Chapter XLIII - The Jātaka of Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, Nadī-Kāśyapa and Gayā-Kāśyapa

Note: The story is now resumed from p. 415 of text, where the Buddha expresses his resolve to visit these ascetics, the Jaṭilas. See I. B. Horner, Bk. of Disc., 4, p. 32, n. 4.

Then the Exalted One reflected, “What are the Matted-hair Ascetics intent on? The Matted-hair Ascetics are intent on just the Matted-hair Ascetics.” And the Exalted One conjured up a thousand Matted-hair Ascetics, who were comely, handsome and distinguished. With these as an escort he flew through the air by his magic power and came to Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, the Matted-hair Ascetic.

Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, the Matted-hair Ascetic, together with his company of five hundred, saw the thousand comely and beautiful Matted-hair Ascetics and he cowered^[1] before them. “A great crowd of people is near at hand,” thought he, “and they will come to this retreat of mine. They have faith in me, believing that there is no one in the world the equal of the seer Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa with his company. But now here is this other seer, with his company of a thousand Matted-hair Ascetics, who has great magic and power. He has to-day come to this retreat, and the whole crowd of people will put their faith in this seer, with his company of a thousand and with his great magic and power. Believing in him, they will trustfully serve him, honour, revere, respect, venerate and worship him, and they will pay no attention to me and my company.”

But the Exalted One, being aware of this mental reflexion on the part of the seer Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, put off his disguise of a Matted-hair Ascetic, and caused the thousand Matted-hair Ascetics whom he had conjured up to disappear. When the thousand Matted-hair Ascetics had disappeared Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, the Matted-hair Ascetic, saw the Exalted One in his proper guise as the Tathāgata, Arhan, perfect Buddha, endowed with knowledge and conduct, the Sugata, the peerless knower of the world, the driver of tameable men, (425) the teacher of devas and men, endowed with the thirty-two marks of a Great Man, his body brilliant with the eighty lesser characteristics, gifted with the eighteen special attributes of a Buddha, strong with the ten powers of a Tathāgata, confident on the four grounds of confidence, gracious and comforting, with his faculties and mind under control, having attained the utmost perfection of self-control and calm, Nāga-like, having accomplished his task, with his faculties not turned outwards, his mind not turned outwards, but steady, as it had reached conformity with the dharma, well-guarded, a Nāga, with his faculties in subjection, transparent as a pool, pure, serene, erect like a bejewelled sacrificial post, like the golden bimba,^[2] a blaze of shining splendour, flaming with glory like another rising sun, charming and not repellent to behold. When Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, together with his company, saw this he was amazed. But still he said, “Though the recluse Gotama has great magic and power, I have still greater magic.”

Then the great crowd came and approached the Exalted One, bowed at his feet, worshipped him, and could not have enough of gazing on him. And Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa thought, “Would that Gotama the recluse went elsewhere, away from my retreat.” But the Exalted One, being aware of this mental reflexion on the part of Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, in the time that it takes a strong man to stretch out his folded arms and fold his outstretched arms, in a moment’s time, rose up in the air at the seer Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa’s retreat and alighted at the village of Senāpati, near Uruvilvā, at the foot of the Goatherd’s Banyan-tree on the banks of the river Nairañjanā.

But when the crowd had spurned the way of life of the Matted-hair Ascetics, Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa said to himself, “Would that Gotama the recluse came here and partook of solid and soft food.” The Exalted One, being aware of this mental reflexion on the part of Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, the Matted-hair Ascetic, in the time it takes a strong man to stretch out his folded arms and fold his outstretched arms, in a moment’s time, rose up in the air at the Goatherd’s Banyan-tree and alighted in the retreat of Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, the Matted-hair Ascetic. (426) Then Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, the Matted-hair Ascetic and his company thought, “Gotama the recluse has great magic and power, for he knows in his heart the thoughts of other beings and men. Yet we have greater magic power.”

Then the seer, the Matted-hair Ascetic Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, with his own hands regaled the Exalted One with choice food, solid and soft.

And when the Exalted One had eaten, washed his hands and put away his bowl,^[3] he expressed his thanks to the seer, the Matted-hair Ascetic Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, for this meritorious gift.^[4]

The fire-sacrifice is the chief of sacrifices; the Sāvitrī^[5] is the chief of sacred hymns. The king is the chief of men, and the ocean the chief of streams.

The moon is the chief of stars. . .^[6] and the sun the chief of all fires that burn above, across and below. The perfect Buddha is the chief of speakers in the world of men and of devas.

