Suddhodana, Shuddhodana, Śuddhodana, Suddhodāna: 14 definitions
Introduction:
Suddhodana means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
The Sanskrit term Śuddhodana can be transliterated into English as Suddhodana or Shuddhodana, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
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In Buddhism
Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)
A Sakiyan Raja of Kapilavatthu and father of Gotama Buddha.
He was the son of Sihahanu and Kaccana. His brothers were Dhotodana, Sakkodana, Sukkodana and Amitodana, and his sisters were Amita and Pamita.
Maya was his chief consort, and, after her death her sister Pajapati was raised to her position (Mhv.ii.15f.; Dpv.iii.45; J.i.15, etc.).
When soothsayers predicted that his son Gotama had two destinies awaiting him, either that of universal sovereignty or of Buddha hood, he exerted his utmost power to provide the prince with all kinds of luxuries in order to hold him fast to household life. It is said (E.g., J.i.54) that when Asita, who was his fathers chaplain and his own teacher, visited Suddhodana to see the newly born prince, and paid homage to the infant by allowing his feet to rest on his head, Suddhodana was filled with wonder and himself worshipped the child. And when, at the ploughing ceremony, Suddhodana saw how the jambu tree under which the child had been placed kept its shadow immoveable in order to protect him, and that the child was seated cross legged in the air, he again worshipped him (J.i.57f).
Later, when, in spite of all his fathers efforts, the prince had left household life and was practising austerities, news was brought to Suddhodana that his son had died owing to the severity of his penances. But he refused to believe it, saying that his son would never die without achieving his goal (J.i.67). When this was afterwards related to the Buddha, he preached the Mahadhammapala Jataka and showed that in the past, too, Suddhodana had refused to believe that his son could have died even when he was shown the heap of his bones.
When news reached Suddhodana that his son had reached Enlightenment, he sent a messenger to Veluvana in Rajagaha with ten thousand others to invite the Buddha to visit Kapilavatthu. But the messenger and his companions heard the Buddha preach, entered the Order, and forgot their mission. Nine times this happened. On the tenth occasion, Suddhodana sent Kaludayi with permission for him to enter the Order on the express condition that he gave the kings invitation to the Buddha. Kaludayi kept his promise and the Buddha visited Kapilavatthu, staying in the Nigrodharama. There, in reference to a shower of rain that fell, he preached the Vessantara Jataka. The next day, when Suddhodana remonstrated with the Buddha because he was seen begging in the streets of Kapilavatthu, the Buddha told him that begging was the custom of all Buddhas, and Suddhodana hearing this became a Sotapanna. He invited the Buddha to his palace, where he entertained him, and at the end of the meal the Buddha preached to the king, who became a sakadagami (J.i.90; cf. DhA.iii.164f). He became an anagami after hearing the Mahadhammapala Jataka (DhA.i.99; J.iv.55),
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).
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
1) Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन) is one of the four sons of king Siṃhahanu, an ancient king of the solar clan (āditagotra or sūryavaṃśa) according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter VI). Accordingly, “King Śuddodana had two sons: 1) Fo, the Buddha, 2) Nant’o (Nanda)”. Note: Śuddhodana had two main wives: Māyā who gave birth to the Buddha and Mahāprajāpati who bore Nanda.
Suddhodana (सुद्धोदन) is mentioned as one of the five sons of Sīhahanu: an ancient king of the solar clan (āditagotra or sūryavaṃśa) according to the Singhalese chronicles mentioned in a footnote in the Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter VI). According to the Singhalese chronicles (Dīpavaṃsa III.45; Mahāvaṃsa II.20), Sīhahanu had five sons and two daughters: Suddhodana, Dhotodana, Sakkodana, Sukkodana, Amitodana, Amitā, Pamitā.
2) Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन) is a king of Kapilavastu according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter XXIV). King Tsing fan (Śuddhodana) said to himself: “My son’s companions (parivāra), although animated by pure intention (cittaviśuddhi), are really not good-looking. I am going to choose among my sons and grandsons; each family will give one of their members to be a disciple of the Buddha”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन) is the name of a Śākya-born king descend from the solar Ikṣvāku dynasty, according to chapter 53 of the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa, a large scripture devoted to Mañjuśrī (the Bodhisattva of wisdom) classified as a kriyā-tantra (containing practices of ritual purification).—Accordingly, “All the kings foretold for this eon Will have a short lifespan. On the banks of the Gaṅgā, In the valleys of the Himalayas, And also in the country of Kāmarūpa. [...] In Vaiśālī, at the time of V and Th, The last crown princes were Subhū and Mṛga. In the fine city of Kapilavastu, Where the Sage was born. The Śākya-born kings that ended with Śuddhodana Are said to descend from the solar Ikṣvāku dynasty. Śuddhodana is generally regarded as the last Śākya king Under whom the Śākyas prospered. [...]”.
Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.
General definition (in Buddhism)
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन) refers to one of the five sons of Siṃhahanu: an ancient king from the Solar dynasty (sūryavaṃśa) and a descendant of Mahāsaṃmata, according to the Mahāvastu chapter II.32 of the Mahāsaṃghikas (and the Lokottaravāda school). Śuddhodana is known as Suddhodana according to the Dulva (the Tibetan translation of the Vinaya of the Sarvāstivādins).
