The Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha
Toh 333
Degé Kangyur, vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 263.b–268.a
- Sarvajñādeva
- Bandé Paltsek
Imprint
Translated by Elizabeth Angowski
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2022
Current version v 1.1.10 (2025)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.26.1
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Table of Contents
Summary
While residing in Nyagrodha Park in Kapilavastu, the Buddha meets an emaciated, long-haired brahmin named Vasiṣṭha. When the Buddha asks Vasiṣṭha why he looks this way, Vasiṣṭha explains that it is because he is observing a month-long fast. The Buddha then asks him if he maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones, prompting an exchange between the two about what the eightfold observance entails and how much merit is to be gained by maintaining it. After outlining the eightfold observance, the Buddha tells Vasiṣṭha that there is far more merit to be had in maintaining it, even just once, than there is to be gained by making offerings. At the end of the sūtra, Vasiṣṭha takes refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and he pledges to maintain the eightfold observance and practice generosity in tandem.
Introduction
While residing in Nyagrodha Park in Kapilavastu, the Buddha meets an emaciated, long-haired brahmin named Vasiṣṭha. When the Buddha asks this brahmin why he looks so thin, unkempt, and haggard, Vasiṣṭha explains that it is because he is observing a month-long fast. The Buddha then asks him whether he maintains the so-called “eightfold observance of the noble ones,” prompting an exchange between the two about what this observance entails, and the extent of the merit gained by maintaining it. After outlining the observance, the Buddha declares to Vasiṣṭha that maintaining the eightfold observance, even just once, results in far more merit than making vast offerings. At the end of the sūtra, Vasiṣṭha takes refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and he pledges to maintain the eightfold observance and practice generosity in tandem.
At its heart, The Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha outlines the eightfold observance that laypeople are encouraged to maintain on the four sacred lunar days of the new moon, the full moon, and the two days that fall halfway in between these two lunar events. This practice is closely related to the restorative rite, known in Sanskrit as poṣadha, in which the monks and nuns gather on the new moon and full moon days to confess any faults and transgressions and to recite the monastic rules, the prātimokṣa.1 In fact, at times the term poṣadha can also refer specifically to the eightfold observance that is adopted by some lay people on the four sacred lunar days.
Regarding this latter meaning, the Buddha tells Vasiṣṭha that on these days a layperson should emulate the conduct of the worthy ones—the Buddha’s awakened disciples—by refraining from eight things: (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) engaging in sexual activity, (4) speaking falsely, (5) becoming intoxicated, (6) singing, dancing, music, and beautifying oneself with adornments or cosmetics, (7) using high or large beds, and (8) eating at the improper time.2
If one refrains from all these things, even just for one day, one is certain to gain vast amounts of merit. Following this explanation, Vasiṣṭha asks the Buddha how, in terms of merit accumulation, gift-giving compares to maintaining the eightfold observance. The Buddha’s response is definitive: the merit produced by generosity does not even come close to a fraction of the merit born of maintaining the eightfold observance. Moreover, the Buddha adds, by maintaining the eightfold observance, one stands to be reborn into heavenly realms where the gods enjoy happiness for far longer than the average human lifetime, and that divine happiness makes sovereignty in the mundane world pale in comparison.
Although no Indic source text exists for the Tibetan translation of The Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha, the text does share a number of similarities with several Pali suttas, yet the exact relationship between these texts is unclear.3 However, in terms of its circulation and influence beyond the Indian subcontinent, one remarkable fact related to The Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha is that, along with two other sūtras,4 it appears to have served as a source on the history of India in the famous fourteenth-century Persian historical account of Asia known as Compendium of Chronicles (Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh).5
This English translation of The Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha, which to the best of our knowledge is the first in any modern language, is based on the Tibetan version in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the variant readings recorded in the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur. The Pali suttas referred to above were also consulted. The colophon to the Tibetan translation states that it was translated, corrected, and finalized by the Indian scholar Sarvajñādeva and the chief editor-translator Bandé Paltsek. The text’s inclusion in the Denkarma and Phangthangma imperial catalogs confirms its provenance in the late eighth or early ninth century.6
Text Body
Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha
The Translation
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in Nyagrodha Park in Kapilavastu. Then, the great sage Kapila, while walking and wandering about for his daily exercise, deliberately proceeded to the place where the Blessed One was residing. After he made all manner of pleasing and polite conversation with the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. [F.264.a]
As the brahmin Vasiṣṭha sat down to one side,7 the Blessed One, though he already knew, asked him, “Vasiṣṭha, why are you like this—emaciated and sallow, with a long beard, long hair, long nails, long body hair, ragged, and speaking so softly?”
