The Life Story of the Great Arahant Theri YASHODHARA - Part 03
From the day she was ordained, she began to receive a lot of generous offerings and obeisance from people. They were queuing up with the offerings loaded into carts. For her, they built beautiful shrines and nunneries with all the necessary facilities. Like the rivers flowing towards the ocean, regardless of gender, people from every corner of Jambudvīpa (India) came by wagons carrying various kinds of food and drinks, robes, and medicines. Therefore, the nunnery was always crowded and busy with big gatherings of devotees.
One day, after listening to the dhamma in the presence of the Lord Buddha, before returning back, she went to the Buddha and said:
“Lord, having seen many obstacles in household life, I left all my wealth and luxuries and became homeless. With the desire to live alone, I went into the forests and faraway villages, seeking seclusion. But wherever I go, people come and gather around me and try to provide me with many offerings. Without an intermission, they gather around the nunnery just like they were in the yard of my palace in Kapilavattu. Hence, my Lord, the Supremely Enlightened One, I prefer to go to another city where I can find seclusion. I like living alone; please grant me the request.”
Thērī Yaśodarā returned to Vaishāli and started to live near the Thērī Prajapati Gotami.
In an instant, the news that Thērī Yaśodarā had arrived in Vaishāli spread all over the city. Seven thousand and seven hundred Liccavī kings, together with their seven thousand and seven hundred queens, constructed a magnificent mansion and offered it to the Thērī. They came to the nunnery three times a day, worshiped her and performed many rituals, and offered food, drinks, robes and medicine again and again.
Thousands of royal princesses and noble women in the Liccavī clan who were extremely impressed by the Thērī went forth in the order and became nuns. With the supervision and guidance of the Thērī, they all got liberated and attained the fruition of arahantship.
The Thērī, who had come by seeking a solitary dwelling, were once again rewarded by a great multitude. Receiving of offerings increased day by day. Again, the people gathered around her and queued, looking for a chance to offer her alms and four requisites.
Our Venerable Thērī Yaśodarā, in receiving alms and requisites, was minor only to the Lord Buddha. None other than her in the Bhikkhuni order gained such a great offerings.
Our Thērī, who still liked to live in solitude, came to Rājgir. In there, thousands of people rushed to her and gathered to pay homage. All the people in the city of Rājgir, three hundred million people in two countries named Aṁga and Magadha, hundreds of thousands of people in eighty thousand subsidiary colonies and the great ‘amitabhogī ‘ merchants with abundant wealth, came and escorted her, attended to her, venerated her, and paid homage to her. Again, the flow of offerings started to grow rapidly.
It was like festival days in the city of Rājgir. Day by day, the nunnery became so busy and packed with the people who came looking for the Thērī.
Thus, our great arahant Thērī Yaśodarā once again proved that none other than the Supreme Buddha could surpass her glory and fame.
Even though she was living surrounded by a mass of devotees and was amidst a stream of offerings, she spent her life like a blooming lotus that didn’t touch the water in the pond. Because of the great amount of merit she had accumulated in long saṁsāra with the unison of Bodhisatva; now it has come to this point where she gains this much of offerings and venerations. But her heart was still untouched by such gains. No gains or praise could overcome her mind or her heart. It is amazing indeed. Amazing is the way she performed, amazing is the way she lived, and amazing is the way she spent unaffected by gain or praise.
Thousands of noble ladies in Rājgir, being extremely impressed by the Thērī, came to her, asking for going forth in dhamma and discipline. They all got ordained under her, eradicated all taints and defilements, attained arahantship and became arahant nuns in the order of the Gotama Buddha’s dispensation.
When our Bodhisatta was giving great alms like ‘sattaśataka’ and was giving away all his possessions, kinsmen, and kingdoms, she engaged in all those alms without being stingy. She applauded his generosity with no regrets. When the Bodhisatta was giving away her children in alms, and when she too had to sacrifice her own life in alms and give away her own flesh and blood as food for wild beasts and porisādas (cannibals), she felt no anger. When he gave herself away as a slave in countless lives, she, with no curses, endured all suffering. For that, she never hesitated. She maintained a heart exactly as tender as Bodhisatta ‘s and as compassionate and generous as exactly as Bodhisatta’s, Virtuous and helpful exactly as Bodhisatta’s, and courageous and effortful exactly as Bodhisatta’s. Like pure water mixes well with pure milk, Yaśodarā’s thoughts, desires, and intentions matched well with Bodhisatta ‘s. Being absorbed in generosity and virtue, she conducted herself in a long journey of saṁsāra like the shadow of the Bodhisatta. For no other reason than this, she could gain such glory and veneration in this very final life.
