38a: The Buddha’s Parents in a Previous Existence
[The following is based on the Birth Story about the City of Sāketa (Sāketa-jātaka, Ja 68) and its commentary.]
The Brahmin Couple
On one occasion, after residing in Sāvatthī for the Rains Retreat, the Buddha set out on a journey, taking into consideration the opportunities that would be provided by it, such as promoting his health, prescribing fresh rules of conduct for the Saṅgha, taming through dialogues and discourses those who deserved to be tamed, and discoursing on his own birth stories (jātaka) wherever the situation was appropriate. Travelling in stages, the Buddha arrived at Sāketa at evening and entered the Añjana forest for the night’s stay.
On hearing the news of the arrival of the Buddha, the townsfolk of Sāketa thought that it was not proper to go and visit him at night. They waited till the next morning, then, taking flowers, perfumes and other offerings with them, they approached the Buddha, made their obeisance, and exchanging courteous words of greeting with him, remained there till it was time for him to go on the daily alms round.
When it was time to go on alms round the Buddha, in the company of the monastics, entered Sāketa. At that time, a wealthy Brahmin of Sāketa was leaving the town when he saw the Buddha near the town’s gate. On seeing him, the Brahmin felt an intense filial love for him and weeping with joy and uttering: “My son, I have not seen you for such a long time,” he drew near to him.
Even while the Brahmin was drawing near him, the Buddha said to the monastics: “Monastics, let the Brahmin of Sāketa alone; let him do as he pleases.” And as a mother cow would treat her own calf, the Brahmin viewed the Buddha at close range from the front, from the back, and from the left side and from the right side, then embracing him, he said: “Oh, my son! My son! So long have I not seen you! So long have you been away!”
It may be noted here that if the Brahmin were to be restrained from these outpourings of affection, he would not be able to contain the intense feeling and would probably have died of heart-break.
The Brahmin of Sāketa said to the Buddha: “Venerable sir, I am able to offer food to the Fortunate One and the company of monastics. May the Fortunate One, out of compassion, do me the favour of accepting the offering.” The Buddha indicated his consent by remaining silent. The Brahmin led the way to his place holding the Buddha’s alms bowl in his hands. He sent word to his wife at home to say: “My son is coming! Spread out a suitable place for his stay.” The wife did as she was told by her husband and stood all agog to receive the Buddha. As she saw the Buddha nearing her house, she went to him, and saying: “My son, it is a long time that I have not seen you,” and she fondled the Buddha’s feet and wept with joy. She requested the Buddha to proceed to her home where the Brahmin couple respectfully offered food to the Buddha and his company of monastics. After he had finished his meal, the Brahmin took the alms bowl and washed it himself.
The Buddha then discoursed to the Brahmin couple in a way fitting to them and at the end of the discourse they became noble (ariya) Stream-enterers. They requested the Buddha: “May the Fortunate One and his company of monastics, during their sojourn at Sāketa, receive offering of alms food only at our home.” The Buddha replied: “Brahmin couple, it is not the custom for Buddhas to have a permanent place to receive alms food as you request.” Thereupon, the Brahmin couple requested the Buddha: “In that case, venerable sir, may the Fortunate One and his company of monastics go for alms elsewhere but take the meals at our home only, and go back to the monastery after giving us a talk on the Dhamma.” To this request the Buddha consented as a special favour.
From that time forward, the Brahmin came to be called by the people: “The Buddha’s father,” and the wife of the Brahmin: “The Buddha’s mother.” The clan of Brahmin Sāketa also earned the name of: “The Buddha’s clan.”
Thereupon, Ven. Ānanda asked the Buddha: “Venerable sir, I know your
Pubbeva sannivāsena, paccuppanna-hitena vā,
evaṁ taṁ jāyate pemaṁ, uppalaṁ va yathodake.
Due to having lived together in previous existences and having done some beneficial things for each other, there arises love between two persons. It is like the case of the water lily or any other water plant that grows in the marsh where mud and water jointly cause its arising.
The Buddha spent his days in Sāketa for as many persons as there were in that town that deserved to gain Awakening. Then he proceeded on his way to Sāvatthī. The Brahmin couple further sought guidance from the monastics from whom they got appropriate instructions and in due course attained the three higher paths after which they realized Nibbāna without any substrata of existence remaining (anupādisesa-parinibbāna).
When the Brahmin couple passed away, the Brahmin community of Sāketa assembled together with the common objective of paying due respects to one of their members. Similarly, the Stream-enterers, the Once-returners and the Non-returners, all noble ones (ariya) who had been associates in the practice of the path with the Brahmin couple, assembled together with the common objective of paying their respects to one of their members. Those two groups of people placed the remains of the Brahmin couple on a bier with gabled roofs, and amidst floral tributes and sprinkling of perfumes about the bier, they carried it out of the town.
The Buddha in his daily routine viewed the sentient world with his Buddha-eye consisting of knowledge that discerns the natural bent and latent proclivities of individuals (āsayānusaya-ñāṇa) and knowledge of the maturity and immaturity of the faculties of beings (indriya-paro-pariyatti-ñāṇa) for that day and came to know about the passing away, in total cessation, of the Brahmin couple; and seeing that his presence and teaching at the funeral of the deceased ones would lead to the Awakening of the multitudes attending the funeral, he left Sāvatthī for the cemetery at Sāketa, carrying his alms bowl and double robe himself.
On seeing the Buddha, the people said: “The Fortunate One has come to attend to the funeral of his father and mother,” and paid their obeisance to him. The townsfolk brought the bier to the cemetery in reverential ceremony. They asked the Buddha: “Venerable sir, what is the proper way to venerate the Brahmin couple who had been noble (ariya) lay disciples?”
The Buddha replied in the following verse, revealing the fact that the deceased couple had become Arahats and that they deserved the veneration that was due to Arahats (Dhp 225):
Ahiṁsakā ye munayo, niccaṁ kāyena saṁvutā,
te yanti accutaṁ ṭhānaṁ, yattha gantvā na socare.
The Arahats who do not harm others are always restrained in their physical, verbal and mental actions. Having gone to Nibbāna through path-knowledge, they are free from sorrow. They have realized the four paths and fruitions and attained the deathless Nibbāna.
The commentary to the Dhamma Verses (Dhammapada) says that at the end of that verse a great number of people attained Stream-entry and even higher stages of path-knowledge.
After uttering the above verse the Buddha delivered the Discourse on Ageing (Jarā-sutta, Snp 4.6) that he knew would benefit the audience at that time. By the end of the discourse, 84,000 beings perceived the four truths and became noble ones.