Biography (20-21): Rāhula and Raṭṭhapāla Mahātheras

(a) Aspiration expressed in The Past

During the early part of the aeon of Buddha Padumuttara, the future Rāhula and the future Raṭṭhapāla were born into well-to-do families of Haṃsāvatī. (Their names and clans as youths are not mentioned in the old Commentaries.)

When they came of age, they married and at the death of their fathers, they became heads of their respective households. In taking over the family properties from the custodians of their family estates, they came to know the immense wealth they had inherited. They pondered: “Our forebears have amassed these vast fortunes but have not been able to take them along when they leave the present existence. As for us, we would take them along into the hereafter in whatever way we can. So they started to practise charity. They erected distribution stations at the four quarters (at the four gates of the city, as the Sri Lanka version says,) where all the needs of destitutes and travellers were provided liberally.

Of the two friends, one was in the habit of inquiring into the needs of the donees who came to receive his charity and would gave according to their needs, and he was therefore known as Āgatapāka, ‘the Discriminative Giver’. The other never asked about the need of the recipient but let them take however much they wanted, and hence he was known as Anaggapāka, ‘the Liberal Giver’.

One early morning, the two friends went out from their village to wash their faces. At that time, two recluses, using their supernormal powers, disappeared from the Himavanta mountains and reappeared at a place not far away from the two friends. They made themselves invisible and stood by the roadside and visible only when they were heading for the village with their alms-bowls and other vessels in seeking for alms. The two friends went near and paid their homage to the recluses, who asked them: “O men of great merit, when did you come here?” And the two friends replied: “Venerable Sirs, we have just arrived.” Then they each invited a recluse to their respective homes, offered them almsfood, after which they asked and received the promise from the recluses to receive their offerings every day thenceforth.

(One of them, the recluse who had agreed to be the regular donee to the future Rāhula) was phlegmatic, and to cool his heated body, he used to spend the daytime in the abode of a Nāga Lord, named Pathavindhara, which lay beneath the ocean. The recluse went there by making the ocean water cleft into a dry passage-way. On returning from his watery sojourn, where he had enjoyed the favourable weather, to the human abode, he, on the occasion, gave appreciative talk about the daily food offerings. After hearing the repeated reference to ‘the abode of Pathavindhara Nāga Lord’, the donor became curious to know what that expression denoted. This recluse explained to him: “Ah, that is our wish that you be as great as the Lord of Nāgas named Pathavindhara” and told him the grandeur of the Nāga Lord undersea. From that day onwards, the future Rāhula’s mind was inclined to the Nāga existence, as he visualized from the recluse’s description of it.

The other recluse used to spend his daytime at a deva mansion, named Serisaka, after the big celestial tree that stood in front of it in Tāvatiṃsa. And this recluse, who saw the palace of Sakka, King of Devas, mentioned it in his word of appreciation and felicitation about the daily food-offering he received at the future Ratthapala’s house. When the Ratthapala asked him to explain what he was referring to, he explained the greatness of Sakka and his good wish that his donor will be as great as Sakka. Thence forward the future Raṭṭhapāla’s mind was inclined to the celestial state of Sakka.

When the two rich friends passed away from their existence, future Rāhula, whose mind was inclined to the Nāga Lord’s existence, was reborn as the Nāga Lord Pathavindhara and future Ratthapala, whose mind was inclined to Sakka’s existence, was reborn as Sakka in the Tāvatiṃsa Deva realm.

Past Aspiration of Future Rāhula

At the moment of his rebirth as a nāga, Pathavindhara looked at his own body and felt sorry that he had indeed became a reptile. He thought of the limited vision of his benefactor, the recluse in his previous existence: “Ah, my teacher would seem to know no higher ideal for me than the reptilian existence.” Just then he was attended on by a troupe of nāga dancers and musicians, all in celestial garb, who were there to entertain him wherever he remained. He himself then took on the appearance of a celestial youth, his reptilian form having been discarded.

A significant activity in nāga existence was that Pathavindhara had to attend, as part of his Nāga King Virūpakkha’s entourage, the half monthly meetings presided over by Sakka, where the four Celestial Kings paid their homage to the King of Devas. Sakka saw his old friend, Pathavindhara, even from a distance and recognized him. He asked him: “Friend, in which realm were you reborn?”

