Linked Discourses on Godlings

A deity named Kassapa comes to the Buddha and speaks of the training of a mendicant in seclusion and right speech.

The deity Kassapa speaks of how a mendicant should be a meditator, peaceful and free.

The god Māgha asks the Buddha about what one should slay in order to sleep well and be without sorrow.

The deity Māgadha asks the Buddha how many sources of light there are in the world. The Buddha speaks of five lights, but the Buddha is the best of them.

Dāmali the god suggests that a true brahmin must strive to abandon desire. The Buddha disagrees, saying that a true holy one has already completed their work.

The deity Kāmada addresses the Buddha with a series of cryptic statements lamenting the difficulty of spiritual practice. The Buddha agrees, but points out that true practitioners do it even though it’s hard.

Pañcālacaṇḍa praises the Buddha for finding the opening amid the confinement of the world. But the Buddha affirms that anyone with mindfulness and stillness may find such an escape.

Tāyana, a deity who was in a past life was a leader of a non-Buddhist sect, speaks a series of verses in praise of strenuous exertion and discipline. These famous verses are commonly recited by Theravadin monks.

In a parable of a lunar eclipse, the moon god Candimā is swallowed by the demon lord Rāhu. Candimā appeals to the Buddha, who tells Rāhu to let go. This sutta is recited as a protection verse.

In a parable of a solar eclipse, the sun god Suriya is swallowed by the demon lord Rāhu. Suriya appeals to the Buddha, who tells Rāhu to let go. This sutta is recited as a protection verse.

The deity Candimasa says that those who practice absorption will surely find escape. The Buddha adds that they must also be diligent and discard flaws.

The deity Veṇhu celebrates the joy of those who follow the Buddha’s teaching. The Buddha affirms that such will escape death. Veṇhu is the Pali spelling of Sanskrit Viṣṇu, and this marks a rare appearance of a god of this name in the early texts.

Dīghalaṭṭhi the god comes to the Buddha at Rājagaha and praises a mendicant who is a meditator.

The deity Nandana asks the Buddha who is virtuous, wise, beyond suffering, worshiped by the gods themselves. The Buddha replies that such a person is an arahant.

Candana asks who crosses the flood. The Buddha replies that it is one who is virtuous, wise, peaceful, and beyond attachment to rebirth.

The deity Vasudatta says that a mendicant should live like their hair is on fire so as to give up lust. The Buddha changes his verse to emphasize giving up attachment to self.

Subrahmā the god asks for the escape from fear. The Buddha says there is no escape from fear without letting go of everything.

At Sāketa the god Kakudha asks the Buddha if he delights or sorrows. The Buddha replies that since he has no attachments he neither delights nor sorrows.

The god Uttara speaks of the transience of life, saying one should do good to be reborn in a happy future life. The Buddha replies that one should let go attachment.

A deity who had been the Buddha’s supporter Anāthapiṇḍika in his former life comes to Buddha and speaks verses in celebration of the Jeta’s Grove monastery—which he had offered for the Buddha’s use—good deeds, the Dhamma, and Venerable Sāriputta.

The deity Siva says one should associate only with the good, and this will lead to happiness. The Buddha adds that associating with the good leads to the end of suffering. Siva is the Pali spelling of Sanskrit Śiva, and this marks a rare appearance of a god of this name in the early texts.

The deity Khema utters a series of verses in praise of good deeds. The Buddha responds with a simile for someone who departs the path of the good.

The deity Serī speaks of how everyone loves food, to which the Buddha responds with verses in praise of giving. Serī speaks of his own generosity in a past life.

The deity Ghaṭīkāra speaks of the seven mendicants reborn in the Aviha realm. The sutta is similar to SN 1.50.

Some monks in Kosala fell into negligence, and were admonished by the deity Jantu.

Rohitassa asks the Buddha if it is possible to reach the end of the world by traveling. The Buddha says no; and Rohitassa tells of how in a past life as a seer he had tried to accomplish this very feat and failed. The Buddha says the end of the world is found in this body.

Nanda speaks of the transience of life, saying one should do good to be reborn in a happy future life. The Buddha replies that one should let go attachment.

The god Nandivisāla gives an elaborate metaphor for the body, and asks how to escape from it.

The Buddha asks Ānanda if he likes Sāriputta, and when he replies that he does, the god Susīma and his assembly appear, rejoicing in Sāriputta’s praises, and radiating in lustrous colors.

A series of deities who had formerly been ascetics in the non-Buddhist sects came to the Buddha, speaking verses in praise—or occasional criticism—of their former teachers.