Reading guide
A challenge posed directly, not a story recalled
Unlike most of this saṃyutta's episodes, this discourse opens with a named, historical interlocutor putting a pointed question to the Buddha in person, in a setting distinct from the saṃyutta's usual Sāvatthī backdrop.
Skepticism stated plainly, not softened
Mahāli doesn't merely ask for clarification; he directly suggests the Buddha must have mistaken a lookalike for Sakka, since Sakka is proverbially hard to see — a genuine challenge to the Buddha's claim, not a polite formality.
A question about sight, answered with understanding
Rather than defending or elaborating on the literal act of seeing, the Buddha reframes the entire question: what matters is that he understands Sakka and understands what made him who he is — sidestepping the visual claim entirely.
Familiar content, put to new use
The etymology of Sakka's seven names and the seven vows that follow are identical to SN 11.12's content, but here they serve a different rhetorical purpose — not simply informing the monks, but substantiating a specific claim to genuine understanding against a skeptic's doubt.
A minor variation worth noticing
The order in which the seven epithets are explained here differs slightly from SN 11.12's sequence — Sakka's own name-epithet is explained before Purindada rather than after — a small textual variation between two otherwise near-identical passages.
Key terms
The text
§1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof. Then Mahāli the Licchavi went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,
§2“Sir, have you seen Sakka, lord of gods?” “I have, Mahāli.” “But surely, sir, you must have seen someone who looked like Sakka. For Sakka is hard to see.”
§3“Mahāli, I understand Sakka. And I understand the things that he undertook and committed to, which enabled him to achieve the status of Sakka.
§4In a former life, when Sakka was a human being, he was a student named Magha. That’s why he’s called Maghavā, the Bounteous. In a former life, when Sakka was a human being, he gave gifts ably. That’s why he’s called Sakka, the Able. In a former life, when Sakka was a human being, he was first to give gifts. That’s why he’s called Purindada, the Firstgiver. In a former life, when Sakka was a human being, he gave the gift of a guest house. That’s why he’s called Vāsava, the Houser. Sakka thinks of a thousand things in an hour. That’s why he’s called Sahassakkha, the Thousand-Eyed. Sakka’s wife is the titan maiden named Sujā. That’s why he’s called Sujampati, Sujā’s Husband. Sakka rules as sovereign lord over the gods of the thirty-three. That’s why he’s called Devānaminda, the Lord of Gods.
§5In a former life, when Sakka was a human being, he undertook seven vows. And it was because of undertaking these that he achieved the status of Sakka. What seven? As long as I live, may I support my parents. As long as I live, may I honor the elders in the family. As long as I live, may I speak gently. As long as I live, may I not backbite. As long as I live, may I live at home rid of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share. As long as I live, may I speak the truth. As long as I live, may I be free of anger, or should anger arise, may I quickly get rid of it. In a former life, when Sakka was a human being, he undertook seven vows. And it was because of undertaking these that he achieved the status of Sakka.
§6A child who respects their parents, and honors the elders in the family, whose speech is gentle and courteous, and has given up backbiting; who’s committed to getting rid of stinginess, is truthful, and has mastered anger: the gods of the thirty-three declare them to be a true person.”
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