Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at the Kalandaka Bamboo Grove of Rājagṛha.

At the time, the heavenly spirits Sātāgiri and Haimavata made this promise to each other: “If a treasure appears in one of our palaces, we must tell the other about it. If one doesn’t tell the other, then they’re guilty of breaking the promise.”

Then, while Haimavata was in his palace, an unprecedented and precious lotus flower appeared. That flower had a thousand petals, was the size of a cartwheel, and had a precious golden stem.

The spirit Haimavata then sent a messenger to tell Sātāgiri, “Village chief, an unprecedented and precious lotus flower has suddenly appeared in my palace. That flower has a thousand petals, is the size of a cartwheel, and has a precious golden stem. Come and look at it!”

A messenger sent by the spirit Sātāgiri came to Haimavata’s home to tell him, “Village chief, what use would a hundred thousand of these lotus flowers be? An unprecedented and great precious lotus flower has appeared in my palace now. That is, the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One who is wise in conduct, well gone, an understander of the world, an unsurpassed man, a trainer of men, a teacher of gods and people, and a buddha bhagavān. You can come render service and give offerings to him!”

Haimavata then came to visit Sātāgiri with five hundred followers. He asked him in verse:

“On this auspicious fifteenth day,
We gladly meet this divine night.
I must ask, what sabbath did you accept,
And from what Arhat did you receive it?”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“Today, the Buddha, the Bhagavān,
Is in the great kingdom of Magadha.
He is staying at Rājagṛha there,
In the Kalandaka Bamboo Park.

He expounds upon the sublime Dharma
That removes the suffering of beings.
The pain of suffering, its formation,
And its cessation he fully realized.

The noble eightfold path escapes suffering
And safely arrives at nirvāṇa.
You ought to go and give some offering
To that Arhat, that Bhagavān, of mine.”

Haimavata asked in verse:

“Does he possess a wish for happiness,
To rescue sentient beings with kindness?
Does he accept some and not others,
Or are his perceptions of them the same?”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“A sublime wish is his thought of kindness
To set free every sentient being.
When it comes to accepting them or not,
His perceptions of them are all the same.”

Haimavata then asked in verse:

“Has he perfected a thorough insight,
And is he accomplished in his practice?
His contaminants forever destroyed,
Will he not have a later existence?”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“His thorough insight is well perfected,
And he’s accomplished in right practice.
His contaminants forever destroyed,
He will not have a later existence.”

Haimavata then asked in verse:

“Are this sage’s mental actions complete?
And his physical and verbal actions?
Are his insight and conduct perfected?
Is he commended with the Dharma?”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“Perfected is this sage’s mind;
His physical and verbal actions are complete.
His insight and conduct are perfected,
And he is commended with the Dharma.”

Haimavata then asked in verse:

“Does he avoid hurting living beings,
And does he not take something not given?
Does he stay far away from carelessness,
And does he not avoid meditation?”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“He doesn’t ever hurt sentient beings,
Doesn’t wrongly take what isn’t given.
He does stay far away from carelessness,
And meditates constantly, day and night.”

Haimavata then asked in verse:

“Does he not delight in the five desires?
Does his mind not go undisturbed?
Has he purified his Dharma vision,
And is he fully rid of foolishness?”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“His thoughts never delight in the desires,
And his mind is devoid of disturbances.
The Buddha’s Dharma vision is pure,
And he has no remaining foolishness.”

Haimavata then asked in verse:

“Is he honest, doesn’t speaking falsely?
Does he make use of no abusive words?
Does he speak without causing divisions?
Does he speak without being dishonest?”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“What he says is honest, it isn’t false,
And there are no abusive words in it.
He does not divide those who are friends,
Always speaking in accord with Dharma.”

Haimavata then asked in verse:

“Does he observe the pure precepts,
And is he rightly mindful and tranquil?
Has he perfected full liberation
And the wisdom of a Tathāgata?”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“He has perfected all the pure precepts;
He is rightly mindful, always at peace.
He has accomplished full liberation
And gained the Tathāgata’s great wisdom.”

Haimavata then asked in verse:

“All thorough insights being perfected
And the right practice being purified,
What contaminants has he ended?
Will he receive a later existence?”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“Having perfected all thorough insights
And having purified his right practice,
He has ended all the contaminants.
He will have no more later existences.”

