The Buddha subdues the ferocious naga king and presents the naga to the ascetic coiled up in his bowl, but the ascetic is still not convinced
The three ascetic brothers, especially Uruvela Kassapa, the eldest, were all leaders of sects that the people of Rajagaha held in high esteem. Uruvela Kassapa had announced that he was an Arahat, fully enlightened. He dwelt as a fire worshipper.
When the Buddha arrived at his ashram and asked to stay at the fire house, which the ascetics held to be a very holy place and dangerous to live because of the naga king of great venom and power, the ascetic thought to himself that the Buddha was being very foolhardy in not heeding the danger.
According to the story in the Pathamasambodhi, when the Buddha entered the fire house, the naga king was furious, and spat venom at the Buddha. The Buddha entered the concentration on the fire kasina (a certain kind of jhana or absorption concentration wherein he could emit fire from his body). The venom from the naga king and the fire coming from the Buddha's fire meditation produced such a great light that it seemed as if the fire house were consumed in flames and would be burnt to the ground.
The ascetics, seeing the light from the fire, thought that the newcomer (the Buddha) had surely been burnt to a crisp by the naga king's fury.
The Pathamasambodhi states: "At the end of the night, with the arrival of the dawn, the All-Knowing One stripped the power from the naga king and caused the naga king to coil himself up into his bowl. He then showed the naga to Uruvela Kassapa, saying, 'This naga has been stripped of his powers by the Tathagata.'" ...
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