Standing to one side, the godling Maghada addressed the Buddha in verse:Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho māgadho devaputto bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
“How many lamps are there“Kati lokasmiṁ pajjotā,that light up the world?yehi loko pakāsati;We’ve come to ask the Buddha;Bhavantaṁ puṭṭhumāgamma,how are we to understand this?”kathaṁ jānemu taṁ mayan”ti.
“There are four lamps in the world,“Cattāro loke pajjotā,a fifth is not found.pañcamettha na vijjati;The sun blazes by day,Divā tapati ādicco,the moon radiates at night,rattimābhāti candimā.
while a fire illuminates bothAtha aggi divārattiṁ,by day and by night.tattha tattha pakāsati;But a Buddha is the best of blazes:Sambuddho tapataṁ seṭṭho,this is the supreme radiance.”esā ābhā anuttarā”ti.
Similar passages elsewhere
Found by meaning, not by citation: the passages in other texts whose wording sits closest to a passage here.
SN 1.26 Lamps0.83near 0.1Linked Discourses 1.26 3. A Sword Lamps “How many lamps are there that light up the world? We’ve come to ask the worthy sir: how are we to understand this?” “There are four lamps in the world, a fifth is not found. The s…
AN 4.145 Lamps0.52near 0.1Numbered Discourses 4.145 15. Brightness Lamps “Mendicants, there are these four lamps. What four? The lamps of the moon, sun, fire, and wisdom. These are the four lamps. The best of these four lamps is the lamp of wisdo…
AN 4.143 Light0.50near 0.1Numbered Discourses 4.143 15. Brightness Light “Mendicants, there are these four lights. What four? The lights of the moon, sun, fire, and wisdom. These are the four lights. The best of these four lights is the light of…