dn20:3.4 “There’s a great congregation in the woods,“Great congregation” is mahāsamaya.
where heavenly hosts have assembled.
We’ve come to this righteous congregation
to see the invincible Saṅgha!”

dn20:3.9 “The mendicants there are immersed in samādhi,
they’ve straightened their own minds.
Like a charioteer holding the reins,
the astute ones protect their senses.”

dn20:3.14“They snapped the post and snapped the cross-bar,
unstirred, they tore out Indra’s pillar.A village (Bhikkhu Pārājika 2) or royal compound (Bhikkhu Pacittiya 83) was marked with a “boundary-post” (indakhīla). It symbolized a fixed and immovable point, either in a good sense (SN56.39) or, as here, an obstacle. The Sanskrit indrakīla is a two-foot long iron bolt securing a fort, presumably fixed in the ground (Arthaśāstra 2.3.26), or else a mountain in the Himalayas. The warrior Arjuna, journeying beyond the Gandhamādana, is stopped at the Indrakīla mountain by Sakra/Indra disguised as a brahmin ascetic, at whose urging Arjuna undertakes asceticism in order to gain the power he would need (Mahābhārata 3.3.37). The symbolic sense of “stopping” relates to the Pali sense of immovability, and suggests that the underlying metaphor is the irresistible power represented by Indra.
For Mahāsaṅgīti’s ūhacca manejā read ūhacca-m-anejā.
They live pure and immaculate,
the young giants tamed by the Clear-eyed One.”Nāga can refer to a class of semi-divine beings in a powerful serpentine form (“dragon”); a large and powerful snake, especially a king cobra; a bull elephant; or any powerful and mighty being (“giant”).

dn20:3.19 “Anyone who has gone to the Buddha for refuge
won’t go to a plane of loss.
After giving up this human body,
they swell the hosts of gods.”The discourse up to here is also found at SN1.37.

dn20:5.1“I invoke a paean of praise!“Paean of praise” is siloka, a rare case where this means “verse (of praise)” rather than “fame, renown”. Siloka is also a poetic metre, the most common form in Pali.
Anukassāmi is present tense from the root kass, “to draw (up), to drag”. Compare Sanskrit anukarṣa in the sense “invoking, summoning by incantation”.
Where the earth-gods dwell,
there, in mountain caves,
resolute and composed,

dn20:5.5dwell many like lonely lions,
who have mastered their fears.This gives a hint as to one of the purposes of this sutta. Living alone in remote forests can be terrifying. Such places were widely believed to be haunted by all manner of supernatural creatures, not all of them friendly. While for an arahant this posed no threat, there would have been then, as there are today, many young or aspiring meditators who faced such challenges with trepidation. These verses offer succor, surrounding them with powerful, albeit invisible, allies.
Their minds are bright and pure,
clear and undisturbed.”

dn20:5.9The teacher knew that over five hundred
were in the wood at Kapilavatthu.
Therefore he addressed
the disciples who love the teaching:

dn20:5.13“The heavenly hosts have come forth;
mendicants, you should be aware of them.”
Those monks grew keen,
hearing the Buddha’s instruction.

dn20:6.1Knowledge manifested in them,
seeing those non-human beings.
Some saw a hundred,
a thousand, even seventy thousand,

dn20:6.5while some saw a hundred thousand
non-human beings.
But some saw an endless number
spread out in every direction.

dn20:6.9And all that was known
and distinguished by the Clear-eyed One.
Therefore he addressed
the disciples who love the teaching:

dn20:6.13“The heavenly hosts have come forth;
mendicants, you should be aware of them.
I shall extol them for you,
with lyrics in proper order.

dn20:7.1There are seven thousand spirits,“Spirit” is yakkha. In later legend they appear as monstrous figures, but in the suttas they are ambiguous and may often be friendly to the Dhamma. Early statues of yakkhas at Madhurā (circa 100 BCE) depict noble and powerful kings, not ogres. Yakkha is also sometimes used more generally in the sense of an individual or deity.
earth-gods of Kapilavatthu.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:7.7From the Himalayas there are six thousand
spirits of different colors.Colorful like the nymphs of MN50 or Susīma’s gods at SN2.29.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:7.13From Mount Sātā there are three thousandMount Sātā is unidentified, but according to the commentary it was in the middle region.
spirits of different colors.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:7.19And thus there are sixteen thousand
spirits of different colors.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:8.1From Vessāmitta’s mountain there are five hundredVessāmitta (“friend of all”) is the name of a Vedic hermit. Legend has it that he was a khattiya who earned brahminhood due to his intense austerities in the remote Himalayas. Perhaps this is a mountain named for him, although I can find no trace of it in Sanskrit.
spirits of different colors.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:8.7And there’s Kumbhīra of Rājagaha,Kumbhīra means “crocodile”.
whose home is on Mount Vepulla.
Attended by more than
a hundred thousand spirits,
Kumbhīra of Rājagaha
also came to the meeting in the wood.

