Oṭṭhaddha the Licchavi together with a large assembly of Licchavis also approached Nāgita at the hall with the peaked roof. He bowed, stood to one side, and said to Nāgita, “Master Nāgita, where is the Blessed One at present, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha? For we want to see him.”

“It’s the wrong time to see the Buddha; he is on retreat.”

So Oṭṭhaddha also sat down to one side, thinking, “I’ll go only after I’ve seen the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.”

Then the novice Sīha approached Nāgita. He bowed, stood to one side, and said to Nāgita, “Sir, Kassapa, these several brahmin emissaries from Kosala and Magadha, and also Oṭṭhaddha the Licchavi together with a large assembly of Licchavis, have come here to see the Buddha. It’d be good if these people got to see the Buddha.”

“Well then, Sīha, tell the Buddha yourself.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Sīha. He went to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and told him of the people waiting to see him, adding: “Sir, it’d be good if these people got to see the Buddha.”

“Well then, Sīha, spread out a seat in the shade of the dwelling.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Sīha, and he did so.

Then the Buddha came out of his dwelling and sat in the shade of the dwelling on the seat spread out. Then the brahmin emissaries went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side.

Oṭṭhaddha the Licchavi together with a large assembly of Licchavis also went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. Oṭṭhaddha said to the Buddha, “Sir, a few days ago Sunakkhatta the Licchavi came to me and said: ‘Mahāli, soon I will have been living in dependence on the Buddha for three years. I see heavenly sights that are pleasant, sensual, and arousing, but I don’t hear heavenly sounds that are pleasant, sensual, and arousing.’ The heavenly sounds that Sunakkhatta cannot hear: do such sounds really exist or not?”