“O Lord, unfortunate is my destination. I was reborn as a reptile in the realm of nāgas. But you were fortunate to have a good teacher (in the past) to be reborn in the deva realm.”

“Do not be disappointed for your unfortunate destination. There has arisen in the world, Buddha Padumuttara. Go to him, perform great deeds of merit, and wish for the state of Sakka, so that we would live together in this Tāvatiṃsa realm.”

“Very well my Lord,” said Pathavindhara, “I will follow your advice.”

Then he went to see Buddha Padumuttara, invited Him to his undersea realm. He made preparations for a great offering the whole night together with his followers.

Early in the next morning, at dawn, the Buddha said to his personal attendant, the Venerable Sumana: “Sumana, the Tathāgata is going to a far-off land to collect alms-food. Let only arahats who have memorised the Dhamma-Vinaya (the three Piṭakas) and have attained the Fourfold Analytical Knowledge and the Six Supernormal Powers, accompany Me, and not the other worldling bhikkhus.” The attendant announced this order among the bhikkhus.

Then the Buddha, accompanied by arahats, who had memorised the Dhamma-Vinaya (Three Piṭakas) and had attained the Four-fold Analytical Knowledge and the Six Supernormal Powers, rose to the sky and went to the abode of Pathavindhara, the Lord of Nāgas. As Pathavindhara waited to welcome the Buddha, he saw Him and His company of arahats walking above the wavy waters of emerald green colour of the great ocean. There was the procession of majestic arahats with the Buddha at the head and a young novice, named Uparevata, who was the son of the Buddha. Pathavindhara was particularly overawed by the young sāmaṇera for having such supernormal powers just like the elder bhikkhus. He felt thrilled with joy at the magnificent sight.

When the Buddha took the seat prepared for Him and the arahats took their respective seats according to seniority, the seat assigned for Sāmaṇera Uparevata was high in front of the Buddha. As the young novice was sitting there, Pathavindhara, while serving the food to the Buddha and the Sangha, looked keenly at the Buddha and the young novice in turn. He noticed that the novice had the thirty-two distinct marks of a great man just like those on the body of the Buddha. That was the reason for his keen inspection of the Buddha and the novice in turn.

Pathavindhara was wondering why the young novice had so much resemblance as the Buddha, how both were related to each other. He asked one of the arahats: “Venerable Sir, how is this young novice related to the Bhagavā?” The arahat replied: “Lord of Nāgas, he is the son of the Bhagavā.” Pathavindhara was deeply impressed by the novice. “What a superb status this sāmaṇera occupies! The son of the greatest man in all the world, unrivalled in personal glory! His body is partly just like that of the Bhagavā himself. Oh, how I would like to be the son of a Buddha in some future time.”

Having been moved by this aspiration, the Lord of Nāgas invited the Buddha to his residence for seven days and made great offerings to Him. Thereafter, he made his aspiration before the Buddha: “Venerable Sir, for this great deed of merit, may I become the son of some future Buddha, just like Sāmaṇera Uparevata.” The Buddha saw that the Nāga Lord’s aspiration would be fulfilled and made the prognostication: “You will become the son of Buddha Gotama in the future,” then He departed.

Past Aspiration of Future Raṭṭhapāla

At the next half-monthly deva meeting to pay homage to Sakka as a member of the Nāga King Virūpakkha’s retinue, Sakka asked his old-time friend Pathavindhara: “Well, friend, have you made your aspiration for the Tāvatiṃsa realm?” Pathavindhara answered: “No, my Lord.” “But why didn't you do that? What disadvantage do you see in deva existence?” “My Lord, it is not for any disadvantage I see in deva existence. The fact is I have seen Sāmaṇera Uparevata, the son of the Buddha who was just wonderful. Since I had cast my eyes on him, I have no aspiration other than to become the son of a future Buddha, exactly like Sāmaṇera Uparevata. So I had made my aspiration before the Buddha to become the son of some future Buddha. My Lord, I would ask you to make some aspiration before the Buddha. Let us live together in future existences in saṃsāra.”