dn20:9.1King Dhataraṭṭha rulesWe met two human King Dhataraṭṭhas (“Strongrealm”) in the Mahāgovindasutta.
the eastern quarter.
Lord of the centaurs,“Centaur” is gandhabba. Gandhabbas are wild, sexual beings who, being first to yoke the horse (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 5.1.4.8) and riding the steed called “Racer” (vājin, 10.6.4.1), “take the reins” from Indra (Rig Veda 1.163.2) as his charioteer Mātali. It is likely the Sanskrit gandharva stems from the same root as the Greek kentauro, and the ultimate origin of the idea comes from the proto-Indo-Europeans, who rode the horse, creating a potent entity that was invincible in battle. At Sanchi Stupa No. 2 there are images of men and women riding centaurs, although this may be a later Greek borrowing.
he’s a great king, glorious.

dn20:9.5And he has many mighty sons
all of them named Indra.By implication, they are renowned as being powerful as Indra, the king of gods who in Pali is more commonly called Sakka. It is also a nod to the multiplicity of divinities in the Vedic system, where one becomes many and many become one.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:9.11King Virūḷhaka rulesVirūḷhaka is “growth”; he was probably a god of the fertile crops. In the Pali it is spelled Virūḷha here due to the meter.
the southern quarter.
Lord of the gnomes,“Gnomes” is kumbhaṇḍa (Sanskrit kuṣmāṇḍa), “pumpkin-belly”, a race of lesser deities often depicted as ugly and misshapen.
he’s a great king, glorious.

dn20:9.15And he has many mighty sons
all of them named Indra.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:9.21King Virūpakkha rulesOne of the “royal snake families” at AN4.67. His name means “multiple eyes” (virūpa-akkha) for the false eyes on a cobra’s hood.
the western quarter.
Lord of the dragons,
he’s a great king, glorious.

dn20:9.25And he has many mighty sons
all of them named Indra.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:9.31King Kuvera rulesAlso known as Vessavaṇa (DN32, Snp2.14), which means “Son of the Renowned” from his father Viśrava. These two names appear together elsewhere in contemporary literature (Atharvaveda 8,10.28c, Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 13.4.3.10), where, although the passages are obscure, he appears to be associated with wickedness, concealment, and theft. Although a god of wealth (dhanada), the name Kuvera is explained by lexicographers as “deformed”. Probably he was originally a god of the underground, blessed with the earth’s riches, yet deformed by its great pressure.
the northern quarter.
Lord of spirits,
he’s a great king, glorious.

dn20:9.35And he has many mighty sons
all of them named Indra.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:9.41Dhataraṭṭha in the east,
Virūḷhaka to the south,
Virūpakkha to the west,
and Kuvera in the north.

dn20:9.45These four great kings,The following verses are a treasure-trove of ancient Indian mythology, recording the names of deities otherwise lost to history. Many of the names are obscure and variant readings are recorded in manuscripts and noted in the commentary. My spellings follow Ānandajoti’s translation The Discourse on the Great Convention, unless there is a reason to change. I try to identify the deities as best as I can, but many of them remain speculative.
all around in the four quarters,
stood there dazzling
in the wood at Kapilavatthu.

dn20:10.1Their deceitful heathens came,These deities are called dāsa, which normally means “slave” in Pali. But here, it seems, we have a singular instance of the old Vedic meaning, an uncivilized foe. The dāsas Vṛtra, Namuci, and Vṛṣaśipra are described as “deceivers” (māyin, Rig Veda 1.53.7; 2.11.10; 7.99.4; 10.73.7). This epithet is also used of the closely related dasyu (Rig Veda 1.33.10; 4.16.9; 8.14.14; 10.73.5;). Such beings are said to be “godless” since they oppose the Vedic deities (Rig Veda 2.19.7; 3.31.19; 7.1.10; 10.11.6; 10.138.4, etc.), so we can translate as “heathen”.
so treacherous and crafty—
the deceivers Kuṭeṇḍu, Viṭeṇḍu,I am not able to identify any of these names with confidence, but perhaps kuṭeṇḍu and viṭeṇḍu could be traced to indu (“moon”), thus “crooked moon” and “defective moon”. Compare khaṇḍendu, a later term for Śiva as the crescent moon.
with Viṭucca and Viṭuṭa.The Sanskrit names are kiṭi, vikiṭi, bhṛgu, and bhṛkuṭi. Only bhṛgu is attested in the Vedas, but he was a sage, not a “crafty heathen”.

dn20:10.5And Candana and Kāmaseṭṭha,Candana appears in MN134, SN2.15, and SN40.11, and together with Kāmaseṭṭha in DN32. Candana means “sandalwood”, although the name of the god might also relate to its root “shining”.
Kāmaseṭṭha means “Chief of Sex”, i.e. “Eros”; he does not seem to appear in a Brahmanical context.
Kinnughaṇḍu and Nighaṇḍu,
Panāda and Opamañña,Panāda (“roarer”) was the name of an ancient king who performed the horse sacrifice (Theragatha 2 verse 163, DN26). In Jataka 265 he is said to have been the son of Vessavaṇa (Kuvera).
Opamañña is a descendant of the ascended sage Upamanyu (“zealous one”).
and Mātali, the god’s charioteer.Mātali is the charioteer of Sakka (i.e. Indra; SN11.6, MN83, etc.), a role he plays throughout Brahmanical literature as well. He appears here as one of the centaur lords, and is father to the centaur Sikhaṇḍī, Pañcasikha’s rival in love DN21.