Vasiṣṭha replied, “Gautama, I am like this—emaciated and sallow, with a long beard, long hair, long nails, long body hair, ragged, and speaking so softly—because I observe the month-long fast.”8
The Blessed One, though he already knew, then asked the sage Vasiṣṭha, “Vasiṣṭha, do you maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones and practice diligently on special days9 as well?”
“O, Gautama,” replied Vasiṣṭha, “what will become of those who maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones and practice diligently on special days?”
The Blessed One responded, “Those brahmins will experience all they wish for among gods and humans.”
“Gautama, what is the so-called eightfold observance of the noble ones?” asked Vasiṣṭha. “And how, by adhering to the eightfold observance of the noble ones, will one experience all one wishes for among gods and humans?”
“Vasiṣṭha, when faithful sons or daughters of good families want to maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, they get up in the morning and go before a monk, or a brahmin, or anyone else who is wise. They arrange their upper robe over one shoulder, place their right knee on the ground, join their palms, and utter this statement: ‘I, named so-and-so, from now through sundown tonight and until sunrise tomorrow,10 abandon taking life and abstain from taking life. [F.264.b] I relinquish the stick and the sword, behaving with conscientiousness and compassion as I abandon and abstain from taking the life of any being, living creature, or spirit—even the least among them, including tiny creatures such as ants. Just as those noble ones, the worthy ones, who, for as long as they live, have abandoned taking life and have abstained from taking life, relinquished the stick and the sword, and abandoned and abstained from taking the life of any being, living creature, or spirit—even the least among them, including tiny creatures such as ants—likewise I, so-and-so, from now through sundown tonight and until sunrise tomorrow, also abandon taking life and abstain from taking life. I relinquish the stick and the sword, behaving with conscientiousness and compassion as I abandon and abstain from taking the life of any sentient being, living creature, or spirit—even the least among them, including tiny creatures such as ants. Through this first factor, I emulate, act in accordance with, and imitate the course of conduct of the noble ones, the worthy ones.’
“ ‘Just as I abstain from killing, likewise I abandon and abstain from taking what is not given; sexual activity; false speech; heedlessness from having become drunk on fermented or distilled spirits; singing, dancing, and music, as well as wearing garlands, perfumes, ornaments, and cosmetics; high beds and large beds; and eating at the improper time.11 Just like those noble ones, the worthy ones, who, for as long as they live, have abandoned eating at the improper time and abstained from eating at the improper time, likewise I, so-and-so, from now through sundown tonight and [F.265.a] until sunrise tomorrow, also abandon eating at the improper time and abstain from eating at the improper time. Through this eighth factor, I emulate, act in accordance with, and imitate the course of conduct of those noble ones, the worthy ones.’
“Recite thus a second and a third time. Vasiṣṭha, this is the eightfold observance of the noble ones, and thus, by maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones, one will experience all one wishes for among gods and humans. Vasiṣṭha, you should maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, practice diligently on special days, and experience all you wish for among gods and humans!
“Regarding the merit of those faithful sons or daughters of good families who maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, Vasiṣṭha, one cannot fathom the extent of the merit, nor the fruits of the merit, nor the ripening of the fruits of the merit by saying, ‘It is this much.’ And yet, it is described as ‘many heaps of merit.’
