In Buddhism

Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper Names

Once the Bodhisatta was born as Senaka, a brahmin, counsellor to King Maddava of Benares. Maddava, seeing that his chaplains son was yearning for his chief queen, gave her to him for a week. But at the end of the week the queen ran away with the youth and the king became ill with longing for her. Senaka thereupon arranged for a festival, in the course of which the king was shown a man swallowing a sword. The king then asked his counsellors, Ayura, Pukkusa and Senaka, if anything could be harder to do than that. They, in turn, replied that to promise a gift, to make it, and having made it, not to regret it, these acts were, in increasing degrees, far harder than swallowing a sword made in Dasanna. The king, grasping the purport of their answers, regained his self composure.

The story was told in reference to a monk who was tempted by his former wife.

The king was identified with the monk, Ayura with Moggallana, and Pukkusa with Sariputta (J.iii.336-41).

context information

Theravāda is a major branch of Buddhism having the the Pali canon (tipitaka) as their canonical literature, which includes the vinaya-pitaka (monastic rules), the sutta-pitaka (Buddhist sermons) and the abhidhamma-pitaka (philosophy and psychology).

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Jataka.

Full-text: Maddava, Ayura, Senaka, Pukkusa.

Relevant text

Search found 1 books and stories containing Dasannaka Jataka, Dasaṇṇaka-jātaka; (plurals include: Dasannaka Jatakas, jātakas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

The Jataka tales [English], Volume 1-6 (by Robert Chalmers)

Jataka 401: Dasaṇṇaka-jātaka < [Volume 3]

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