dn20:10.9Cittasena the centaur came too,The gandharva Citrasena (“Brightspear”) appears in the Sanskrit Purāṇas as a friend of Arjuna in various adventures.
and the kings Nala and Janesabha.Nala means “reed”. There was a King Nala of Vidarbha whose love for his Queen Damayantī is celebrated in the Mahābharata.
Janesabha is an alternate spelling of Janavasabha (DN18).
Pañcasikha came too, withIn DN21 we shall learn of how the centaur Pañcasikha (“Fivecrest”) wooed Timbaru’s daughter Suriyavaccasā (“Sunshine”).
Timbaru and Suriyavaccasā.

dn20:10.13These and other kings there were,
the centaurs with their kings.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:11.1Then came the dragons of Nābhasa lake,Read nābhasa, which means “celestial, heavenly”. The commentary says this was the name of a lake, which agrees with the legend that a Nābhasa was a son of Nala (“reed”) and father of Puṇḍarīka (“lotus”). The Sanskrit here, however, has sahabhuṁ nāgo.
and those from Vesālī with those from Takkasilā.Vesālā is from the adjectival form vesāla (“of Vesālī”).
Pali taccha can represent Sanskrit takṣa, and the Sanskrit does indeed have takṣakaḥ here, so Tacchaka is probably “of Takṣasilā”. This famous city, normally spelled Takkasilā in Pali, is Taxila in West Pakistan, an ancient center of learning.
The Kambalas and Assataras cameThese nāgas are frequently mentioned together in Sanskrit literature such as the Mahābhārata (1.31.1a, 2.9.9a, 5.101.9c), where they are also said to come from Pāyāga (3.83.72a: prayāgaṁ sapratiṣṭhānaṁ kambalāśvatarau).
and those from Payāga with their kin.Payāga (modern Prayagraj, formerly Allahabad) is the sacred ford at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamunā beside Kosambī (see Bhikkhu Pārājika 1).

dn20:11.5Those from Yamunā, and the DhataraṭṭhaThe Dhataraṭṭha and Erāvaṇa nāgas also appear frequently in Sanskrit literature, and often in association with other deities in our text as part of a loose cluster of divinities (eg. Harivamśa 3.112–117). Erāvaṇa also appears at Snp2.14. Here he is a nāga as in “dragon”, but later tradition saw him as a nāga as in “elephant”, in which role he became the mighty mount of Indra/Sakka.
dragons came, so glorious.
And Erāvaṇa the great dragon
also came to the meeting in the wood.

dn20:11.9Those who seize the dragon kings by force—Here we see the eternal mythic struggle between birds and snakes, the creatures of the sky and the underworld.
Heavenly, twice-born birds with piercing vision—Birds are called “twice-born”, once from the mother, once from the egg. “Twice-born” is also an epithet of brahmins (Therigatha 15 verse 432).
swoop down to the wood from the sky;
their name is ‘Rainbow Phoenix’.The supaṇṇā (Sanskrit suparṇa, “brightwing”) or garuḷā (Sanskrit garuḍā, “devourer”) is the great eagle, king of birds, and later the vehicle of Viṣṇu. He has been falsely compared with the loathsome harpy; but his golden wings, closeness to the sun, and role as bearer of the nectar of immortality show that he is the Indian phoenix, the golden eagle of the sun. Unlike the western phoenix, he is not said to combust himself and be reborn anew. However this motif is merely the surface expression of the sun’s fiery immortality. As the brother of the Dawn (Aruṇa), his golden wings at sunset “devour” the sun, and he disappears only to be reborn the next day.

dn20:11.13But the dragon kings remained fearless,
for the Buddha kept them safe from the phoenixes.
Inviting each other with gentle words,Upavhayati occurs only here and SN7.9 in Pali. It is  Vedic term for invoking or calling up blessings in a whisper.
the dragons and phoenixes took the Buddha as refuge.The Buddha reconciles even such inveterate enemies. In the Buddhist view, all of these beings have their place in the great pattern of nature.

dn20:12.1Defeated by Vajirahattha,Vajirahattha (“thunderbolt-in-hand”) is a synonym of vajirapāṇi (DN3, MN35). It is a frequent epithet of Sakka in the Vedas (eg. Rig Veda 1.173.10a indro vajrahastaḥ), an identification confirmed by the commentary here.
the titans live in the ocean.
They’re brothers of Vāsava,Vāsava is another epithet of Sakka (see below, DN209), meaning “endowed with wealth” (vasu; see for example Rig Veda 1.9.9a indraṁ vasupatiṁ “Indra, lord of wealth”). The Buddhist explanation of his name SN11.13, rather, plays on the word āvasatha and calls him the “giver of a guesthouse”. Later Brahmanical texts enumerated eight Vasus, with Indra as their lord, who are reckoned among the thirty-three.
Sakka’s wife is the demon (asura) princess Sujā, daughter of Vepacitti, hence they are his “brothers”, technically in-laws (SN11.12).
powerful and glorious.

