Therigatha5.9

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Adapted from Archaic Translation By Mrs. Rhys Davids 1909

Compared with the Pali Tipitaka at www.tipitaka.org

5.9 Bhadda Kundalakesa, The Ex-Jain, Daughter Of A Millionare(Setthi) Of Rajagaha, Wife Of A Brahmin Chief, Foremost Of The Theris Who Had Swift Intuition

She, too, was reborn, when Padumuttara was Buddha, at Hansavati, in a clansman's family. One day she sat listening to the Master, and hearing him place a Bhikkhuni at top of those whose intuition was swift, she vowed that this rank should one day be hers. After working much merit, and experiencing aeons of rebirth among gods(angels) and men, she became, when Kassapa was Buddha, one of the seven daughters  of Kiki, King of Kasi. And then for twenty thousand years  she followed holy single life of celibacy, and built a cell for the Order. Finally, in this Buddha-era, she was born at Rajagaha, in the family of the king's treasurer called Bhadda. Growing up surrounded by attendants, she saw, looking through her lattice, Satthuka, the royal priest's son, a thief, being led to execution by the city guard by order of the king. Falling in love with him, she fell prone on her couch, saying: 'If I get him, I shall live; if not, I shall die.' Then her father, hearing of her state, out of his great love for her, bribed the guard heavily to release the thief, let him be bathed with perfumed water, adorned him, and let him come where Bhadda, decorated in jewels, waited upon him. Then Satthuka very soon desired her jewels, and said: 'Bhadda, when the city guards were taking me to the Robbers' Cliff, I vowed to the Cliff deity that if my life were spared I would bring an offering. Do you make one ready.' Wishing to please him, she did that, and adorning herself with all her jewels, mounted a chariot with him, and drove to the Cliff. And Satthuka, to have her in his power, stopped the attendants; and taking the offering, went up alone with her, but spoke no word of affection to her. And by his behaviour she discerned his plot. Then he made her take off her outer robe and wrap in it the jewels she was wearing. She asked him what had she done wrong, and he answered: 'You fool, do you fancy I have come here to make offering? I have come to get your ornaments.' She ,'But whose, then, dear one, are the ornaments, and whose am I?', Thief 'I know nothing of that division.' She 'So be it, dear; but grant me this one wish: let me, while wearing my jewels, embrace you.' He consented, saying: 'Very well.' She upon that embraced him in front, and then, as if embracing him from the back, pushed him over the precipice. And the deity dwelling on the mountain saw her do this feat and praised her cleverness, saying:

Not in every case Man is wiser ever; Woman, too, when swift to see, may prove as clever. Not in every case is Man the wiser reckoned; Woman, too, is clever, an she think but a moment'. From that time on Bhadda thought: 'I cannot, in this course of events, go home; I will go hence, and leave the world(become ascetic).' So she entered the Order of the Niganthas(Jains). And they asked her: 'In what grade do you make renunciation?' 'In whatever is your extreme grade,' she replied, 'perform that on me.' So they tore out her hair with a palmyra comb. (When the hair grew again in close curls they called her Curlyhair.) During her probation she learnt their course of doctrine and concluded that: 'So far as they go they know, but beyond that there is nothing distinctive in their teaching.' So she left them, and going wherever there were learned persons, she learnt their methods of knowledge till, when she found none equal to debate with her, she made a heap of sand at the gate of some village or town, and in it set up the branch of a rose-apple(Jamun), and told children to watch near it, saying: 'Whoever is able to join issue with me in debate, let him trample on this tree branch.' Then she went to her dwelling, and if after a week the tree branch still stood, she took it and departed.

Now at that time our Bhagwa(Lord Buddha), rolling the wheel (teaching) of the excellent Dhamma(path of eternal truth), came and dwelt in the Jetavana grove near Savatthi, just when Curlyhair had set up her tree branch at the gate of that city.

Then the venerable Captain of the Dhamma (Sariputta) entered the city alone, and, seeing her tree branch, felt the wish to subdue her. And he asked the children: 'Why is this tree branch stuck up here?' They told him. The Elder said: 'If that is so, trample on the tree branch.' And the children did so. Then Curlyhair, after seeking her meal in the town, came out and saw the trampled tree branch, and asked who had done it. When she heard it was the Elder, she thought, 'An unsupported debate is not effective,' and going back into Savatthi, she walked from street to street, saying: 'Would you see a debate between the Sakyan ascetics and myself?' Thus, with a great following, she went up to the Captain of the Dhamma(path of eternal truth), who was seated beneath a tree, and, after friendly greeting, asked: 'Was it by your orders that my rose-apple(Jamun) tree branch was trampled on?' 'Yes, by my orders.' 'That being so, let us have a debate together.' 'Let us, Bhadda.' 'Which shall put questions, which shall answer?' 'Questions put to me; do you ask anything you yourself think of.' They proceeded thus, the Elder answering everything, till she, unable to think of further questions, became silent. Then the Elder said: 'You have asked much; I, too, will ask, but only this question.' 'Ask it, lord.' 'One–what is that?'[1] Curlyhair, seeing neither end nor point to this, was as one gone into the dark, and said: 'I know not, lord.' Then he, saying, 'You know not even thus much. How should you know anything else?' taught her the Dhamma(path of eternal truth). She fell at his feet, saying: 'Lord, I take refuge with you.' Sariputta 'Come not to me, Bhadda, for refuge; go for refuge to the Bhagwa(Lord Buddha), supreme among men and gods(angels). ' She 'I will do so, lord,' she said; and that evening, going to the Master(Buddha) at the hour of his teaching the Dhamma(path of eternal truth), and worshipping him she stood on one side. The Master, discerning the maturity of her knowledge, said:

'Better than a thousand verses, where no profit wings the word, Is a solitary stanza bringing calm and peace when heard'. And when he had spoken, she attained Arahantship(enlightenment equal to Buddha), together with thorough grasp of the letter and the spirit. Now she entered the Order as an Arahant, the Master(Buddha) himself admitting her. And going to the Bhikkunis(nuns) quarters, she dwelt in the bliss of fruition and Nibbana, and blissful in her attainment said thus:

Hairless, dirt-laden and half-clad so I lived formerly, believing that harmless things Held harm, nor was I aware of harm In many things in which, in truth, harm exists. (107) Then I went to meditate alone in the shade Up to the Vulture's Peak, (Gijjakuta) and there I saw The Buddha, the Immaculate, surrounded by And followed by the Bhikkhu-Order. (108) Low on my knees I worshipped, with both hands Adoring. 'Come, Bhadda!' the Master(Buddha) said! <p style="text-align:center;">By that to me was ordination given. (109) <p style="text-align:center;">Lo! fifty years have I a pilgrim(ascetic) been, <p style="text-align:center;">In Anga, Magadha and in Vajji, <p style="text-align:center;">In Kasi and the land of Kosala, <p style="text-align:center;">Nought owing, living on the people's alms. (110) <p style="text-align:center;">And great the merit by that layman gained, <p style="text-align:center;">Sagacious man, who gave Bhadda a robe– <p style="text-align:center;">Bhadda who is now <p style="text-align:center;">fully free(vimutta, vimukta) from all inner bonds. (111)

[1] 'Ekan nama kin? or more fully, 'What is that which is called (named) "one"?'

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At the time of the Buddha in the city of Rajagaha there lived a rich merchant who had a very beautiful daughter named Bhadda. Because of her frivolous and passionate nature her parents had her confined to the seventh floor of a seven-story mansion where she lived in seclusion with her maidservants.

One day she heard a commotion and looking out of her window saw a very handsome youth who had been led to trial for committing a robbery. She instantly fell passionately and hopelessly in love with the youth. Her parents tried to dissuade her by pointing out that he was a thief and not to be trusted but Bhadda would not heed their advice. Instead,she lay down on her bed and refused to eat or drink until the man was given to her in marriage. In desperation, Bhadda’s parents agreed to her request. Her father gave a large bribe to the officials who substituted a poor, innocent man for the youth, and Bhadda’s lover was freed. Bhadda’s parents gave her in marriage to the youth, hoping that her love and his good fortune would mend his ways.

But the youth, who was a thief at heart, did not change. Instead, he was obsessed with his wife’s beautiful wedding jewellery, which he planned to steal from her. He informed Bhadda that he had taken a vow to the God of the Mountains. He had vowed that if his life was spared he would go to the top of the mountain, the abode of the God, and make an offering. It was time, he said, to keep the vow. Instructing Bhadda to dress in all her finery, he set off with her to the top of a high mountain.

On the way they reached a steep cliff with a sheer face known as robbers’ cliff, as in accordance with the laws of that time thieves were put to death at this point by pushing them over the cliff. He then told Bhadda to hand over all her jewellery and informed her of her impending death as he planned to push her over the cliff and make off with her jewels. Bhadda was at a loss as to what she should do. However, being extremely quick-witted, she came up with a plan to foil her husband.

She agreed to his request and asked permission to pay obeisance to her husband whom she said she dearly loved. Then falling on her knees, she saluted him from each side and when she was directly behind him pushed him over the cliff.

Bhadda, who was a kind and compassionate person, was horrified at what she had done. The fact that she had killed a person, even in self-defence, weighed on her mind. No longer was she attracted to men and sense pleasures. Having decided to take to the life of an ascetic, she joined a religious movement known as the Jains.

In keeping with the beliefs of the Jains her hair was pulled out at the roots as a form of penance. She followed their teachings and practised their religion diligently. Her hair however, started to grow back, only this time it came back in the form of thick curls. Bhadda was soon referred to as Kundalakesa or ‘curly hair’.

Before long Kundalakesa had mastered all the knowledge of the Jains. She moved from teacher to teacher, grasping and learning their philosophies and practices very quickly. Having studied under many spiritual teachers Kundalakesa became a very knowledgeable, spiritual person. So much so that she gained a reputation for being excellent at debating in matters of religion and philosophy.

Kundalakesa used to travel from city to city challenging people to debates. Whenever she entered a city, she made a small mound of sand and planted in the centre a branch of the rose apple tree. She would then challenge anyone who wanted to debate with her to accept her challenge by trampling down the mound of sand.

One day when the Buddha was in residence at the Jetavana monastery, Kundalakesa arrived in Savatthi and issued her challenge. Sariputta decided to accept her challenge. He instructed some children to go and trample the mound of sand on his behalf and to ask Kundalakesa to come to the monastery on the following day to debate with him.

Confident of her victory, Kundalakesa came to the monastery with a large gathering of her supporters. She began by questioning Sariputta. Each question that she asked was answered correctly by Sariputta. Kundalakesa asked question after question until she was exhausted of questions. No matter what her question Sariputta knew the answer. It was now Sariputta’s turn to challenge her. Kundalakesa faltered at the very first question. Not knowing the answer she asked him to teach her. Sariputta agreed to answer the question in the presence of the Buddha.

Sariputta led her to the Buddha and Bhadda listened to His teaching. Bhadda, who was extremely quick-witted, attained Arahantship instantaneously. The Buddha declared that Bhadda was foremost among the nuns in understanding the Dhamma quickly, for, like the monk Bahiya, she had attained enlightenment instantaneously.

Using her skill in debating, Bhadda travelled far and wide preaching the Dhamma to others so that they too could benefit by the Truth.