“As an analogy, Vasiṣṭha, it is like how the five great rivers—the Ganges, the Yamunā, the One With the Lake, the One With Houses, and the Saté12—flow down into one, and thus, one cannot fathom their volume, saying, ‘There is this much water, or these many hundred jugs of water, or these many thousand jugs of water, or these many hundred thousand jugs of water.’ And yet, it is described as ‘a lot of water’ and ‘a huge river.’
“Similarly, Vasiṣṭha, regarding the merit of those sons or daughters of good families who maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, one cannot fathom the extent of the merit, nor the fruits of the merit, nor the ripening of the fruits of the merit by saying, ‘It is this much.’ And yet, it is described as ‘a lot of merit.’ [F.265.b]
“Vasiṣṭha, what do you think? Can someone fathom the waters of the great ocean, saying, ‘There is this much water, or this many hundred jugs of water, or this many thousand jugs of water, or this many hundred thousand jugs of water’?”
“Gautama,” replied Vasiṣṭha, “regarding the waters of the great oceans, it is baseless and untenable for someone to fathom their volume, saying, ‘There is this much water, or this many hundred jugs of water, or this many thousand jugs of water, or this many hundred thousand jugs of water.’ Gautama, if you ask why that is the case, it is because there is not a fathomable volume.”
The Blessed One said, “One should understand this through the following illustration: it is possible that someone, at some time, and by some means could fathom the volume of water in the great ocean, saying, ‘There is this much water, or this many hundred jugs of water, or this many thousand jugs of water, or this many hundred thousand jugs of water,’ but one cannot fathom the extent of the merit of maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, or the fruits of the merit, or the ripening of the fruits of the merit, saying, ‘It is this much.’ And yet, it is described as ‘a lot of merit’ and ‘a big heap of merit.’
“Vasiṣṭha,” continued the Blessed One, “such is the great fruit of maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones; such is the great benefit; such is the great power; such is the abundance. Vasiṣṭha, maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, practice diligently on special days, and experience all you wish for among gods and humans!”
The brahmin Vasiṣṭha then replied to the Blessed One with these words: “O Gautama, now consider two people: the first practices gift giving for as long as they live, but the second, for as long as they live, [F.266.a] maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones. Of the two, Blessed One, who is superior?”
“Vasiṣṭha,” answered the Blessed One, “in this case, maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones and generosity are not equal. As an analogy, Vasiṣṭha, say that a son or daughter of a good family, for as long as they live, makes offerings to whosoever is a worthy one on this Jambu continent—their contaminants ceased, their work done, their task complete, their burden laid down, their own purpose attained, their connection to existence entirely extinguished, and satisfied thanks to the complete liberation of their minds through right knowledge. They make offerings of the precious things contained in the sixteen great kingdoms13—Aṅga, Magadha, Kośala, Kāśī, Vṛji, Malla, Puṇḍra, Srekpa,14 Kāmā,15 Avanti, Kuru, Pañcāla, Vatsa, Śūrasena,16 Yavana, and Kamboja. That is to say, they make offerings of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, magnificent sapphires, crystals,17 pearls, beryl, shell stones,18 coral, silver, alluvial gold, aśmagarbha emeralds, cat’s eyes,19 red pearls, and right-coiling conches—all begotten through strenuous effort, earned thanks to the sweat of one’s brow and by the strength of one’s arms, and justly and lawfully obtained. They make offerings of those things along with provisions, garments, food, bedding, and medicines that cure illness. When compared to a second person maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, the heap of merit that arises from the aforementioned acts of generosity does not even come close to a hundredth part of the heap of merit that arises from maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones. It does not even come close to a thousandth, [F.266.b] or a hundred thousandth, or any number, fraction, sum total, analogy, or comparison. Vasiṣṭha, such is the great fruit of maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones; such is the great benefit; such is the great power; such is the abundance. Vasiṣṭha, maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, practice diligently on special days, and experience all that gods and humans wish!
