Petavatthu(Ghost stories)24

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24. THE STORY OF THE KANNAMUNDA  PETI(2.12)
While the Teacher was living at Savatthi, he told this story. Once upon a time, it is said, in the days of the Buddha Kassapa, there lived in Kimbila a certain lay disciple, a convert(to Buddha's path), who was of the same faith with five hundred lay disciples and given to the pursuit of meritorious deeds such as planting of pleasure-groves, building bridges, making paths and other useful works. He had a monastery built for the monks and used to go there  with them from time to time. Their wives, who too were in mutual concord, would go to the monastery with garlands, perfumes, ointments, resting on the way in parks and hostels. Then one day, some rogues who were sitting down together in the hostel of a certain lady, while those women were resting there, saw their great beauty and became enamoured. Knowing them to be good, they started a conversation: "Who is able to perform a breach of morality with even one of them? " Thereupon one said. "I am." Saying," Let us make with him a wager for a thousand (coins)," they made the bet, adding : " If you succeed, we must give you the thousand; if not, you must give them to us." With the desire to win and in fear of losing, he was reciting with many tricks while the women were at the hostel, playing a seven-stringed, sweet­toned lute, and singing love-songs, and he brought a certain woman among them to break the moral law, making those rogues lose the thousand. Beaten by him, they told the affair to her husband, who did not believe it, but asked her: "Are you of such a sort as those men have said?" She denied, saying: "I do not know such a thing." Since he did not trust her. She pointed to a dog which was standing near by, and took an oath: "If such a wicked deed was done by me, may this crop-eared black dog devour me, when I am reborn here or there !" Moreover, when the other women,  who knew she had transgressed, were questioned: "Did this woman do such a wicked act, or did she not do it?" they falsely swore: "If we know, may we become her slaves in this or that rebirth."

Then that adulteress, consumed by remorse for her sin, wasted away and died. She was reborn as a mansion peti on the shore of Lake Kannamunda, one of the seven great lakes in the Himalaya, king of mountains. Furthermore, there came into being on all sides of the mansion a lotus­pond suitable for enjoyment. When the other women died, in consequence of the oath they had taken, they became her slaves, In that place, on account of the good deeds performed in her previous existence, she enjoyed heavenly bliss during the daytime, but at midnight, urged on by the force of her evil deeds, she arose from her bed and went to the bank of the lotus-pond, being there devoured by a great dog. Thereafter she immediately reappeared with her former beauty, and having mounted to her mansion, lay down upon her couch. The other women, however, endured with difficulty their continual serfdom to her. Thus five hundred and fifty years passed by, and since they were enjoying deva-bliss without their husbands, they began to long for them.

Now there was at that place a river which issued from Lake Kannamunda and through a cleft in the mountain flowed into the Ganga river. Near it was a park with mango trees that bore deva fruit, with bread-fruit trees, and others. Thus they thought: "Come now! we will throw these mangoes into the river; thus, indeed, having seen the fruit floating down, some man or other may come here to get the mangoes. Then we shall enjoy ourselves with them." They did so. Now as regards the mangoes cast adrift, ascetics got some; foresters, others; and others stuck to the bank. One, however, reached the stream of the Ganga river and in the course of time got as far as Benares.

At that time, the king of Benares was bathing in the Ganga river in water surrounded by a copper net. Then that mango which had been carried down came that way and was caught in the copper net. When the king's bodyguard found the large deva-mango excellent in colour, smell, and taste, they brought it to him. As an experiment, the king took a piece of it and gave it to a notorious robber who had been placed in jail. When he had eaten it, he said : "Your majesty, I have never before eaten such a mango; I think this is a deva-mango," The king gave him another slice. After he had eaten that, his wrinkled skin and grey hair left him; he became very handsome and, as it were, restored to youth. When the king saw that, he was full of wonder, ate of the mango and also received splendour in his body, He asked :

"Where are such mangoes found ?" His men replied: " It is said, your majesty, in the Himalaya, king of mountains." . "Is it posssible to procure them?" Your majesty, the foresters know that." The king sent for the foresters, gave to a poor forester a thousand coins, and sent him away, saying: "Go, quickly bring me the mango fruit." That one then went up the Ganga river to Lake Kannamunda. When he had gone beyond the road of men, he saw in succession three ascetics who directed him. The third advised him: "Leave this great Ganga river; follow that small river, going up stream until you see a fissure in the mountain. Then you must enter there at night with a firebrand. Since this river does not flow by night, you can travel that way." He did so, and at sunrise he reached a region, where was a very delightful mango grove. Then when those women, who were without husbands, saw him coming even from afar, they ran up to him, saying: "That man belongs to me, that man belongs to me." Now he had not done the good works which were suitable for enjoying deva-bliss with them in that place. So at the mere sight of them, he was frightened and fled with a shout. Upon reaching Benares, he told the king what had happened.