Haimavata then said in verse:

“The thoughts possessed by this sage are good,
Traced by physical and verbal deeds.
He’s accomplished in insight and conduct,
So let us give praise to his Dharma.”

Sātāgiri then replied in verse:

“The thoughts possessed by this sage are good,
Traced by physical and verbal deeds.
He’s accomplished in insight and conduct,
Let us give our praise to his Dharma.”

Haimavata then said in verse:

“Possessing calves like an antelope deer
Is a superior sign of a sage.
Eating little and abandoning greed,
This sage meditates living in a grove.
Let us now go there together
And pay homage to that Gautama!”

Surrounded by a following of a hundred thousand yakṣa spirits, Sātāgiri and Haimavata then went to the Buddha, paid homage to him, and gave offerings. They then adjusted their robes to bare their right shoulders, saluted him with their palms together, and said this in verse:

“Possessing calves like an antelope deer
Is a superior sign of a sage.
Eating little and abandoning greed,
This sage meditates living in a grove.

“We have therefore decided to come here
To make a request of Gautama,
Who is a lion that wanders alone,
Who is a great nāga who has no fear.

“Therefore, we come now to make a request,
Hoping that the sage will settle our doubts.
How do we find escape from suffering?
How is one freed from suffering?
Please explain liberation for us.
What is it that ceases suffering?”

The Bhagavān then answered them in verse:

“There’s the world’s five merits of desire
And a sixth that’s said to be the mind.
Have no greed for those desires,
And you’ll be freed from all suffering.

“This is the way to escape suffering
And the way to be freed from suffering.
Now, I have answered your question:
This is what ceases suffering.”

Both Sātāgiri and Haimavata again asked the Buddha in verse:

“How does one turn back from the source,
And not turn to an unpleasant path?
How does one bring an total end
To all the world’s pleasures and pains?”

The Bhagavān answered them in verse:

“By completely ending the senses of
Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind,
As well as their names and forms,
Forever and without remainder.

“Turning back from those sources
Doesn’t turn toward those pathways.
Afterward, [all the world’s] pleasure and pain
Is completely gone without remainder.”

Sātāgiri and Haimavata again questioned the Buddha in verse:

“How many things give rise to the world?
How many things combine in the world?
How many things take hold of the world?
How many things make the world cease?”

The Bhagavān answered them in verse:

“Six things give rise to the world;
Six things combine in the world;
Six things take hold of the world;
And six things get rid of the world.”

Sātāgiri and Haimavata again questioned the Buddha in verse:

“How does one cross over all the floods?
By what diligent method done day and night,
Neither clambering nor standing in place,
Does one avoid drowning in deep water?”

The Bhagavān answered them in verse:

“By perfecting all the precepts
With skillful wisdom and attainment
And contemplating with fixed attention:
This is the way to cross the deep water.

“Not enjoying perceptions of desire
And going beyond the bonds of form,
One neither clambers nor stands in place,
And they don’t drown in the deep water.”

Sātāgiri and Haimavata again questioned the Buddha in verse:

“What principle crosses all the floods?
With what does one cross the ocean?
How does one rid themselves of suffering?
How do they become purified?”

The Bhagavān answered them in verse:

“It’s confidence that crosses the river.
With carefulness does one cross the ocean.
With diligence, one can end suffering.
It’s with wisdom that one is purified.”

The Bhagavān then spoke another verse:

“You can question someone else
About the way of ascetics and priests.
The real gift is discipline;
Aside from this, there’s no other Dharma.”

Haimavata again spoke these verses:

“What else is there to ask
About the way of an ascetic or priest?
One with great diligence today
Has become a skillful leader.

“Now, I will repay that
Sātāgiri for the favor he did.
He has served as an able guide
By informing us about the Buddha.

“We will go from village to village
And home to home to follow the Buddha.
We will serve, honor, and give offerings
To hear the right Dharma from the Buddha.

“All these hundred thousand yakṣa spirits
Will salute him with their palms together.
They will all take refuge in the Buddha,
That sage who is a great teacher.

“His fame has become unsurpassed
Who surely beheld the true goal.
He has accomplished great wisdom,
And he isn’t affected by desires.

“That wise man will investigate
How to give solace to the world.
When he discovered the noble path,
He became the great sage of humans.”

After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, Sātāgiri, Haimavata, and their retinue of a hundred thousand yakṣa spirits who heard what the Buddha taught were overjoyed and gladdened. They bowed to the Buddha and departed.