1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in the Great Wood together with a great Saṅgha of bhikkhus, with five hundred bhikkhus all of whom were arahants. [n.82] This sutta reproduces the opening of the mahāsamaya Sutta (DN No. 20). The background story, related in detail in Spk (as well as in Sv II 672–77 on DN No. 20), begins when the Buddha intervened to prevent a war between the Sakyans and Koliyans, his paternal and maternal kinsmen, over the waters of the river Rohiṇī. After he mediated a peaceful resolution of their conflict, 250 youths from each community went forth under him as monks. After a period of exertion, they all attained arahantship on the same day, the full-moon day of the month of Jeṭṭhamūla (May-June). When the sutta opens, on the same night, they have all assembled in the Master's presence in order to announce their attainments. The word samaya in the title means, not "occasion," but meeting or "concourse"; Spk glosses mahāsamaya in v. 121 as mahāsamūha, "great assembly." And the devatas from ten world systems had for the most part assembled in order to see the Blessed One and the Bhikkhu Saṅgha. Then the thought occurred to four devatas of the host from the Pure Abodes: [n.83] The Pure Abodes (suddhāvasā) are five planes in the form realm into which only nonreturners can be reborn: Aviha, Atappa, Sudassa, Sudassī, and Akaniṭṭha. Here they attain final deliverance without ever returning from that realm. All the inhabitants are thus either nonreturners or arahants. "This Blessed One is dwelling among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in the Great Wood together with a great Saṅgha of bhikkhus, with five hundred bhikkhus all of whom are arahants. And the devatas from ten world systems have for the most part assembled in order to see the Blessed One and the Bhikkhu Saṅgha. Let us also approach the Blessed One and, in his presence, each speak our own verse."

2Then, just as quickly as a strong man might extend his drawn-in arm or draw in his extended arm, those devatas disappeared from among the devas of the Pure Abodes and reappeared before the Blessed One. Then those devatas paid homage to the Blessed One and stood to one side. Standing to one side, one devata recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

3v.121 "A great concourse takes place in the woods,
The deva hosts have assembled.
We have come to this Dhamma concourse
To see the invincible Saṅgha."

4Then another devata recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

5v.122 "The bhikkhus there are concentrated;
They have straightened their own minds.
Like a charioteer who holds the reins,
The wise ones guard their faculties." sn.i.27

6Then another devata recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

7v.123 "Having cut through barrenness, cut the cross-bar,
Having uprooted Indra's pillar, unstirred,
They wander about pure and stainless,
Young nāgas well tamed by the One with Vision." [n.84] in pāda a, I read khilaṁ with Se and Ee1 & 2, as against khīlaṁ in Be. As indakhīlaṁ appears in pāda b, khīlaṁ would be redundant in pāda a. The two words are unrelated: khīla is a wasteland, both literally and figuratively; khila, a stake or pillar, of which a particular kind, the indakhīla, is planted in front of a city gate or at the entrance to a house as an auspicious symbol. Spk defines all three terms—khila, paligha, and indakhīla—in the same way, as lust, hatred, and delusion. At SN45.166 these three are called khila, but at MN I 139,19–22 paligha is identified with ignorance (avijjā). A set of five cetokhila is mentioned at MN I 101,9–27.
These bhikkhus are unstirred (anejā) by the stirring (or commotion, ejā) of craving (see SN35.90). Nāga is a word used to designate various types of powerful beings, particularly a class of semi-divine dragons, but it also can denote cobras and bull elephants and is used as a metaphor for the arahant; see MN I 145,5–7. In relation to the arahant the dominant sense is that of the bull elephant (see Dhp chap. 23), but because the latter expression would, in English, seem demeaning rather than complimentary I have left nāga untranslated. Spk explains the word by way of "edifying etymology" thus: chandadihi na gacchanti ti nāga; tena tena maggena pahine kilese na agacchanti ti nāga; nanappakaraṁ aguṁ na karonti ti nāga; "nāgas, because they do not go along by way of desire and so forth; nāgas, because they do not return to the defilements abandoned by the successive paths; nāgas, because they do not commit the various kinds of crime." Spk calls this a brief account and refers the reader to Nidd I 201–2 for a full explanation. See too Sn 522, which offers a similar etymology.
The "One with Vision" (cakkhumā) is the Buddha, so called because he possesses the "five eyes" (see n. 370).

8Then another devata recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

9v.124 "Those who have gone to the Buddha for refuge
Will not go to the plane of misery.
On discarding the human body,
They will fill the hosts of devas." [n.85] Spk: This verse refers to those who have gone for refuge by the definitive going for refuge (nibbematikasaraṇagamana). Spk-pṭ: By this the supramundane going for refuge is meant (i.e., by the minimal attainment of stream-entry). But those who go for refuge to the Buddha by the mundane going for refuge (i.e., without a noble attainment) will not go to the plane of misery; and if there are other suitable conditions, on leaving the human body they will fill up the hosts of devas.

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sakkesu vihārati kapilavatthusmiṁ mahāvane mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi sabbeheva arahantehi; dasahi ca lokadhātūhi devatā yebhuyyena sannipatitā honti bhagavantaṁ dassanāya bhikkhusaṅghañca. Atha kho catunnaṁ suddhāvāsakāyikānaṁ devatānaṁ etadahosi: "Ayaṁ kho bhagavā sakkesu vihārati kapilavatthusmiṁ mahāvane mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi sabbeheva arahantehi; dasahi ca lokadhātūhi devatā yebhuyyena sannipatitā honti bhagavantaṁ dassanāya bhikkhusaṅghañca. Yannūna mayampi yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkameyyāma; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato santike paccekaṁ gāthaṁ bhāseyyāmā"ti.

2Atha kho tā devatā – seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evameva – suddhāvāsesu devesu antarahitā bhagavato purato pāturahesuṁ. Atha kho tā devatā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhaṁsu. Ekamantaṁ ṭhitā kho ekā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

3"Mahāsamayo pavanasmiṁ,
Devakāyā samāgatā;
Āgatamha imaṁ dhammasamayaṁ,
Dakkhitāye aparājitasaṅghan"ti.

4Atha kho aparā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

5"Tatra bhikkhavo samādahaṁsu,
Cittamattano ujukaṁ akaṁsu;
Sārathīva nettāni gahetvā,
Indriyāni rakkhanti paṇḍitā"ti.

6Atha kho aparā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

7"Chetvā khīlaṁ chetvā palighaṁ,
Indakhīlaṁ ūhacca manejā;
Te caranti suddhā vimalā,
Cakkhumatā sudantā susunāgā"ti.

8Atha kho aparā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

9"Ye keci buddhaṁ saraṇaṁ gatāse,
Na te gamissanti apāyabhūmiṁ;
Pahāya mānusaṁ dehaṁ,
Devakāyaṁ paripūressantī"ti.