9. Jīvaka the Physician
Aspiration in the Past
The future Jīvaka was reborn into a worthy family in the city of Haṁsavatī, during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. While listening to a discourse by the Buddha, he saw a lay disciple being named as the foremost among those who had personal devotion to the Buddha. He aspired to that distinction in a future time. After making an extraordinary offering, he expressed his wish before the Buddha who then predicted its fulfilment.
Discipleship in His Last Existence
The future Jīvaka was reborn in the Deva realm or the human realm for 100,000 aeons, before being reborn, under strange circumstances, in the city of Rājagaha, during the time of Buddha Gotama. He was conceived in the womb of a courtesan named Sālavatī, the conception being caused by Prince Abhaya.
It was the custom of courtesans to nurture only female children whereas male children were discarded discreetly. Accordingly, Sālavatī, the courtesan, had her newly-born baby put on an old bamboo tray and thrown into a rubbish heap by a trusted servant without being noticed by anyone.
The child was observed from a distance by Prince Abhaya who was on his way to attend on his father King Bimbisāra. He sent his attendants: “Men, what is that thing surrounded by crows?” The men went to the rubbish heap and finding the baby, said: “My Lord, it is a newly-born baby boy!”
“Is he still alive?”
“Yes, my Lord, he is.”
Prince Abhaya had the child taken to his royal residence and taken care of. As the prince’s attendants replied to their master: “It is still alive” (jīvati), the child was named Jīvaka. And since he was brought up by Prince Abhaya, he was also called: “Jīvaka, Komārabhacca.”
Young Jīvaka, the adopted son of Prince Abhaya, was sent to Takkasilā for his education at the age of sixteen. He learned medicine and gained mastery of the subject. He became the king’s physician. At one time, he cured King Caṇḍapajjota of a grave illness, for which he was honoured by that king with 500 cartloads of rice, 16,000 pieces of money of silver, a pair of fine clothes made in the province of Kāsi, and 1,000 pieces of cloth to supplement it.
At that time, the Buddha was staying in the mountain monastery on the side of Gijjhakūṭa Hill, near Rājagaha. Jīvaka, the king’s physician, cured the constipation of the Buddha by administering a mild laxative. Then it occurred to Jīvaka: “It were well if all the four requisites of the Fortunate One were my donations,” and accordingly, he invited the Buddha to stay in his Mango Grove as a monastery. After curing the Buddha’s illness, he offered the fine Kāsi cloth to the Buddha and the 1,000 pieces of cloth that were supplementary to it were offered to the Saṅgha.
This brief account of Jīvaka is based on the commentary on the Collection of the Numerical Discourses (Aṅguttara-nikāya). For a fuller account, the reader is urged to refer to the Vinaya (Vin Mv 8).
Foremost Title Achieved
On one occasion, during the Buddha’s residence at the Jetavana monastery when he conferred titles to distinguished lay disciples in accordance with their merit, he declared:
Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ upāsakānaṁ
puggalappasannānaṁ yad-idaṁ Jīvako Komārabhacco.
Monastics, among my lay disciples who have personal devotion, Jīvaka, the adopted son of Prince Abhaya, is the foremost.