Not long after the Awakening, unseasonable heavy rain falls for seven days, with a cold wind. The nāga (serpent deity) king Mucalinda coils his body seven times around the Buddha and spreads his hood above the Buddha's head to protect him. When the rain stops, the nāga king takes the form of a youth and pays homage to the Buddha, and the Buddha speaks a verse. Taishō Canon
Pali Canon
Different Accounts
Which week: the Pali Vinaya has the third week; the later commentaries of the Southern tradition have the sixth; the Buddha biography Fangguang da zhuangyan jing and the Sanskrit Lalitavistara have the fifth; the Chinese Dharmaguptaka, Mahīśāsaka and Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinayas all place it after the merchants' offering of food.
More differences between accounts (3)
The Buddha biography Guoqu xianzai yinguo jing places this event after the Buddha had left the Bodhi tree, on the road to Bārāṇasī.
Whether the nāga king differs between sources: the Pali canon of the Southern tradition does not record him taking refuge; the Chinese Dharmaguptaka Vinaya says he took refuge in the Buddha and the Dhamma only, the first among animals to take refuge; the Buddha biography Taizi ruiying benqi jing says he took refuge in all three, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha.
Number of nāga kings: the Sanskrit Lalitavistara says that besides Mucalinda the nāga kings of the four directions also came, coiling around the Buddha and covering him with their hoods.
Dating
Year 1 after the Awakening, the Buddha aged thirty-five, before the , days 15 to 21 after the Awakening (following the Pali Vinaya); the “seven days” are stated in the canonical text, and the event is known only to fall within those seven days.
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Research Notes: Reliability, Dating and Sources
- How Reliability Is Assessed
Recorded by four schools: the Pali canon of the Southern tradition, the Chinese Dharmaguptaka Vinaya (Sifen lü), the Chinese Mahīśāsaka Vinaya (Wufen lü) and the Chinese Saṅghabhedavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya. Attested across multiple schools.
- Dating Evidence and Precision
Stated in the canonical text (the text itself gives the time). Time precision: approximate range.
Sources
- Pali Canon巴利律 Kd 1:3.1.1–3.4.9
- Pali Canon巴利 Ud 2.1:1.2
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1428 p.786b
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1421 p.103b
- 大正藏大正藏 T24 no.1450 p.125c–126a
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.185 p.479b–c
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.187 p.601b
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.189 p.644a
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.191 p.952b
- SuttaCentral 對應表SuttaCentral 對應表 san-mu-kd17#sc171
- 藏譯（德格版）德格版 D1 nga 37b5–38a4
- 梵文原典梵文《普曜經》第 24 品
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.185 p.479b
- 藏譯（德格版）德格版 D1 nga 35a7–38a4