1.5 The Story about Those from Kosambī
Kosambakavatthu

“The others do not understand,” [28.176] this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to the bhikkhus of Kosambī.

5a A Quarrel among the Bhikkhus

For at Kosambī, in Ghosita monastery, resided two bhikkhus, each with a retinue of five hundred bhikkhus. Of the two bhikkhus, one was a bearer of the Discipline, the other a teacher of the Dhamma. One day the teacher of the Dhamma, after easing himself, left in a vessel what remained of the water in which he had washed in the bathroom and came out. Afterwards the bearer of the Discipline went {1.54} in and saw the water. When he came out, he asked his companion: “Friend, was it you that left the water?” – “Yes, friend.” – “But do you not know that it is wrong so to do?” – “Indeed I do not.” – “But, friend, it is wrong.” – “Well then, I will make satisfaction for it.” – “Of course, friend, if you did it unintentionally, inadvertently, it is no wrong.” Thus the teacher of the Dhamma came to look upon the wrong as no wrong.

Notwithstanding, the bearer of the Discipline said to his own pupils: “This teacher of the Dhamma, although he has done wrong, does not realize it.” They, seeing the pupils of the teacher of the Dhamma, said: “Your preceptor, although he has done wrong, does not realize it.” The teacher’s pupils went and informed their own preceptor. The teacher of the Dhamma spoke thus: “This bearer of the Discipline said before: ‘It’s no wrong,’ now he says: ‘it is wrong.’ He’s a liar.” The teacher’s pupils went and said: “Your teacher is a liar.” Thus did they foment a quarrel between the two.

Then the bearer of the Discipline, seizing the opportunity, pronounced sentence of suspension AJ: ukkhepanīya; suspension, not excommunication as Burlingame gave it. against the teacher of the Dhamma for failing to recognize his wrong. Thenceforth even the supporters who furnished them with the requisites formed two factions. Even the bhikkhunīs receiving instruction, even the protecting Devatās; their friends and intimates, the Devatās who dwell in the sky; beginning with these and extending to the world of Brahma, all beings, even the unattained, formed two factions. The quarrel extended from the realm of the Four Great Kings to the heaven of the Akiniṭṭha Devas. AJ: i.e., from the lowest to the highest of the Deva Realms.

Now a certain bhikkhu drew near the Realised One and told him that those who pronounced the sentence of suspension held the view that the bhikkhu had been suspended according to law; {1.55} but that the partisans of the suspended bhikkhu held the view that he had been suspended contrary to law, and that the latter had gathered round in support of him, in spite of the fact that those who pronounced the sentence of suspension forbade them to do so.

Twice the Fortunate One sent word: “Let them be united,” and received [28.177] the reply: “Venerable Sir, they refuse to be united.” The third time he exclaimed: “The assembly of bhikkhus is rent asunder! The assembly of bhikkhus is rent asunder!” So saying, he went to them and pointed out to those who had pronounced sentence of suspension the wrong involved in their act, and to those who had failed to recognize the offense, the wrong involved in theirs. Again he enjoined upon them the holding of the Uposatha and other ceremonies right there within the Boundary Hall, and laid down the rule that those who quarreled in refectories and elsewhere were to occupy separate seats in the refectory.

Hearing that they were quarreling again, he went to them, and beginning his discourse with the words: “Enough, bhikkhus! No quarreling!” he continued: “Bhikkhus, quarrels, strifes, contentions, disputes, all these are unprofitable. For because of a quarrel even a tiny quail brought about the destruction of a noble elephant.” And he told the Birth Story of the Quail. BG: Ja 357. Continuing, he said: “Bhikkhus, be united; engage not in disputes. For because of a dispute many thousand quails lost their lives.” And he told the Birth Story of the Quail. BG: Ja 33. Cf. Panchatantra, Book ii. Frame-story.

But in spite of this they paid no attention to his words, and a certain Dhamma teacher, who wished the Realised One to be relieved of annoyance, said to him: “Venerable Sir, let the Fortunate One, the lord of Dhamma, remain at home. venerable Sir, let the Fortunate One live a life of inaction and ease in this present world. {1.56} We shall make ourselves notorious by our quarrels, strifes, contentions, and disputes.”

Thereupon the Realised One told the following

Story of the Past: The Birth Story about King Dīghiti of Kosala AJ: This is a summary of Ja 371.

Once upon a time, bhikkhus, Brahmadatta reigned at Bārāṇasī as king of Kāsi. Brahmadatta fought against Dīghati Kosala, took away his kingdom, and killed him while he was living in disguise. Dīghati’s son, Prince Dīghāvu, although he knew that Brahmadatta was the murderer of his father, spared his life. Thenceforth they were at peace with each other.

