who has observed the eight-factored sabbath,

having made merit whose outcome is happiness,

blameless, they go to a heavenly place.”

Numbered Discourses 8.46 5. Sabbath Anuruddha and the Agreeable Deities

At one time the Buddha was staying near Kosambī in Ghosita’s monastery.

Now at that time Venerable Anuruddha had gone into retreat for the day’s meditation. Then several deities of the Agreeable Host went up to Venerable Anuruddha, bowed, stood to one side, and said to him:

“Honorable Anuruddha, we are the deities called ‘Agreeable’. We wield authority and control over three things. We can turn any color we want on the spot. We can get any voice that we want on the spot. We can get any pleasure that we want on the spot. We are the deities called ‘Agreeable’. We wield authority and control over these three things.”

Then Venerable Anuruddha thought, “If only these deities would all turn blue, of blue color, clad in blue, adorned with blue!” Then those deities, knowing Anuruddha’s thought, all turned blue.

Then Venerable Anuruddha thought, “If only these deities would all turn yellow …”

“If only these gods would all turn red …”