The Numerical Discourses

Chapter 13: Profit

3. Nāḷijaṅgha

1. Thus I have heard:[1] One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.

2. It was then that there was a prominent man in the city of Śrāvastī who’s son had recently died. He had been loving and devoted, and they had never been apart before. When he saw his son dead, he became distraught as a result. He went in circles, came and went, and didn’t stay in one place. When he saw someone, he would ask them, “Have you seen my child?”

3. That man eventually made his way to Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove. He went to the Bhagavān and stood to one side. That man then asked the Bhagavān, “Ascetic Gautama, have you seen my child?”

4. The Bhagavān asked that prominent man, “Why do you look so unhappy and disturbed?”

5. The man replied, “Gautama, I couldn’t be otherwise. Why is that? Now, I had an only son who left me due to impermanence. He was loving and devoted, and he had never been out my sight before. I feel so much pity for my son, so much that I’ve gone mad. Now, I ask you, ascetic, ‘Have you seen my child?’”

6. The Bhagavān told him, “So it is, prominent man. As you’ve asked, birth, old age, illness, and death are the constant principles of the world. It’s painful to be separated from loved ones and painful to associate with enemies. Your son left you due to impermanence, so how could you not think of him?”

7. That man heard what the Bhagavān taught, but it didn’t enter his heart, so he disregarded it and left. He saw someone in front of him as he was walking and said to them, “The ascetic Gautama told me, ‘Separation from love ones is delightful.’ How could that ascetic be teaching the actual fact of the matter?”

That person in front of him replied, “What happiness is there in being separated from loved ones?”

8. At some point later, he left the city of Śrāvastī. Not far away, there was a group of people who were playing a gambling game. The man thought, “These men are intelligent and wise. There’s nothing they don’t know. I’ll ask them about this matter.”

9. He went to those gamblers and asked them, “The ascetic Gautama told me, ‘It’s painful to be separated from loved ones and painful to associate with enemies. These things are delightful.’ What do you men think about that?”

Those gamblers then replied to him, “What happiness is there in being separated from loved ones?! Calling that delightful makes no sense.”

10. That man then thought, “It’s a fact that the Tathāgata’s words are never false, but what happiness would there be in being separated from loved ones? It makes no sense.”

11. That man then went into Śrāvastī and stood at the palace gate. From outside, he called, “The ascetic Gautama has taught this: ‘Separation from loved ones and association with enemies are both delightful!’” Everyone in Śrāvastī and inside the palace told each other what he said. There wasn’t anyone who didn’t hear about it.

12. At some point later, Great King Prasenajit and Queen Mālikā were up in their high tower entertaining each other. King Prasenajit said to Queen Mālikā, “The ascetic Gautama has in fact said this: ‘Separation from loved ones and association with enemies are both delightful.’”

The Queen replied, “I haven’t heard the Tathāgata teach this. If the Tathāgata did teach this, then it must not be false.”

13. King Prasenajit told her, “The teacher instructs his disciple, ‘Do this, abandon that.’ The disciple replies, ‘Yes, great teacher!’ You’re like that, Mālikā. Although the ascetic Gautama said that, your response is to say, ‘Yes, it’s not otherwise. There’s nothing false about it.’ You can go now. I have no need of you in my presence.”

14. Queen Mālikā then said to the priest Nāḷijaṅgha,[2] “Go now to visit Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove. Go to the Tathāgata in my name and kneel at the Tathāgata’s feet. Then tell the Bhagavān all about this matter: ‘Everyone in Śrāvastī and inside the palace are talking about this: “The ascetic Gautama has taught: ‘Separation from loves ones and association with enemies are both delightful.’ Is it a fact that the Bhagavān has taught this?”’ If the Bhagavān has anything to say, make sure to remember it well and then come back and tell me.”

15. The priest Nāḷijaṅgha accepted the queen’s instructions and went immediately to Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park. When he reached the Bhagavān, he exchanged greetings with him. After they had exchanged greetings, he sat to one side.