“Furthermore, Vasiṣṭha, in comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty20 in the human realm is of paltry worth. That which among humans is fifty years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating, whatever constitutes five hundred years for the gods, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings. If calculated by human standards, it is nine million years.21 Vasiṣṭha, upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who has maintained the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“That which among humans is one hundred years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating, whatever constitutes one thousand years for the gods, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. If calculated by human standards, it is thirty-six million years. Upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, [F.267.a] will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, that which among humans is two hundred years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven Free from Strife. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating, whatever constitutes two thousand years, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven Free from Strife. If calculated by human standards, it is one hundred and forty-four million years.22 Upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven Free from Strife. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, that which among humans is four hundred years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of Joy. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. Just so, by that way of calculating years, whatever constitutes four thousand years for the gods, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of Joy. If calculated by human standards, it is five hundred and seventy-six million years. Vasiṣṭha, upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of Joy. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, that which among humans is eight hundred years [F.267.b] is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating years, whatever constitutes eight thousand years for the gods, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations. If calculated by human standards, it is two billion three hundred four million years.23 Upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, that which among humans is sixteen hundred years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating years, whatever constitutes sixteen thousand years, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. If calculated by human standards, it is nine billion two hundred sixteen million years.24 Upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, practice diligently on special days, and experience all you wish for among gods and humans!”
The brahmin Vasiṣṭha then said these words to the Blessed One: [F.268.a] “O Gautama, for a long time, for every lunar special day, I have wearily performed severe austerities, yet I have gained nothing at all. Today and henceforth, I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma and in the Saṅgha. With all the power and strength that I possess, I will maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, and I will practice generosity.”
The Blessed One proclaimed, “Vasiṣṭha, this is excellent! That is your task!” After the Blessed One proclaimed those words, the brahmin Vasiṣṭha, along with the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, rejoiced and extolled what the Blessed One had taught.
Colophon
This was translated, revised, and finalized by the Indian preceptor Sarvajñādeva, the chief editor-translator Bandé Paltsek, and others.
Notes
Bibliography
Primary Sources
gnas ’jog pa’i mdo. Toh 333, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 263.b–268.a.
gnas ’jog gi mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 72, pp. 757–67.
’phags pa gnas ’jog gi mdo. Stok 206, Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, zha), folios 375.a–382.a.
’phags pa gnas ’jog ces bya ba’i mdo. Hemis Kangyur vol. 78.4 (mdo, ngi), folios 54.a–60.b.
’phags pa gnas mchog ces bya ba’i mdo (Āryasthānadharanamasūtra). F132, Phukdrak Kangyur vol. 65 (mdo sde, na), folios 317.b–323b.
kun tu rgyu ba sen rings kyis zhu ba (Dīrghanakhaparivrājakaparipṛcchānāmasūtra). Toh 342, Degé Kangyur vol. 74 (mdo sde, a), folios 298.b–300.a. English translation in Kīrtimukha Translation Group 2021.
sman gyi gzhi (Bhaiṣajyavastu). Toh 1-6, Degé Kangyur vol. 1 (’dul ba, ka), folios 277.b–311.a; vol. 2 (’dul ba, kha), folios 1.a–317.a; vol. 3 (’dul ba, ga), folios 1.a–50.a. English translation in Bhaiṣajyavastu Translation Team 2021.
Sunāyaśrīmitra. dge bsnyen gyi sdom pa brgyad pa (Upāsakasaṁvarāṣṭaka). Toh 4141, Degé Tengyur vol. 167 (mdo ’grel, ’dul ba, su), folios 156.b–157.a.
Sunāyaśrīmitra. dge bsnyen gyi sdom pa brgyad pa’i bshad pa (Upāsakasaṁvarāṣṭakavivaraṇa). Toh 4142, Degé Tengyur vol. 167 (mdo ’grel, ’dul ba, su), folios 157.b–161.b.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ʼphang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Searchable Electronic Edition of the Dharmasūtras of Āpastamba, Gautama, Baudhāyana, Vasiṣṭha, and Vaikhānasa under “Dharmasūtras | Sanskrit at the University of Texas at Austin.” Accessed January 5, 2022.
