1.6 Ship Mansion (VV6)

Moggallana Bhante:

Devata, your divine mansion is a ship with a roof made of gold. It floats on a pond filled with lotus flowers. You happily pick those lotus flowers with your own hands.

What kind of meritorious action did you do when you were in the human world to have gained this beauty that shines in all directions, and to have earned all these wonderful things?

Narrator:

That devata, delighted at being questioned by Arahant Moggallana, gladly explained what she had done that resulted in such great happiness.

Devata:

In my previous life I was a woman in the human world. One day, I saw several monks who were very thirsty and had fallen to the ground. I got up quickly and offered them water to drink.

Now I know if people offer water to a monk who is thirsty, cool ponds full of white lotuses will appear for them in the heavenly world. Further, their divine mansions will be surrounded with beautiful sandy beaches where streams of water flow smoothly. Mango trees, sala trees, tilakas, rose apples, cassias and trumpet flowers will be in full bloom everywhere. These beautiful mansions appear in such places. They shine brilliantly.

Bhante, that was my meritorious deed which gave me this wonderful result. Only those who do meritorious deeds deserve this happiness.

Because of this meritorious deed, I have been born as a very beautiful devata and enjoy all the wonderful things that delight my heart.

Great Bhante, that is the meritorious action I did to have such a beautiful body that shines in all directions.

Translated by: Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera

According to Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera's translation from the Pali.

Stories of Heavenly Mansions from the Vimanatthu © 2018 Mahamegha Publications.

For more information visit mahamevnawabm.org.

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