1.1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.At Sāvatthī.

1.2Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho māgadho devaputto bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:Standing to one side, the godling Maghada addressed the Buddha in verse:¹

2.1“Kati lokasmiṁ pajjotā,“How many lamps are there²2.2yehi loko pakāsati;that light up the world?2.3Bhavantaṁ puṭṭhumāgamma,We’ve come to ask the Buddha;2.4kathaṁ jānemu taṁ mayan”ti.how are we to understand this?”

3.1“Cattāro loke pajjotā,∥“There are four lamps in the world,3.2pañcamettha na vijjati;a fifth is not found.3.3Divā tapati ādicco,The sun blazes by day,3.4rattimābhāti candimā.the moon radiates at night,

4.1Atha aggi divārattiṁ,while a fire illuminates both4.2tattha tattha pakāsati;by day and by night.4.3Sambuddho tapataṁ seṭṭho,But a Buddha is the best of blazes:4.4esā ābhā anuttarā”ti.this is the supreme radiance.”