24.7 The Story about the Wise Archer Culla Dhanuggaha
Culladhanuggahapaṇḍitavatthu

“For a person who is crushed by his thoughts,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to a certain young bhikkhu, Culla Dhanuggaha (Little Archer) the wise.

It seems that once upon a time a young bhikkhu took the ticket that fell to him, obtained ticket-porridge, went to the Assembly Hall, but finding no water there, went to a certain house for the purpose of obtaining water. There a young woman saw him, and no sooner saw him than fell in love with him. “Venerable Sir,” said she, “should you again require water, pray come right here; go nowhere else.”

After that, whenever he failed to obtain drinking water, he went to her house and never went anywhere else. And she would take his bowl and give him water for drinking. As time went on, she gave him rice-gruel also. Again one day she provided a seat for him right there and gave him boiled rice. And seating herself near him, she started up a conversation, saying: {4.66} “Venerable Sir, it is very lonely indeed in this house; we never see so much as a traveler.” After listening to her talk for a few days, the young bhikkhu became discontented.

One day some visiting bhikkhus saw him and asked him: “Friend, how comes it that you are so very yellow?” – “Friends, I am discontented.” So they took him to his teacher and his preceptor. His teacher and his preceptor took him to the Teacher and reported [30.232] the matter to him.

The Teacher asked: “Bhikkhu, is it true that you are discontent?” – “It is true,” replied the young bhikkhu. Then the Teacher said: “Bhikkhu, how comes it that after going forth in the dispensation of a Buddha so vigorous as I, instead of causing it to be said of you that you have attained Stream-entry or Once-returning, you allow it to be said of you that you are discontent? You are guilty of a grievous wrong.” Continuing, the Teacher asked the young bhikkhu: “Why are you discontent?” – “Venerable Sir, a certain woman said this and that to me.”

“Bhikkhu, it is not at all strange that she should do such a thing as this. For in a previous state of existence, she forsook Dhanuggaha, the wisest archer in all Jambudīpa, and conceiving a passion for a certain bandit on the spur of the moment, slew her husband.” The bhikkhus asked the Teacher to make the matter clear, and in compliance with their request, he related the following

7a. Story of the Past: The Birth Story about Culla Dhanuggaha

In times past there lived a certain wise man named Culla Dhanuggaha. He acquired the arts and crafts at Takkasilā under a world-renowned teacher. His teacher was so pleased with the progress he made that he gave him his daughter in marriage. Culla Dhanuggaha took his wife and set out for Bārāṇasī. At the entrance to the forest he slew fifty bandits with fifty arrows. When his arrows were all gone, he seized the leader of the bandits and hurled him to the ground. “Wife, bring me my sword!” cried he. But the moment his wife saw that bandit, she conceived a passion for him, and placed the hilt of the sword in the hand of the bandit. The bandit straightaway slew Culla Dhanuggaha. Then he took the woman with him and went his way.

As he proceeded on his way, he thought to himself: “Should this woman see another man, she will kill me too just as she did her husband. {4.67} What use have I for such a woman?” Seeing a certain river, he left the woman on the near bank, took her ornaments, and said: “Remain where you are while I carry your ornaments across.” Then and there he left her. When the woman discovered that the bandit had left her, she said:

Taking along all of my goods,
crossing to other side, Brahmin,
quickly, swiftly come back to me,
cross back over, right now. [30.233]

The bandit replied:

Unaquainted with me, unaquainted for long,
bartering what is unstable for the stable,
you just might barter me also for another,
from here I will depart much further way.

In order to put the woman to shame, Sakka went to the river accompanied by his charioteer and his musician. Sakka took the form of a jackal, the charioteer that of a fish, and the musician that of a bird. The jackal took a piece of meat in his mouth and stood in front of the woman. The fish leapt out of the water, and the jackal sprang forward to catch the fish, dropping the piece of meat. The bird seized the piece of meat and flew up into the air. The fish disappeared in the water. Thus the jackal lost both fish and flesh. The woman laughed loudly. The jackal said:

Who is it, in this cassia
thicket that is laughing out loud?
Though none sing or dance here,
or plays percussion, well composed?
You bitch, at a time of crying
why do you laugh radiantly?

The woman replies:

You foolish and stupid jackal,
you jackal of little wisdom,
deprived of both fish and of meat,
you brood like a pauper.

The jackal said:

Another’s fault is easy to see,
but one’s own are hard to see,
deprived of lover and husband,
I think that you will also brood.

The woman said:

Thus it is, king of animals,
it is as you say, you jackal,
having gone a long way from here,
I will be obedient to my lord.

The jackal said:

You who carry off a clay plate,
you who carry off a brass plate,
the wickedness that’s done by you,
you will do it again, again.

When the Teacher had related at length this Birth Story about Culla Dhanuggaha, he said: “At that time you were the wise Culla Dhanuggaha, the woman was this {4.68} maiden here, and the Lord of the Devas who came in the form of a jackal and put her to shame, was I myself. Even thus did this woman fall in love with a certain bandit at first sight and deprive of life the wisest man in all Jambudīpa.

Bhikkhu, uproot and destroy the desire which has sprung up within you for this woman.”

Having thus admonished the bhikkhu, he expounded the Dhamma further, pronouncing the following verses: [30.234]

349. Vitakkapamathitassa jantuno
tibbarāgassa, subhānupassino,
bhiyyo taṇhā pavaḍḍhati,
esa kho daḷhaṁ karoti bandhanaṁ.

For a person who is crushed by his thoughts,
and pierced by passion, contemplating
the attractive, craving increases,
this surely makes the bond more firm.

350. Vitakkupasame ca yo rato
asubhaṁ bhāvayatī sadā sato,
esa kho vyantikāhiti,
esacchecchati Mārabandhanaṁ.

Whoever delights in calming of thoughts,
who cultivates what is unattractive,
will surely abolish all this craving,
he will then cut off the bond of Māra.

At the end of the teaching that bhikkhu was established in the fruition of Stream-entry, and those who had assembled also had benefit from the Dhamma teaching.