Sakka accepted Pathavindhara’s suggestion and as he was thinking about his ideal aspiration, he saw a bhikkhu endowed with great powers. He reviewed the lineage of that bhikkhu and saw that the bhikkhu was the son of a noble family that had the ability to unite a country that had been divided, and that the bhikkhu had to obtain parental consent to join the Order, only after starving himself in protest for seven days. He decided to emulate that bhikkhu. He asked the Buddha about the bhikkhu, even though he had known it by his own divine powers. Then he made great offerings to the Buddha for seven days, at the end of which he expressed his great wish thus: “Venerable Sir, for this great deed of merit may I be declared by some future Buddha as the foremost bhikkhu among those who took up bhikkhuhood through their conviction just like that bhikkhu who the Bhagavā declared as such.” The Buddha saw that Sakka’s aspiration would be fulfilled and said: “Sakka, you will be declared as the foremost among bhikkhus who joined the Order, through sheer conviction under Buddha Gotama in the future.” After pronouncing that prediction the Buddha departed. And Sakka also returned to his celestial abode.

Raṭṭhapāla’s Life as Manager of Offerings to The Buddha

The future Raṭṭhapāla and the future Rāhula passed away from their existences as Sakka and Pathavindhara respectively, faring in the deva-world and the human world for thousands of world-cycles. Ninety-two world-cycles prior to the present world-cycles was the time of Buddha Phussa. The father of Buddha Phussa was King Mahinda. The Buddha had three half brothers from different mothers. The King monopolised the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha because he did not share the meritorious deeds of attending to the needs of the Buddha with anyone.

One day, rebellion broke out in a remote area of King Mahinda’s country. The King said to his three sons: “Sons, there is rebellion in a far-away region. Either I myself or the three of you must go and put the region in order. If I am to go, you must see that the attendance on the Buddha be kept up in the usual manner.” The three sons unanimously said: “Dear father, it is not for you to go. We will go and put that region in order.” They made obeisance to their father and went to the disturbed area, quelled the rebels and returned in triumph.

On the way home, the three princes sought counsel of their trusted lieutenants: “O men, back in the capital, our father will bestow some boon on us. What sort of boon should we name?” The lieutenants said: “My Lords, at the death of your royal father, nothing will be unattainable to you. The right to attend on your eldest brother, the Buddha, is indeed the boon you should ask for.” “Very well, my men, your advice is plausible.” And they went before their royal father.

The King was very pleased with them and said they would be rewarded with whatever they wished for. The princes asked for the privilege of attending on the Buddha as their boon. “That, I cannot give, sons,” the King said, “name any other.” “We want no other boon. That is the only thing we yearn for.” After some refusals by the King and the affirmations on the part of the three princes, the King at last felt obliged to concede, lest he would be going back on his word. He warned his sons, though, in these words: “I will now comply with your request. But I wish to warm you, the Buddha is in the habit of staying in seclusion, just like the lion in his own den. So you have to be fully attentive in waiting on Him. Do not ever be amiss about your duties.”

The three princes, on being permitted the task of waiting on the Buddha for three months, discussed among themselves: “Since we are going to wait on the Buddha, we ought to don robes and take upon bhikkhuhood as novices.” They decided to be absolutely free from the stench of demerit^[1]. Accordingly, they did so and took part in the daily offering of food to the Buddha and the Sangha but entrusted the job to a committee of three trusted men to supervise the task.

Among these three supervisors, one was in charge of procuring rice and cereals, the second in charge of issuing groceries to meet the daily needs of the meals, and the third in charge of cooking and other preparations for the offering. The three men were reborn during the time of Buddha Gotama as King Bimbisāra, Visākhā, the merchant and the Venerable Raṭṭhapāla, respectively.

Rāhula’s Life as Prince Pāthavindhara

The future Rāhula was reborn as the eldest son of King Kikī of the Kāsi country during the time of Buddha Vipassī. He was named by his parents as Prince Pathavindhara. He had seven sisters, namely:

1. Princess Samaṇī = the future Therī Khemā
2. Princess Samaṇaguttā = the future Therī Uppalavaṇṇā
3. Princess Bhikkhunī = the future Therī Patācārā
4. Princess Bhikkhudāyikā = the future Therī Kuṇḍalakesī
5. Princess Dhammā = the future Therī Kisāgotamī
6. Princess Sudhammā = the future Therī Dhammadinnā
7. Princess Sanghadāyikā = the future Visākhā

Prince Pathavindhara became the heir-apparent after his seven sisters had donated seven monastic complexes to Buddha Kassapa, The heir-apparent requested his sisters to let him donate the cost of one of the seven monastic complexes, but his seven sisters pointed out to their eldest brother that he had means to donate another monastic complex. So Prince Pathavindhara built five hundred monastic complexes on an appropriate scale according to his status. He spent all his life in deeds of merit. On his death, he was reborn in the deva realm.

