So etāya sampattiyā chasu devalokesu anulomapaṭilomato ekaṃ buddhantaraṃ khepetvā amhākaṃ bhagavati uppanne sāvatthiyaṃ brāhmaṇamahāsālakule nibbatti, tathevassa ca ure candamaṇḍalasadisaṃ rasmimaṇḍalaṃ ahosi. Nāmakaraṇadivase cassa maṅgalaṃ katvā brāhmaṇā taṃ maṇḍalaṃ disvā "dhaññapuññalakkhaṇo ayaṃ kumāro"ti vimhitā "candābho"tveva nāmaṃ akaṃsu. Taṃ vayappattaṃ brāhmaṇā gahetvā alaṅkaritvā paṭṭakañcukaṃ pārupāpetvā rathe āropetvā "mahābrahmā ayan"ti pūjetvā "yo candābhaṃ passati, so yasadhanaādīni labhati, samparāyañca saggaṃ gacchatī"ti ugghosentā gāmanigamarājadhānīsu āhiṇḍanti gatagataṭṭhāne manussā "esa kira bho candābho nāma, yo etaṃ passati, so yasadhanasaggādīni labhatī"ti uparūpari āgacchanti, sakalajambudīpo cali. Brāhmaṇā tucchahatthakānaṃ āgatānaṃ na dassenti, sataṃ vā sahassaṃ vā gahetvā āgatānameva dassenti. Evaṃ candābhaṃ gahetvā anuvicarantā brāhmaṇā kamena sāvatthimanuppattā.
Tena ca samayena bhagavā pavattitapavaradhammacakko anupubbena sāvatthiṃ āgantvā sāvatthiyaṃ viharati jetavane bahujanahitāya dhammaṃ desento. Atha candābho sāvatthiṃ patvā samuddapakkhantakunnadī viya apākaṭo ahosi, candābhoti bhaṇantopi natthi. So sāyanhasamaye mahājanakāyaṃ gandhamālādīni ādāya jetavanābhimukhaṃ gacchantaṃ disvā "kuhiṃ gacchathā"ti pucchi. "buddho loke uppanno, so bahujanahitāya dhammaṃ deseti, taṃ sotuṃ jetavanaṃ gacchāmā"ti
Bhagavā ca tasmiṃ samaye dhammasabhāyaṃ pavarabuddhāsane nisinnova hoti, candābho bhagavantaṃ upasaṅkamma madhurapaṭisanthāraṃ katvā ekamantaṃ nisīdi, tāvadeva cassa so āloko antarahito. Buddhālokassa hi samīpe asītihatthabbhantare añño āloko nābhibhoti. So "āloko me naṭṭho"ti nisīditvāva uṭṭhāsi, uṭṭhahitvā ca gantumāraddho. Atha naṃ aññataro puriso āha "kiṃ bho candābha samaṇassa gotamassa bhīto gacchasī"ti. Nāhaṃ bhīto gacchāmi, apica me imassa tejena āloko na sampajjatīti puna bhagavato purato nisīditvā pādatalā paṭṭhāya yāva kesaggā rūparaṃsilakkhaṇādisampattiṃ disvā "mahesakkho samaṇo gotamo, mama ure appamattako āloko uṭṭhito, tāvatakenapi maṃ gahetvā brāhmaṇā sakalajambudīpaṃ vicaranti. Evaṃ varalakkhaṇasampattisamannāgatassa samaṇassa gotamassa neva māno uppanno, addhā ayaṃ anomaguṇasamannāgato bhavissati satthā devamanussānan"ti ativiya pasannacitto bhagavantaṃ vanditvā pabbajjaṃ yāci. Bhagavā aññataraṃ theraṃ āṇāpesi "pabbājehi nan"ti, so taṃ pabbājetvā tacapañcakakammaṭṭhānaṃ ācikkhi. So vipassanaṃ ārabhitvā nacireneva arahattaṃ patvā "candābhatthero"ti vissuto ahosi. Taṃ ārabbha bhikkhū kathaṃ samuṭṭhāpesuṃ "kinnu kho āvuso ye candābhaṃ addasaṃsu, te yasaṃ vā dhanaṃ vā labhiṃsu, saggaṃ vā gacchiṃsu, visuddhiṃ vā pāpuṇiṃsu tena cakkhudvārikarūpadassanenā"ti. Bhagavā tassa aṭṭhuppattiyaṃ idaṃ suttamabhāsi.