dn20:12.5There’s the terrifying Kālakañjas,The Kālakañja is the lowest class of titans (DN24). Legend has it that they tried to build a fire altar of bricks (i.e. a mountain) to ascend to the heavens and contest with the gods (Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa 1.1.2.4–6, alluded to at Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 2.1.2.13). Three are mentioned as being godlike at Atharvaveda 6.80.2. The Mahābhārata (eg. 4.44.9) says they are Dānavas, an association supported in the next line. They seem to be associated with the ferocious Kālakeyas, children of Kālā. But a common Sanskrit spelling is kālakhañja, where khañja means “lame”. This calls to mind the lame smith-god Hephaestus, who also ascended to heaven. Kāla (“black”) then would be the black metal iron (cf. English “blacksmith”), yielding the sense “iron-lamed”.
the Dānava and Ghasa titans,The Dānavas are a prominent group of asuras otherwise unattested in early Pali. The name stems from “rivers, waters” after their mother Danū.
Ghasa (“devourer”) is occasionally mentioned as the name of a rakṣasa (Rāmāyaṇa 5.22.36a praghasā nāma rākṣasī). The commentary treats them as a single class of arrow-wielding asuras.
Vepacitti and Sucitti,Vepacitti means “wise thinker”, Sucitti means “good thinker”. Vepacitti was the lord of the asuras and Sakka’s counterpart. Their relationship was complicated (SN11.23). Brahmanical literature regards him as the eldest son of Danū and hence chief of the Dānavas. The Sanskrit form is vipracitti, but in Buddhist texts it is incorrectly Sanskritized to vemacitra. Vepacitti’s fame matches Sucitti’s obscurity, for he does not seem to appear elsewhere.
Pahārāda with Namuci,Pahārāda the ocean-loving asura lord appears in AN 8.19. His name (Sanskrit prahlāda) means “mirth”. Later Brahmanical legends say he was a righteous son of the wicked Hiraṇyakaśipu, who hated him for his devotion to Viṣṇu.
The story goes that when Namuci stole the soma from Indra, Indra’s vengeance was frustrated by his vow not to harm him with anything wet or dry, in the dark or the light (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 12.7.3.1). Indra’s ingenious solution was to dismember him with foam (Rig Veda 8.14.13) at dawn. Namuci’s name is explained as na-muci, “not letting go” (the waters). In Buddhism, Namuci is a name of Māra, although here Māra appears separately below..

dn20:12.9and Bali’s hundred sons,According to legend, Bali was the grandson of Pahārāda and son of Virocana. His hundred sons were dread warriors (Bhāgavata Purāṇa 8.10.30). The word bali also refers to a kind of sacrificial offering, but the roots of the term are obscure.
all named after Virocana.Virocana was their grandfather. He was another adversary of Indra, despite which they were both said to have sought knowledge from Prajāpatī, but Virocana misunderstood since he saw only the surface meaning (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 8.7.2–8.5). Here he is associated with Rāhu, while Gaṇeśa Purāṇa 2.29 says he was granted a crown by the sun which he then lost. These details hint at a connection with the eclipse, in which case virocana would be the rays that emanate during a solar eclipse.
Bali’s army armed themselves
and went to the auspicious Rāhu, saying:Rāhu is the mighty asura who “seizes” the moon (SN2.9) or the sun (SN2.10) to create an eclipse. He is the son of Vepacitti. It is strange to see him described as “auspicious” (bhadda), as he is a black planet and a force of darkness.
‘Now is the time, sir,
for the meeting of mendicants in the wood.’

dn20:13.1The gods of water and earth,
and fire and wind came there.These four are normally treated in the suttas as physical properties. Each of them is worshiped in the Rig Veda as a deity, and the Upanishads list them together along with other elements (eg. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.5). I am not aware of any earlier contexts that group the four together systematically as deities in this way.
The gods of Varuṇa and Varuṇa’s offsping,Varuṇa is invoked frequently in the Vedas, and in the suttas he is associated with other leading deities such as Indra and Soma (DN13, DN32, SN11.3). As one of the twelve children of Aditi he stood for a calendar month, and grew a wide and sometimes baffling array of associations—the oceans, water, the sky (at night), and justice. Vedic Varuṇa was the god of command, the king of tough rule. He was identified with the aristocrats, while his partner Mitra was the brahmins (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 4.1.4).
and Soma together with Yasa.Soma is the divine nectar that filled the ancient proto-Indo-Europeans with vitality. Its biological identity is disputed, but may have been ephedra. It is associated with the moon, hence the connection with Varuṇa as the night sky.
Yasa means “fame, glory”; so far as I know it is not personified in early Brahmanical texts, and rarely later. The connection between these two is illuminated by such passages as Rig Veda 7.85.3. To uphold Indra and Varuṇa in battle, there is an offering of Soma, which is described as svayaśasaḥ, “Self-Glorious”, i.e. the state of being high on speed, if speed were a god.

dn20:13.5A host of the gods of loveIn the Vedas, Mitra (“friend”) is almost always paired with Varuṇa, and the appearance of Mettā (“friendliness”) here echoes that closeness. He was the god of alliances.
Karuṇā in the sense of “compassion” does not occur at all in pre-Buddhist Sanskrit. It is probably introduced here as companion to Mettā by association with Mitra. The Sanskrit here, however, is maitrī varuṇikā. From a Buddhist point of view, these are deities reborn due to the development of jhāna based on love and compassion.
and compassion came, so glorious.
These ten hosts of gods
shone in all different colors.

