SN.2.4. Māgadhasutta ("With Māghadha")

Saṁyutta Nikāya ("The Linked Discourses")

At Sāvatthī.

Standing to one side, the god Māgadha addressed the Buddha in verse:

“How many lamps are there
that light up the world?
We’ve come to ask the Buddha;
how are we to understand this?”

“There are four lamps in the world,
a fifth is not found.
The sun blazes by day,
the moon glows at night,

while a fire lights up both
by day and by night.
But a Buddha is the best of lights:
this is the supreme radiance.”



Subscribe to The Empty Robot

Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox



Spread the word: