39. Ven. Sāgata

Aspiration in the Past

The future Sāgata was born into a worthy family in the city of Haṁsavatī, during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. On a certain occasion, while he was listening to the Buddha’s discourse, he witnessed the Buddha honouring a monastic as the foremost among the monastics who were adept at the attainment of concentrating on the element of the heat meditation device (tejo-kasiṇa-dhātu). He aspired for that honour and expressed his aspiration to become the foremost monastic in the mastery of that concentration to the Buddha. The Buddha predicted that his aspiration would be fulfilled. [1352]

Ascetic Life in His Final Existence

The future Sāgata devoted himself to works of merit throughout his life. After his death, he was reborn in the Deva realm and the human world only, and during the time of Buddha Gotama, he was reborn into a Brahmin family in Sāvatthī. The young Brahmin, named Sāgata, had occasion to listen to a discourse by the Buddha which caused him to become steadfastly devoted to the Buddha and hence become a monastic. He mastered the eight mundane absorption attainments and became adept at the five mundane supernormal powers.

Taming of a Nāga

Once, on his tour of the country, in the province of Cetiya, the Buddha arrived at Bhaddavatikā village, which was so named because of its strong fencing. Cow-herds, goat-herds, cultivators and passers-by saw the Buddha coming at a distance and warned him urgently that there lived a swift, vicious, poisonous serpent at the ferry-crossing, which was marked by the mango tree, and that they were concerned that the Buddha might face danger if he went that way. The Buddha did not say anything to them.

The vicious serpent at the mango tree ferry was, in its former life, a ferry man plying there. He quarrelled with some travellers and was killed in the fray. He swore vengeance on his attackers before his death and consequently he was reborn as a powerful serpent there.

Since the man held a grudge against the local populace, when he was reborn as a powerful serpent, he exercised his powers in such a way that he would cause draught in the rainy season and heavy rains to fall in the wrong season. Crops failed and people resorted to propitiating him every year. They also put up a shrine for him at the ferry point. ^{See the Collection of the Numerical Discourses (Aṅguttara-nikāya) commentary.}

The Buddha crossed the river at the mango tree ferry with his company of monastics, meaning to put up for the night at that place. Then the Buddha, going by stages, arrived at Bhaddavatikā village. Ven. Sāgata stayed at the shrine dedicated to the serpent at the mango tree ferry. He went into the den where the serpent lived, placed a grass mat on the ground, sat down with legs crossed, and with his body held erect, he entered into absorption (jhāna).

The serpent was very angry with the intruder and sent out hot fumes. Ven. Sāgata responded with fumes of even greater power. The serpent got furious and sent out flames. But Ven. Sāgata, who was entering into the absorption attainment of concentration on the element of heat, produced flames of greater intensity.

Then the serpent realized that he was up against someone who was more powerful than himself. He said: “Venerable sir, I take refuge in your reverence.” Ven. Sāgata said: “You need not take refuge in me. Take refuge in the Buddha.” – “Very well, venerable sir,” the serpent said. Hence, he became a disciple of the Buddha and was established in the three refuges, and became friendly to the local populace. Rains fell during the proper season and bumper crops were harvested. After Ven. Sāgata had tamed the serpent, he joined the Buddha at Bhaddavatikā village.

The Buddha’s Visit to Kosambī

After bringing Awakening to many deserving persons, the Buddha proceeded to Kosambī. The citizens of Kosambī had learnt about the conquest of Ven. Sāgata over the serpent, after a great battle. When the Buddha entered Kosambī, he was welcomed by the citizens. They also visited Ven. Sāgata, made obeisance to him, and sitting in a suitable place, said to him: “Venerable sir, what sort of thing is a rare thing for your reverence? What sort of of thing would please your reverence? What sort of thing shall we prepare for your reverence?” Although Ven. Sāgata did not say anything, monastics of the Group-of-Six intervened and said: “Lay supporters, there is a red beverage with the [1353] colour of the pigeon’s feet and which is clear. That alcoholic drink is a rare thing for monastics; it is delightful. So prepare that kind of beverage.”

A Note on the Group-of-Six Monks

There were in Sāvatthī six friends who considered earning a living burdensome and preferred a life of ease as monastics. They were the pair Paṇḍuka and Lohitaka; the pair Mettiya and Bhūmajaka; and the pair Assaji and Punabbasuka. They sought elders of great authority: the two chief disciples, as their preceptors whom they could look to in case of trouble.

After five years’ standing in the monastic life and having mastered the fundamental Rules for monastics (Pātimokkha), they agreed among themselves to split up into three sub-groups to be stationed at prosperous places. This was to ensure a regular livelihood for themselves.

The first sub-group with Paṇḍuka and Lohitaka as leaders was, by agreement among the Group-of-Six, assigned to Sāvatthī with these considerations: Sāvatthī is a city of 5,700,000 houses resided in by worthy families. It has suzerainty over the provinces of Kāsi and Kosala with 80,000 villages, Paṇḍuka and Lohitaka were to set up monastic compounds at advantageous sites at Sāvatthī, where fruit trees of all sorts were to be cultivated and gardens, to attract lay supporters. These fruits and flowers would be presented regularly to lay supporters who, thus befriended, would send their boys to the monastery to become novices and then admitted into the Saṅgha. In this way, a big following of monastic pupils was to be raised by the two leaders.

Likewise, Mettiya and Bhūmajaka, the second subgroup was assigned to Rājagaha with these considerations: Rājagaha was a city where 130,000,000 people lived. It had suzerainty over the provinces of Aṅga and Magadha, which were 300 leagues wide, and had 80,000 villages. Similarly, Mettiya and Bhūmajaka were to set up monastic compounds at advantageous sites at Rājagaha, where fruit tree of all sorts were to be cultivated and gardens to attract lay supporters. By making gifts of fruits and flowers, the people would be befriended. And they would send their boys to the monastery to become novices and then be admitted into the Saṅgha. In this way, a big following of monastic pupils was to be raised by the two leaders.

Kīṭāgiri was a market town with a big area around it. Since it received rains during the rainy season as well as during the cold season, it produced three crops of paddy a year. There the third sub-group, headed by Assaji and Punabbasuka would settle down. They were given the same assignments and objectives as the previous leaders.

The six leaders carried out the above plan with some success. Each of the three sub-groups were able to raise 500 or more monastic pupils, making a total of over 1,500 monastic pupils in their fold, who were known as the sect of the Group-of-Six monastics.

Of the six leaders of the sect, Paṇḍuka and Lohitaka with their 500 pupils were of good morality. They used to accompany the Buddha on his tours. Although they might commit fresh infringements of the monastic precepts, they would do so because there was no specific ban on that particular action. If the precept clearly prohibited something, they did not infringe it. The other four leaders of the sect and their people did not care at all about the precepts.

The citizens of Kosambī were simple folk. They took the advice of the monastics of the Group-of-Six in all sincerity. They made a clear red brew, like the colour of the pigeon’s feet, and hence called Kāpotikā. As Ven. Sāgata passed their door, each house offered a rare drink to him. At that time there was no Vinaya rule prohibiting monastics from [1354] taking liquor. Ven. Sāgata did not consider it improper to drink it. He obliged his supporters by drinking a little of the brew at each house. When he left the city, he collapsed at the city door.

As the Buddha was leaving the city in the company of monastics, he saw Ven. Sāgata lying on the ground. He had him carried to the monastery, where the other monastics laid him with his head turned towards the Buddha. But Ven. Sāgata, who was intoxicated with liquor, turned himself such that his feet were towards the Buddha. Then the Buddha addressed the monastics thus:

Buddha: “Monastics, Sāgata usually has respect and deference for me, does he not?”

Monastics: “He does, venerable sir.”

Buddha: “Now, does Sāgata show any respect and deference for me?”

Monastics: “No, venerable sir.”

Buddha: “Monastics, Sāgata had vanquished the serpent at the mango tree ferry, did he not?”

Monastics: “Yes, he did, venerable sir.”

Buddha: “In his present state, would Sāgata be able to vanquish the serpent?”

Monastics: “No, venerable sir.”

Buddha: “Monastics, by taking liquor one is rendered senseless through intoxication, would it be proper for one to take liquor?”

Monastics: “No, venerable sir.”

The Buddha continued: “Monastics, taking alcoholic drinks is improper, wrong, unwarranted, unbecoming for a monastic, and yet Ven. Sāgata, possessed of the five supernormal powers, took it. Why did he do it? Monastics, this is an act which does not lend itself to reverence by those who do not already have reverence for monastics.” After denouncing the act, the Buddha declared that any monastic who takes alcoholic drink is liable to incur a confessable (pācittiya) offence against the precepts.

Attainment of Awakening

On the next day, Ven. Sāgata recovered his senses and repented his mistake. A sense of shame and dread overcame him. After admitting his fault to the Buddha and paying respects, he had a deep sense of spiritual urgency. And with diligence in the development of insight, he soon became an Arahat.

Foremost Title Achieved

On one occasion, when the Buddha held a congregation of monastics at the Jetavana monastery, he declared:

Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ
tejo-dhātu-kusalānaṁ yad-idaṁ Sāgato.

Monastics, among my monastic disciples who are adept at dwelling in the absorption on the element of heat, Sāgata is the foremost (etad-agga).