1.1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.At Sāvatthī.

1.2Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:Seated to one side, that mendicant said to the Buddha:

1.3“ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo, yena midhekacco kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā valāhakakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī”ti?“Sir, what is the cause, what is the reason why someone, when their body breaks up, after death, is reborn in the company of the gods of the thundercloud host?”

1.4“Idha, bhikkhu, ekacco kāyena sucaritaṁ carati, vācāya sucaritaṁ carati, manasā sucaritaṁ carati.“Mendicant, it’s when someone does good things by way of body, speech, and mind.1.5Tassa sutaṁ hoti:And they’ve heard:1.6‘valāhakakāyikā devā dīghāyukā vaṇṇavanto sukhabahulā’ti.‘The gods of the thundercloud host are long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.’1.7Tassa evaṁ hoti:They think:1.8‘aho vatāhaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā valāhakakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjeyyan’ti.‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the gods of the thundercloud host!’1.9So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā valāhakakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati.When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of the gods of the thundercloud host.1.10Ayaṁ kho, bhikkhu, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo, yena midhekacco kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā valāhakakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī”ti.This is the cause, this is the reason why someone, when their body breaks up, after death, is reborn in the company of the gods of the thundercloud host.”

1.11Dutiyaṁ.