16. The priest then said to the Bhagavān, “Queen Mālikā bows to the Bhagavān’s feet and sends her polite inquiries: ‘Are you getting around easily? Have your travels been difficult? Is your eyesight going dark? Are you without troubles?’ She also said this: ‘Everyone in the city of Śrāvastī and the palace have been telling each other this, “The ascetic Gautama said: ‘Separation from loved ones and association with enemies are both delightful’!” Is it inaccurate to say that the Bhagavān taught this?’”

17. The Bhagavān then told the priest Nāḷijaṅgha, “There’s a prominent man here in Śrāvastī whose only son has died. He became distraught thinking about his son, and he lost his composure. He rushed east and west, asking anyone whom he met, ‘Has anyone seen my son?’ Indeed, priest, it’s painful to be separated from loved ones and painful to associate with enemies. There’s no joy in either of these things.

18. “There was once a day when the impermanence of an elderly mother also made a person so distraught they didn’t know east from west. It’s the same with the impermanence of an elderly father and the impermanence of brothers and sisters. Seeing these impermanent changes, people become distraught and lose their composure, not knowing east from west.

19. “Priest, there was once a newly married man in Śrāvastī whose handsomeness was unmatched. It wasn’t long before that man became impoverished. His wife’s parents saw this man’s impoverishment and thought, ‘We ought to take our daughter back and marry her to another man!’ That man heard this from his wife’s family. ‘Her parents want to take her back and give her to another family!’

20. “That man then hid a sharp knife in his clothes and went to his wife’s family. On that occasion, his wife was outside of the house spinning thread. The man went to his wife’s parents and asked, ‘Where is my wife?’

“His mother-in-law replied, ‘Your wife is outside in the shade spinning thread.’

21. “That man then went to his wife. Reaching her, he asked his wife, ‘How can your parents take you back and marry you to someone else?’

“His wife replied, ‘I believe they did say that, but I’m not happy to hear them say it.’

22. “That man then drew his sharp sword, grabbed his wife, and stabbed her to death. He also ran that sword through his own belly. As he did, he said, ‘I choose for both of us to die!’

23. “Priest, you should know in this way that it’s painful to be separated from loved ones and to associate with enemies. These are sorrows that truly can’t be described.”

24. The priest Nāḷijaṅgha then said to the Bhagavān, “So it is, Bhagavān. These torments are truly painful and unpleasant. Why is that? I once had a son who left me due to impermanence. I couldn’t stop thinking about him, day and night. He hasn’t left my heart. When I thought of that child, my mind was maddened. I rushed east and west and asked people I saw, ‘Has anyone seen my child?’ What the ascetic Gautama has said here is an honest statement. Now, I must get back to the many duties and problems of state.”

The Bhagavān told him, “Now is a good time to do that.”

25. The priest Nāḷijaṅgha then rose from his seat, circled the Buddha three times, and departed. He went to Queen Mālikā and related to her what had transpired.

26. Queen Mālikā then went back to King Prasenajit. Arriving, she said to the Great King, “Now, I want to ask you a question. Please, Great King, respond according to what your own experience has been. How is it, Great King? Do you think about Prince *Vaiḍūrya?”[3]

The King replied, “How I do think of him! My love for him never leaves my heart.”

27. The Queen asked, “Suppose that something were to happen to the Prince. Great King, would it make you sad?”

The King again replied, “Yes, Queen, it’s as you say.”

28. The Queen said, “Great King, you should know that notions of grief arise from being separated from loved ones. How is it, Great King? Do you think about Prince Ela?”[4]

The King replied, “I love and respect him very much.”

29. The Queen said, “Suppose that something were to happen to the Prince. Great King, would it make you sad?”

The King again replied, “It would be very sad.”

30. The Queen replied, “You should know in this way that there’s no joy in being separated from loved ones. How is it, Great King? Do you think about *Śaradā[5] of the warrior tribe?”

The King replied, “I think lovingly and respectfully of her.”

