Vangisa Bhante:
Dear Devata, your mansion is very beautiful. Silver and golden nets dangle from walls made of crystal. There are beautifully decorated archways and golden sand spread throughout the compound. When the sun shines in autumn, darkness is dispelled in all directions and the sky blazes. Such is your mansion. It glows just like a fire blazing in the night sky. It blinds the eye as though it were lightning. Music from guitars and drums, and clapping hands echo throughout your mansion, just like in Inda’s city, which is full of entertainment. Your mansion is surrounded by jasmine flowers and red, white, and blue lotuses. Trees with blossoming sala and asoka flowers spread sweet fragrance all around.
Beautiful Devata, delightful pools surround your mansion. Their water is like blue gems. On the banks of those pools, there are beautiful sweetly scented trees and blossoming vines overhanging palm trees. All types of flowers that grow in water and trees that grow on land, both in the human and the heavenly world, can be found around your mansion.
When you were in the human world, what precepts did you follow to get this result? How did you receive this divine mansion with wonderful pleasures?
Devata:
Around my mansion live various types of divine birds such as herons, peacocks, partridges, ducks, geese, and cuckoos. Their songs can be heard all around. My mansion is surrounded by many types of divine trees and flowers such as trumpet flowers, rose-apple, and asoka trees. It is very beautiful. I will explain how I have obtained it.
Bhante, when I was in the human world, I lived in a village called Nalaka which is in the eastern part of Magadha province. I was a daughter-in-law there. My name was Sesavati.
The Arahant Sariputta Bhante attained final Nibbana at passing away. He possessed immeasurable good qualities. He was honored and respected by gods and men. He was very skilled at analyzing and explaining the Dhamma. I was also very pleased with that quality. I offered fragrant flowers to his sacred body.
He was in his final life and bearing his final body. He was a great seer. That great Bhante attained final Nibbana at passing away without leaving anything in this world.
I offered sweet-smelling flowers to his body during his funeral. Due to that meritorious deed, after death I was reborn in this Tavatimsa Heaven.
