Whether in town or woods,
whether in vale, on hill,
wherever dwell the Arahats
so pleasing there the earth.
Explanation: Whether in the village, in the forest, in a valley or in the plain, wherever arahats – noble saints – dwell, that place is alluring in the extreme.
The Story of Venerable Revata, (Verse 98)
While residing at the Jetavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Venerable Revata of the Acacia (khadira) Forest.
Revata was the youngest brother of the Chief Disciple Sariputta. He was the only one of the brothers and sisters of Sariputta who had not left home for the homeless life. His parents were very anxious to get him married. Revata was only seven years old when his parents arranged a marriage for him to a young girl. At the wedding reception, he met an old lady who was one hundred and twenty years old, and he realized that all beings are subject to ageing and decay. So, he ran away from the house and went straight to a monastery, where there were thirty monks. Those monks had been requested earlier by Venerable Sariputta to make his brother a novice monk if he should come to them. Accordingly, he was made a novice monk and Venerable Sariputta was informed about it.
Monk Revata took a meditation topic from those monks and left for an acacia forest, thirty yojanas (leagues) away from the monastery. At the end of the vassa (rainy season), the novice monk attained arahatship. Venerable Sariputta then asked permission from the Buddha to visit his brother, but the Buddha replied that he himself would go there. So the Buddha accompanied by Venerable Sariputta, Venerable Sivali and many other monks set out to visit Samanera (novice) Revata.
The journey was long, the road was rough and the area was uninhabited by people; but the devas looked to all the needs of the Buddha and the monks on the way. At an interval of every yojana (league), a monastery and food were provided, and they travelled at the rate of a yojana a day. Revata, learning about the visit of the Buddha, also made arrangements to welcome him. By supernormal power he created a special monastery for the Buddha and five hundred monasteries for the other monks, and made them comfortable throughout their stay there.
On their return journey, they travelled at the same rate as before, and came to the Pubbarama Monastery on the eastern end of Savatthi at the end of the month. From there, they went to the house of Visakha, who offered them alms-food. After the meal, Visakha asked the Buddha if the place of Revata in the acacia forest was pleasant.