24.4 The Story about the Prison House
Bandhanāgāravatthu

“That bondage is not so strong,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to the prison house.

It seems that once upon a time criminals, house-breakers, highwaymen, {4.54} and murderers, were brought before the king of Kosala. The king ordered them to be bound with fetters, ropes, and chains. Now thirty country bhikkhus, desiring to see the Teacher, came and saw the Teacher, saluted him and took their leave.

On the following day, as they went about Sāvatthī for alms, they came to the prison house and saw those criminals. Returning from their rounds for alms, they approached the Teacher at eventide and said to him: “Venerable Sir, today, as we were making our rounds for alms, we saw many criminals in the prison house. They were bound with fetters, ropes, and chains, and were experiencing much suffering. They cannot break these fetters and escape. Is there any bond stronger than these bonds?”

In reply to their question, the Teacher said: “Bhikkhus, what do these bonds amount to? Consider the bond of the defilements, the bond which is called craving, the bond of attachment for wealth, crops, sons, and wives. This is a bond a hundredfold, nay, a thousandfold stronger than these bonds which you have seen. But strong as it is, and hard to break, wise men of old broke it, and going to the Himālaya country, went forth.” So saying, he related the following

4a. Story of the Past: The Birth Story about the Prison AJ: Ja 201.

In times long past, when Brahmadatta was ruling at Bārāṇasī, the Bodhisatta was reborn in the family of a certain poor householder. When he reached manhood, his father died; so he worked for hire and supported his mother. His mother, in spite of his protests, brought him a certain daughter of respectable family to wife. After a time his mother died. In the course of time his wife conceived a child in her womb. [30.224]

Not knowing that she had conceived a child, the husband said to the wife: “Dear wife, make your living by working for hire; I intend to go forth.” {4.55} Thereupon the wife said to the husband: “I have conceived a child in my womb. Wait until I give birth to the child and you see him, and then go forth.” – “Very well,” said the husband, promising to do so.

When the wife had given birth to her child, the husband took leave of her, saying: “Dear wife, you have given birth to your child in safety; now I shall go forth.” But the wife replied: “Just wait until your son has been weaned from the breast.” While the husband waited, the wife conceived a second child.

The husband thought to himself: “If I do as she wishes me to, I shall never get away; I will run away and go forth without so much as saying a word to her about it.” So without saying so much as a word to his wife about his plans, he rose up in the night and fled away. The city guards caught him. But he persuaded them to release him, saying to them: “Masters, I have a mother to support; release me.”

After tarrying in a certain place he went to the Himālaya country and went forth in the seers’ going forth. Having developed the analytic knowledges and the super knowledges, he dwelt there, diverting himself with the diversion of the absorptions. And as he dwelt there, he thought to himself: “I have broken this bond which is so hard to break, the bond of the pollutants, the bond of attachment for son and wife.” So saying, he breathed forth an exalted utterance.

Having related this Story of the Past, the Teacher, making plain the exalted utterance uttered by him, pronounced the following verses:

345-346. Na taṁ daḷhaṁ bandhanam-āhu dhīrā,
yad-āyasaṁ dārujaṁ pabbajañ-ca,
sārattarattā maṇikuṇḍalesu
puttesu dāresu ca yā apekhā –
etaṁ daḷhaṁ bandhanam-āhu dhīrā,
ohārinaṁ sithilaṁ, duppamuñcaṁ,
etam-pi chetvāna paribbajanti
anapekkhino, kāmasukhaṁ pahāya.

That bondage is not so strong say the wise,
that is made of iron or wood or reeds,
impassioned and excited they seek out
jewels and earrings and children and wives –
that bondage is really strong say the wise,
dragging down the lax, hard to get free from,
having cut this down they wander about,
seeking nothing, abandoning pleasure. {4.57}

At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.