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A Manual of Budhism, In Its Modern Development, K. Spence Hardy, 1880 - Complete Book

English

At night, when walking for the purpose of religious meditation, Annrudha was attacked with flatulence ; and when the sdman^ra saw the pain that he endured, he asked him if he had over suffered from the same complaint before, and in what way it was then cured. The priest informed him that it had previously been cured by some of the water of the Anotatta lake, on hearing which he said he would go and fetch some ; and Annrudha said, though it was guarded by a naga called Pannaka, he would allow him to take some, when informed for whom it was intended. At the time he arrived at the lake, Pannaka was sporting in it, with 500 other ndgas, who, when he saw him, said, '' What is this young priest eomiog hither for with his vessel ? I will not allow him to take away any of the water;" but as Sumana saw his auger, he 240 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. remained in the air, and repeated a stanza, stating why he had come. Still the naga said, *' Priestling, yon may go and take water from the Ganges, bnt yon shall have none from this lake." Upon this Snmana let him know that thongh he was only seven years of age, his power was immensely greater than that of the ndga ; he conld take the earth and pnt it npon the top of Maha M6rn ; to him, water was not water ; nor fire, fire ; nor iron, iron; he was the saman6ra of Annrndha, and a priest of Bndha. Pan- naka said that if he were so clever, he had better try to get some of the water ; bnt he wonld see that he conld not sncceed. The d^was from the different 16kas now assembled, as it were in a mo- ment, to see whether the naga or the priest of seven years wonld prove the stronger in the contest. Then Snmana assumed the form of a brahma, twelve yojanas in size, and entered the body of the nAga, fifty yojanas in size, in which he walked about; bnt the pain he thereby caused made the niga cry out with a noise as if sea and sky were united. By his struggles, the water of the lake rose into high waves, which enabled him to dip his vessel into it as he walked ; and when it was full, he said that he had got what he came for, and would now return. The d6was saw that he was the conqueror. Pannaka, angry at being thus defeated, set off to pursue him, upon which he assumed his own form ; and when he presented the water to the priest, the niga declared that he had not given it ; but as Snmana said that he had, and Anurudha knew that a rahat could not tell a lie he drank it. Pannaka thought still that he would be revenged ; but the priest told him that Sumana had more power than ak6ti of nagas ; and when he heard this he went to the samanera, asked his pardon, told him he might take the water at any time he required it, and then went away. The priest Anurudha, accompanied by Sumana, afterwards went to Budha, who was at that time residing in the wihira of Pdrwdrama. The inferior priests of that place took the sima- n6ra by the ear, and asked him if one so young could fast after the turning of the sun, or perform the journeys required to be undertaken by the priests ; and they enquired if he did not wish to return to his mother. They thus despised him, because they were ignorant that he was a rahat. When Budha perceived what was going on, he said that their conduct was as if one were to play with the trunk of an elephant ; they did not know the VII. LEGENDS OF g6tAMA BUDHA. 241 power of the sdman^ra, thoagli it had been witnessed by all the dewas. At this time Badha wished for some water from Anotatta for the washing of his feet; but when Ananda in- formed the sdman^ras, not one of them was willing to go, until he asked Sumana, who said that he was ready to go if directed by Budha. Taking a vessel, he went through the air, obtained the water without any difficulty, and returned in the manner in which he went. On his approach, Budha called to the priests to see in how beautiful a manner he was coming, and on his arrival received from him the water he had brought. He then enquired his age ; and when he was told that it was seven years, he said that though others did not receive ordination until they were twenty years of age, he should receive it now ; and accordingly he became of the upasampadi order from that time. S6paka was the only person besides to whom was ever granted the honour of so early an ordination. Previous to the ordination of Ananda, which took place in the twentieth year after the teacher of the three worlds became Budha, there was no one regularly appointed as his personal attendant ; but the following persons waited on him at different times : — Nagasamala, Nagita, Upawina, Sunakkhatta, Chunda, Sdgala, and Mesi. Budha now called together the priests, and said to them, " I am fifty-five years of age ; I have not in any way begun to decline ; yet sometimes the priest who carries my bowl lags behind, and talks to the sceptics, or he goes a different road . to that which I have taken, and I have to submit to other incon- veniences. It will therefore be better that some one be appointed as my regular attendant." Then Seriyut, Mugalan, and the rest of the priests, each said, " I will become your servitor ; grant it me as a favour ; let me be the recipient of this honour." But the sage said he would not give the office to a rahat, and there- fore appointed Ananda, who agreed to undertake it if Budha would grant a favourable answer to eight requests he had to make. '*The requests that I have to make," said he, *' are as follows ; — 1. That I may never be required to put on a robe that has been worn by Budha. 2. That I never eat of the food that has been received in the alms-bowl of Budha. 3. That I do not accompany him when he is invited to any place to receive an offering of food. 4. That he will eat of the food I myself receive in the alms-bowl. 5. That when any one comes R 242 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. to a distance to speak to Budha, I may be allowed to go at that moment and inform him. 6. That when any doubt is formed in my mind, relative to the meaning of the dharmma, I may go at once to Budha and haye it solved. 7. That I reside in a separate place. 8. That when Budha says bana in any place, I not being present, he will repeat the whole to me on his return." These requests were granted by the sage, as he saw that what was required had been the custom of the former Budhas. There were fi\ e things in which Ananda excelled all other beings : — 1. In ministering to Budha. 2. In thankfulness for the favours he received. 3. In the receiving of the four requisites of a priest. 4. In the sweetness of his vt)ice when saying bana. 5. In the power to listen attentively to the discoui^es of Budha." From the time of his appointment, Budha never had to call Ananda twice. During the three watches of the night, when necessary, he carried a light around his residence.* 19. Budha visits the City of WisaLd, On a certain occasion, when Budha was deliveriug a discourse on the impermaneney of all things, he declared that even the city of WisaMjt usually so prosperous, would be visited at one * Ou one occasion Ananda is represented as Btimding behind Budha, and fanning him. t In a former age, according to a legend that appears in the Puj&waliya, the queen of Benares \vas deliTered of a piece of fleeh, i^hich was put into a TCBsel, sealed, and thrown into the rirer ; but the dewas caused it to float, and it was seen by an ascetic, who caught it and took it to his cell. M'hen he saw its contents, he put it carefullj on one side ; but on looking at it again pomc time afterwards, he saw tliat it had become diyided into two. Then the rudiments of the human form appeared, and a beautiful prince and princess were presented, who sucked their fingers and thence drew milk. As it Tas difficult for the ascetic to bring them up, he deliTered them to a villager ; and from being so similar in their app<.%rance, they were called Lichawi, which name wus also giren to the rojal race that from them received its origin. The other children of the village '^^'ere accustomed to revile them, and say that they had no father or mother, only the ascetic The villagers said in consequence, Wajjatabba, meaning that they must be removed to Fome other place ; and this name, Wajji, was aften^ards given to the whole of that countr}', 3(-0 yojanas in extent.