In plain words
So many great souls!
Once the Buddha was travelling through the various regions of the country, giving the people teachings of truth. One day, by the time he reached a village, he was very tired. Then he called Nityānanda, the foremost among his disciples: “My son! Today I shall take a little rest. You give the devotees gathered here some good teachings,” he said, and went inside to rest. But since sleep would not come, he began listening to Nityānanda's talk. What was Nityānanda teaching? “People! A great one like the Buddha was never born before, and none will be born hereafter. It is your good fortune to be born as the Buddha's contemporaries. Make the effort it needs to put this chance to good use,” he said. Hearing these words, the devotees gathered there broke into loud applause.
At once the Buddha got up, came out, laid his hand on Nityānanda's shoulder and asked, “My son! Nityānanda! How old are you?” Nityānanda said, “Forty years, Swami!” When he asked, “How many towns have you seen until now?”, “I have seen only two towns. Swami!” he said. When he asked again, “How many great ones have you had the darśan of?”, he answered that he had had the darśan of no one. Then the Buddha said, “Foolish one! You are forty years old. You have seen only two towns. You have not had the darśan of a single great one. That being so, a great one like the Buddha has not been born until now, and will not be born hereafter: what right have you to say that? What do you know of who was born before those forty years? So many great souls are yet to be born. Were great ones not born at all, this very world could not stand. “If there were no men of merit in the world, how could the worlds shine as bright as day?” Only by the power of great ones does this world shine.