Even Mara (death) is indefensible against the power of Arahanthood
A Sakvithi dawns on a world ready to bloom
In desperation the king resorted to the ultimate recourse of beheading those found guilty
With the country caught up in this vicious cycle, life spans of men began to diminish drastically
The ten courses of evil conduct and debasement will substitute for goodness and merit in the world
Sakvithi, also called Chakravarthi, is no mythical figure, but an extraordinary monarch with superhuman powers who makes his rare appearance when a Buddha’s 
dispensation is non-existent on earth. The strength of merit in him makes his reign cover the four quarters of the world without resorting to the use of weapons and other destructive dispositions, - thus laying claim to the title “Wheel Turning Monarch” a non - sobriquet. The thirty two great features that distinguish a Samma Sambuddha are common to him as well, save the colour and direction of the “urna romā “ positioned on his forehead. Possession of ten meritorious qualities in their extremity, has bestowed upon him a splurge of thaumaturgical capabilities including astral travel that defy all known logic and earthly parametres.
A king takes to robes
A Sakvithi dawns on a world ready to bloom. Gauthma Buddha had occasion to deliver a sermon later titled Chakravarthi Seehanada centred on such an entity who shone upon the human plane countless eons ago. The righteous monarch, ruler of the earth, was called Dalhanemi.
Having secured his realm he was in possession of seven incomparable treasures, first of which was a sacred wheel of gold. He had a thousand sons of heroic stature. Having ruled the earth without stick or sword for thousands upon thousands of years, he instructed a courtier of his to inform him immediately if he observed the slightest movement of the wheel treasure from its original resting position. Many centuries later the courtier reported to the great monarch that the sacred wheel had drifted by a fraction, whereupon the king summoned his eldest son to announce he will not live much longer and that the time for him to dwell on heavenly pleasures had arrived. “Take over my reign of the ocean- bounded land. I will renounce lay life and enter robes” he said.
Seven days after the royal sage departed the scared wheel treasure vanished. The king in robes addressed his son again “Son, do not despair over the wheel’s disappearance, it is no family heirloom. When you perform the duties of an Aryan Wheel Turner the sacred wheel will reappear. What are those duties? Holding aloft the Dhamma as your banner and your emblem, you should honour it, cherish it, and venerate it along with the royal household. The second duty of yours is to ensure your troops comply with the laws of Dhamma, and the third the nobles and vassals under your rule, followed by the Brahmins. Fifthly, your duty extends to the town and country folks. Protection of the ascetics and Brahmins of the kingdom is your sixth task. It is followed by the duty to protect all the land’s birds and beasts. Equally important is to ensure no criminal activities prevail under your guard. The distribution of wealth among the poor and the destitute is the ninth sacred duty. Finally, when those ascetics and Brahmins in your kingdom, who have renounced the life of sensual infatuation, are marked by their compassion and gentleness, each one in control of himself and in quietude, each one striving for the end of craving, it is your bounden duty to approach them with respect and seek their guidance as to what is wholesome and unwholesome, blameworthy and blameless, what is to be adhered to and what is to be discarded and what action in the long term will lead to harm and sorrow and what to welfare and happiness. Those, my son, are the duties of an Aryan Chakravarthi”.
When the anointed crown prince lived faithfully according to his father’s counsel the sacred wheel treasure appeared before him as foretold. Directed by the sacred wheel the Sakvithi King with his four-fold army succeeded in receiving the allegiance of all the kingdoms in the four directions of the earth from sea to sea without having to resort to force. He continued to guide the worlds inhabitants on the moral precepts of right livelihood. Consequent to his demise six others of the royal lineage went on to rule the entire world in peace as did the ones before them.
Thievery, robbery and beheading
The seventh successor monarch however failed to donate funds to the poor and the destitute though he performed other rituals. In consequence poverty became widespread followed by theft and robbery. Brought before the king, the accused were pardoned and given wealth on account of their penury. The practice of pardoning of offences and donating of funds continued till it became common knowledge among the populace and in no time the peoples’ major vocation became thievery and robbery. In desperation the king resorted to the ultimate recourse of beheading those found guilty, which inevitably led to armed citizens revolting against the cruel king.