Secondary Literature
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Bhaiṣajyavastu Translation Team, trans. The Chapter on Medicines (Bhaiṣajyavastu, Toh 1-6). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
Bodhi, Bhikkhu, trans. (2003). The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta Nikāya. 2nd edition. Boston: Wisdom Publications.
Bodhi, Bhikkhu, trans. (2012). The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Complete Translation of the Aṅguttara Nikāya. Simon and Schuster.
Eggeling, Julius, trans. The Śatapatha-Brahmana: According to the Text of the Mādhyandina School. Vol. 1. 5 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882.
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Kīrtimukha Translation Group, trans. The Questions of Dīrghanakha the Wandering Mendicant (Dīrghanakhaparivrājakaparipṛcchā, Toh 342). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
Ñāṇamoli, Bhikkhu and Bhikkhu Bodhi, trans. The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995.
Olivelle, Patrick, trans. (1999). The Dharmasūtras: The Law Codes of Ancient India. Oxford University Press.
Olivelle, Patrick, trans. (2009). The Law Code of Manu. Reissue edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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Schopen, Gregory. “Hīnayāna Texts in a 14th Century Persian Chronicle: Notes on Some of Rashīd al-Dīn’s Sources.” Central Asiatic Journal 26, no. 3/4 (1982): 225–35.
Shin, Jae-Eun. “Region Formed and Imagined: Reconsidering Temporal, Spatial and Social Context of Kāmarūpa.” In Modern Practices in North East India, edited by Lipokmar Dzüvichü and Manjeet Baruah, 23–55. Routledge India, 2017.
Glossary
Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding source language
Attested in source text
This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.
Attested in other text
This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.
Attested in dictionary
This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding language.
Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.
Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering
This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.
Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering
This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.
Source unspecified
This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often is a widely trusted dictionary.
alluvial gold
- sa le sbram
- ས་ལེ་སྦྲམ།
- suvarnacūrṇa
Aṅga
- ang ga
- ཨང་ག
- aṅga
aśmagarbha emerald
- rdo’i snying po
- རྡོའི་སྙིང་པོ།
- aśmagarbha
Avanti
- a ban ti
- ཨ་བན་ཏི།
- avanti
Bandé Paltsek
- ban de dpal brtsegs
- བན་དེ་དཔལ་བརྩེགས།
- —
beryl
- bai dU r+ya
- བཻ་དཱུ་རྱ།
- vaiḍūrya
cat’s eye
- spug
- སྤུག
- musāragalva
coral
- byi ru
- བྱི་རུ།
- pravāḍa
crystal
- nor bu
- ནོར་བུ།
- maṇi
earned thanks to the sweat of one’s brow
