Pañcakaṅga features as a prominent devotee of the Buddha in MN 78, MN 127, and in a parallel to the current sutta at SN 36.19. As thapati (“chamberlain”) he was the ranking official under Pasenadi. Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 5.4.4.17–18 tells us that royal authority goes from the king, to the king’s brother, to the thapati, to the village head. Similarly, Atharva Veda 2.32.4a and 5.23.11a mention the thapati directly after the king. SN 55.6:15.1 shows the thapati was trusted with the most intimate and sensitive duties of the court. Elsewhere we learn that they shared the meal and carriage with the king, accompanying him on military campaigns (MN 89:18.1), while SN 55.6:1.4 shows them engaged in governing the provinces. Thus the thapati was the highest non-royal official in the court, entrusted with governing, advising, and security of the household. | There are several individuals called Udāyī, and it is not possible to distinguish them all.

The Buddha’s reply here develops the theme of “non-categorical” statements introduced in the previous sutta, showing that the same reality can be spoken of in many different ways.

These are all explained in SN 36.22.

In discussing the path, the Buddha focuses on pleasure.

This validates Pañcakaṅga’s view that neutral feeling can be reckoned as a subtle kind of pleasure.

Since all feeling is conditioned, and what is conditioned is suffering, the cessation of feeling is reckoned as pleasurable.