When the king heard that, there was aroused in him a desire to see those women and to enjoy the mangoes. So he entrusted the kingdom to his privy councillors, and on the pretext of going hunting, he took his bow and quiver and sword, and with a few men, he set out as the forester told him. After a few yojanas distant, he left those men and went on with just the forester. Him too, after a while, he sent back; at sunrise he reached the mango grove,

Then, when those women saw him as a young reborn son of a deva, and went out to meet him they knew that he was a king, and took him up into the mansion. They gave him deva-food and waited on him according to his wishes.

Then, after one hundred and fifty year had passed by, the king rose at midnight, and saw the transgressing peti going to the shore of the lotus-pond, curious, he followed her. Then he saw that she was devoured by a dog upon her arrival there, For three days he considered, not knowing what to make of it, then he shot the dog with a sharp arrow; having thus deprived it of life and having immersed the woman in the lotus-pond, he thereupon saw her with her former beauty restored.

He then asked her what had happened to her:

1. "Here are staircase landings of gold, resting upon the golden sands; there are beautiful sweet-smelling lilies, a delight to the heart.

2. "Various trees form a canopy over the waters, breezes fragrant with different scents blow over them; the ponds are covere with many pink lotuses and bedecked with the white lotuses.

3." Stirred by the wind, the delightful pools emit a pleasant odour; they resound with the noise of swans and herons; they are resonant with the sound of ruddy geese.

4- "Filled with divers swarms of birds and resounding with a multitude of various songs, the trees yield diverse kinds of fruit, the forests produce manifold flowers.

5· " Such a city as this is not found among men. You have many palaces built of gold. and silver.

6. "Brightly gleaming, the four regions all are radiant. You have these five hundred maidservants that wait upon you.

7. "They are wearing armlets of shells and are adorned with golden garments. You have many beds made of gold and silver.

8."They are overspread with the skins of Kadali antelope ; they are all ready and are covered with woollen blankets. When you lie down upon them, you are richly endowed with all pleasure.

9 ."Yet when midnight has arrived, you get up and go out; when you have come to the pleasure garden on all sides of the lotus-pond.

10. "Upon its bank you stand, fair one, upon the green turf; Then a dog with cropped ears, devours you, limb after limb.

11.  When you are devoured and made a chain of bones, you plunge into the lotus-pool, where your body becomes just as before.

I2. "Then with a complete body, very handsome, beautiful to behold, arrayed in your clothes, you come into my presence.

13. "Now what wicked deed was committed by body, speech. and mind? As a punishment of what sin does the crop-eared dog devour your body, one part after the other?"

When she was thus asked by the king, the peti told him her story:

14. "In Kimbila was a householder, a pious layman; his wife was I, a wicked adulteress.

I5. "Since I was unchaste, my husband thus addressed me : 'It is not fitting or proper that you are unfaithful to me.'

16. "Then I falsely uttered a terrible oath: 'I do not deceive you with my body or in thought.

17. "But if I trespass with my person or my mind, then may that crop-eared dog devour me, limb after limb.'

18. "The penalty for both that deed and the falsehood I have been enduring for seven hundred years : ever since that time the crop-eared dog has been devouring me, limb after limb."

Thus she spoke; then in two stanzas she praised the favour he had done her:

19. "Lord, you are very powerful: for my sake you have come here. Released from the crop-eared one, I am free from sorrow and without fear from any source,

20. "Lord, I honour you and beseech you saluting : take advantage of non-human pleasures; Lord, with me enjoy yourself. "

Thereupon the king, tired of living there, made known his intention of leaving and spoke the final stanza:

21. "I have partaken of deva-delights and had my joy with you, Now, fair one, I pray you, quickly take me  back,"

Then that mansion-peti, having heard the words of the king, was unable to endure a separation, She was perplexed in her heart with grief and sorrow, and her body was trembling. Even though she appealed to him with various means, she was not able to induce him to remain there. She brought the king with many costly gems to his city and took him up to his palace. Then with weeping and lamentation, she returned straightway to her own abode. Now, when the king saw that, he was greatly moved, and having performed meritorious works in gifts and other ways, he became destined for heaven.

Then, when our Lord Buddha had been born in the world, and came in the course of time to dwell in Savatthi, the venerable Mahamogallana one day on his wanderings in the mountains saw that lady with her retinue and asked her what deed she had committed. She told him all and he told the incident to the Lord Buddha.