10. Kāḷī, the Disciple of Kuraraghara
Aspiration in the Past
The future Kāḷī was reborn into the family of a rich man in the city of Haṁsavatī, during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. While listening to a discourse by the Buddha, she saw a female lay disciple being named by him as the foremost in devotion to the Buddhas, even before meeting the Buddha. She strongly aspired to be such a person in her future existence. After making great offerings to the Buddha, she made her aspiration in front of him. The Buddha predicted that her aspiration would be fulfilled in her future life.
Discipleship in Her Last Existence
The future Kāḷī, after being reborn in either the Deva realm or human realm for 100,000 aeons, was reborn as a daughter of a householder in Rājagaha, during the time of Buddha Gotama. She was named Kāḷī by her parents.
When she came of marriageable age, she was given in marriage to a son of a householder of Kuraraghara, which was a market town in Avanti province in the Deccan and had to go and live with her parents-in-law in that town. After a time, she became pregnant.
When her pregnancy advanced, Kāḷī considered it unwise to have the child born at a place away from her own parents’ home, and thus she went back to Rājagaha. Then, on one night, the full moon of July (Āsāḷha) 528 BCE, the day the Discourse setting the Dhamma Wheel Turning (Dhamma-cakkappavattana-sutta, SN 56.11) was taught, at midnight, she happened to overhear the Devas, Sātāgiri and Hemavata, discussing the salutary effects of the Three Treasures above her mansion, in mid-air. She was instilled with devotion for the Buddha so much so that even without having met him, she was established in the fruition of Stream-entry (see chapter 10).
Kāḷī was the first among the females who attained Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-magga) and became a noble disciple so that she was the eldest among the Buddha’s female disciples. That very night, she gave birth to a child, the future Ven. Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa, and after staying at her parents’ house for as long as she liked, she returned to Kuraraghara.
Foremost Title Achieved
On one occasion, when the Buddha sat in glory at the congregation of monastics, in the Jetavana monastery and was naming distinguished female lay disciples, he declared:
Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvikānaṁ upāsikānaṁ
anussavappasannānaṁ yad-idaṁ Kāḷī upāsikā Kuraragharika.
Monastics, among my female lay disciples who are devoted to me, even without having met me, Kāḷī of Kuraraghara is the foremost.