Such, bhikkhus, is said to have been the patience and gentleness of these kings who took scepter and sword. How much more, bhikkhus, should you, who have gone forth under a Dhamma and Discipline so well taught, let your light so shine in this world as to be known of men as patient and gentle. Thus did the Teacher admonish them. [28.178] But in spite of his admonition he was unable to reunite them.

Thereupon, the Buddha, unhappy because of the crowded conditions under which he lived, reflected: “Under present conditions I am crowded and jostled and live a life of discomfort. Moreover, these bhikkhus pay no attention to what I say. Suppose I were to retire from the haunts of men and live a life of solitude.”

After making his rounds for alms in Kosambī, without bidding the Saṅgha farewell, he took his own bowl and robe, and went quite alone to the village of Bālaka, the salt-maker, where he discoursed to the Elder Bhagu on the solitary life; AJ: see Vin Mv 10.4. thence he went to Eastern Bamboo Deer Park, where he discoursed to the three youths of station on the bliss of the sweets of concord; {1.57} and from there he went to Pārileyyaka. There, at the foot of a beautiful Sāla tree, in Protected Forest, near Pārileyyaka, the Fortunate One spent the rainy season pleasantly, attended by the elephant Pārileyyaka.

When the lay friends resident at Kosambī went to the monastery and failed to see the Teacher, they asked: “Venerable Sirs, where has the Teacher gone?” – “To Pārileyyaka Forest.” – “For what reason?” – “He strove to reunite us, but we would not be reunited.” – “Do you mean, venerable Sirs, that after receiving admission as bhikkhus at the hands of the Teacher, you refused to agree when he asked you to do so?” – “Precisely so, friends.” People said: “These bhikkhus, after receiving admission at the hands of the Teacher, were unwilling to patch up their differences when the Teacher asked them to do so. It’s all their fault that we were unable to see the Teacher. To these bhikkhus, assuredly, we will neither give seats nor offer respectful salutations or other civilities.” And from that time on they showed them not so much as a sign of civility.

The bhikkhus got so little food that they were nearly famished, and it required only a few days to bring them to a better state of mind. Then they confessed their wrongs, one to another, asked to be pardoned, and said: “Friends, we are reconciled; be to us as before.” – “Venerable Sirs, have you begged the Teacher’s pardon?” – “No, we haven’t, friends.” – “Well then, beg the Teacher’s pardon, and as soon as the Teacher has pardoned you, we will be to you as before.” But as the rainy season was then at its height, they were unable to go to the Teacher and spent the rainy season very uncomfortably. The Teacher, however, spent the time pleasantly, attended by an elephant. For this elephant, of noble breed, left his herd {1.58} and entered the forest for the sole purpose of having a pleasant time. As it is said: [28.179]

5b The Buddha, the Elephant, and the Monkey

“Here I live, crowded by elephants, female elephants, elephant calves, and young elephants. They have chewed off the tips of the grass I eat; they eat branch after branch I break down; they muddy the water I have to drink. Whenever I plunge into the water, or come up out of the water, the female elephants come and rub against my body. Suppose I were to retire from the herd and live all alone.” AJ: See Ud 4.5.

So then this noble elephant withdrew from the herd and drew near to Pārileyyaka, to Protected Forest, to the foot of the beautiful Sāla tree; even to where the Fortunate One was, there did he draw near. And when he had drawn near and worshipped the Fortunate One, he looked all about for a broom. And seeing none, he smote with his foot the beautiful Sāla tree below and hewed away with his trunk at the Sāla tree above. And taking a branch, he then swept the ground.

Then he took a waterpot in his trunk and procured drinking-water. And as hot water was required, he prepared hot water. How was that possible? First he produced sparks with a fire-drill which he worked with his trunk; then he dropped sticks of wood on the sparks. Thus did he kindle a fire. In the fire he heated small stones; these he rolled along with a stick and dropped into a little depression in the rock. Then, lowering his trunk and finding the water hot enough, he went and worshipped the Teacher. The Teacher asked: “Is the water hot, Pārileyyaka?” and went there {1.59} and bathed. After that the elephant brought various kinds of wild fruits and presented them to the Teacher.

