1At Sāvatthī. Then the Venerable Mahakappina approached the Blessed One. [n.400] He was the foremost bhikkhu disciple among those who exhort bhikkhus (bhikkhu-ovādaka; AN I 25,13). His verses are at Th 547–56, and he is commended by the Buddha at SN54.7. Spk: He had been a king who ruled over the city of Kukkuṭavati. As soon as he heard about the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha from a group of travelling merchants he left his kingdom for Sāvatthī together with his thousand ministers, intending to go forth. His queen Anoja followed him, accompanied by the ministers’ wives, all with the same intention. The Buddha came out to meet both parties. He first ordained the men as bhikkhus with the "Come, bhikkhu" ordination, and then he had the women ordained as bhikkhunis by the elder nun Uppalavaṇṇā. The Blessed One saw him coming in the distance and addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Bhikkhus, do you see that bhikkhu coming, fair-skinned, thin, with a prominent nose?"

"Yes, venerable sir."

"That bhikkhu is of great spiritual power and might. It is not easy to find an attainment which that bhikkhu has not already attained. And he is one who, by realizing it for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life enters and dwells in that unsurpassed goal of the holy life for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the household life into homelessness."

2This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:

3"The khattiya is the best among people
For those whose standard is the clan,
But one accomplished in knowledge and conduct
Is best among devas and humans.

4"The sun shines by day,
The moon glows at night,
The khattiya shines clad in armour,
The meditative brahmin shines.
But all the time, day and night,
The Buddha shines with glory." sn.ii.285

1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati. Atha kho āyasmā mahākappino yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami. Addasā kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ mahākappinaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ. Disvāna bhikkhū āmantesi: "passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, etaṁ bhikkhuṁ āgacchantaṁ odātakaṁ tanukaṁ tuṅganāsikan"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante".

"Eso kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo. Na ca sā samāpatti sulabharūpā yā tena bhikkhunā asamāpannapubbā. Yassa catthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti tadanuttaraṁ brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāratī"ti.

2Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:

3"Khattiyo seṭṭho janetasmiṁ,
ye gottapaṭisārino;
Vijjācaraṇasampanno,
so seṭṭho devamānuse.

4Divā tapati ādicco,
rattimābhāti candimā;
Sannaddho khattiyo tapati,
jhāyī tapati brāhmaṇo;
Atha sabbamahorattiṁ,
buddho tapati tejasā"ti.

Ekādasamaṁ.