ekasmiṃ kira samaye anāthapiṇḍiko gahapati bhagavato dhammadesanaṃ sutvā "sve bhante pañcahi bhikkhusatehi saddhiṃ mayhaṃ gehe bhikkhaṃ gaṇhathā"ti nimantetvā pakkāmi, taṃdivasañca bhagavato paccūsasamaye dasasahassilokadhātuṃ olokentassa nando- panando nāma nāgarājā ñāṇamukhe āpāthaṃ āgacchi. Bhagavā "ayaṃ nāgarājā mayhaṃ ñāṇamukhe āpāthaṃ āgacchati, kiṃ nu kho bhavissatī"ti āvajjento saraṇagamanassa upanissayaṃ disvā "ayaṃ micchādiṭṭhiko tīsu ratanesu appasanno, ko nu kho imaṃ micchādiṭṭhito vimoceyyā"ti āvajjento mahāmoggallānattheraṃ addasa.

Tato pabhātāya rattiyā sarīrapaṭijagganaṃ katvā āyasmantaṃ ānandaṃ āmantesi "ānanda pañcannaṃ bhikkhusatānaṃ ārocehi `tathāgato devacārikaṃ gacchatī"ti. Taṃdivasañca nandopanandassa āpānabhūmiṃ sajjayiṃsu. So dibbaratanapallaṅke dibbena setacchattena dhāriyamāno tividhanāṭakehi ceva nāgaparisāya ca parivuto dibbabhājanesu upaṭṭhāpitaṃ annapānavidhiṃ olokayamāno nisinno hoti. Athakho bhagavā yathā nāgarājā passati, tathā katvā tassa vimānamatthakeneva pañcahi bhikkhusatehi saddhiṃ tāvatiṃsadevalokābhimukho pāyāsi.

Tena kho pana samayena nandopanandassa nāgarājassa evarūpaṃ pāpakaṃ diṭṭhigataṃ uppannaṃ hoti "ime hi nāma muṇḍakā samaṇakā amhākaṃ uparibhavanena devānaṃ tāvatiṃsānaṃ bhavanaṃ pavisantipi nikkhamantipi, na idāni tato paṭṭhāya imesaṃ amhākaṃ matthake pādapaṃsuṃ okirantānaṃ gantuṃ dassāmī"ti uṭṭhāya sinerupādaṃ gantvā taṃ attabhāvaṃ vijahitvā sineruṃ sattakkhattuṃ bhogehi parikkhipitvā upari phaṇaṃ katvā tāvatiṃsabhavanaṃ avakujjena phaṇena paṭiggahetvā adassanaṃ gamesi.