Now when the Teacher entered the village for alms, the elephant took his bowl and robe, put them on top of his head, and accompanied him. When the Teacher reached the vicinity of the village, he bade the elephant bring him his bowl and robe, saying: “Pārileyyaka, farther than this you are not permitted to go. Bring me my bowl and robe.” After they were brought, the Teacher then entered the village, and the elephant stood right there until he returned. When the Teacher returned, the elephant advanced to meet him, took his bowl and robe just as he did before, deposited them in the Teacher’s place of abode, paid him the usual courtesies, and fanned him with the branch of a tree. At night, to ward off danger from beasts of prey, he took a big club in his trunk, saying to himself: “I’ll protect the Teacher,” and back and forth in the interstices of the forest he paced until sunrise. From that time forth, [28.180] we are told, that forest was called “Protected Forest.”

When the sun rose, the elephant gave the Teacher water wherewith to bathe his face, and in the manner before related performed all of the other duties.

Now a monkey saw the elephant up and doing each day, performing the lesser duties for the Realised One, and he said to himself: “I’ll do something too.” One day, as he was running about, he happened to see some stick-honey free from flies. He broke the stick off, took the honey-comb, stick and all, broke off a plantain-leaf, placed the honey on the leaf, {1.60} and offered it to the Teacher. The Teacher took it. The monkey watched to see whether or not he would eat it. He observed that the Teacher, after taking the honey, sat down without eating. “What can be the matter?” thought he. He took hold of the stick by the tip, turned it over and over, carefully examining it as he did so, whereupon he discovered some insect’s eggs. Having removed these gently, he again gave the honey to the Teacher. The Teacher ate it.

The monkey was so delighted that he leaped from one branch to another and danced about in great glee. But the branches he grasped and the branches he stepped on broke off. Down he fell on the stump of a tree and was impaled. So he died. And solely because of his faith in the Teacher he was reborn in the Realm of the Thirty-Three in a golden mansion thirty leagues in measure, with a retinue of a thousand Accharās, with the name Devaputta Makkaṭa. AJ: Makkaṭa means monkey.

It became known over all Jambudīpa that the Teacher was residing in Protected Forest, attended by a noble elephant. BG: Cf. Dhp-a 23.7. From the city of Sāvatthī, Anāthapiṇḍika, Visākhā, the eminent female lay disciple, and other such great personages sent the following message to the Elder Ānanda: “Venerable Sir, obtain for us the privilege of seeing the Teacher.” Likewise five hundred bhikkhus residing abroad approached the Elder Ānanda at the close of the rainy season and made the following request: “It is a long time, Ānanda, since we have heard a discourse on the Dhamma from the lips of the Fortunate One. We should like, brother Ānanda, if you please, to have the privilege of hearing a discourse on the Dhamma from the lips of the Fortunate One.”

So the elder took those bhikkhus with him and went to Protected Forest. When he reached the forest, he thought to himself: “The [28.181] Realised One has resided in solitude for a period of three months. It is therefore not fitting that I should approach him all at once with so many bhikkhus as these.” {1.61} Accordingly he left those bhikkhus outside and approached the Teacher quite alone.

When the elephant Pārileyyaka saw the elder, he took his staff and rushed forward. The Teacher looked around and said to the elephant: “Come back, Pārileyyaka; do not drive him away. He is an attendant of the Buddha.” The elephant immediately threw away his staff and requested the privilege of taking the elder’s bowl and robe. The elder refused. The elephant thought to himself: “If he is versed in the rules of etiquette, he will refrain from placing his monastic requisites on the stone slab where the Teacher is accustomed to sit.” The elder placed his bowl and robe on the ground. For those who are versed in the rules of etiquette never place their own monastic requisites on the seat or bed of their spiritual superiors.

The elder, after saluting the Teacher, seated himself on one side. The Teacher asked him: “Did you come alone?” The elder informed him that he had come with five hundred bhikkhus. “But where are they?” asked the Teacher. “I did not know how you would feel about it, and therefore I left them outside and came in alone.” – “Tell them to come in.” The elder did so. The Teacher exchanged friendly greetings with the bhikkhus.

Then the bhikkhus said to the Teacher: “Venerable Sir, the Fortunate One is a refined Buddha, a refined prince. You must have endured much hardship, standing and sitting here alone as you have during these three months. For of course you had no one to perform the major and minor duties for you, no one to offer you water for bathing the face or to perform any of the other duties for you.”

The Teacher replied: “Bhikkhus, the elephant Pārileyyaka performed all of these offices for me. For one who obtains such a companion as he may well live alone; did one fail to find such, {1.62} even so the life of solitude were better for him.” So saying, he pronounced these three verses in the Chapter about the Elephant: AJ: Dhp 23.

Dhp 328. If you find a prudent, wise friend
or companion who lives well,
overcoming all your troubles
live with that one, glad and mindful.

Dhp 329. If you find a prudent, wise friend
or companion who lives well,
like a king who abandons his
conquered kingdom live alone like
an elephant in the forest. [28.182]

Dhp 330. It is better to live alone,
there is no friendship with a fool,
one should live alone and not do
wicked things, unconcerned, like
an elephant in the forest.

At the conclusion of the verses the five hundred bhikkhus were established in Arahatship.

The Elder Ānanda then delivered the message sent by Anāthapiṇḍika and the rest, saying: “Venerable Sir, 50 million noble disciples headed by Anāthapiṇḍika desire your return.” – “Very well,” said the Teacher, “take bowl and robe.” Causing them to take bowl and robe, he set out. The elephant went and stood crosswise on the road. “Venerable Sir, what is the elephant doing?” – “Bhikkhus, he desires to give alms to you. For a long time he has served me; it is not right to hurt his feelings. Turn back, bhikkhus!” The Teacher and the bhikkhus {1.63} turned back. The elephant entered the forest, gathered bananas and various other fruits, heaped them together, and on the following day gave them to the bhikkhus. The five hundred bhikkhus were unable to dispose of them all. When they had finished eating, the Teacher took bowl and robe and set out. The elephant, threading his way through the bhikkhus, went and stood crosswise in front of the Teacher.

“Venerable Sir, what is the elephant doing?” – “Bhikkhus, having spied your parting, he desires to make me turn back.” Said the Teacher to the elephant: “Pārileyyaka, I am going now, never to return. You cannot hope in this existence to enter into states of absorption, or to attain spiritual insight, or the paths, or the fruitions. Halt!” When the elephant heard that, he thrust his trunk into his mouth and retreated very slowly, weeping as he went. Could he have made the Teacher turn back, he would have cared for him in the very same way to the end of his days.

Now when the Teacher reached the vicinity of the village, he said: “Pārileyyaka, farther than this it is unsafe for you to go. The habitations of men are fraught with danger to you. Halt!” The elephant halted where he was and wept. As the Teacher slowly passed out of sight, he died of a broken heart. Through faith in the Teacher he was reborn in the Realm of the Thirty-Three in a golden mansion thirty leagues in measure, with a retinue of a thousand Accharās. Devaputta Pārileyyaka was his name.

The Teacher arrived in due course at Jetavana. The bhikkhus of Kosambī, {1.64} hearing of the Teacher’s return to Sāvatthī, went there to beg his pardon. The king of Kosala, hearing [28.183] that the quarrelsome bhikkhus of Kosambī had come to Sāvatthī, approached the Teacher and said: “Venerable Sir, I’ll not allow those bhikkhus to come into my country.” – “Great king, these bhikkhus are good men; only because of a dispute they had with each other they paid no attention to my words. Now they are coming to beg my pardon; let them come, great king.”

Anāthapiṇḍika also said: “I’ll not allow those bhikkhus to enter the monastery.” But the Teacher took issue with him as he had with the king, and he was silent.

Now when those bhikkhus reached Sāvatthī, the Fortunate One gave orders that separate lodging should be prepared and given to them. The other bhikkhus neither sit nor stand in their company. One after another those who came asked the Teacher: “Where, venerable Sir, are the quarrelsome bhikkhus of Kosambī?” The Teacher pointed them out, saying: “There they are!” – “There they are! There they are!” One after another those who came pointed their fingers at them, until for shame they were unable to lift their heads. Then they threw themselves at the feet of the Fortunate One and asked him to pardon them.

The Teacher said: “Bhikkhus, grievous was the wrong you committed when, after receiving admission as bhikkhus at the hands of a Buddha like me, in spite of my efforts to reconcile you, you refused to obey my words. Even wise men of old hearkened to the admonition of their mother and father under sentence of death, {1.65} disobeyed it not, even while their parents were being deprived of life, and afterwards established their sovereignty over two kingdoms.”

So saying, he related the Kosambika Birth Story AJ: Ja 428, see summary above. once more, concluding as follows: “Thus, bhikkhus, Prince Dīghāvu, even while his mother and father were being deprived of life, disobeyed not their admonition and afterwards, obtaining Brahmadatta’s daughter in marriage, bore sway over the two kingdoms of Kāsi and Kosala. You, however, disobeyed my words, and thereby committed a grievous wrong.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:

6. Pare ca na vijānanti mayam-ettha yamāmase,
ye ca tattha vijānanti tato sammanti medhagā.

The others do not understand
that we should restrain ourselves here,
but for those who do understand,
through that, their dissensions do cease. {1.66}

At the conclusion of the verse the assembled bhikkhus were established in the fruition of Stream-entry.