With the country caught up in this vicious cycle, life spans of men began to diminish drastically. It dropped from eighty thousand years to forty thousand and twenty thousand until it reached two hundred and fifty. By then devious degenerative deeds such as taking of life, uttering of falsehoods, adultery, evil talk, insurmountable desires within themselves, anger, lust, gross avarice, homosexuality, incestual desires towards parents and close relatives, wild utterance became common place. Inevitably the human life span declined to a hundred years and finally to ten. When it reaches that stage all likeable flavours of humans turn bitter. The epicurean food of the day was kudrusa grain. The ten courses of moral conduct would disappear. The ten courses of evil conduct and debasement will substitute for goodness and merit in the world. The word ‘moral’ will take leave of their vocabulary. Girls become marriageable at five years. Those who have no respect for mother, father and elders will be the ones who enjoy honour and prestige in society. Parents and children will not recognize each other, neither will the immediate relatives, like goats and sheep, cockerels and pigs, dogs and jackals. Fierce hatred and violent thoughts overcome them, children against parents, brothers against sisters and vice versa in the manner of hunters that stalk beasts. Then arrives what is known as the weapons spell of seven days, when weapons appear in their hands and mistaking each other for wild animals, annihilate themselves en masse. Where in this spectrum of rise and decline does this advanced world in the 21st century stand today, one may rightfully ask?
After a period of time some of those who escape the carnage having retreated to thickets and mountains begin to realize their past wrongs, rehabilitate themselves and are overcome by compassion for their brethren
Jambudeepa
After a period of time some of those who escape the carnage having retreated to thickets and mountains begin to realize their past wrongs, rehabilitate themselves and are overcome by compassion for their brethren. With their newly turned lives of peace, harmony and goodwill, the lifespan begins to improve and their appearance become pleasant. Generation by generation their longevity would increase until it reaches eighty thousand years as before. The marriageable age of girls will be five hundred years. Only three diseases will be known to man; greed, fasting and old age. Jambudeepa then will be a mighty prosperous nation with Kethumathi the present Varanasi as its capital with eighty thousand sub cities.
Among the people with an eighty thousand year life-span, there will arise again a righteous monarch of the law named Sankha, a wheel-turner and conqueror of the four quarters. Later in that era there will also arise a Blessed Lord by the name of Metteyya, supreme teacher of the universe with its Devas and Maras, Brahmas, ascetics, Brahimins, its kings and inhabitants. He will proclaim Dhamma that is fine in the beginning, fine in the middle and fine in the end, perfect in spirit and the letter.
In time, the wheel turner Sankha, will gift his palace to the ascetics. The helpless and the destitute will shave off his hair. He will then don the saffron robe and embark on the blameless, unerring journey under Samma Sambuddha Metteyya in solitude, steadfast in resolution and determination. He will reach in that very life itself the final post of the holy life, in the sake of which young men of good upbringing go forth having abandoned the householder’s life of superficial comfort and ease.
The Blessed One concluded the sermon in these terms, “Monks, be an island unto your selves a refuge unto yourselves with none other as your refuge. Let Dhamma be that island and that refuge. Monks, confine yourselves to your own preserves the ancestral haunts of your teacher wherein you will gain in beauty, happiness, wealth and power.
What is the length of a monk’s life? It is the four concentrations of effort, energy, consciousness, and investigation.
What is the beauty for a monk? It is the practice of right conduct, restraint in accordance with his discipline, perfection of behaviour and habits, consciousness in the slightest of faults and abiding by the rules of his training.
What is a monk’s happiness? It is the attainment of four jhanas upon detachment from sense to desires.
What is wealth of a monk? Here the monk dwells suffusing the four quarters of the world with unbounded loving kindness free of hatred and ill-will. He dwells suffusing the entire world with compassion, with sympathetic joy and with equanimity filled in his heart
What is the power of a monk? It is that state of total liberation he experiences with his own supra-knowledge in this very life itself”.
“Monks”, said He in conclusion, “The one single invincible power in the world is that of Mara. He too is indefensible against the power of Arahanthood”
The monks rejoiced over these words of the Master.
