsayaṁ uttarassaṁ disāyaṁ;
Rūpe raṇaṁ disvā sadā pavedhitaṁ,
Tasmā na rūpe ramatī sumedho"ti.

7Atha kho subrahmā ca paccekabrahmā suddhāvāso ca paccekabrahmā taṁ brahmānaṁ saṁvejetvā tatthevantaradhāyiṁsu. Agamāsi ca kho so brahmā aparena samayena bhagavato upaṭṭhānaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassāti.