The Worship of the Saṅgha (or Sakka’s Worship (3))

As above down to:
“Then, bhikkhus, Sakka, lord of the devas, descending from the Vejayanta Palace, raised his joined hands in reverential salutation and worshipped the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. Then Matali the charioteer addressed Sakka, lord of the devas, in verse:

“‘It is these that should worship you—
The humans stuck in a putrid body,
Those submerged inside a corpse,
Afflicted with hunger and thirst.

Why then do you envy them,
These who dwell homeless, Vasava?
Tell us about the seers’ conduct;
Let us hear what you have to say.’

Sakka:

“‘This is why I envy them,
Those who dwell homeless, Matali:
Whatever village they depart from,
They leave it without concern.

“‘They do not keep their goods in storage,
Neither in a pot nor in a box.
Seeking what has been prepared by others,
By this they live, firm in vows:
Those wise ones who give good counsel,
Maintaining silence, of even faring.

“‘While devas fight with asuras
And people fight with one another,
Among those who fight, they do not fight;
Among the violent, they are quenched;
Among those who grasp, they do not grasp:
These are the ones whom I worship, Matali.’

Matali:

“‘Those whom you worship, my lord Sakka,
Are indeed the best in the world.
I too will worship them—
Those whom you worship, Vasava.’

The Blessed One:

“Having given this explanation,
Having worshipped the Bhikkhu Saṅgha,
The deva-king Maghava, Suja’s husband,
The chief, climbed into his chariot.”