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन).—(= Pali Su°), name of a Śākyan ‘king’, Buddha's father: Mahāvastu i.352.13 ff., 355.19 ff. (his lineage and family); ii.2.18 ff.; etc.; Lalitavistara 26.6 ff.; 39.21 ff.; 55.14 ff.; 76.9 ff.; 117.19 ff.; 184.17; 185.19 ff.; 198.2 ff.; 211.3; 228.5; 237.18; Mahāvyutpatti 3599; Divyāvadāna 390.28 ff.; Avadāna-śataka ii.111.8 ff.; Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra 200.1; 239.3; Gaṇḍavyūha 439.1 ff.
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन).—m.
(-naḥ) King of Kapila and father of Sakya. E. śuddha, odana rice, food.
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन).—[masculine] [Name] of Buddha's father.
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन):—[from śuddha > śundh] m. ‘having p° rice or food’, Name of a king of Kapila-vastu (of the tribe of the Śākyas and father of Gautama Buddha, [Buddhist literature; Monier-Williams’ Buddhism 21 etc.])
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन):—[śuddho+dana] (naḥ) 1. m. King of Kapila, father of Sākya.
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन):—(śuddha + o) m. Nomen proprium eines Fürsten aus dem Geschlecht der Śākya, Vaters des Siddhārtha oder Śākyamuni, [Rgva tch’er rol pa ed. Calc. 28, 10. fgg. 30, 10. 44, 14. fgg. 63, 17. fgg. 82, 14. fgg. 109, 11. fgg. 134, 15. fgg. 138, 12. fgg. u.s.w.] [Hiouen-Thsang 1, 310. 364.] Vie de [HIOUENTHSANG 127. 282.] [WILSON, Sel. Works 2, 9. 10. 338. 346.] [Lassen’s Indische Alterthumskunde 2, Anhang II.] ein Sohn Śākya’s (vgl. śuddhoda) [Viṣṇupurāṇa 4, 22, 3.] suta patron. Śākyamuni’s [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 237.] — Vgl. śauddhodani .
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Suddhoaṇa.
Śuddhodana (in Sanskrit) can be associated with the following Chinese terms:
1) 淨飯王 [jìng fàn wáng]: “Śuddhodana” [Sanskrit personal name].
2) 閱頭檀 [yuè tóu tán]: “Śuddhodana” [Sanskrit personal name].
3) 首圖馱那 [shǒu tú tuó nà]: “Śuddhodana” [Sanskrit personal name].
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Nepali dictionary
Śuddhodana (शुद्धोदन):—n. hist. the king of Kapilvastu; father of Gautam Buddha;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Shuddhodanasuta.
Full-text (+145): Shuddhodanasuta, Yue tou tan, Jing fan wang, Shou tu tuo na, Shauddhodani, Ratula, Mahamaya, Rahula, Simhahanu, Shuklodana, Shu tou tan na, Jing fan, Jing fan da wang, Siddhartha, Sakkodana, Pamita, Dhotodana, Amritodana, Bai wang, Bai jing wang.
Relevant text
Search found 77 books and stories containing Suddhodana, Shuddhodana, Śuddhodana, Suddhodāna; (plurals include: Suddhodanas, Shuddhodanas, Śuddhodanas, Suddhodānas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)
The prediction of Asita (horoscope of the Bodhisattva) < [Part 3 - Possessing a body endowed with the marks]
Part 8 - Origin of the name Ānanda < [Chapter VI - The Great Bhikṣu Saṃgha]
Appendix 2 - The deity of the Bodhi tree (bodhivṛkṣadevatā) < [Chapter VI - The Great Bhikṣu Saṃgha]
Maha Buddhavamsa—The Great Chronicle of Buddhas (by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw)
Part 1 - King Suddhodana saluting the Bodhisatta for the Second Time < [Chapter 2 - The Performance of the Ploughing Ceremony]
Chapter 3 - Seeing the Four Great Omens < [Volume 2.1]
Part 6 - The Story of Kāladevila The Hermit < [Chapter 1 - The Story of Sataketu Deva, The Future Buddha]
Taisho: Chinese Buddhist Canon
Chapter 31: The Prince’s Attainment and King Shuddhodana’s Praise < [Part 190 - The Abhinishkramana-sutra]
Chapter 21: The Prince Returns to the City < [Part 190 - The Abhinishkramana-sutra]
Chapter 22: The Fortune Tellers Examine the Prince < [Part 190 - The Abhinishkramana-sutra]
Buddhist records of the Western world (Xuanzang) (by Samuel Beal)
Chapter 2 - Country of Kie-pi-lo-fa-su-tu (Kapilavastu) < [Book VI - Four Countries]
Chapter 14 - Country of T’o-na-kie-tse-kia (Dhanakataka) < [Book X - Seventeen Countries]
Chapter 1 - Country of P’o-lo-ni-sse (Varanasi) < [Book VII - Five Countries]
Mahavastu (great story) (by J. J. Jones)
Chapter XXIII - The story of Rāhula < [Volume III]
Chapter X - The Buddha’s Visit to Kapilavastu < [Volume III]
Chapter XVIII - The ordination of the five-hundred Śākyans < [Volume III]