reat company of the brethren,
with about five hundred of the brethren. And the venerable Maha Kassapa
left the high road, and sat himself down at the foot of a certain tree.

Just at that time a certain naked ascetic who had picked up a Mandarava
flower in Kusinara was coming along the high road to Pava. And the
venerable Maha Kassapa saw the naked ascetic coming in the distance; and
when he had seen him he said to the naked ascetic: "O friend! surely
thou knowest our Master?"

"Yea, friend! I know him. This day the Samana Gautama has been dead a
week! That is how I obtained this Mandarava flower."

And immediately of those of the brethren who were not yet free from the
passions, some stretched out their arms and wept, and some fell headlong
on the ground, and some reeled to and fro in anguish at the thought:
"Too soon has the Blessed One died! Too soon has the Happy One passed
away from existence! Too soon has the Light gone out in the world!"

But those of the brethren who were free from the passions (the Arahats)
bore their grief collected and composed at the thought: "Impermanent are
all component things! How is it possible that they should not be
dissolved?"

Now at that time a brother named Subhadda, who had been received into
the order in his old age, was seated there in their company. And
Subhadda the old addressed the brethren and said: "Enough, brethren!
Weep not, neither lament! We are well rid of the great Samana. We used
to be annoyed by being told, 'This beseems you, this beseems you not.'
But now we shall be able to do whatever we like; and what we do not like
that we shall not have to do!"

But the venerable Maha Kassapa addressed the brethren, and said:
"Enough, my brethren! Weep not, neither lament! Has not the Blessed One
formerly declared this to us, that it is in the very nature of all
things near and dear unto us that we must divide ourselves from them,
leave them, sever ourselves from them? How then, brethren, can this be
possible--that whereas anything whatever born, brought into being, and
organized contains within itself the inherent necessity of
dissolution--how then can this be possible that such a being should not
be dissolved? No such condition can exist!"

Now just at that time four chieftains of the Mallas had bathed their
heads and clad themselves in new garments with the intention of setting
on fire the funeral pile of the Blessed One. But, behold, they were
unable to set it ali