dn20:13.9They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:14.1The Vishnu and Sahalī gods,Veṇhu (variant veṇḍu) is the Pali spelling of Sanskrit viṣṇu, who appears only here and at SN2.12. In the Rig Veda he was a solar god who made three great strides (said to encompass the earth, the sky, and the heavens).
A deity named Sahalī (“with plow”) appears at SN2.30 where he praises Makkhali Gosāla, but I cannot trace him anywhere else.
and the unequaled pair of twins.Yama often refers to a god who guards the paths to the land of the dead (SN1.33, MN130), lord of the Yāma gods. Here, however, it refers to “twins” who in the Vedas are often identified with the Aśvins (the twin horses yoked to the chariot). In the Vedas, it seems asama (“unequalled”) is used as an epithet only, although the commentary says it is a name.
In Pali these lines lack a verb, while the Sanskrit supplies āgataś (“come”) instead of asamā, so perhaps we should read “the pair of Twins came”.
The gods living on the moon came,
with the Moon before them.

dn20:14.5The gods living on the sun came,
with the Sun before them.
And with the stars before them
came the languid gods of clouds.

dn20:14.9And Vāsava came, the greatest of the Vasus,.Vāsava is also mentioned above.
who is Sakka the Able, Purindada the Firstgiver:Purandara (“Fortbreaker”) is another epithet of Sakka or Indra (eg. Rig Veda 1.102.7). The Buddha reforms it to Purindada (“Firstgiver”) at SN11.12. But Indra’s generosity is long renowned, eg. Rig Veda 1.10.6c: “He is the able one, and he will be able for us—Indra who distributes the goods” (sa śakra uta naḥ śakad indro vasu dayamānaḥ).
These ten hosts of gods
shone in all different colors.

dn20:14.13They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:15.1Then came the Sahabhū gods,Sanskrit has sabhikā. Most of the deities in the following verses do not seem to be met with elsewhere. The Sanskrit forms are often quite different but equally untraceable.
blazing like a crested flame;
and the Ariṭṭhakas and Rojas too,Their names might mean “Unhurt” and “Hurter”. The Sanskrit implausibly has romā (“Romans”).
and the gods hued blue as flax.

dn20:15.5The Varuṇas and Sahadhammas,For Varuṇa see above.
Sahadhamma means “who share the same duty”.
the Accutas and Anejakas,The “Unfallen” and the “Unshakeable”.
the Sūleyyas and Ruciras all came,The Sūleyyas might be “spear (or trident) bearers”; śūli is a name of Shiva.
Rucira means “brilliant, beautiful”.
as did the Vāsavanesi gods.Vāsavanesi means “seekers of Vāsava”.
These ten hosts of gods
shone in all different colors.

dn20:15.11They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:16.1The Samānas, Mahāsamānas,“Equals” and “Great Equals”.
Mānusas, and Mānusuttamas all came,“Humans” and “Superhumans”, but here perhaps “Descendants of Manu”.
and the gods depraved by play,As per DN1.
and those who are malevolent.

dn20:16.5Then came the gods of Mercury,Hari means “yellow, green” and is the astrological color of the planet budha (“Mercury”). It came to have the general meaning of “sacred, holy” and was an epithet for various deities, which in the Rig Veda included Indra and Vishnu. However the astrological connection is suggested by the references to Mars and Venus below.
and those who live on Mars.“Dwellers in the Red Place (= planet)”, i.e. “Martians”.
The Pāragas and Mahāpāragas came,Pāraga means “one who has crossed over”.
such glorious gods.
These ten hosts of gods
shone in all different colors.

dn20:16.11They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:17.1The gods of Venus, the newborn Sun, and the DawnThe deities seem to represent the three main lights that announce a new day: the morning star, the newborn sun, and the aura of the dawn.
Sukka (“Bright”) is the name of the planet Venus, the morning star.
Aruṇa is the dawn, a major Vedic deity signifying the arising of consciousness and order.
Karambha means “porridge”, which was offered to the sun under the name Pūṣan (Rig Veda 3.52.7, 6.56.1; Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 4.2.5.22; Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇa 6.8.18; Maitrāyaṇī Saṁhitā 3.10.6). Hence he became known as karambhād, “porridge-eater”. Apparently the sun lost its teeth and could only eat porridge (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 1.7.4.8). Being toothless like a baby, and lacking the risen sun’s “teeth” (i.e. “rays”), he probably represents the “newborn sun”. Compare for example Rig Veda 10.35, where Pūṣan is invoked, along with many other deities, in a hymn to the dawn.
came along with those from Saturn.Mahāsaṅgīti has veghanasā, for which the Buddha Jayanthi variant vekhanasa is preferable. We meet a wanderer of that name in MN 80, and in Sanskrit vaikhānasa is a general term for ascetics; but this meaning seems unlikely in context. The astrologer Varāhamitra names it a constellation (Bṛhat-saṁhitā 47.62), but that is much later. The Sanskrit here is nīlakavāsinī (“Dwellers in the Blue”), which pairs well with lohitavāsino above. Nīlavāsa is a name for Saturn, whose color is blue.
And the gods of the white globe cameOdātagayha is probably “white planet”, i.e. the sun. Sanskrit has avadātakeśā (“white-haired”). Compare the description of solar gods Sūrya at Rig Veda 1.50.8 as śociṣkeśaṁ vicakṣaṇa (“flame-haired, brilliant”) and Varuṇa at Rig Veda 8.41.9 as śvetā vicakṣaṇā (“white, brilliant”).
leading the brilliant gods.Sanskrit has pītakavāsinī, “dwellers in the yellow”, either Mercury or Jupiter.