Then Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa and his company, standing in the air above, offered a sacrifice to Agni. When the fire would not burn they asked one another, “Whose power is it that prevents the fire burning? It must be the power of Gotama the recluse.” And when the fire did burn they said among themselves, “Gotama the recluse has great magic and power, but we have greater magic.” He threw the oblation into the fire, but it would not fall in it. They asked themselves, “Whose power is it that prevents the oblation falling into the fire? It must be the power of Gotama the recluse.” And when they had decided that it was the power of Gotama the recluse, then the oblation fell into the fire.

When they had completed the fire-sacrifice (427) they prepared to descend^[7] from the air. But they could not do so. They asked themselves, “Whose power is it that makes us unable to descend from the air into our retreat? It must be the power of Gotama, the recluse?” And when they had decided that it was the power of Gotama the recluse, then they descended from the air into their retreat.

Then they wished to sit down, each on his own litter. But they failed to see the litters. They asked themselves, “Whose power is it that prevents us seeing our litters? It must be the power of Gotama the recluse.” And when they had decided that it was the power of Gotama the recluse, then they were able to see their litters. They thought, “Gotama the recluse has great magic and power, but we have greater magic.”

Next they prepared to go and fetch water in their water-pots. But they could not see the pots. They asked themselves, “Whose power is this? It must be the power of Gotama the recluse.” And when they had decided that it was the power of Gotama the recluse, then they were able to see each his own pot. They thought, “Gotama the recluse has great magic and power, but we have greater magic.”

Taking their water-pots they went to the river Nairañjanā to fetch water, but they could not fill^[8] the pots. They asked themselves, “Whose power is this? It must be the power of Gotama the recluse.” And when they had decided that it was the power of Gotama the recluse, then they filled^[9] the pots with water. They thought, “Gotama the recluse has great magic and power, but we have greater magic.”

Then they decided to have a meal, but they could not prepare the food. They asked themselves (428), “Whose power is this? It must be the power of Gotama the recluse.” And when they had decided that it was the power of Gotama the recluse, then they were able to prepare the food. They thought, “Gotama the recluse has great magic and power, but we have greater magic.”

When they had had their meal, they set about cutting logs. They raised their axes, but they could not bring them down. They asked themselves, “Whose power is this? It must be the power of Gotama the recluse.” And when they had decided that it was the power of Gotama the recluse, then they were able to bring down their uplifted axes and cut the logs. They thought, “Gotama the recluse has great magic and power, but we have greater magic.”

In this way, by five hundred miracles, the Exalted One convinced Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, his two brothers^[10] and his company. And the last miracle was this.^[11] The Exalted One wished to go into seclusion and he said to Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, “O Kāśyapa, I should like to go into seclusion in your fire-hut.^[12]” But Kāśyapa replied, “O Gotama, this fire-hut must not be entered by any man or deva. For in it there dwells a malevolent Nāga, and we ourselves keep far away from that fire-hut for fear of the Nāga.” The Exalted One, however, said, “Give me your consent, O Kāśyapa, and I will go into seclusion in that fire-hut.” Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa said, “No, Gotama, I will not consent that you go into the fire-hut. This fire-hut is reputed^[13] to be evil. But here are all these many hundreds of huts of grass and leaves. Let the honourable Gotama seek seclusion in whichever one of these he likes.”

But the Exalted One rose from his seat and entered the fire-hut of Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa (429) and sat down in seclusion. There in the fire-hut the Exalted One turned himself into the element of fire.^[14] The Nāga, unable to endure the heat of the Exalted One fled into^[15] the Exalted One’s bowl, which had been given him by the Four Great Kings. The Exalted One inspired^[16] him with love, tamed him, and rendered him harmless,^[17] so that he no more displayed^[18] malevolence.

Because of the Exalted One’s fire the fire-hut appeared to be one flaming mass. And the Matted-hair Ascetics thought, “Gotama the recluse has been burnt by the malevolent Nāga, and the whole hut is on fire.” So they ran and carried water to quench the burning hut and to rescue Gotama the recluse. But the Exalted One, having tamed the Nāga and rendered him harmless, presented him in the bowl to Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa. When they saw the Nāga in the Exalted One’s bowl, Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa and his company were amazed. “Gotama the recluse,” said they, “has great magic and power, inasmuch as he whose dwelling^[19] might not, so’twas said, be entered, has been overcome,^[20] by the fire of Gotama the recluse.”

