8.13 The Story about Kisā Gotamī
Kisāgotamīvatthu

“One might live for a hundred years,” [29.257] this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher at Jetavana, with reference to Kisā Gotamī.

13a Kisā Gotamī Marries the Son of a Rich Merchant

A merchant worth four hundred millions it seems lived at Sāvatthī. Suddenly all of his wealth turned into charcoal. The merchant, overwhelmed with grief, refused to eat and took to his bed. One day a certain friend of his came to see him and asked him: “Sir, why are you so sorrowful?” The merchant told him what had happened. His friend said: “Sir, do not give yourself over to sorrow. {2.271} I know a way out of the difficulty, if you will but make use of it.” – “Well, sir, what am I to do?”

His friend said: “Spread matting in your shop, and pile the charcoal on it, and sit down as if you were selling it. People will come along and say to you: ‘Most merchants sell such things as clothing and oil and honey and molasses; but you are sitting here selling charcoal.’ Then you must say to them: ‘If I can’t sell what belongs to me, what am I to do?’ But again someone may say: ‘Most merchants sell such things as clothing and oil and honey and molasses; but you are sitting here selling yellow gold.’ Then you must say: ‘Where’s the yellow gold?’ Your customer will say: ‘There it is!’ Then say: ‘Let me have it.’ Your customer will bring you a handful of charcoal. Take it, cover it with your hands, and it will turn into yellow gold. Now if your customer be a maiden, marry her to your son, turn over your four hundred millions to her, and live on what she gives you. But if your customer be a youth, marry your daughter to him as soon as she reaches marriageable age, turn over your four hundred millions to him, and live on what he gives you.”

“A fine plan indeed!” said the merchant. {2.272} So he piled the charcoal up in his shop, and sat down as if he were selling it. People [29.258] came along and said to him: “Most merchants sell such things as clothing and oil and honey and molasses; but you are sitting here selling charcoal.” To such as asked this question, he replied as follows: “If I can’t sell what belongs to me, what am I to do?”

There came one day to the door of his shop a certain maiden, the daughter of a poverty-stricken house. Her name was Gotamī, but by reason of the leanness of her body she was generally known as Kisā Gotamī. She came to buy something for herself; but when she saw the merchant, she said to him: “My good sir, most merchants sell such things as clothing and oil and honey and molasses; but you are sitting here selling yellow gold.” – “Maiden, where is there yellow gold?” – “Right there where you are sitting.” – “Let me have some of it, maiden.” She took a handful of the charcoal and placed it in his hands. No sooner had it touched his hands than it turned into yellow gold.

Then said the merchant to her: “Which is your house, maiden?” She said: “Such and such, sir.” The merchant, perceiving that she was unmarried, married her to his own son. He then gathered up his wealth which was previously charcoal turning into yellow gold at his touch, and gave the four hundred millions into her charge. In time she became pregnant, and, after ten lunar months, gave birth to a son. But the child died as soon as he was able to walk.

13b Kisā Gotamī Seeks Mustard Seed to Cure Her Dead Child

Now Kisā Gotamī had never seen death before. Therefore, when they came to remove the body for burning, she forbade them to do so. She said to herself: “I will seek medicine for my son.” Placing the dead child on her hip, she went from house to house inquiring: “Do you know what will cure my son?” {2.273} Everyone said to her: “Woman, you are stark mad in that you go from house to house seeking medicine for your dead child.” But she went her way, thinking: “Surely I shall find someone that knows medicine for my child.”

Now a certain wise man saw her and thought to himself: “This my daughter has no doubt borne and lost her first and only child, nor death has seen before; I must help her.” So he said to her: “Woman, as for me, I know not that wherewith to cure your child; but one there is that knows, and him I know.” – “Sir, who is it that knows?” – “Woman, the Teacher knows; go ask him.” – “Good sir, I will go ask him.” [29.259]

So she went to the Teacher, worshipped him, stood at his side, and asked him: “Venerable Sir, is it true, as men say, that you know that wherewith to cure my child?” – “Yes, that I know.” – “What shall I get?” – “A pinch of white mustard seed.” – “That I will, venerable Sir. But in whose house shall I get it?” – “In whose house no son nor daughter nor any other has yet died.” – “Very well, venerable Sir,” said she, and worshipped him. Then she placed the dead child on her hip, entered the village, stopped at the door of the very first house, and asked: “Have you here any white mustard seed? {2.274} They say it will cure my child.” – “Yes.” – “Well then, give it me.” They brought grains of white mustard seed and gave it to her. She asked: “Friends, in the house wherein you dwell has son or daughter yet died?” – “What say you, woman? As for the living, they be few; only the dead be many.” – “Well then, take back your mustard seed; that is no medicine for my child.” So saying, she gave back the mustard seed.

After this manner, going from house to house, she plied her quest. Never a house wherein she found the mustard seed she sought; and when the evening came, she thought: “Ah! It is a heavy task I took upon myself. I thought it was I alone had lost a child, but in every village the dead are more in number than the living.” The while she thus reflected, hard became the heart which was erewhile soft with mother’s love. She took the child and in a forest laid him down, and going to the Teacher worshipped him and beside him took her stand.

The Teacher said: “Did you get a single pinch of mustard seed?” – “Nay, that I did not, venerable Sir. In every village the dead are more in number than the living.” The Teacher said: “Vainly did you imagine that you alone had lost a child. But all living beings are subject to an unchanging law, and it is this: The King of Death, like to a raging torrent, {2.275} sweeps away into the sea of ruin all living beings; still are their longings unfulfilled.” And instructing her in the Dhamma, he pronounced the following verse:

Dhp 287. That person whose mind is attached,
besotted by cattle and children,
is snatched away by death just as
a sleeping village by a flood.

At the conclusion of the verse, Kisā Gotamī was established in the fruition of Stream-entry, and many others reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on. [29.260] Kisā Gotamī requested the Teacher to give her the going forth; accordingly he sent her to the bhikkhunīs and given the going forth. Afterwards she took her higher ordination and came to be known as the Elder Kisā Gotamī.

One day it was her turn to light the lamp in the Observance Hall. Having lighted the lamp, she sat down and watched the tongues of flame. Some flared up and others flickered out. She took this for her subject of meditation and meditated as follows: “Even as it is with these flames, so also is it with living beings here in the world: some flare up, while others flicker out; they only that have reached Nibbāna are no more seen.”

The Teacher, seated in his Perfumed Chamber, sent forth a radiant image of himself, and standing as it were face to face with her, spoke and said: “Even as it is with these flames, so also is it with living beings here in the world: some flare up, while others flicker out; they only that have reached Nibbāna are no more seen. Therefore, better is the life of him that sees Nibbāna, though he live but for an instant, than the lives of them that endure for a hundred years and yet see not Nibbāna.” And joining the connection, he instructed her in the Dhamma by pronouncing the following verse:

114. Yo ca vassasataṁ jīve apassaṁ amataṁ padaṁ,
ekāhaṁ jīvitaṁ seyyo passato amataṁ padaṁ.

One might live for a hundred years
without seeing the deathless state,
but a life of one day’s better
for one seeing the deathless state.

At the conclusion of the discourse Kisā Gotamī, even as she sat there, attained Arahatship and the analytic knowledges.