"Bhikkhus, in the evening the lion, the king of beasts, comes out from his lair, stretches his body, surveys the four quarters all around, and roars his lion's roar three times. Then he sets out in search of game.

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"Whatever animals hear the lion roaring for the most part are filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror. Those who live in holes enter their holes; those who live in the water enter the water; those who live in the woods enter the woods; and the birds resort to the sky. Even those royal bull elephants, bound by strong thongs in the villages, towns, and capital cities, burst and break their bonds asunder; frightened, they urinate and defecate and flee here and there. So powerful among the animals is the lion, the king of beasts, so majestic and mighty.

2"So too, bhikkhus, when the Tathāgata arises in the world, an arahant, perfectly enlightened, accomplished in true knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One, he teaches the Dhamma thus: ‘(1) Such is personal existence, (2) such the origin of personal existence, (3) such the cessation of personal existence, (4) such the way to the cessation of personal existence.’ [n.688] "Personal existence" (sakkāya): the five aggregates subject to clinging. See MN 44.2, I 299,8–14; SN 22:105; III 158,3–4.

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"When those devas who are long-lived, beautiful, abounding in happiness, dwelling for a long time in lofty palaces, hear the Tathāgata's teaching of the Dhamma, for the most part they are filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror thus: [n.689] Mp: "‘For the most part’ (yebhuyyena) is said to make an exception of those devas who are noble disciples. Though they experience urgency of knowledge (ñāṇasaṁvega), no fear at all arises in the arahants, because they have attained what should be attained through careful striving. The other devas, as they attend to impermanence, experience both fear as mental fright (cittutrāsabhaya) and, at the time of strong insight, cognitive fear (ñāṇabhaya)." "Cognitive fear" is probably the stage of insight called "knowledge of appearance as fearful" (bhayat’upaṭṭhānañāṇa; see Vism 645–47, Ppn 21.29–34). ‘It seems that we are actually impermanent, though we thought ourselves permanent; it seems that we are actually transient, though we thought ourselves everlasting; it seems that we are actually non-eternal, though we thought ourselves eternal. It seems that we are impermanent, transient, non-eternal, included in personal existence.’ [n.690] Mp: "Included in personal existence (sakkāyapariyāpannā): included in the five aggregates. Thus, when the Buddha teaches them the Dhamma stamped with the three characteristics, exposing the faults in the round of existence, cognitive fear enters them." So powerful is the Tathāgata, so majestic and mighty is he in this world together with its devas."

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3When, through direct knowledge,
the Buddha, the teacher, the peerless person
in this world with its devas,
sets in motion the wheel of Dhamma,

4 he teaches personal existence, its cessation,
the origin of personal existence,
and the noble eightfold path
that leads to the calming down of suffering.

5Then even those devas with long life spans—
beautiful, ablaze with glory—
become fearful and filled with terror,
like beasts who hear the lion's roar.

6"It seems that we are impermanent,
not beyond personal existence," (they say),
when they hear the word of the Arahant,
the Stable One who is fully freed.

1"Sīho, bhikkhave, migarājā sāyanhasamayaṁ āsayā nikkhamati. Āsayā nikkhamitvā vijambhati. Vijambhitvā samantā catuddisā anuviloketi. Samantā catuddisā anuviloketvā tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ nadati. Tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ naditvā gocarāya pakkamati.

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Ye kho pana te, bhikkhave, tiracchānagatā pāṇā sīhassa migarañño nadato saddaṁ suṇanti, te yebhuyyena bhayaṁ saṁvegaṁ santāsaṁ āpajjanti. Bilaṁ bilāsayā pavisanti, dakaṁ dakāsayā pavisanti, vanaṁ vanāsayā pavisanti, ākāsaṁ pakkhino bhajanti. Yepi te, bhikkhave, rañño nāgā gāmanigamarājadhānīsu daḷhehi varattehi bandhanehi baddhā, tepi tāni bandhanāni sañchinditvā sampadāletvā bhītā muttakarīsaṁ cajamānā yena vā tena vā palāyanti. Evaṁ mahiddhiko kho, bhikkhave, sīho migarājā tiracchānagatānaṁ pāṇānaṁ, evaṁ mahesakkho evaṁ mahānubhāvo.

2Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, yadā tathāgato loke uppajjati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā, so dhammaṁ deseti: ‘iti sakkāyo, iti sakkāyasamudayo, iti sakkāyanirodho, iti sakkāyanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti.

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Yepi te, bhikkhave, devā dīghāyukā vaṇṇavanto sukhabahulā uccesu vimānesu ciraṭṭhitikā, tepi tathāgatassa dhammadesanaṁ sutvā yebhuyyena bhayaṁ saṁvegaṁ santāsaṁ āpajjanti: ‘aniccā vata kira, bho, mayaṁ samānā niccamhāti amaññimha; addhuvā vata kira, bho, mayaṁ samānā dhuvamhāti amaññimha; asassatā vata kira, bho, mayaṁ samānā sassatamhāti amaññimha. Mayaṁ kira, bho, aniccā addhuvā asassatā sakkāyapariyāpannā’ti. Evaṁ mahiddhiko kho, bhikkhave, tathāgato sadevakassa lokassa, evaṁ mahesakkho evaṁ mahānubhāvoti.

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3Yadā buddho abhiññāya,
dhammacakkaṁ pavattayī;
Sadevakassa lokassa,
satthā appaṭipuggalo.

4Sakkāyañca nirodhañca,
sakkāyassa ca sambhavaṁ;
Ariyañcaṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ,
dukkhūpasamagāminaṁ.

5Yepi dīghāyukā devā,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Bhītā santāsamāpāduṁ,
sīhassevitaremigā.

6Avītivattā sakkāyaṁ,
aniccā kira bho mayaṁ;
Sutvā arahato vākyaṁ,
vippamuttassa tādino"ti.

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Tatiyaṁ.