26.14 The Story about Uggasena

Dhp 397

Burlingame: Uggasena the Acrobat

Compare: Dhp-a 24.6

The merchant’s son Uggasena fell in love with an acrobat whom he saw performing, but her father would only give her to him if he joined them, which he readily agreed to do; later, after he had ordained and become an Arahat, the bhikkhus thought he was falsely claiming to be without fear, but the Buddha confirmed his attainment with a verse.

Keywords: Rich Men, Acrobats, Marriages, Past Lives

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“Whoever has cut off all the fetters,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Veḷuvana with [30.287] reference to Uggasena. {4.159}

This story was told at length in the commentary on the verse: “Be free of the past, future and present.” AJ: Dhp 348; Dhp-a 24.6. I include the story here.

It seems that once a year, or once every six months, five hundred acrobats used to visit Rājagaha and give performances for seven days before the king. By these performances they earned much gold and money; in fact there was no end to the gifts tossed at them from time to time. The people stood on benches piled on top of benches, and watched the acrobats perform their feats.

One day a certain female acrobat climbed a pole, turned somersaults thereon, and balancing herself on the tip of the pole, danced and sang as she trod the air. Now on this occasion a certain rich man’s son, accompanied by a companion, stood on top of a pile of benches watching her. The grace and skill with which she managed her hands and feet attracted his attention, and he straightaway fell in love with her. He went home and said: “If I can have her, I shall live; but if I cannot have her, I will die right here.” So saying, he flung himself down on his bed and refused to take food.

His mother and father asked him: “Son, what ails you?” The son replied: “If I can have that acrobat’s daughter, I can live; if I cannot have her, I will die right here.” Said his mother and father: “Do not act in this way. We will bring you another maiden, our equal in birth and wealth.” But he made the same reply as before and remained lying in bed. His father argued with him at length, but was unable to make him see things in a better light. Finally he sent for his son’s friend, gave him a thousand coins, and sent him off, saying to him: “Tell the acrobat to take this money and give his daughter to my son.”

“I will not give my daughter for money,” replied the acrobat, “but if it be true that he cannot live without my daughter, then let him travel about with us; if he will do this, I will give him my daughter.” The mother and father communicated this information to their son. The son immediately said: “Of course I will travel about with them.” His mother and father begged him not to do so, but he paid no attention to anything they said, and went and joined the acrobat.

The acrobat gave him his daughter in marriage, and traveled about with him through villages, market-towns, and royal cities, giving exhibitions everywhere. In no long time the female acrobat, after living with her husband, gave birth to a son. As she played with the boy, she would address him as “son of a cart-driver,” or “son of a fetcher of wood and drawer of water,” or “son of a know-nothing.” It appears that the husband used to attend to everything relating to their carts. Wherever they halted, he would fetch grass for the oxen. Wherever they gave an exhibition, he would procure whatever apparatus was required, set it up, and remove it.

It was with reference to duties such as these performed by her husband that this woman employed such terms as these in playing with her son. The husband came to the conclusion that the songs she sang were about himself, and asked her: “Do you refer to me?” – “Yes, I refer to you.” – “In that case I will run away and leave you.” – “What difference does it make to me whether you go away or not?” replied the wife. And over and over again she sang the same song. It appears that by reason of the beauty she possessed and the large amount of money she earned, she was utterly indifferent to him.

“Why is it that she is so proud?” thought the husband to himself. Straightaway he perceived within himself: “It is because of her skill as a acrobat.” So he thought to himself: “Very well! I will learn acrobatic feats myself.” Accordingly he went to his father-in-law and learned all the feats that he knew. And he exhibited his art in villages, market-towns, and royal cities, one after another, until finally he came to Rājagaha. And he caused proclamation to be made throughout the city: “Seven days hence Uggasena the rich man’s son will exhibit his art to the residents of the city.” The residents of the city caused platform above platform to be erected, and assembled on the seventh day. Uggasena climbed a pole sixty cubits in height and balanced himself on the top of it.

On that day, as the Teacher surveyed the world at dawn, he perceived that Uggasena had entered the net of his knowledge. And he considered within himself: “What will become of him?” Straightaway he became aware of the following: “The rich man’s son will balance himself on the tip of the pole for the purpose of displaying his skill, and a great multitude will assemble for the purpose of witnessing his exhibition. At this point I will pronounce a verse consisting of four lines. Hearing this verse, 84,000 living beings will reach comprehension of the Dhamma, and Uggasena himself will be established in Arahatship.” So on the following day, taking note of the time, the Teacher set out, attended by the Saṅgha of bhikkhus, and entered the city of Rājagaha for alms.

A moment before the Teacher entered the city, Uggasena motioned to the multitude as a sign for applause, and balancing himself on the tip of the pole, turned seven somersaults in the air, lighted on his feet, and balanced himself once more on the tip of the pole. At that moment the Teacher entered the city, and so contrived that the multitude looked not at Uggasena, but at himself. When Uggasena looked at the audience and perceived that they were not looking at him at all, he was overwhelmed with disappointment. He thought: “Here is a feat which it has taken me a year to perfect, but when the Teacher enters the city, the audience, instead of looking at me, looks at the Teacher. My exhibition has failed completely.” The Teacher, perceiving the thought that was passing through his mind, addressed Elder Moggallāna as follows: “Moggallāna, go and inform the rich man’s son that the Teacher desires him to exhibit his skill.” The elder went and stood at the base of the pole, and addressing the rich man’s son, pronounced the following verse:

Please look, Uggasena,
acrobat of great strength,
make a stage for the crowd
make many people laugh!

When Uggasena heard the words of the elder, he was delighted at heart. “Doubtless the Teacher desires to witness my skill,” he thought. And even as he balanced himself on the tip of the pole, he pronounced the following verse:

Please look, Moggallāna, one of
great wisdom, one of great power,
I make a stage for the crowd,
I make many people laugh.

So saying, he sprang into the air from the top of the pole, turned fourteen somersaults in the air, and lighting on his feet, balanced himself once more on the top of the pole. The Teacher said to him: “Uggasena, a man that is wise should put away attachment for the aggregates in the past, the present, and the future; even so should he win release from birth, old age, disease, and death.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:

Dhp 348. Be free of the past, future and present,
after crossing over all existence,
with mind liberated in ev’ry way,
you will not return to birth and old age.

At the end of the teaching 84,000 living beings had comprehension of the Dhamma. The rich man’s son, even as he stood poised on the tip of the pole, attained Arahatship together with the analytic knowledges.

The rich man’s son straightaway descended from the pole, advanced to the Teacher, saluted him with the five limbs, and requested the Teacher to let him go forth. The Teacher stretched out his right hand and said to him: “Come, bhikkhu!” At that moment he was supernaturally provided with the eight requisites, and took on the form of an elder of sixty. The bhikkhus asked him: “Friend Uggasena, had you no fear as you descended from that pole sixty cubits in height?” Uggasena replied: “Friends, I have no fear.”

At that time, when the bhikkhus said to the Teacher: “Venerable Sir, Uggasena says: ‘I have no fear,’ without a doubt he says that which is not true, utters falsehood,” the Teacher replied: “Bhikkhus, those who, like my son, have severed the attachments, have no fear.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:

397. Sabbasaṁyojanaṁ chetvā yo ve na paritassati,
saṅgātigaṁ visaṁyuttaṁ, tam-ahaṁ brūmi brāhmaṇaṁ.

Whoever has cut off all the
fetters surely does not tremble,
surmounting attachments, detached,
that one I say is a Brahmin.