dn20:17.5The Sadāmattas and Hāragajas,The sadāmatta (“everdrunk”) gods appear in some later Buddhist texts, alongside the māyādharas (or mālādharas), but they don’t seem to appear in a Vedic context.
I cannot find any reference to the hāragaja gods. Sanskrit has hāritakā, perhaps “sons of Harītī” (the yakkhinī).
and assorted glorious ones;“Assorted” is missaka, not elsewhere attested as a name of gods.
Pajjuna came thundering,Pajjuna (Sanskrit parjanya) is a Vedic god of thunderstorms closely associated with Indra/Sakka. His daughters appear in SN1.39 and SN1.40. Sanskrit has instead śuddhakā rucikā (“pure, bright”).
he who rains on all quarters.

dn20:17.9These ten hosts of gods
shone in all different colors.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:18.1The Khemiyas from the realms of Tusita and Yama,The gods of Tusita and Yama are normal parts of the Buddhist cosmology. Neither khemiya nor the Sanskrit kṣemaka appear to be the names of gods elsewhere, and the commentary explains that they dwell in both the Tusita and Yama realms.
and the glorious Kaṭṭhakas came;The commentary acknowledges the variant readings kaṭṭhakā (from “stick” or “plowed”) and kathakā (“reciters”), while Sanskrit has kṛṣṇuktāś (“reciters of the black”). Perhaps related to Sanskrit kāṭhaka, a recension of the Black Yajur Veda taught by the sage Kaṭha.
the Lambītakas, Lāmaseṭṭhas,Perhaps from lamba (“hang, droop”) in reference to deities of the sunset (cp. Mahābhārata 4.31.4c sūrye vilambati). Sanskrit has lumbinī lumbinīśreṣṭhā, which is perhaps normalized to mean “of Lumbinī”.
those called the Shining, and the gods of Granted Wishes.“Shining” (joti) is used widely of many gods, including the Sun and Indra.
The commentary derives āsavā from āsa (“wish”) not āsava (“defilement”), explaining that they achieved their status due to desire (chandavasena). This agrees with the Sanskrit svāśiṣā (“well-wish, prayer”), i.e. words of wishing or blessing uttered over the sacrifice (see Rig Veda 10.44.5; cp. 8.44.23). This is a case where using the Pali in a translation would be actively misleading.
The gods who love to imagine came too,
and those who control what is imagined by others.

dn20:18.7These ten hosts of gods
shone in all different colors.
They’re powerful and brilliant,
so beautiful and glorious.
Rejoicing, they’ve come forth
to the meeting of mendicants in the wood.

dn20:19.1These sixty hosts of gods
shone in all different colors.
They came organized by name,
these and others likewise, thinking:

dn20:19.5‘They who have shed rebirth, the kindly ones,Pavuṭṭha (“shed”), from pavasati (“stay away”), seems to be unique in the Pali in this sense. Commentary glosses vigata, “disappeared”.
The first part of this verse, according to the commentary, addresses the Saṅgha as a group in the singular, but I translate in plural for clarity.
the undefiled ones who have crossed the flood—
let us see them, with the dragon who brought them across,
who like the Moon has overcome darkness.’

dn20:20.1Subrahmā and Paramatta came,Subrahmā appears as a godling at SN2.17, but given his company this is likely the “independent divinity” of SN6.6–8.
Paramatta appears only here in Pali. In Brahmanical texts it is a common term for the highest conception of Brahmā as the “supreme soul” (paramātman) of the cosmos. This term came into common usage later, but is found occasionally in earlier texts such as Maitrāyaṇī Saṁhitā 2.9.1.
with sons of those powerful ones.
Sanaṅkumāra and TissaSanaṅkumāra makes regular guest appearances in the suttas (DN3, DN18, DN19, DN27, SN6.11, AN11.10).
Tissa is a common name, meaning “born under the star Sirius”. Perhaps this is the former monk of that name who was reborn in the Brahmā realm (AN6.34).
also came to the meeting in the wood.

dn20:20.5Of a thousand realms of divinity,
the Great Divinity stands forth.The moniker “Great Brahmā” (mahābrahmā) is here used of an individual, but sometimes it is a class of leading Brahmās.
He has arisen, brilliant,
his formidable body so glorious.

dn20:20.9Ten Gods Almighty came there,“God Almighty” (issara) is a Brahmā god to whom the creation of the world is falsely attributed (DN24, MN101, AN3.61).
each one of them wielding power,
and in the middle of them came
Hārita with his following.”Sanskrit has hāritī, the name of the fabled yakkhiṇī of Madhurā converted by the Buddha.

dn20:21.1When they had all come forth—
the gods with their Lord, and the divinities—
Māra’s army came forth too:
see the stupidity of the Dark Lord!

