The Heavenly Beings from Ten World‑Systems Coming to See The Tathāgata and His Order of Monks

Monks, it has often happened that the heavenly beings from ten world‑systems have come to see The Tathāgata and his order of Monks. So it has been with the supreme Buddhas of the past, and so it will be with that of the future, as it is with me now. I will detail for you the names of the groups of heavenly beings, announce them and teach them to you.

Pay close attention, and I will speak…

Seven thousand yakkhas of Kapila’s realm,

Well‑endowed with power and mighty skills,

Fair to see, with splendid train have come

Rejoicing to this wood to see such Monks.

And six thousand yakkhas from Himālaya,

Of varied hue, and well‑endowed with powers,

Fair to see, with splendid train have come

Rejoicing to this wood to see such Monks.

From Sāta’s Mount three thousand yakkhas more

Of varied hue, and well‑endowed with powers,

Fair to see, with splendid train have come

Rejoicing to this wood to see such Monks.

The sum is sixteen thousand yakkhas all,

Of varied hue, and well‑endowed with powers,

Fair to see, with splendid train have come

Rejoicing to this wood to see such Monks.

Of Vessāmitta’s host five hundred more

Of varied hue, and well‑endowed with powers,

Fair to see, with splendid train have come

Rejoicing to this wood to see such Monks.

Kumbhīra too from Rājagaha comes

(Whose dwelling‑place is on Vepulla’s slopes):

A hundred thousand yakkhas follow him.

King Dhataraṭṭha, ruler of the East,

The gandhabbas’ Lord, a mighty King,

Has come with company. Many sons

Are his, who all bear Indra’s name,

All well‑endowed with mighty skills,

Fair to see, with splendid train have come

Rejoicing to this wood to see such Monks.

King Virūḷha, ruler of the South,

The Kumbaṇḍhas’ lord, a mighty King,

Has come with company. Many sons

Are his, who all bear Indra’s name,

All well‑endowed with mighty skills,

Fair to see, with splendid train have come

Rejoicing to this wood to see such Monks.

Virūpakkha, ruler of the West,

Ruler of nāgas and a mighty King,

Has come with company. Many sons

Are his, who all bear Indra’s name,

All well‑endowed with mighty skills,

Fair to see, with splendid train have come

Rejoicing to this wood to see such Monks.

King Kuvera, ruler of the North,

Ruler of Yakkhas and a mighty King,

Has come with company. Many sons

Are his, who all bear Indra’s name,

All well‑endowed with mighty skills,

Fair to see, with splendid train have come

Rejoicing to this wood to see such Monks.

From the East King Dhataraṭṭha shone,

From South Virūlhaka, and from the West

Virūpakkha, Kuvera from the North:

Thus ranged in Kapilavatthu’s wood

The Four Great Kings in all their splendor stood.

With them came their vassals versed in guile,

Skilled deceivers all: Kuṭeṇḍu first,

Then Veṭeṇḍu, Viṭu and Viṭucca,

Candana and Kāmaseṭṭha next,

Kinnughaṇḍu and Nighaṇḍu, these,

Panāda, Opamañña, Mātali

(Who was the heavenly beings’ charioteer), Naḷa,

Cittasena of the gandhabbas,

Rājā, Janesabha, Pañcasikha,

Timbarū with Suriyavaccasā

His daughter — these, and more, rejoicing came

To that wood to see the Buddha’s Monks.

From Nabhasa, Vesāli, Tacchaka

Came Nāgas, Kambalas, Assataras,

Payāgas with their kin. From Yamunā

Dhataraṭṭha came with splendid host,

Erāvana too, the mighty nāga chief

To the forest meeting‑place has come.

And the twice‑born, winged and clear of sight,

Fierce garuḍa birds (the nāgas’ foes) have come

Flying here — Citrā and Supaṇṇā.

But here the nāga Kings are safe: the Lord

Has imposed a truce. With gentle speech

They and the nāgas share the Buddha’s peace.

Asuras too, whom Indra’s hand once struck,

Ocean‑dwellers now, in magic skilled,

Vāsava’s resplendent brothers came,

The Kālakañjas, terrible to see,

Dānaveghasas, Vepacitti,

Sucitti and Pahārādha too,

Fell Namucī, and Bali’s hundred sons

(Who all were called Veroca) with a band

Of warriors who joined their master Rāhu,

Who had come to wish their meeting well.