Likewise, the great arahant Thērī Yaśodarā, the ‘Mother of Rāhula’ shone the order of the nuns like a beautiful white lotus that bloomed in the lake of the dispensation of the Gautama lord buddha. Thus, an immeasurable number of gods and humans were benefited by the existence of the great Arahant Thērī Yaśodarā in the world.
Time passed by. The great arahant Thērī Yaśodarā gradually reached the latter part of her life; she became old and reached the age of seventy-eight.
At that time, the Blessed One was living in a beautiful cave at the foot of the Gijjakūṭa rock mountain in Rājgir. On one evening, as our Thērī Yaśodarā was sitting alone in seclusion in the monastery, a thought like this occurred in her mind:
‘Sages Nanda and Rāhula, Sāriputta and Moggallāna – the chief disciples, king Suddhodana and Mahā Prajāpatī Gotamī, Venerable Aññākoṇḍañña, and many other well-renowned great arahants and arahant nuns have now already passed into the final bliss of nibbana. I’m the same age as the Blessed One. I’ve become enlightened and washed out all the taints. I’m gifted with glory and beauty that is only second to the Blessed One’s. Thus, from all these aspects, it is likely that the passing into final nibbana of the Blessed One and mine will also occur on the same day at same time. If such a thing happens, it won’t be easy for gods and humans in the world to bear it.
Therefore, there must be a delay in the passing into final nibbana of mine and the Buddha. It’s not suitable for me to see the attainment of final bliss of nibbana of the Blessed One, but it is better for me to pass into final nibbana before the Blessed One. After two more years, the attainment of the final nibbana of the Blessed One will happen. Hence, I should pass into the final nibbana tonight itself.’
At that very moment, with the thought of passing into final nibbana of the great arahant thērī Yaśodarā, the whole universe became shaken; there started ferocious sounds in the sky and earth; thundering and lightening started to appear without rain; and the entire earth began to quack and vibrate. A lot of frightening things happened, and a lot of mysterious things happened.
Seeing this, thousands of other arahant nuns who were residing in the nunnery started to think thus: ‘What kind of marvel is this? That entire earth was shaken and the sky began to roar?’. They went to the thērī Yaśodarā and questioned the reason for the amazement. The great arahant thērī Yaśodarā, the mother of Rāhula, then said:
“Dear Bhikkhunis, it happened because of a thought that occurred in me a moment ago. The attainment of the final bliss of nibbāna of mine is to take place tonight itself. Now I must go to the Blessed One and ask for permission.”
Saying so, the great thērī Yaśodarā, accompanied by a thousand arahant nuns, left the nunnery and came to the monastery where the Blessed One was residing. They worshiped the Blessed One with much love, sat aside with palms joined in veneration, and said:
“Lord, the Blessed One, I am now seventy-eight years old. I’ve already spent my entire life. My body decayed, now I have reached the end of my life. Lord, I want to attain the final bliss of nibbana first, before the Blessed One. Hence, Lord, please grant me permission.”
“My Lord, for a long time, in uncountable eons, I have followed you like a shadow. I have always been very loyal to you. By nature,, women are very puerile, weak, and poor-hearted. Therefore, if there was any mistake on my part, please let me ask for forgiveness.”
“That day in ‘Kusa Jātaka’, you being the ‘king Kusa’, suffered a lot because of me – ‘Pabhāvatī’, who was intoxicated with beauty. But, as an improper wish made upon an impulsive decision had driven us to that fate, I see no fault in my hand but the fault of this cycle of rebirth
But, during those seven months, when the king ‘Kusa’ being incognito, was struggling to win my heart, slept on the ground with no mats or pillows, I too did the same. Neither my parents nor my kinsman knew that I cried when I saw you disguised as a slave, taking much burdens while trying to serve us with food. That day, you pretended to have fallen down on the doorstep with rice bowls. When I saw you, my heart was about to burst, and I cried, running to-and-fro in my chamber. I am the only one who knew that I suffered so much. As a result of bad kamma we both have done in a previous life, we had to suffer like that, not by mere intention. Hence, in that case too, I see faults of saṁsāra, not necessarily a fault of mine.
