Itivuttaka 83
This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, when a deva is about to pass away from the company of devas, five omens appear: his garlands wither, his clothes get soiled, sweat comes out of his armpits, a dullness descends on his body, he no longer delights in his own deva-seat. The devas, knowing from this that ‘This deva-son is about to pass away,’ encourage him with three sayings: ‘Go from here, honorable sir, to a good destination. Having gone to a good destination, gain the gain that is good to gain. Having gained the gain that is good to gain, become well-established.’”
When this was said, a certain monk said to the Blessed One, “What, lord, is the devas’ reckoning of going to a good destination? What is their reckoning of the gain that is good to gain? What is their reckoning of becoming well-established?”
“The human state, monks,1 is the devas’ reckoning of going to a good destination. Having become a human being, acquiring conviction in the Dhamma-&-Vinaya taught by the Tathāgata: this is the devas’ reckoning of the gain that is good to gain. When that conviction is settled within one–rooted, established, & strong, not to be destroyed by any brahman or contemplative; deva, Māra, or Brahma; or anyone else in the world: this is the devas’ reckoning of becoming well-established.”
When a deva passes away
from the company of devas
through his life-span’s ending,
three sounds sound forth
–the devas’ encouragement.
‘Go from here,
honorable sir,
to a good destination,
to companionship
with human beings.
On becoming a human being,
acquire a conviction
unsurpassed
in True Dhamma.
That conviction of yours
in True Dhamma, well-taught,
should be
settled,
rooted,
established,
–undestroyed
as long as you live.
Having abandoned
bodily misconduct,
verbal misconduct,
mental misconduct,
and whatever else is flawed;
having done with the body what’s skillful,
and much that is skillful with speech,
having done what’s skillful
with a heart without limit,
with no acquisitions,
then–having made much of the merit
that’s a ground for spontaneously arising [in heaven]
through giving–
establish other mortals
in
True Dhamma &
the holy life.’
With this sympathy, the devas–
when they know a deva is passing away–
encourage him:
‘Come back, deva,
again & again.’
Note
1. Reading bhikkhave with the Thai edition. The Burmese and Sri Lankan editions read bhikkhu, “monk.”
