In the present Rāhula’s mother, after ordaining falls ill. Ven. Rāhula asks what is to be done, and she asks for mango juice, which Ven. Sāriputta then brings for her and which cures her. The Buddha tells a story of a queen in the past who desired an Abbhantara mango and how a faithful parrot procured one for her.

1. Abbhantaro nāma dumo, yassa dibyam-idaṁ phalaṁ,
Bhutvā dohaḷinī nārī Cakkavattiṁ vijāyati.

The Abbhantara mango tree, which has a fruit that is divine, eating it the pregnant woman gives birth to a Universal Monarch.

2. Tvam-pi bhadde mahesīsi, sā cāpi patino piyā,
Āharissati te rājā idaṁ Abbhantaraṁ phalan-ti.

Lady, you are a great queen, also you are dear to your husband, the king will surely bring the Abbhantara mango fruit to you.

In this connection, the Abbhantara CPD: name of a mythical amba [mango] tree, belonging to the gods and kept in the interior of Himavat. mango tree, not having spoken about the Abbhantara in this or that village, market town, country, mountain, and so on, he only spoke of one single Abbhantara mango tree.

Which has a fruit that is divine, which was a mango tree having divine fruit worthy of being consumed by the Devatās.

Pregnant means having arisen cravings. The word generally means a woman who has the cravings associated with pregnancy, and as such comes to mean someone who is pregnant.

Lady, you are a great queen means splendid lady, you are a great queen.

Also you are dear to your husband, amongst the 16,000 queens in the inner court you are the great queen, and you are dear to your husband, this is the meaning.

The king will surely bring the Abbhantara mango fruit to you, to the great queen who is dear the king will have this fruit brought which was mentioned by me, and after eating it, you will get a Universal Monarch in your womb.

3. Bhattu-r-atthe parakkanto, yaṁ ṭhānam-adhigacchati,
Sūro attapariccāgī, labhamāno bhavāmahan-ti.

Exerting for the master’s sake, whatever position he attains, the self-sacrificing hero, I am the one receiving it. The grammar here is difficult, we would expect the subject to be followed by a 3rd person verb, but instead there is a 1st person verb, coupled with a present participle and seemingly without the expected object.

In this connection, for the master’s sake, masters are said to be father, mother, and husband who support and nurture with food There is a pun on the word bhattā (master) and the word bhatta (food). and so on, thus for the sake of supporting the three kinds of dead people.

Exerting means exerting, making an effort.

Whatever the place he attains, whatever pleasant task, whether fame, gain or heaven, he attains it.

The hero means brave, endowed with strength.

Self-sacrificing means being without expectation for his body and life, sacrificing himself for the sake of supporting the three kinds of dead people.

I am the one receiving it, such a hero receives the state of a Deva, or of a human, I also am the one receiving it, therefore here for me there is joy, not fright, why would you frighten me?

 

last updated: November 2022