The story of the merchant’s wife

Now at that time in Sāketa a merchant’s wife had had a ^BD.4.383 disease of the head for seven years. Many very great, world-famed doctors who had come had not been able to cure her; taking much gold,^[1] they went away. Then Jīvaka Komārabhacca, entering Sāketa, asked the people: “Who, good sirs, is ill? Whom shall I attend?”^[2]

“Teacher, this merchant’s wife ^Vin.1.271 has had a disease of the head for seven years; go, teacher, attend this merchant’s wife.”

^Kd.8.1.9 Then Jīvaka Komārabhacca went up to the dwelling of that householder, the merchant, and having gone up, he enjoined the door-keeper, saying: “Go, good door-keeper, say to the merchant’s wife, ‘Lady, a doctor is come who wants to see you’”.

“Very well, teacher,” and that door-keeper having answered Jīvaka Komārabhacca in assent, approached that merchant’s wife; having approached, he spoke thus to that merchant’s wife: “Lady, a doctor is come who wants to see you.”

“What sort of a doctor is he, good door-keeper?”

“He is young, lady.”

“That’s enough, good door-keeper. What could a young doctor do for me? Many very great, world-famed doctors who have come have not been able to cure me; they have gone away taking much gold.”

^Kd.8.1.10 Then that door-keeper went up to Jīvaka Komārabhacca; having gone up, he spoke thus to Jīvaka Komārabhacca: “Teacher, the merchant’s wife speaks thus: ‘That’s enough, good door-keeper … taking much gold’.”

“Go, good door-keeper, say to the merchant’s wife: ‘Lady, the doctor speaks thus: Do not, lady, give anything beforehand; when you become well, then you may give what you like’.”

“Very well, teacher,” and that door-keeper having answered Jīvaka Komārabhacca in assent, went up to that merchant’s wife; having gone up, he spoke thus to that merchant’s wife: “Lady, the doctor speaks thus … ‘… then you may give what you like’.”

“Well then, good door-keeper, let the doctor come.”

^BD.4.384 “Very well, lady,” and that door-keeper having answered the merchant’s wife in assent, went up to Jīvaka Komārabhacca; having gone up, he spoke thus to Jīvaka Komārabhacca:

“The merchant’s wife, teacher, summons you.”

^Kd.8.1.11 Then Jīvaka Komārabhacca went up to that merchant’s wife; having gone up, having observed her uneasiness,^[3] he spoke thus to the merchant’s wife:

“Lady, a handful^[4] of ghee is wanted.”

Then that merchant’s wife had a handful of ghee given to Jīvaka Komārabhacca. Then Jīvaka Komārabhacca, cooking up that handful of ghee with various medicines, made that merchant’s wife lie down on her back on a couch and gave it (to her) through the nose. Then that ghee, given through the nose, came out through the mouth. Then that merchant’s wife, spitting it into a receptacle, enjoined a slave-woman, saying:

“Come, now, take up this ghee with cotton.”^[5]

^Kd.8.1.12 Then it occurred to Jīvaka Komārabhacca: “It is astonishing how stingy this housewife^[6] is, in that she has this ghee, which ought to be thrown away, taken up with cotton; ^Vin.1.272 many of my very precious medicines went into it, and what kind of a fee^[7] will she give me?”

Then that merchant’s wife, having observed Jīvaka Komārabhacca’s uneasiness, spoke thus to Jīvaka Komārabhacca: “Teacher, why are you perturbed?”

“It occurred to me in this case: it is astonishing … will she give me?”

“But, teacher, we householders know about this economy^[8]; this ghee is excellent for the servants or workmen for rubbing their feet, or poured out into a lamp. Do not you, teacher, be perturbed, your fee will not be lacking.”^[9]

^Kd.8.1.13 Then Jīvaka Komārabhacca removed the merchant’s wife’s seven year old disease of the head by just the one treatment ^BD.4.385 through the nose.^[10] Then that merchant’s wife, being well, gave four thousand^[11] to Jīvaka Komārabhacca; her son, thinking, “My mother is well”, gave four thousand; her daughter-in-law, thinking, “My mother-in-law is well”, gave four thousand; the householder, the merchant, thinking, “My wife is well”, gave four thousand and a slave and a slave-woman and a horse-chariot. Then Jīvaka Komārabhacca, taking these sixteen thousand and the slave and the slave-woman and the horse-chariot, set out for Rājagaha; in due course he approached Abhaya, the king’s son, at Rājagaha; having approached he spoke thus to Abhaya, the king’s son:

“Sire, this is for my first work: sixteen thousand and a slave and a slave-woman and a horse-chariot. May your highness^[12] accept it as a tribute for having had me cared for.”^[13]

“No, good Jīvaka, let it be for you yourself; but do build a dwelling in our palace^[14].”

“Very well, sire,” and Jīvaka Komārabhacca having answered Abhaya, the king’s son, in assent, built a dwelling in the palace of Abhaya, the king’s son.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

hirañña.

[2]:

tikicchati, to treat medically, to cure.

[3]:

vikāra.

[4]:

pasata, a small measure of capacity; explained at Vin-a.1116 as ekahatthapūṭa, what is contained in one hand. See Vinaya Texts ii.178, n..

[5]:

picu, which Vin-a.1116 explains by kappāsapaṭala, a cotton covering.

[6]:

gharaṇī, see BD.2.203, n.1.

[7]:

deyyadhamma.

[8]:

saṃyama.

[9]:

hāyati, to waste away, to disappear, diminish, dwindle.

[10]:

natthukamma. Allowed to monks at Vin.1.204. Cf. Vin.3.83 and BD.1.143, n.2. At DN.i.12 called by some recluses and brahmins a low or worldly lore from which Gotama abstains.

[11]:

probably kahāpaṇas.

[12]:

deva, masculine singular here.

[13]:

posāvanika.

[14]:

antepura, not women’s quarters here.