1 On one occasion the Auspicious One was dwelling in Savatthi at the Eastern Monastery, the mansion of Migara's Mother, with a large Sangha of bhikkhus amounting to five hundred bhikkhus, all of them exclusively arahants. At that time the Auspicious One was seated in the open air surrounded by the bhikkhu Sangha during the Uposatha day, the night of the fifteenth day full moon, for Pavarana. Then the Auspicious One, having surveyed the silent bhikkhu Sangha, addressed the bhikkhus.

2 “Come now, O bhikkhus, I invite you all. Do you not censor any bodily or verbal [act] of mine?”

3 When thus was said, the venerable Sariputta, having risen up from his seat, having arranged his upper robe on one shoulder, having stretched out his hands in anjali towards the Auspicious One, said this to the Auspicious One: We, O Bhante, do not censor any bodily or verbal [act] of the Auspicious One. For indeed, the Auspicious One is the originator of the path unarisen [before], the generator of the path ungenerated [before], the declarer of the path undeclared [before], the knower of the path, the comprehender of the path, the expert of the path. And his disciples, O bhikkhus, at present, dwell as followers of the path, [having become] endowed with it afterwards.

4 “And I, O Bhante, invite the Auspicious One. Does the Auspicious One not censor any bodily or verbal [act] of mine?”

5 “Indeed I, O Sariputta, do not censor any bodily or verbal [act] of yours. For you, O Sariputta, are wise. You, O Sariputta, are of great wisdom. You, O Sariputta, are of vast wisdom. You, O Sariputta, are of cheerful wisdom. You, O Sariputta, are of swift wisdom. You, O Sariputta, are of sharp wisdom. You, O Sariputta, are of penetrative wisdom. Just as, O Sariputta, the eldest son of a wheel turning monarch, rightly continues to roll the wheel set rolling by his father, so too you, O Sariputta, rightly continue to roll the unsurpassed wheel of Dhamma set rolling by me.”

6 “Now if, O Bhante, the Auspicious One do not censor any bodily or verbal [act] of mine, then O Bhante, does the Auspicious One not censor any bodily or verbal [act] of these five hundred bhikkhus?”

7 “Indeed I, O Sariputta, also do not censor any bodily or verbal [act] of these five hundred bhikkhus. For indeed, O Sariputta, of these five hundred bhikkhus, sixty are triple-knowledge bhikkhus, sixty are six-supreme-knowledge bhikkhus, sixty are both ways liberated bhikkhus, and the others are wisdom-liberated [bhikkhus].”

8 Then the venerable Vangisa, having risen up from his seat, having arranged his upper robe on one shoulder having stretched out his hands in anjali towards the Auspicious One, said this to the Auspicious One: “An expression occurs to me, O Auspicious One. An expression occurs to me, O Well-farer.” Express yourself then, O Vangisa, the Auspicious One said.

9 So then the venerable Vangisa praised the Auspicious One in his presence with fitting verses.

“Today is the fifteenth day full moon for purity,
five hundred bhikkhus have assembled;
they have severed the fetters and bonds,
free from troubles, seers with future being extinct.

Just as the wheel turning monarch,
surrounded by his ministers;
surrounding him all around,
like this mighty earth encircled by the ocean.

Just so is the one victory in battle,
the caravan leader unsurpassed;
attended upon by his disciples,
triple knowledge [masters], vanquishers of death.

All are the sons of the Auspicious One,
no chaff is to be found [among them];
killers of the dart of thirsting,
they have worshipped the kinsman of the sun.”

1 ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṃ viharati pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṃ pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi sabbeheva arahantehi. tena kho pana samayena bhagavā tadahuposathe paṇṇarase pavāraṇāya bhikkhusaṅghaparivuto ajjhokāse nisinno hoti. atha kho bhagavā tuṇhībhūtaṃ tuṇhībhūtaṃ2 bhikkhusaṅghaṃ anuviloketvā bhikkhū āmantesi:

2 handadāni bhikkhave, pavārayāmi3 vo. na ca me kiñci garahatha kāyikaṃ vā vācasikaṃ vā’ti.

3 evaṃ vutte āyasmā sāriputto uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṃsaṃ uttarāsaṅgaṃ karitvā yena bhagavā tenañjalimpaṇāmetvā bhagavantaṃ etadavoca: na kho mayaṃ bhante, bhagavato kiñci garahāma kāyikaṃ vā vācasikaṃ vā. bhagavā hi bhante, anuppannassa maggassa uppādetā, asañjātassa maggassa sañjanetā, anakkhātassa maggassa akkhātā, maggaññū maggavidū maggakovido. maggānugā ca bhante, etarahi sāvakā viharanti pacchāsamannāgatā.

4 ahaṃ ca kho bhante, bhagavantaṃ pavāremi. na ca me bhagavā kiñci garahati kāyikaṃ vā vācasikaṃ vā’ti.

5 na khvāhaṃ te sāriputta kiñci garahāmi kāyikaṃ vā vācasikaṃ vā. paṇḍito tvaṃ sāriputta, mahāpañño tvaṃ sāriputta, puthupañño tvaṃ sāriputta, hāsapañño1 tvaṃ sāriputta, javanapañño tvaṃ sāriputta, tikkhapañño tvaṃ sāriputta, nibbedhikapañño tvaṃ sāriputta. seyyathāpi sāriputta, rañño cakkavattissa jeṭṭhaputto pitarā pavattitaṃ cakkaṃ sammadeva anuppavatteti. evameva kho tvaṃ sāriputta mayā anuttaraṃ dhammacakkaṃ pavattitaṃ sammadeva anuppavattesīti.

6 no ce kira me bhante bhagavā kiñci garahati kāyikaṃ vā vācasikaṃ vā. imesampi bhante bhagavā pañcannaṃ bhikkhusatānaṃ na kiñci garahati kāyikaṃ vā vācasikaṃ vā ti.

7 imesampi khvāhaṃ sāriputta pañcannaṃ bhikkhusatānaṃ na kiñci garahāmi kāyikaṃ vā vācasikaṃ vā. imesaṃ2 hi sāriputta pañcannaṃ bhikkhusatānaṃ saṭṭhi bhikkhū tevijjā, saṭṭhi bhikkhū chaḷabhiññā, saṭṭhi bhikkhū ubhatobhāgavimuttā. atha itare paññāvimuttāti.

8 atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṃsaṃ uttarāsaṅgaṃ karitvā yena bhagavā tenañjalimpaṇāmetvā bhagavantaṃ etadavoca: paṭibhāti maṃ bhagavā paṭibhāti maṃ sugatāti. paṭibhātu taṃ vaṅgīsāti bhagavā avoca.

9 atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso bhagavantaṃ sammukhā sarūpāhi gāthāhi abhitthavi:

ajja paṇṇarase visuddhiyā,
bhikkhū pañcasatā samāgatā;
saññojanabandhanacchidā,
anīghā khīṇapunabbhavā isī.

cakkavattī yathā rājā,
amaccaparivārito;
samantā anupariyeti,
sāgarantaṃ mahiṃ imaṃ.

evaṃ vijitasaṅgāmaṃ,
satthavāhaṃ anuttaraṃ;
sāvakā payirupāsanti,
tevijjā maccuhāyino.

sabbe bhagavato puttā,
palāpettha na vijjati;
taṇhāsallassa hantāraṃ,
vande ādiccabandhunanti.