(b) Ascetic Life adopted in The Final Existence

During the time of Buddha Gotama, Prince Pathavindhara was reborn as Prince Rāhula, son of Prince Siddhattha and his Chief Queen Yasodharā. Rāhula’s boyhood friend was Raṭṭhapāla, the son of Raṭṭhapāla, the wealthy merchant of the market town of Thullakoṭṭhika in the kingdom of Kuru.

(The admission of Rāhula into the Order, an interesting episode, can be read in Chapter 18. Many discourses that are connected with Rāhula, such as Mahārāhulovāda Sutta and others, can be found in Chapter 31 & 32.)

Rāhula’s Desire to be admonished

After the Buddha had admitted His son, He used to admonish the young novice every day as follows:

“Rāhula, seek the company of a good friend. Dwell in the forest abode. Be moderate in eating.

Do not be attached to any of the four bhikkhu requisites.

Be flawless with regard to observance of the Bhikkhu Restraint. Guard the six faculties well.

Be constantly mindful about the mind-and-body so as to become thoroughly tired of the body (i.e. sentient existence).

Cultivate the mind to give up any idea of attractiveness in the body; gain concentration of mind.

Once the signs of permanence are given up, reflect on the falsity of an ego. If you train yourself thus, the three rounds of the vicious circle of woeful existences will fall away.”

(Free rendering of Myanmar rhymes by the author, contained in Chapter 18). The above Sutta entitled Abhiṇha-Rāhulovāda Sutta appears in the Sutta Nipāta and the Khuddakapāṭha.

It was the custom of Sāmaṇera Rāhula to pick up a handful of sand early in the morning and say to himself: “May I get admonitions from the Bhagava or from my preceptor in number comparable to the grains of sand in my hand.” This habit of him gained him the reputation as a novice so inclined to good advice as befitting the son of the Bhagavā and as such a worthy son of a worthy father.

This recognition of Rāhula’s noble trait of character became the current topic of discussion among the bhikkhus. The Buddha knew that. And thinking that that would very well make a ready subject for another discourse and would also highlight Rāhula’s qualities even better, He taught a sermon at the audience hall. Having seated Himself on the throne of the Buddha, He asked the bhikkhus what they had been talking about before He went in. The bhikkhus replied: “Venerable Sir, we were discussing on the noble trait in Sāmaṇera

Rāhula’s readiness to receive admonition.” The Buddha then related a past existence of Rāhula where he had displayed the same noble trait, as mentioned in the Jātaka story of Tipallattha-miga. (Refer to the Jātaka, Ekaka Nipāta, 2. Sīla Vagga, the sixth story in that Vagga.)

The Buddha taught young novice Rāhula at his tender age of seven to be truthful at all times, to refrain from untruth even by way of jesting. The discourse on this subject goes by the title of Ambalaṭṭhika Rāhulovāda Sutta (Ref: Chapter 20.)

When Rāhula was eighteen, the Buddha taught him a discourse entitled, Mahā Rāhulovāda Sutta. (Ref: Chapter 31)

To give practical lessons in Insight-meditation, twenty-two suttas were directed at Rāhula, compiled in the Saṃyutta Nikāya, forming chapter entitled Rāhula Saṃyutta; and there is also another discourse entitled Rāhula Sutta in the Aṅguttara Nikāya, Catukka Nipāta)

As Rāhula became spiritually more mature, when he had just been admitted into the Order as a full-fledged bhikkhu, the Buddha taught him another discourse entitled Cūḷa Rāhulovāda Sutta. (See the details of this discourse in Chapter 32.)

