1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in the Eastern Park in the Mansion of Migara's Mother together with a great Saṅgha of bhikkhus, with five hundred bhikkhus, all of them arahants. Now on that occasion—the Uposatha day of the fifteenth—the Blessed One was sitting in the open surrounded by the Bhikkhu Saṅgha in order to hold the Pavaraṇa. [n.513] The Uposatha is the Buddhist "observance day," held in accordance with the phases of the moon. The major Uposathas occur on the full-moon and new-moon days, the fifteenth of the fortnight (except six times per year—two for each of the three seasons of the Indian calendar—when the Uposatha falls on the new-moon day of a shorter, fourteen-day fortnight). On these days the bhikkhus normally gather to recite the Pāṭimokkha, the code of monastic rules. At the end of the annual rains residence (vassavasa), however, the recital of the rules is replaced by a ceremony called the Pavaraṇa, the Invitation, at which each bhikkhu in order of seniority invites (pavareti) the other bhikkhus in his fraternity to point out any misconduct on his part. Then, having surveyed the silent Bhikkhu Saṅgha, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Come now, bhikkhus, let me invite you: Is there any deed of mine, either bodily or verbal, which you would censure?"

2When this was said, the Venerable Sāriputta rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and, raising his joined hands in reverential salutation towards the Blessed One, said to him: "Venerable sir, there is no deed of the Blessed One, either bodily or verbal, that we censure. sn.i.191 For, venerable sir, the Blessed One is the originator of the path unarisen before, the producer of the path unproduced before, the declarer of the path undeclared before. He is the knower of the path, the discoverer of the path, the one skilled in the path. And his disciples now dwell following that path and become possessed of it afterwards. [n.514] On the Buddha as the originator of the path, see SN22.58. And I, venerable sir, invite the Blessed One: Is there any deed of mine, either bodily or verbal, which the Blessed One would censure?"

3"There is no deed of yours, Sāriputta, either bodily or verbal, that I censure. For you, Sāriputta, are wise, one of great wisdom, of wide wisdom, of joyous wisdom, of swift wisdom, of sharp wisdom, of penetrative wisdom. Just as the eldest son of a wheel-turning monarch properly keeps in motion the wheel (of sovereignty) set in motion by his father, so do you, Sāriputta, properly keep in motion the Wheel of Dhamma set in motion by me." [n.515] The eulogy of Sāriputta is at SN2.29; see too n. 184. The wheel-turning monarch (raja cakkavatti) is the ideal world-ruler of Buddhist tradition; see DN III 59–63 and MN III 172–77.

4"If, venerable sir, the Blessed One does not censure any deed of mine, bodily or verbal, does he censure any deed, bodily or verbal, of these five hundred bhikkhus?"

"There is no deed, Sāriputta, bodily or verbal, of these five hundred bhikkhus that I censure. For of these five hundred bhikkhus, Sāriputta, sixty bhikkhus are triple-knowledge bearers, sixty bhikkhus are bearers of the six direct knowledges, sixty bhikkhus are liberated in both ways, while the rest are liberated by wisdom." [n.516] On the triple knowledge (tevijja) and the six direct knowledges (chaḷabhiñña), see n. 395. Those liberated in both ways (ubhatobhagavimutta) are arahants who attain arahantship along with mastery over the formless meditative attainments. Those liberated by wisdom (paññavimutta) are arahants who attain the goal without mastering the formless meditations; for formal definitions see MN I 477,25–478,1, and SN12.70 (II 123,26–124,2).

5Then the Venerable Vangisa rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and, raising his joined hands in reverential salutation towards the Blessed One, said to him: "An inspiration has come to me, Blessed One! An inspiration has come to me, Fortunate One!"

The Blessed One said: "Then express your inspiration, Vangisa."

Then the Venerable Vangisa extolled the Blessed One to his face with suitable verses:

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi sabbeheva arahantehi. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā tadahuposathe pannarase pavāraṇāya bhikkhusaṅghaparivuto abbhokāse nisinno hoti. Atha kho bhagavā tuṇhībhūtaṁ bhikkhusaṅghaṁ anuviloketvā bhikkhū āmantesi: "handa dāni, bhikkhave, pavāremi vo. Na ca me kiñci garahatha kāyikaṁ vā vācasikaṁ vā"ti.

2Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā sāriputto uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "na kho mayaṁ, bhante, bhagavato kiñci garahāma kāyikaṁ vā vācasikaṁ vā. Bhagavā hi, bhante, anuppannassa maggassa uppādetā, asañjātassa maggassa sañjanetā, anakkhātassa maggassa akkhātā, maggaññū maggavidū maggakovido. Maggānugā ca, bhante, etarahi sāvakā vihāranti pacchā samannāgatā; ahañca kho, bhante, bhagavantaṁ pavāremi. Na ca me bhagavā kiñci garahati kāyikaṁ vā vācasikaṁ vā"ti.

3"Na khvāhaṁ te, sāriputta, kiñci garahāmi kāyikaṁ vā vācasikaṁ vā. Paṇḍito tvaṁ, sāriputta, mahāpañño tvaṁ, sāriputta, puthupañño tvaṁ, sāriputta, hāsapañño tvaṁ, sāriputta, javanapañño tvaṁ, sāriputta, tikkhapañño tvaṁ, sāriputta, nibbedhikapañño tvaṁ, sāriputta. Seyyathāpi, sāriputta, rañño cakkavattissa jeṭṭhaputto pitarā pavattitaṁ cakkaṁ sammadeva anuppavatteti; evameva kho tvaṁ, sāriputta, mayā anuttaraṁ dhammacakkaṁ pavattitaṁ sammadeva anuppavattesī"ti.

4"No ce kira me, bhante, bhagavā kiñci garahati kāyikaṁ vā vācasikaṁ vā. Imesaṁ pana, bhante, bhagavā pañcannaṁ bhikkhusatānaṁ na kiñci garahati kāyikaṁ vā vācasikaṁ vā"ti.

"Imesampi khvāhaṁ, sāriputta, pañcannaṁ bhikkhusatānaṁ na kiñci garahāmi kāyikaṁ vā vācasikaṁ vā. Imesañhi, sāriputta, pañcannaṁ bhikkhusatānaṁ saṭṭhi bhikkhū tevijjā, saṭṭhi bhikkhū chaḷabhiññā, saṭṭhi bhikkhū ubhatobhāgavimuttā, atha itare paññāvimuttā"ti.

5Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "paṭibhāti maṁ, bhagavā, paṭibhāti maṁ, sugatā"ti.

"Paṭibhātu taṁ, vaṅgīsā"ti bhagavā avoca.

Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso bhagavantaṁ sammukhā sāruppāhi gāthāhi abhitthavi: