The Play in Full
Exaltation

Then the gods from the pure realms circumambulated the Thus-Gone One, who sat at the seat of awakening. They showered him with a rain of divine sandalwood powder and praised him with these fitting verses: [358]

Monks, once the gods from the realm of the pure realms had praised the Thus-Gone One in this manner, they prostrated to the Thus-Gone One with palms joined and stood to one side.

Monks, then the luminous gods paid homage to the Thus-Gone One sitting at the seat of awakening with a plethora of flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, unguents, parasols, standards, and flags. When the offerings had been made, they circumambulated him three times and then praised him with these verses:

Monks, once the luminous gods had praised the Thus-Gone One so, they bowed to him with palms joined and stood to one side.

Then the gods from the Brahma realm, led by the son of gods, Subrahman, covered the Thus-Gone One sitting at the seat of awakening with a jewel net studded with many trillions of gems. They circumambulated him three times, then praised him with these fitting verses:

Monks, once the gods of the Brahma realm, led by the god Subrahman, had praised the Thus-Gone One with these verses, [F.173.a] they bowed to him with palms joined and stood to one side.

Then those sons of Māra who were on the side of righteousness approached the Thus-Gone One and covered him with giant jewel parasols and canopies. Then with palms joined, they praised the Thus-Gone One with these fitting verses:

Monks, once the sons of Māra had praised the Thus-Gone One in this manner, with palms joined they bowed to the Thus-Gone One and stood to one side.

Then a god from the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations, surrounded and escorted by millions of gods, sprinkled the Thus-Gone One with golden lotuses from the Jambū River. Then, in his presence, they praised him with these verses:

Monks, once the gods from the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations, led by the god in charge, had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed to him and stood to one side. [F.174.a]

Next the god Sunirmita, surrounded and escorted by an assembly of gods from the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations, covered the Thus-Gone One with ribbons of silk studded with various gemstones, and in his presence praised him with these verses:

Monks, once the god Sunirmita and his entourage had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed down to the Thus-Gone One and sat to one side.

Next the god Santuṣita, along with other gods from the Heaven of Joy, approached the Thus-Gone One as he sat at the seat of awakening and draped him with a vast patchwork of divine garments. [F.174.b] [364] Then he praised the Thus-Gone One in his presence with these verses:

Monks, once the god Santuṣita and his entourage had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed to him and sat to one side.

Then the gods from the Heaven Free from Strife, led by the god Suyāma, went to where the Thus-Gone One was seated. When they arrived, they worshiped the Thus-Gone One sitting at the seat of awakening with a plethora of flowers, incense, garlands, perfumes, and unguents, and in his presence they praised him with these fitting verses:

Once the gods from the Heaven Free from Strife, led by the god Suyāma, had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed to the Thus-Gone One and then stood to one side.

Then Śakra, lord of the gods, together with the gods from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, paid homage to the Thus-Gone One with a display of flowers, incense, garlands, unguents, parasols, standards, and flags, then praised him with these verses:

Monks, once Śakra, lord of the gods, together with the gods from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, had praised the Thus-Gone One, with palms joined they bowed to the Thus-Gone One and sat to one side.

Next the Four Great Kings, together with the gods from the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, went to the place where the Thus-Gone One was. When they arrived, they paid homage to him. Hundreds of thousands of gods surrounded him, holding garlands and bouquets of abhimuktaka flowers, campaka flowers, jasmine flowers, nutmeg blossoms, and dhānuṣkāri flowers. Hundreds of thousands of celestial maidens surrounded him, singing divine songs. Thereafter they all praised the Thus-Gone One with these fitting verses:

Once the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, led foremost by the Four Great Kings themselves, had praised the Thus-Gone One in repose at the seat of awakening, they joined palms and bowed to the Thus-Gone One and stood to one side.

Then the gods of the sky approached the Thus-Gone One. As a way of paying homage to the Perfect and Completely Awakened One, the gods adorned the whole sky with a net of jewels and small bells. They offered him jewel parasols, jewel banners, jewel and silk brocade wreaths, ornate jewel earrings, flower wreaths, and pearl strands of various types held by gods who revealed the upper half of their bodies, as well as crescent moons. Upon making these offerings, in his presence they praised him with these verses:

Once the gods of the sky had so praised the Thus-Gone One in repose at the seat of awakening, they joined palms and bowed to him and stood to one side.

Then the terrestrial gods, in order to pay homage to the Thus-Gone One, cleansed and anointed the entire surface of the earth, sprinkled it with perfumed water, strewed it with flowers, covered it with canopies of various dyed fabrics, and then offered it to the Thus-Gone One. Thereafter they praised him with these verses:

Once the terrestrial gods had praised in this manner the Thus-Gone One sitting in repose at the seat of awakening, they bowed to him with palms joined and stood to one side.