With this last miracle Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa and his two brothers^[21] and their companies were convinced by the Exalted One.

When he had tamed the king of serpents^[22] in the fire-hut of Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, he carried him out^[23] in his howl and presented him to the honourable Kāśyapa.

“See, O Kāśyapa,” said he, “how the fire of him whose dwelling no one in the world might enter has been overcome by my fire.”

Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa and his company were thrilled when they saw that the Nāga had been tamed and calmed by the Nāga among men.

That Nāga, because of whom the great seer’s dwelling could not be entered, had been tamed and rendered harmless by the power of the Buddha.

(430) The Exalted One said:

There is no malice in one trained by me; among such, O Kāśyapa, there is none that is unrestrained. Though the heavens fall or the earth be cleaved in two, a man who has been tamed by the Buddha will fare immune from poison.^[24]

The Exalted One let the serpent go, saying, “This serpent is a restrained Nāga.”^[25] The serpent assumed a human form and walked in the footsteps of the Sugata.

“Be my refuge, O Best of men,” said he, “there is no longer any sin in me,^[26] since I have just now discarded the wicked heart that was mine, O greatly wise One.

“O Supreme of men, I have thrown off my guilt,^[27] since I am now sinless. O Best of guides, may I come again to thy refuge.”

And then repeatedly saluting from the right and doing obeisance with great reverence, the Nāga departed.

All the three brothers, Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa with his company of five hundred, Nadī-Kāśyapa with his company of three hundred, and Gayā-Kāśyapa with his company of two hundred were by means of these five hundred miracles converted by the Exalted One into the state of mastery. All were initiated and ordained by means of the “Come, monk” formula. “Come, monks,” said he, “live the brahma-life under the Tathāgata.” And when the Exalted One had pronounced the words “Come, monks,!’ every mark of the seer, every badge, every emblem and every sign disappeared from their persons. They were seen to have the three robes and the sumbhaka^[28] bowls, their hair in its natural state, and their deportment established—all just like those of monks who had been ordained a hundred years. Such was the initiation, ordination and admission into monkhood of the three brothers, the venerable Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, Nadī-Kāśyapa and Gayā-Kāśyapa and their companies.

(431) Now their nephew, named Upasena,^[29] had constructed a hermitage on the banks of the river Nairañjanā, which was well-supplied with leaves, flowers and fruits. He lived there with a company of three hundred.^[30] He was master of the four meditations, had attained the five super-knowledges, and had great magic and power.

Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa and the monks with him had thrown all the trappings they had had as seers, their shoes and their cloaks of antelope hide, their cotton robes and their water-pots, to be carried away by the river Nairañjanā. “Our nephew Upasena and his company,” said they, “will make use of these trappings.” And when these saw the trappings being carried down by the Nairañjanā they dragged them out.

But the thought occurred to the seer Upasena, “Can my uncles have been molested by anyone?” With all speed he and his company hurried to the retreat of Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa and his two brothers.^[31] When he arrived the Exalted One and his company had just finished a meal. The company of monks were dipping their vessels in the river Nairañjanā and cleaning and polishing them.

Upasena the seer went up to the venerable Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa and addressed him in a verse:

In vain^[32] did you offer the fire sṣcrifice; in vain did you make your penance, since at the last you abandoned^[33] them, as a snake its cast-off skin.

And the venerable Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa replied to the seer Upasena in verse:

Yea, in vain did I offer the fire-sacrifice; in vain did I make my penance, since at the last I abandoned^[34] them, as a snake its cast-off skin.

And Upasena, too, with his company was converted by the Exalted One to the state of mastery, and initiated and ordained by means of the “Come, monk” formula. (432) “Come, monks,” said he, “live the brahma-life under the Tathāgata.” And when the words “Come, monks,” had been addressed to them, every mark of the seer, every badge, every emblem and every sign disappeared from their persons. They were seen to have the three robes, the sumbhaka^[35] bowl, their hair in its natural state and their deportment established—all just like those of monks who had been ordained a hundred years. This was the first assembly of the monks of the Exalted One and consisted of one thousand two hundred and fifty monks.

The monks asked the Exalted One, “Lord, as the maturing of what karma were the three brothers, Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, Nadī-Kāśyapa and Gayā-Kāśyapa possessed of such great magic and power and were so quick of attainment?” The Exalted One replied, “They made a vow to that effect in a former life. It is by way of the ripening of the root of merit planted under a Buddha that these should now be possessed of great magic and power and be so quick of attainment.”

