Ja 408 Kumbhakārajātaka
The Story about the Potter (7s)
In the present some monks harbor wrong thoughts. The Buddha tells a story of four kings who from reading the signs gave up their kingdoms and became Paccekabuddhas, of a potter who entertained them, and how his wife ordained, and after raising his children he did so too.
The Bodhisatta = the wanderer (paribbājaka),
Rāhulamātā = the female wanderer (paribbājikā),
Rāhula = their son (putta),
Uppalavaṇṇā = their daughter (dhītā).
Present Source: Ja 408 Kumbhakāra,
Quoted at: Ja 370 Palāsa, Ja 412 Koṭisimbali, Ja 459 Pānīya,
Present Compare: Ja 305 Sīlavīmaṁsana.
Keywords: Wrong thoughts, Renunciation, Paccekabuddhas.
“A mango in a forest.”
In the past when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born in a potter’s family in a suburb of Benares; when he grew up he became a householder, had a son and daughter, and supported his wife and children by his potter’s handicraft. At that time in the Kaliṅga kingdom, in the city of Dantapura, the king named Karaṇḍu, going to his garden with a great retinue, saw at the garden-gate a mango tree laden with sweet fruit; he stretched out his hand from his seat on the elephant and seized a bunch of mangoes; then entering the garden he sat on the royal seat and ate a mango, giving some to those worthy of favours. From the time when the king took one, ministers, brahmins, and householders, thinking that others should also do so, took down and ate mangoes from that tree. Coming again and again they climbed the tree, and beating it with clubs and breaking the branches down and off, they ate the fruit, not leaving even the unripe.
The king amused himself in the garden for the day, and at evening as he came by on the royal elephant he dismounted on seeing the tree, and going to its root he looked up and thought: “In the morning this tree stood beautiful with its burden of fruit and those who gazed upon it could not be satisfied; now it stands not beautiful with its fruit broken down and off.” Again looking from another place
Then his ministers said: “You stand too long, O great king.” “I am not a king, I am a Paccekabuddha.” “Paccekabuddhas are not like you, O king.” “Then what are they like?” “Their hair and beards are shaved, they are dressed in yellow robes, they are not attached to family or tribe, they are like clouds torn by wind or the moon’s orb freed from Rāhu, and they dwell in the Himālayas in the Nandamūla cave; such, O king, are the Paccekabuddhas.” At that moment the king threw up his hand and touched his head, and instantly the marks of a householder disappeared, and the marks of a monastic came into view,
Three robes, bowl, razor, needles, strainer, belt,
A pious monk those eight marks should own,
the requisites, as they are called, of a monastic became attached to his body. Standing in the air he preached to the multitude, and then went through the sky to the mountain cave Nandamūla in the Upper Himālayas.
In the kingdom of Kandahar in the city Taxila, the king named Naggaji on a terrace, in the middle of a royal couch, saw a woman who had put a jewelled bracelet on each hand and was grinding perfume as she sat near; he thought: “These jewelled bracelets do not rub or jingle when separate,” and so sat watching. Then she, putting the bracelet from the right hand
In the kingdom of Videha, in the city of Mithila, the king, named Nimi, after breakfast, surrounded by his ministers, stood looking down at the street through an open window of the palace. A hawk, having taken some meat from the meat-market, was flying up into the air. Some vultures or other birds, surrounding the hawk on each side, went on pecking it with their beaks, striking it with their wings and beating it with their feet, for the sake of the meat. Not enduring to be killed, the hawk dropped the flesh, another bird took it; the rest leaving the hawk fell on the other; when he relinquished it, a third took it; and they pecked him also in the same way. The king seeing those birds thought: “Whoever took the flesh, sorrow befell him; whoever relinquished it, happiness befell him; whoever takes the five pleasures of sense, sorrow befalls him, happiness the other man; these are common to many; now I have sixteen thousand women; I ought to live in happiness leaving the five pleasures of sense, as the hawk relinquishing the morsel of flesh.” Considering this wisely,
