Next, while the king was performing the great sacrifice, the brahmin high priest educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired the king’s mind in sixteen respects:

‘Now, while the king is performing the great sacrifice, someone might say, “King Mahāvijita performs a great sacrifice, but he did not announce it to the aristocrat vassals of town and country. That’s the kind of great sacrifice that this king performs.” Those who speak against the king in this way have no legitimacy. For the king did indeed announce it to the aristocrat vassals of town and country. Let the king know this as a reason to sacrifice, relinquish, rejoice, and gain confidence in his heart.

While the king is performing the great sacrifice, someone might say, “King Mahāvijita performs a great sacrifice, but he did not announce it to the ministers and counselors, well-to-do brahmins, and well-off householders, both of town and country. That’s the kind of great sacrifice that this king performs.” Those who speak against the king in this way have no legitimacy. For the king did indeed announce it to all these people. Let the king know this too as a reason to sacrifice, relinquish, rejoice, and gain confidence in his heart.

While the king is performing the great sacrifice, someone might say that he does not possess the eight factors. Those who speak against the king in this way have no legitimacy. For the king does indeed possess the eight factors. Let the king know this too as a reason to sacrifice, relinquish, rejoice, and gain confidence in his heart.

While the king is performing the great sacrifice, someone might say that the high priest does not possess the four factors. Those who speak against the king in this way have no legitimacy. For the high priest does indeed possess the four factors. Let the king know this too as a reason to sacrifice, relinquish, rejoice, and gain confidence in his heart.’

These are the sixteen respects in which the high priest educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired the king’s mind while he was performing the sacrifice.

And brahmin, in that sacrifice no cattle were killed, no goats were killed, and no chickens or pigs were killed. There was no slaughter of various kinds of creatures. No trees were felled for the sacrificial post. No grass was reaped to strew over the place of sacrifice. No bondservants, employees, or workers did their jobs under threat of punishment and danger, weeping with tearful faces. Those who wished to work did so, while those who did not wish to did not. They did the work they wanted to, and did not do what they didn’t want to. The sacrifice was completed with just ghee, oil, butter, curds, honey, and molasses.

Then the aristocrat vassals, ministers and counselors, well-to-do brahmins, and well-off householders of both town and country came to the king bringing abundant wealth and said, ‘Sire, this abundant wealth is specially for you alone; may Your Highness accept it!’

‘There’s enough raised for me through regular taxes. Let this be for you; and here, take even more!’

When the king turned them down, they withdrew to one side to think up a plan, ‘It wouldn’t be proper for us to take this abundant wealth back to our own homes. King Mahāvijita is performing a great sacrifice. Let us make an offering as an auxiliary sacrifice.’

Then the aristocrat vassals of town and country set up gifts to the east of the sacrificial pit. The ministers and counselors of town and country set up gifts to the south of the sacrificial pit. The well-to-do brahmins of town and country set up gifts to the west of the sacrificial pit. The well-off householders of town and country set up gifts to the north of the sacrificial pit.

And brahmin, in that sacrifice too no cattle were killed, no goats were killed, and no chickens or pigs were killed. There was no slaughter of various kinds of creatures. No trees were felled for the sacrificial post. No grass was reaped to strew over the place of sacrifice. No bondservants, employees, or workers did their jobs under threat of punishment and danger, weeping with tearful faces. Those who wished to work did so, while those who did not wish to did not. They did the work they wanted to, and did not do what they didn’t want to. The sacrifice was completed with just ghee, oil, butter, curds, honey, and molasses.

And so there were four consenting factions, eight factors possessed by King Mahāvijita, four factors possessed by the high priest, and three modes. Brahmin, this is called the sacrifice accomplished with three modes and sixteen accessories.”

When he said this, those brahmins made an uproar, “Hooray for such sacrifice! Hooray for the accomplishment of such sacrifice!”

But the brahmin Kūṭadanta sat in silence. So those brahmins said to him, “How can you not applaud the ascetic Gotama’s fine words?”

“It’s not that I don’t applaud what he said. If anyone didn’t applaud such fine words, their head would explode!

But, gentlemen, it occurs to me that the ascetic Gotama does not say: ‘So I have heard’ or ‘It ought to be like this.’ Rather, he just says: ‘So it was then, this is how it was then.’

It occurs to me that the ascetic Gotama at that time must have been King Mahāvijita, the owner of the sacrifice, or else the brahmin high priest who facilitated the sacrifice for him.

Does Master Gotama recall having performed such a sacrifice, or having facilitated it, and then, when his body broke up, after death, being reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm?”

“I do recall that, brahmin. For at that time I was the brahmin high priest who facilitated the sacrifice.”