Once upon a time, monks, long ago, in Hastināpura there was a king named Mahendra,^[36] who was meritorious, distinguished, righteous, a king of righteousness. He had loyal subjects, and he was generous and charitable. Now when he was king, the Buddha named Puṣpa,^[37] a Tathāgata, Arhan and perfect Buddha, with his community of disciples, was staying in Hastināpura by invitation.

In the land of the Kaliṅgas there was a town named Siṃhapura,^[38] where three brothers of the same mother were ruling. In their kingdom a treasure had been discovered, and they brought that treasure with them from Siṃhapura to Hastināpura and presented it to King Mahendra. On that account King Mahendraka became kindly disposed to the three brothers, and he asked them, “What shall I do for you?” They replied, “We desire that out of compassion for us the exalted Puṣpa dwell in our city for the rainy season. If we secure this to-day, we wish to perform a great deed of merit.”^[39] King Mahendraka replied, “The exalted Puṣpa can well stay in our city some other time. (433) May you find favour with this Puṣya.”^[40]

The brothers then invited the exalted Puṣpa and his community of disciples to their city. So the Exalted One spent the rainy season in their city, and there he passed away.

The brothers paid worship to the body of the deva Puṣpa and erected a tope in his honour.

Metrical version of the tale (the three Kāśyapas):

When King Mahendra was ruling the earth in justice and guiding his conduct with knowledge, there were three brothers living in unison, with sons and daughters loyal^[41] to them.

A nd while they thus lived together in unison, they ruled their realm with justice, having abundant wealth and being encompassed^[42] with riches. They thus lived in joy for many years.

And while they thus shared together one rule, they happened to see the Buddha, the Supreme of bipeds. He was the Buddha named after a constellation.^[43] He had reached perfection by his own power and was worshipped by devas and men.

When the compassionate Master passed away we, in our wisdom, we and our sons and daughters and our kinsfolk, our nobles and our chieftains, erected^[44] a tope for him here in our city.

Then with warriors on elephants, horsemen, charioteers and footsoldiers, with dance and music and song, (434) with incense, garlands and ointments, we did honour to the great seer.

And now, as the fruit of this worship at that tope, we shall not go to bourne of ill for ninety-two kalpas. By this karma, O great Sage, we are now all tamed in thy teaching, O Wise One.

Notes: The three Kāśyapa brothers are themselves giving the explanation, as in the prose version the Buddha does, of the reason why they have so readily accepted his teaching. Their identification with the three brothers of Siṃhapura is implied. But this metrical version is obviously much abbreviated, and consequently somewhat incoherent.

Here ends the Jātaka of the venerable Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, Nadī-Kāśyapa and Gayā-Kāśyapa.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Or “shrank”, saṅkocamāpanna.

[2]:

The red fruit of Mornordica monadelpha, a species of Amaranth.

[3]:

The text has dhautapatra apanītapāṇi, “washed his bowl and put away his hands.”

[4]:

Deyadharma, Pali deyyadhamma. See vol. 1, p. 246, n. 2.

[5]:

I.e., RV. 3.62.10, so called as being addressed to the sun (savitṛ). It is also called Gāyatrī. and is recited by brāhmans morning and evening.

[6]:

Lacuna.

[7]:

Literally, “(they said) we will descend”, otariṣyāmo ti. And so of their other intended actions.

[8]:

Bharayati also bharati, “denom. to Sk. bhara, cf. Sk. bharita, more rarely bhṛta” (B.H.S.D.).

[9]:

Bharensuḥ. One MS. has bharayetsuḥ.

[10]:

Literally, “the three brothers, U.K. being chief,” reading, as Senart suggests Uruvilvākāśyapapramukhāṇ for -kāśyapasya saṃmukhān.

[11]:

The miracles recounted hitherto are, with three exceptions, totally different from those in the corresponding episode in V. 1.24 ff. This one, which the Mhvu. says is the last of five hundred, is in V. the first of an enumerated series of five. But the latter text goes on to mention other miracles, among them one which closely resembles the miracle of the woodcutting in our text. But V. says simply that they were unable to cut the wood; it lacks the picturesque detail of the uplifted axes which could not be lowered. The third miracle which is common to the two texts is that of the fire which could not be kindled. This is the first in the Mhvu., but in V. it comes later, among those which are outside the enumerated series of five. See Windisch (op. cit., p. 31 ff.) for a detailed parallelism between the respective accounts in the two texts of the episode of the three Kāśyapas.