In the kingdom of Uttarapañcāla, in the city of Kampilla, the king, named Dummukha, after breakfast, with all his ornaments and surrounded by his ministers, stood looking down on the palace-yard from an open window. At the instant they opened the door of a cow-pen; the bulls coming from the pen set upon one cow in lust; and one great bull with sharp horns seeing another bull coming, possessed by the jealousy of lust, struck him in the thigh with his sharp horns. By the force of the blow his entrails came out, and so he died. The king seeing this thought: “Living beings from the state of beasts upwards become sorrowful from the power of lust; this bull through lust has reached death; other beings also are disturbed by lust; I ought to abandon the sensual desires that disturb those beings,” and so standing as he was he realised the three characteristics, attained spiritual insight and became a wise Paccekabuddha. Standing in the air he preached to the multitude, and then went through the sky to the mountain cave Nandamūla in the Upper Himālayas
Then one day those four Paccekabuddhas, considering that it was time for their rounds, left the Nandamūla cave, having cleansed their teeth by chewing betel in the Lake Anotatta, and having attended to their needs in Manosilā, they took the bowl and robe, and by Supernormal Powers flying in the air, and treading on clouds of the five colours, they alighted not far from a suburb of Benares. In a convenient spot they put on the robes, took the bowl, and entering the suburb they went the rounds for alms till they came to the Bodhisatta’s house-door. The Bodhisatta seeing them was delighted and making them enter his house he made them sit on a seat prepared, he respectfully
1. “A mango in a forest did I see
Full-grown, and dark, fruitful exceedingly;
And for its fruit those men did the tree break,
’Twas this inclined my heart the bowl to take.”
2. “A bracelet, polished by a hand renowned,
A woman wore on each wrist without sound;
One touched the other and a noise did wake;
’Twas this inclined my heart the bowl to take.”
3. “Birds in a flock a bird unfriended tore,
Who all alone a lump of carrion bore;
The bird was smitten for the carrion’s sake
’Twas this inclined my heart the bowl to take.”
4. “A bull in pride among his fellows paced;
High rose his back, with strength and beauty graced;
From lust he died; a horn his wound did make;
’Twas this inclined my heart the bowl to take.”
The Bodhisatta, hearing each verse, said: “Good, sir; your topic is suitable,” and so commended each Paccekabuddha; and having listened to the discourse delivered by those four, he became disinclined to a householder’s life. When the Paccekabuddhas went away, after breakfast seated at his ease, he called his wife and said: “Wife, those four Paccekabuddhas left kingdoms to be monks and now live without wrong, without hindrance, in the bliss of the ascetic life; while I make a livelihood by earnings; what have I to do with a householder’s life? Do you take the children and stay in the house,” and he spoke two verses;
5. “Kaliṅga’s king Karaṇḍu, Gandhāra’s Naggaji,
Pañcāla’s ruler Dummukha, Videha’s great Nimi,
Have left their thrones and live the monastic life sinlessly.
6. Here their godlike forms they show
Each one like a blazing fire;
Bhaggavi, I too will go,
Leaving all that men desire.”
Hearing his words she said: “Husband, ever since I heard the discourse of the Paccekabuddhas I too have no happiness in the house,” and she spoke a verse:
7. “ ’Tis the appointed time, I know;
Better teachers may not be;
Bhaggava, I too will go,
Like a bird from hand set free.”
The Bodhisatta hearing her words was silent. She was deceiving the Bodhisatta, as she was anxious to take the ascetic life before him; so she said: “Husband, I am going to the water-tank, do you look after the children,” and taking a pot as if she had been going there, she went away and coming to the ascetics outside the town she was ordained by them.
The Bodhisatta finding that she did not return attended to the children himself. Afterwards when they grew up a little and could understand for themselves, in order to teach them,
8. “Having seen they could distinguish salt from saltless, boiled from raw,
I became a monk; leave me, we can each follow the law.”
So exhorting the female ascetic he took leave of her. She taking the exhortation saluted the Bodhisatta and went to a place that pleased her. After that day they never saw each other. The Bodhisatta reaching supernatural knowledge became destined to the Brahmā Realm.
After the lesson, the Teacher declared the Truths, and identified the Jātaka, After the Truths five hundred monks became Arahats. “At that time the daughter was Uppalavaṇṇā, the son was Rāhula, the female ascetic Rāhula’s mother, and the ascetic was myself.”