dn20:21.5“Come, seize them and bind them,” he said,
“let them be bound by desire!
Surround them on all sides,
don’t let any escape!”

dn20:21.9And so there the great general,
the Dark Lord sent forth his army.
He struck the ground with his fist
to make a horrifying sound

dn20:21.13like a storm cloud shedding rain,
thundering and flashing.
But then he retreated,
furious, out of control.

dn20:22.1And all that was known
and distinguished by the Clear-eyed One.
Thereupon the Teacher addressed
the disciples who love the teaching:

dn20:22.5“Māra’s army has arrived;
mendicants, you should be aware of them.”
Those monks grew keen,
hearing the Buddha’s instruction.
The army fled from those free of passion,
and not a single hair was stirred!

dn20:22.11 “All triumphant in battle,
so fearless and glorious.
They rejoice with all the spirits,
the disciples renowned among men.”

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

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

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

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

11 "Silokamanukassāmi,
yattha bhummā tadassitā;
Ye sitā girigabbharaṁ,
pahitattā samāhitā.

12 Puthūsīhāva sallīnā,
lomahaṁsābhisambhuno;
Odātamanasā suddhā,
vippasannamanāvilā.

13 Bhiyyo pañcasate ñatvā,
vane kāpilavatthave;
Tato āmantayī satthā,
sāvake sāsane rate.

14 'Devakāyā abhikkantā,
te vijānātha bhikkhavo';
Te ca ātappamakaruṁ,
sutvā buddhassa sāsanaṁ.

15 Tesaṁ pāturahu ñāṇaṁ,
amanussānadassanaṁ;
Appeke satamaddakkhuṁ,
sahassaṁ atha sattariṁ.

16 Sataṁ eke sahassānaṁ,
amanussānamaddasuṁ;
Appekenantamaddakkhuṁ,
disā sabbā phuṭā ahuṁ.

17 Tañca sabbaṁ abhiññāya,
vavatthitvāna cakkhumā;
Tato āmantayī satthā,
sāvake sāsane rate.

18 'Devakāyā abhikkantā,
te vijānātha bhikkhavo;
Ye vohaṁ kittayissāmi,
girāhi anupubbaso'.

19 Sattasahassā te yakkhā,
bhummā kāpilavatthavā;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

20 Chasahassā hemavatā,
yakkhā nānattavaṇṇino;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

21 Sātāgirā tisahassā,
yakkhā nānattavaṇṇino;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

22 Iccete soḷasasahassā,
yakkhā nānattavaṇṇino;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

23 Vessāmittā pañcasatā,
yakkhā nānattavaṇṇino;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

24 Kumbhīro rājagahiko,
vepullassa nivesanaṁ;
Bhiyyo naṁ satasahassaṁ,
yakkhānaṁ payirupāsati;
Kumbhīro rājagahiko,
sopāgā samitiṁ vanaṁ.

25 Purimañca disaṁ rājā,
dhataraṭṭho pasāsati;
Gandhabbānaṁ adhipati,
mahārājā yasassiso.

26 Puttāpi tassa bahavo,
indanāmā mahabbalā;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

27 Dakkhiṇañca disaṁ rājā,
virūḷho taṁ pasāsati;
Kumbhaṇḍānaṁ adhipati,
mahārājā yasassiso.

28 Puttāpi tassa bahavo,
indanāmā mahabbalā;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

29 Pacchimañca disaṁ rājā,
virūpakkho pasāsati;
Nāgānañca adhipati,
mahārājā yasassiso.

30 Puttāpi tassa bahavo,
indanāmā mahabbalā;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

31 Uttarāñca disaṁ rājā,
kuvero taṁ pasāsati;
Yakkhānañca adhipati,
mahārājā yasassiso.

32 Puttāpi tassa bahavo,
indanāmā mahabbalā;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

33 Purimaṁ disaṁ dhataraṭṭho,
dakkhiṇena virūḷhako;
Pacchimena virūpakkho,
kuvero uttaraṁ disaṁ.

34 Cattāro te mahārājā,
samantā caturo disā;
Daddallamānā aṭṭhaṁsu,
vane kāpilavatthave.

35 Tesaṁ māyāvino dāsā,
āguṁ vañcanikā saṭhā;
Māyā kuṭeṇḍu viṭeṇḍu,
viṭucca viṭuṭo saha.

36 Candano kāmaseṭṭho ca,
kinnighaṇḍu nighaṇḍu ca;
Panādo opamañño ca,
devasūto ca mātali.

37 Cittaseno ca gandhabbo,
naḷorājā janesabho;
Āgā pañcasikho ceva,
timbarū sūriyavacchasā.

38 Ete caññe ca rājāno,
gandhabbā saha rājubhi;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

39 Athāguṁ nāgasā nāgā,
vesālā sahatacchakā;
Kambalassatarā āguṁ,
pāyāgā saha ñātibhi.

40 Yāmunā dhataraṭṭhā ca,
āgū nāgā yasassino;
Erāvaṇo mahānāgo,
sopāgā samitiṁ vanaṁ.

41 Ye nāgarāje sahasā haranti,
Dibbā dijā pakkhi visuddhacakkhū;
Vehāyasā te vanamajjhapattā,
Citrā supaṇṇā iti tesa nāmaṁ.

