Cāturmahārājakāyika
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The four great kings. From left to right: Vaiśravaṇa, Virūḍhaka, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Virūpākṣa. Beijing, China.
cāturmahārājakāyika (P. cātummahārājikā; T. rgyal chen rigs bzhi; C. sitian wang tian 四天王天), or "realm of the four great kings," is the abode of the four great kings and their retinues. This is the lowest of the six deva realms of the kāmadhātu.
The Khenjuk states:
- Concerning the abodes of the Four Great Kings, the four great kings, along with their retinues, reside upon the fourth terrace of Mount Sumeru. Upon the lower terraces live, listed from above to below, the gods of the Ever-Ecstatic, Garland-Bearers, and Vessel-Bearers. The crests of the seven mountain ranges, the sun, the moon, and all the stars also belong to the abodes of the Four Great Kings.[1]
Myriad Worlds states:
- The Four Groups of the Great Kings constitutes the first [i.e., the lowest] of the six classes of gods of the kāmadhātu. The gods of this class reside mainly on the terraces of Mount Meru. The Vessel-Bearers live on the first terrace; Garland-Bearers, on the second; and Inebriates, on the third. Their kings, the four great kings, reside in the four directions of the fourth terrace. The gods in the kings' entourage generally reside [in the same place as the kings], but may also dwell in various other places, wherever suitable, be it in space or on one of the seven mountain ranges, such as Yoke.
- In brief, the beings [commonly associated] with environments from the hell-realm to this level of heaven may dwell in various other unspecified secondary abodes. Even the mountains, cliffs, trees, temples, and homes of this human realm, wherever suitable, may serve as the habitat or environment for any of these forms of life.[2]
Ornament of Abhidharma states:
- For the gods of Cāturmahārājika... fifty human years is calculated as one day and night. The measure of their lifespan is five hundred years, where thirty such days make one month and twelve such months make one year...[3]
Notes
- ↑ Mipham Rinpoche 2000, s.v. line 8.27.
- ↑ Jamgön Kongtrul 2003, p. 116.
- ↑ Chim Jampaiyang 2019, s.v. Chapter 17.
Sources
Chim Jampaiyang (2019), Jinpa, Thupten, ed., Ornament of Abhidharma: A Commentary on Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakosa, translated by Coghlan, Ian James (Apple Books ed.), Library of Tibetan Classics- Jamgön Kongtrul (2003), Myriad Worlds, The Treasury of Knowledge, Book One, Snow Lion
- Mipham Rinpoche (2000), Gateway to Knowledge, vol. II, translated by Kunsang, Erik Pema, Rangjung Yeshe Publications