During those seven months, I did not eat the rice cooked by the disguised king at all. Giving my royal meal deliciously cooked by you to the servant girl ‘kudī’, I ate her tasteless servant meal. The left-over is far better than the rice I ate. But I ate it with no anger.
“Thus, even when I was intoxicated with beauty and attacked by the power of kamma, I have helped you fulfill your perfection.
Merely because of me, by handing over the kingdom to your mother with no greed, you left the kingdom of ‘Kusāvatī’ and went in disguise. By doing so, you had practiced ‘generosity’, the first and foremost of the ten perfections required for Buddhahood.
By thinking of only me and not associating with other women, you practiced ‘virtue’, the second perfection required for Buddhahood.
You left the whole kingdom for the sake of me, and by doing so, you practiced ‘renunciation’, the third perfection required for Buddhahood.
In order to win my heart, you made various types of handcrafts just for my sake. There, you made clay toys, fans, and clay pots alike. By doing so, you strived for ‘wisdom’, the fourth perfection required for Buddhahood.
Within a day, you walked by foot miles along from the kingdom of ‘Kusāvatī’ to my palace, in search of me. Then, for seven months, you worked really hard like a slave (in disguised). There you practiced developing ‘effort’, the fifth perfection required for Buddhahood.
You waited for the whole seven months, bearing all the suffering you had to encounter in my father’s palace. There you practiced ‘patience’, the sixth perfection required for Buddhahood.
You told your mother that you wouldn’t come back to ‘Kusāvatī’ unless you had me, and so you did. There, you ensured your word and thus practiced ‘truthfulness’, the seventh perfection required for Buddhahood.
You had done many kinds of handcrafts and engraved special marks on them, thinking that they would be seen and identified by only me. As you wished, I could see them all and identify them well. Not only that, you, with great determination, spent seven months hauling firewood, washing pots, toiling day and night, cooking meals three times a day, and so on. There you practiced ‘determination’, the eighth perfection required for Buddhahood.
Although I’ve acted harshly, you waited patiently. That was your loving kindness. Though my expressions and sometimes words were tough and harsh, you still maintained the same loving thoughts; that was your loving kindness. There came seven kings from seven kingdoms with a big army to win me; and they started to threaten my father. Then too, you endured everything through patience. That also was your loving kindness. After being defeated by you, they were caught and fetched to you. Then you, with no anger, treated the seven kings well and even asked my father to give my seven sisters in marriage to them with a big dowry. That was your loving kindness. Likewise, you could practice the ninth perfection required for Buddhahood, ‘the perfection of loving kindnesses.
Not only in the ‘Madhu country’, but also in your own kingdom – ‘Kusāvatī’, you bore everything related to me in patience. You were powerful enough to stop me from leaving your palace, but you let me leave. You were powerful enough to fetch me on a single order, yet you decided to work hard and win me with your own effort. You had the ability to bring me back into your kingdom by force, but not doing so, you kept suffering to have me back. You were powerful enough to do anything you wanted, even by force, but you did not. That was the ‘equanimity’ you practiced, the last perfection required for the Buddhahood.
Thus, my lord, in that very life where I have performed quite tough as fettered by the past kamma, that very life itself helped you to practice all ten perfections required for the Buddhahood. Hence, my lord, the Supremely Enlightened one, I see no fault in my hand but the faults of the saṁsāra.
However, my lord, the Blessed One, please grant me your forgiveness for whatever mistakes made by me, for whatever suffering caused by me, for whatever difficulties the Blessed One had to face because of me.”
Likewise, while being faultless, the great arahant thērī Yaśodarā begged for forgiveness in the presence of the Blessed One.
The Compassionate one, the supremely enlightened one, then thought, ‘This Yaśodarā, the Mother of Rāhula, is incomparable. No such woman can be seen who surpasses her virtue and glory. No other woman exists in this world or in heavenly worlds who can surpass her powers. It is not proper to let her pass away into final nibbana, hidden and in silence.
Since the day she attained arahantship, she has continued to live as an ordinary nun. She had never exhibited her miraculous powers. Thus, no one knows the power of her miracles. Beings in the world with its devas don’t know what kind of person the Mother of Rāhula is. They might doubt whether she was an Arahant or not, whether she possessed the power of miracles or not?