42 Abhayaṁ tadā nāgarājānamāsi,
Supaṇṇato khemamakāsi buddho;
Saṇhāhi vācāhi upavhayantā,
Nāgā supaṇṇā saraṇamakaṁsu buddhaṁ.

43 Jitā vajirahatthena,
samuddaṁ asurāsitā;
Bhātaro vāsavassete,
iddhimanto yasassino.

44 Kālakañcā mahābhismā,
asurā dānaveghasā;
Vepacitti sucitti ca,
pahārādo namucī saha.

45 Satañca baliputtānaṁ,
sabbe verocanāmakā;
Sannayhitvā balisenaṁ,
rāhubhaddamupāgamuṁ;
'Samayo dāni bhaddante,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ'.

46 Āpo ca devā pathavī,
tejo vāyo tadāgamuṁ;
Varuṇā vāraṇā devā,
somo ca yasasā saha.

47 Mettā karuṇā kāyikā,
āguṁ devā yasassino;
Dasete dasadhā kāyā,
sabbe nānattavaṇṇino.

48 Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

49 Veṇḍudevā sahali ca,
asamā ca duve yamā;
Candassūpanisā devā,
candamāguṁ purakkhatvā.

50 Sūriyassūpanisā devā,
sūriyamāguṁ purakkhatvā;
Nakkhattāni purakkhatvā,
āguṁ mandavalāhakā.

51 Vasūnaṁ vāsavo seṭṭho,
sakkopāgā purindado;
Dasete dasadhā kāyā,
sabbe nānattavaṇṇino.

52 Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

53 Athāguṁ sahabhū devā,
jalamaggi sikhāriva;
Ariṭṭhakā ca rojā ca,
umāpupphanibhāsino.

54 Varuṇā sahadhammā ca,
accutā ca anejakā;
Sūleyyarucirā āguṁ,
āguṁ vāsavanesino;

55 Dasete dasadhā kāyā,
sabbe nānattavaṇṇino.
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

56 Samānā mahāsamanā,
mānusā mānusuttamā;
Khiḍḍāpadosikā āguṁ,
āguṁ manopadosikā.

57 Athāguṁ harayo devā,
ye ca lohitavāsino;
Pāragā mahāpāragā,
āguṁ devā yasassino;
Dasete dasadhā kāyā,
sabbe nānattavaṇṇino.

58 Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

59 Sukkā karambhā aruṇā,
āguṁ veghanasā saha;
Odātagayhā pāmokkhā,
āguṁ devā vicakkhaṇā.

60 Sadāmattā hāragajā,
missakā ca yasassino;
Thanayaṁ āga pajjunno,
yo disā abhivassati.

61 Dasete dasadhā kāyā,
sabbe nānattavaṇṇino;
Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

62 Khemiyā tusitā yāmā,
kaṭṭhakā ca yasassino;
Lambītakā lāmaseṭṭhā,
jotināmā ca āsavā;

63 Nimmānaratino āguṁ,
athāguṁ paranimmitā.
Dasete dasadhā kāyā,
sabbe nānattavaṇṇino;

64 Iddhimanto jutimanto,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Modamānā abhikkāmuṁ,
bhikkhūnaṁ samitiṁ vanaṁ.

65 Saṭṭhete devanikāyā,
sabbe nānattavaṇṇino;
Nāmanvayena āgacchuṁ,
ye caññe sadisā saha.

66 ' Pavuṭṭhajātimakhilaṁ,
oghatiṇṇamanāsavaṁ;
Dakkhemoghataraṁ nāgaṁ,
candaṁva asitātigaṁ'.

67 Subrahmā paramatto ca,
puttā iddhimato saha;
Sanaṅkumāro tisso ca,
sopāga samitiṁ vanaṁ.

68 Sahassaṁ brahmalokānaṁ,
mahābrahmābhitiṭṭhati;
Upapanno jutimanto,
bhismākāyo yasassiso.

69 Dasettha issarā āguṁ,
paccekavasavattino;
Tesañca majjhato āga,
hārito parivārito.

70 Te ca sabbe abhikkante,
sainde deve sabrahmake;
Mārasenā abhikkāmi,
passa kaṇhassa mandiyaṁ.

71 'Etha gaṇhatha bandhatha,
rāgena baddhamatthu vo;
Samantā parivāretha,
mā vo muñcittha koci naṁ'.

72 Iti tattha mahāseno,
kaṇho senaṁ apesayi;
Pāṇinā talamāhacca,
saraṁ katvāna bheravaṁ.

73 Yathā pāvussako megho,
thanayanto savijjuko;
Tadā so paccudāvatti,
saṅkuddho asayaṁvase.

74 Tañca sabbaṁ abhiññāya,
vavatthitvāna cakkhumā;
Tato āmantayī satthā,
sāvake sāsane rate.

75 'Mārasenā abhikkantā,
te vijānātha bhikkhavo';
Te ca ātappamakaruṁ,
sutvā buddhassa sāsanaṁ;
Vītarāgehi pakkāmuṁ,
nesaṁ lomāpi iñjayuṁ.

76 'Sabbe vijitasaṅgāmā,
bhayātītā yasassino;
Modanti saha bhūtehi,
sāvakā te janesutā'"ti.