Gods of water, earth, fire, and wind,

The Varuṇas and their retainers. Soma

And Yasa too. Heavenly beings born of love

And compassion, with a splendid train,

These ten, with tenfold varied hosts, …

Veṇhu too with his Sahalis came,

The Asamas, the Yāma twins, and those

Heavenly beings who attend on moon and sun,

Constellation‑gods, sprites of clouds,

Sakka Ruler of the Heavenly Beings, ancient donor,

These ten, with tenfold varied hosts, …

The Sahabhus, radiant, bright, came next,

Fiery‑crested. The Ariṭṭhakas,

The Rojas, cornflower‑blue, with Varuṇā

And Sahadhammā, Accutā, Anejakā,

Sūleyya, Rucirā, the Vāsavanesis,

These ten, with tenfold varied hosts, …

The Samānas and Mahā‑Samānas both,

Beings manlike and more than manlike came,

The ‘Pleasure‑corrupted’ and ‘Mind‑corrupted’ gods,

Green heavenly beings, and the red ones too,

Pāragas, Mahā‑Pāragas with train,

These ten, with tenfold varied hosts, …

Sukkas, Karumhas, Aruṇas, Veghanasas,

Follow in the Odātagayhas’ wake.

Vicakkhaṇas, Sadāmattas, Harāgajas,

Those gods called ‘Mixed in Splendor’, and Pajunna

The Thunderer, who also causes rain,

These ten, with tenfold varied hosts, …

The Khemiyas, the Tusitas and Yāmas,

The Kaṭṭhakas with train, Lambītakas,

The Lāma chiefs, and the gods of flame

(The Āsavas), those who excite in shapes

They’ve made, and those who seize on others’ work,

These ten, with tenfold varied hosts, …

These sixty heavenly being‑hosts, of varied kinds,

All came arranged in order of their groups,

And others too, in due array. They said:

‘He who’s transcended birth, he for whom

No obstacle remains, who’s crossed the flood,

Him, fetterless, we’ll see, the Mighty One,

Traversing free without transgression, as

It were the moon that passes through the clouds.’

SuBrahmā next, and with him Paramatta,

Sanankumāra, Tissa, who were sons

Of the Mighty One, these also came.

Mahā‑Brahmā, who ruled a thousand worlds,

In the Brahmā‑world supreme, arisen there,

Shining bright, and terrible to see,

With all his train. Ten lords of his who each

Rule a Brahmā‑world, and in their midst

Hārita, who ruled a hundred thousand.

And when all these had come in vast array,

With Indra and the hosts of Brahmā too,

Then too came Māra’s hosts, and now observe

That Black One’s folly. For he said:

‘Come on, seize and bind them all! With lust

We’ll catch them all! Surround them all about,

Let none escape, whoever he may be!’

Thus the war-lord urged his murky troops.

With his palm he struck the ground, and made

A horrid din, as when a storm-cloud bursts

With thunder, lightning and with heavy rain —

And then—shrank back, enraged, but powerless!

And He-Who-Knows-by-Wisdom saw all this

And understood its meaning. To his Monks he said:‘The hosts of Māra come, Monks — pay good heed!’They heard the Buddha’s words, and stayed alert.

And Māra’s hosts drew back from those on whom

Neither crave nor fear could gain a hold.

‘Victorious, transcending fear, they’ve won:

His followers rejoice with all the world!’

(Reference: DN 20)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares a recounting of all the groups of heavenly beings.

He explains that “heavenly beings from ten world-systems have come to see The Tathāgata and his order of Monks” and this was also experienced by all “the supreme Buddhas of the past” and “it will be [experienced by] that of the future” “as it is with me now”.

At the end of this Teaching, The Buddha explains that a Practitioner who “knows-by-wisdom” and “understood its meaning” of these Teachings, that Māra will come to visit them but through staying alert, Māra’s hosts drew back from those who do not have craving nor fear because Māra could not get a hold of the mind.

Through becoming victorious, transcending fear, the Practitioners of these Teachings who attain Enlightenment have won and can rejoice with all of the world.

Māra the Evil One is an unwholesome being who roams the world influencing unskillful, unbeneficial, and negative conduct. Māra, and beings acting on its behalf, look for ways to entice and lure an individual into conduct that would result in unwholesome results. Other traditions may refer to this entity as Satan, The Devil, or other names associated with a devilish being who is associated with the Realm of Hell looking to cause calamity for all beings here on earth attempting to influence human beings to create “hell on earth”.

Through training the mind in these Teachings, a Practitioner eventually gets to the Jhānas where the mind is protected and no longer influenced by Māra the Evil One. A mind that has entered the Jhānas “is said to have blindfolded Māra”. Māra is no longer able to influence a Practitioner as their mind has become more stable and steady through well developed wisdom, moral conduct, and mental discipline, yet, the mind is still not Enlightened. There is more work to do in order to fully protect the mind from discontentedness.