Every being in the world and in the whole universe should know who she really is. She should not be unknown but well-known, she should be recognized – not disguised. Therefore, I should make her perform some miraculous acts. I should ask her to perform supernatural powers and preach dhamma to the gathering. It will be beneficial for them for a long period of time, both in this life and in the next’. Thinking so, the Blessed One said thus:
“Thērī Yaśodarā, the Mother of Rāhula, it’s not good for an extremely unique person like you to be unknown. It’s not proper for an unparalleled person like you to pass away into final nibbana in silence without giving inspiration to the world. Thus, preach the dhamma to the world. Make them inspired. Perform miracles”
It spread among the Sangha that thērī Yaśodarā was about to pass away into final nibbana at that very night.
‘Alas! if the attainment of the final nibbana of Mother of Rāhula happens, the attainment of the final nibbana of our Blessed One won’t be too long.’
The monks and nuns, who still have taints within, began to weep, shedding tears. Others who have no taints and were fully liberated, recalled impermanence and non-self. Thousands of disciples came and gathered around the Blessed One.
Millions of residents in Rājgir came and fell down at the feet of the great thērī like a bunch of palm trees fallen down in a heavy rain. They started crying and pleading.
The thērī Yaśodarā worshiped the Blessed One once again and said,
“I, who now perform the miracles in front of the Blessed One upon his word, am Yaśodarā, the chief consort of you in lay life.”
“Lord, you gave me the light of the ‘divine eye’ to see my past lives over incalculable eons. And the light I got to see the path well and attain liberation -the taintlessness, the arahantship- was also given by you. O’ Lord, the Supremely Enlightened One, it is from you that I have gotten this supernatural power. Therefore, behold now these miracles, which I’m going to perform.”
Saying so, giving a lion’s roar, she once again worshipped the Blessed One and sat in the meditative posture, attained into the ‘trance state’, rose into the sky, and again roared her lion’s roar, saying:
‘Yasodhara Ahang Veera – Agare Te Pajapati
Sakiyamhi Kule Jata – Itthiyange Pathittitha’
“O Hero, I am Yaśodarā, the wife of you in lay life, a woman born into the Sākyan clan.”
Her voice could be heard by the gods and brahmas who were dwelling in tens of thousands of universes. They rushed there to witness this unforgettable moment.
Then she thought, “It is better if I offer something to the Blessed One from the abode of the Garudas.”and so she did.
She again roared her lion’s roar,
“Behold creatures, I am the thērī Yaśodarā.”
Then again she started to perform miracles. She transformed herself into different types of forms, once into an elephant, then into a horse, into a mountain, and also into an ocean. Then again into the sun, moon, mount Meru, and the god Sakka. She performed the miracle of a sky-high elephant with a body ten thousand leagues long. She then stretched out her right hand unto the realm of the god Sakka and pulled out the divine madārā tree. Holding it like an umbrella, she offered it to the Blessed One. The entire gathering started to cry out aloud in unison, ‘sādū! sādū! sādū!’
“I am none other than Yaśodarā, the wife of the Buddha in lay life,” she roared.
Likewise, she performed numerous miracles and impressed the entire gathering. She then alighted and paid homage to the Blessed One. At that time, the gods and brahmas began to think of the merit that she has done in past lives to obtain such supernatural power, which is second only to the Blessed One.
Knowing that, the Blessed One said thus:
“Thērī Yaśodarā, reveal to this crowd what merit you have collected in the past to gain such powers. Disclose the reasons behind your glory and let them wash away their doubts.
The thērī started to roar again, thus:
“Listen to me, people, devas, and all brahmas; I myself had done much merit with the Buddha (the Bodhisattva) in the past for countless eons. I, with him in full faith, offered alms to Buddhas, Paccēka Buddhas and Arahants in countless eons. While the Buddha (in past) was achieving the ten perfections I too joined with him. I practiced and conducted a highly virtuous life in countless eons. I always obeyed him, his family, and also his parents.”
Likewise, she continued declaring all her past meritorious deeds which she performed with Bodhisatva in uncountable lives in long saṁsāra.
Then, after hearing that, the Compassionate One, the Supremely Enlightened One, the Buddha said thus:
“Listen to me, all people, devas and brahmas; keep well in mind the act of giving she has performed in saṁsāra “
“This Yaśodarā, together with me in saṁsāra, with a great effort and devotion, practiced fulfilling the requirements needed for enlightenment. Over a long period of time, helping me to fulfill the ten perfections and virtue, she too practiced the same. By doing so, she accumulated a vast amount of merit to gain this glory and nibbana.”