(c) Etadagga Title achieved by Rāhula

On one occasion, in the congregation of bhikkhus where the Buddha named outstanding bhikkhus, He declared:

“Etadaggaṃ bhikkhave mama sāvakānam bhikkhūnaṃ sikkhākāmānaṃ yadidaṃ Rāhulo.”

“Bhikkhus, among the bhikkhus who welcome admonition concerning the Threefold Training, Rāhula is the foremost (etadagga).”

Raṭṭhapāla’s Bhikkhuhood

In His tour of the Kingdom of Kuru, the Buddha arrived at the market town of Thullakoṭṭhika (which means the town where all households have their granaries full of paddy). On hearing the Buddha’s discourse, Raṭṭhapāla, the merchant’s son, was overwhelmed by religious conviction and had an intense desire to renounce the world, After much persuasion and protestation with his parents, he finally obtained their consent to become a bhikkhu (like in the case of the Venerable Sudinna which has been described earlier on), and he went to the Buddha. Under the Buddha’s order, he was admitted into the Sangha.

Although they had permitted their son to leave household life, Raṭṭhapāla’s parents were still unhappy about it. Whenever bhikkhus arrived at their door on the alms-round, the father would say to them: “What business do you have here? You have taken away my only son. What more do you want to do with us?”

The Buddha stayed at Thullakoṭṭhika for fifteen days only and returned to Sāvatthi. There, at Sāvatthi, Raṭṭhapāla meditated on Insight and attained arahatship.

The Venerable Raṭṭhapāla then asked permission from the Buddha to visit his parents. Hence, he went to Thullakoṭṭhika. While going for alms-collection in the town, he stood at the door of his father where (like in the case of the Venerable Sudinna), he received stale cakes but he ate them as if they were the food of devas. His father felt guilty about the alms-food he had offered and invited the bhikkhu-son to his house to take a (wholesome) meal but the Venerable Raṭṭhapāla said that since he had finished the day’s meal, he would come the next day. On the following day, after finishing his meal at his father’s house, he gave a discourse to the womenfolk of the household who were fully garbed, and enabled them to perceive loathsomeness of the body. Then all of a sudden, like an arrow, he flew up to the sky and descended in the royal gardens of King Korabya where he sat on a rock platform. He sent word to the King through the gardener about his presence there. King Korabya went to pay homage to him. Venerable Ratthapāla gave a discourse, in detail, on the four principles of loss or delay (pārijuñña). After which, he returned to Sāvatthi, travelling by stages, and arrived at the Buddha’s monastery. (This is a brief account of the Venerable Raṭṭhapāla. Full details may be gleaned from the Majjhima Paṇṇāsa of the Majjhima Nikāya.)

(c) Etadagga Title achieved by Raṭṭhapāla

On one occasion, in a bhikkhu congregation where the Buddha named foremost bhikkhus, He declared:

“Etadaggaṃ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṃ bhikkhūnaṃ saddhāpabbajitānaṃ yadidaṃ Raṭṭhapālo.”

“Bhikkhus, among my bhikkhu-disciples who take up bhikkhuhood through sheer religious conviction, Raṭṭhapāla is the foremost (etadagga).”

(Note: The Venerable Rāhula was designated as the foremost among those bhikkhus who welcomed admonition concerning the threefold training because, from the day he became a novice, he always had a most keen desire to be instructed. Every morning, he awaited admonition and advice from the Buddha or from his preceptor. He wanted as many words of advices as they would give, even as many as the grains of sand he used to hold in his hand every morning

The Venerable Raṭṭhapāla had to stay away from food for seven days as token of his strong desire to renounce the household life. That was why he was declared the foremost bhikkhu who took up bhikkhuhood.)

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nirāmagandha, ‘the stench of demerit’ according to the Commentary. The Sub-Commentary elaborates on this term thus: ‘stench’ is to be interpreted as demerit and also as defilement. Stench is inseparable from defilement: whenever defilement arises, it produces a bad smell. Stench means a mind where defilement arises continuously. The metaphor ‘stench’ is used to denote something obnoxious, impure (as though polluted by a trace of excreta), frowned upon by the wise and virtuous, and an agent that stinks everything. This last quality of defilement is also manifested by evil persons whose body stinks literally, whereas the dead body of a purified one has no bad smell.