[12]:

Agniśaraṇa. Ci. Pali aggisaraṇa in the Ciṅgalese edition of V. (1.23) for aggisālā of the P.T.S. edition.

[13]:

Ākhyāyati. See p. 389, n. 7.

[14]:

Tejodhātuṃ samāpanna.

[15]:

Okasta, “gone down” “descended”. Edgerton (B.H.S.D.) says that he cannot improve on Senart’s explanation of this word. See vol. 1, p. 188, n. 6. It is not found outside the Mhvu.

[16]:

“Filled”, sphuṭa.

[17]:

“Poisonless,” nirviṣa.

[18]:

Vyāvahati. See B.H.S.D.

[19]:

Reading, as suggested by the MSS. and the metrical version below, Yasya bhavanam, for paśya bhagavan of the text.

[20]:

Paryādinna, past. part, of paryādadāti. See B.H.S.D. Cf. Pali pariyādiyati. See also p. 421, n. 4.

[21]:

See p. 101, n. 2.

[22]:

A metrical version of the episode.

[23]:

Nīharati, Pali id., Sk. nirharati.

[24]:

Literally “will not fare having poison”, na. . . saviṣo caret.

[25]:

Reading so saṃvṛtanāgo ti for sa saṃvartanāga ti of the text, which is Senart’s doubtful conjecture and which he explains, by analogy with saṃvartāgni (“the fire at the end of the world”), as “the serpent which is capable of destroying the world”(!)

[26]:

Literally “that sin (sc. which used to be mine) is not mine,” ayaṃ na me atyayo (Pali accayo).

[27]:

Aparādha, masc. with neut. predicate bāhyaṃ kṛtam; the phrase is passive in the original.

[28]:

See p. 67, n. 3.

[29]:

Not certainly identical with any of the persons of this name mentioned in the Pali texts, nor with the monk who, according to the Mhvu., converted Śāriputra (see vol. 3, p. 60, text). This same Upasena has, however, been already mentioned in our text (3.103).

[30]:

As Senart points out, this number should be corrected into 250, ardhatriśata. See below, p. 432 (text).

[31]:

The text names them.

[32]:

Moham, AMg. id., Sk. and Pali mogham (B.H.S.D.).

[33]:

Jahe, 2nd sg. opt., used as aorist.

[34]:

Jahe, 1st sg. opt., used as aorist. See Edgerton, Gram.., § 32. 91-2.

[35]:

See p. 67, n. 3.

[36]:

Pali Mahinda. See D.P.N. s.v. Uruvela-Kassapa for Pali references to the story of a former life of the three Kāśyapas.

[37]:

Pali Phussa.

[38]:

Two other cities of this name are mentioned in the Mhvu., namely, a city of the Kinnarīs (2. 95, text) and the capital of Śākyamuni (3. 238, text). The Kaliṅga city of this name seems to be identical with one of the three Sīhapuras mentioned in Pali texts. The two others are entirely different. See D.P.N.

[39]:

Senart doubtfully restores āpūrtam (or prapūrtam) for the inexplicable prapuṭam and prapūdham of the MSS. He takes āpūrtam (prapūrtam) as equivalent to pūrtam, but has to confess that this latter word is not used by the Buddhists. Perhaps, in spite of the MSS., we should fall back on restoring the simple word puṇyam.

[40]:

Reading puṣyena for puṇyena. The text would give “may you be favoured by this deed of merit”. But the deed of merit was yet to be performed. As the Pali name of the Buddha in this story is Phussa, it is kely that we should read Puṣya for Puṣpa throughout. The two names are often interchangeable in MSS. and editions, and Senart himself has often emended the latter into the former. See B.H.S.D. for instances of this confusion.

[41]:

Anuvartaka.

[42]:

Properly “bound to”, anubaddha. But ratnānubaddhā is a compound of which it is difficult to give a significant analysis. It is Senart’s conjecture from the still more obscure ratnāni bandhanāni of the MSS. A possible emendation of the whole line would be prabhūtabhogaratnā bandhumantāḥ, “with abundant wealth and riches and many relations.”

[43]:

I.e., Puṣya. See p. 434, n. 5.

[44]:

Or “made”, akarimha 1st pl. aor. of karoti. See Edgerton, Gram., § 32. 40 where it is pointed out that the metre requires akārimha, which is also the reading of one MS.