Hearing this, all humans, devas, and brahmas who witnessed her miracles with their own eyes became marveled. They were highly impressed. Their faith in the great thērī and her virtue grew even more. Overcome by happiness, they all wished to obtain the blessings of her virtue, honour, merit and final relinquishment-Nibbana.
Thērī Yaśodarā paid homage to the Blessed One once again. Having obtained forgiveness from the Buddha, she, with her palms joined together in veneration, asked for permission to leave, to pass into final nibbana. The Buddha said thus:
“Great senior nun Yaśodarā, most worthy and most blessed, there is no need to request forgiveness for a one like you who has fulfilled the path and obtained the essence of nibbana. However, as it is a tradition in the world, I grant you forgiveness.”
The great arahant thērī Yaśodarā, with a hundred other arahant nuns, worshipped the Lord once again, circumambulated him three times, again worshipped, stepped a little back and again with the palms joined in veneration, said,
“Lord, the Compassionate One, just as the water that flows into the sea does not flow back into the river, so too I, who was with you over an infinite period of time in long saṁsāra like a never-departing shadow, will now leave you and will not be seen back.”
Saying so, they once again worshipped the Blessed One with great respect and love and left for the nunnery. When she left, upon the word of the Buddha, both monks and lay disciples started to follow her. She and a hundred arahant nuns stepped backward, keeping their sight on the Buddha. At the doorstep of the monastery, she again worshipped the Buddha for the last time and left.
At that night, while sitting in a meditative posture, the thērī Yaśodarā entered into the jhānas one by one orderly, and then attained into the final bliss of nibbana.
Later, the Blessed One, with a host of gods, Brahmas, and millions of men and women, performed funeral rites in a grand manner, which was like another miracle of the great arahant thērī. Thereafter, the Buddha took the relics of the great arahant thērī in his hand. The kings with deities in ten thousand universes gathered together and placed the relics in a beautiful reliquary. Then they treasured the relics inside that beautiful reliquary and enshrining it built a beautiful stupa.
Many people worshiped that stupa (built in India) with great love and respect for the thērī. By worshipping her sacred relics, offering the stupa with sweet fragrance and beautiful flowers, and lighting up fragrant oil lamps, even by singing songs of praise, both devas and humans accumulated lots of merit. By doing so, numerous beings were able to enjoy divine pleasures in their afterlife, while many became free from sorrow by attaining the fruitions of the path and finally by attaining liberation, the ultimate bliss of nibbana.
In fact, she being second only to the Lord Buddha in terms of merit , exemplified the real meaning of merit. She proved to the world that a good determination made upon a direct aim could never be turned back by any difficulty that comes about. She had never given up her ambition, which she had started at the foot of the Buddha Dīpaṁkara. Though she had to come across much difficulties, she still kept going. With great devotion and immense sacrifices, she continued further.
Besides, it’s a known fact that because of her, our bodhisattva could accomplish the ten perfections and attain Buddhahood within four incalculable eons and a hundred thousand eons, whereas other Buddhas took eight or sixteen incalculable eons and a hundred thousand eons to achieve the same state.
Her devotion to the bodhisatta is extremely unique. After the great renunciation of the Bodhisatta, many mighty kings sent her gifts and made proposals to marry her and make her the chief queen. But she never showed any interest in them, nor did she even spend a thought on them. In fact, this is not the first time she did this; for countless eons, while being so poor and truly helpless, she had never cheated on her husband. She was extremely faithful to her husband, and no man could entice her by giving anything that women adore. The stupa built by the kings in India at that time has now completely become destroyed. At present there is no other stupa made in her name in the world, or in the heavenly or brahma world, other than the Great Yasodara Stupa built in Udupila, Sri Lanka. ‘Sri Yaśodarā Maha Seya’ is the one and only sthūpa that has been built by enshrining the relics of the great arahant thērī Yaśodarā that remains at present for the fortune of all humans, gods and brahmas in the three worlds (the world of humans, the world of gods, and the world of brahmas).
May our homage be to the great arahant thērī Yaśodarā.
May our homage be to the Great Sthūpa of Yaśodarā – ‘Sri Yaśodarā Maha Seya’