- rdul cing dri ma chags chags
- རྡུལ་ཅིང་དྲི་མ་ཆགས་ཆགས།
- svedamalāvakṣipta
eightfold observance
- yan lag brgyad dang ldan pa’i bsnyen gnas
- ’phags pa’i yan lag brgyad dang ldan pa’i bsnyen gnas
- ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད་དང་ལྡན་པའི་བསྙེན་གནས།
- འཕགས་པའི་ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད་དང་ལྡན་པའི་བསྙེན་གནས།
- —
emerald
- mar gad
- མར་གད།
- marakata
factor
- yan lag
- ཡན་ལག
- aṅga
Ganges
- gang ga
- གང་ག
- gaṅgā
Heaven Free from Strife
- ’thab bral
- འཐབ་བྲལ།
- yāma
Heaven of Delighting in Emanations
- ’phrul dga’
- འཕྲུལ་དགའ།
- nirmāṇarati
Heaven of Joy
- dga’ ldan
- དགའ་ལྡན།
- tuṣita
Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations
- gzhan ’phrul dbang byed
- གཞན་འཕྲུལ་དབང་བྱེད།
- paranirmitavaśavartin
Heaven of the Four Great Kings
- rgyal chen bzhi’i ris
- རྒྱལ་ཆེན་བཞིའི་རིས།
- caturmahārājakāyika
Heaven of the Thirty-Three
- sum cu rtsa gsum
- སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ།
- trāyastriṃśa
Jambu continent
- ’dzam bu’i gling
- འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།
- jambudvīpa
Kāmā
- kA mA
- ཀཱ་མཱ།
- —
Kamboja
- kam po
- ཀམ་པོ།
- kamboja
Kapila
- ser skya
- སེར་སྐྱ།
- kapila
Kapilavastu
- ser skya’i gnas
- སེར་སྐྱའི་གནས།
- kapilavastu
Kāśī
- kA shi
- ཀཱ་ཤི།
- kāśī
Kośala
- ko sa la
- ཀོ་ས་ལ།
- kośala
Kuru
- ku ru
- ཀུ་རུ།
- kuru
lunar special day
- dgung zla
- དགུང་ཟླ།
- —
Magadha
- ma ga d+hA
- མ་ག་དྷཱ།
- magadha
magnificent sapphires
- mthon ka chen po
- མཐོན་ཀ་ཆེན་པོ།
- mahānīla
Malla
- malla
- མལླ།
- malla
month-long fast
- dgung zlar smyung ba
- དགུང་ཟླར་སྨྱུང་བ།
- cāndrāyaṇavrata
Nyagrodha Park
- shing n+ya gro d+ha’i kun dga’ ra ba
- ཤིང་ནྱ་གྲོ་དྷའི་ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།
- nyagrodhārāma
One With Houses
- khyim ldan
- ཁྱིམ་ལྡན།
- —
One With the Lake
- mtsho ldan
- མཚོ་ལྡན།
- —
Pañcāla
- lnga len
- ལྔ་ལེན།
- pañcāla
pearls
- mu tig
- མུ་ཏིག
- muktikā
Puṇḍra
- pun dra
- པུན་དྲ།
- puṇḍra
red pearl
- mu tig dmar po
- མུ་ཏིག་དམར་པོ།
- lohitamuktikā
rubies
- pad ma rA ga
- པད་མ་རཱ་ག
- padmarāga
sapphires
- an da rnyil
- ཨན་ད་རྙིལ།
- indranīla
Sarvajñādeva
- sarba dz+nya de ba
- སརྦ་ཛྙ་དེ་བ།
- sarvajñādeva
Saté
- sa ste
- ས་སྟེ།
- —
shell stone
- shang ka shi la
- ཤང་ཀ་ཤི་ལ།
- śaṅkhaśilā
sixteen great kingdoms
- yul chen po bcu drug
- ཡུལ་ཆེན་པོ་བཅུ་དྲུག
- mahājanapada
special days
- cho ’phrul gyi phyogs
- ཆོ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་ཕྱོགས།
- prātihāryapakṣa
Srekpa
- sreg pa
- srag pa
- སྲེག་པ།
- སྲག་པ།
- —
Śūrasena
- dpal sde
- dpe sde
- dpa’ sde
- དཔལ་སྡེ།
- དཔེ་སྡེ།
- དཔའ་སྡེ།
- śūrasena
the five great rivers
- chu bo chen po lnga po
- ཆུ་བོ་ཆེན་པོ་ལྔ་པོ།
- pañcamahānadī
Vasiṣṭha
- gnas ’jog
- གནས་འཇོག
- vasiṣṭha
Vatsa
- bad sa
- བད་ས།
- vatsa
Vṛji
- br-i dzi
- བྲྀ་ཛི།
- vṛji
Yamunā
- ya mu na
- ཡ་མུ་ན།
- yamunā
Yavana
- ya ba na
- ཡ་བ་ན།
- yavana