Pukkusaputta the Mallian passes by and offers fine golden robes
While the Buddha was sitting under the shade of the tree by the side of the river, along the road to Kusinara, a man by the name of Pukkusa, son of a Mallian lord, was traveling from Kusinara to Pava. When he reached the spot where the Buddha was resting he stopped to rest, too, and went up to greet the Buddha.
The Buddha gave him a teaching on peace. Listening to the talk, Pukkusa was filled with faith, and as a result offered two lengths of singivanna cloth. Singivanna cloth is delicate cloth, finely woven, and of golden color, "singi" meaning "gold."
He explained to the Buddha that one of these singivanna cloths was an upper robe, the other a lower robe. They were of special cloth, especially fine, and he had worn them on occasion. He had cherished them, but now he was offering them to the Buddha.
The Buddha took one of the robes, but the other he told Pukkusa to offer to Ananda, which Pukkusa accordingly did. He then bowed to the Buddha and took his leave to continue his journey.
After he had left, Ananda took the robe offered to him and offered it to the Buddha. The Buddha wrapped one of the robes around his waist and the other over his shoulders. As soon as he had put the robes on his body seemed to shine with a glow and radiance unlike any that Ananda had ever seen before, and Ananda remarked to the Buddha that it was truly an amazing sight.
The Buddha said to Ananda that there were only two times when the Buddha's body shone with peculiar radiance, and they are when he is newly enlightened, and on the day before his passing away (parinibbana), which was today. Then he said, "Lo, Ananda, at the end of this night I will pass away. Come, let us journey on to Kusinara."
Ananda received the Buddha's instruction and informed the monks who were traveling with them to prepare to journey on.
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