31. The Queen said, “How is it, Great King? If something were to happen to Queen Śaradā, would it make the Great King sad?”

The King replied, “I would be saddened by that.”

32. The Queen said, “Great King, you should know that these are all pains of being separated from loved ones.”

33. The Queen said, “Does the King think about me?”

The King said, “I think lovingly of you.”

34. The Queen said, “Suppose that something were to happen to me. Would it make the Great King sad?”

The King said, “If something were to happen to you, I would be saddened by that.”

35. “Great King, you should know from this that there’s no joy in being separated from loved ones or associating with enemies.”

36. The Queen said, “How is it, Great King? Do you think about the people of Kāśī and Kośala?”

The King said, “I think lovingly about the people of Kāśī and Kośala.”

37. The Queen said, “Suppose something were to happen to the people of Kāśī and Kośala. Would that make the Great King sad?”

38. The King said, “If something were to happen to the people of Kāśī and Kośala, I wouldn’t be able to continue living, to say nothing of becoming sad. Why is that? I’m sustained by the strength of the Kāśī and Kośala people, so I know from this that I wouldn’t survive it. How could I not be sad?”

39. The Queen said, “We know in these ways that there’s no joy in these pains of being separated from loved ones.”

40. King Prasenajit then knelt down on his right knee, pressed his palms together, and faced towards the Bhagavān. He said, “Amazing! It’s amazing that the Bhagavān teaches such a principle. If that ascetic Gautama were to come here, then I would like to have a conversation with him!” He also said to the Queen, “From this day on, I will consult with you every day, and you’ll wear the same clothes and ornaments as I do!”

41. The Bhagavān heard that conversation between Queen Mālikā and the Great King. He told the monks, “Queen Mālikā is really quite intelligent. If King Prasenajit were to ask me about this saying, I would also teach this meaning to the King. I would do it in the same way as the Queen, without any difference.”

42. He also told the monks, “The best realized laywoman among my disciples who is devoted and steadfast is that Queen Mālikā.”

43. When the monks heard what the Buddha taught, they rejoiced and approved of it.

Notes

1. This sūtra is a parallel to MN 87, MĀ 216, T91, and T154.15. It would appear to have originated as an avadāna story that belongs to a genre about lay Buddhists dealing with doubters and situations that test their belief. This was a common theme in avadāna collections like the Mahāsūtrālaṃkāra by Aśvaghoṣa (trans. Kumārajīva, T201). Here, the primary story is of Queen Mālikā dealing with misrepresentations of the Buddha that caused her husband to dismiss her faith.
   This sūtra is titled Nāḷijaṅgha (竹膞, lit. “bamboo shank”) in the summary verse at the end of the Chapter 13. This is the name of a priest whom Mālikā sends to investigate a false rumor. Both MN 87 and MĀ 216 name the sūtra “Born from Love” (Piyajātika and 愛生, respectively), which references the background story of how the rumor started. The version found in a C. Jātaka collection (T154, No. 15) also names it after this background story, but there it’s titled “The Death of a Son” (子命過). Anshigao’s translation (T91) is titled similarly as “A Loving Priest Loses His Son and Can’t Part with Him” (婆羅門子命終愛念不離).
   The most interesting difference between these versions is that the Jātaka story makes no mention of a false rumor or the argument between Prasenajit and Queen Mālikā. This suggests that perhaps the canonical sūtra version has been greatly expanded. Given this, we can see why some versions were titled after the initial story, for it was the original name of a text that was built up. The tradition represented by EĀ perhaps put more emphasis on the teaching the Buddha gives to Nāḷijaṅgha at the midpoint of the narrative and titled the sūtra accordingly. [back]
2. Nāḷijaṅgha. C. 竹膊. The Taisho reading here translates the priest’s name to C. 竹膊, which lit. means “bamboo shoulder.” 竹 generally agrees with the P. nāḷi, which means a “tube.” Bamboo stalks are hollow tubes. However, there was some confusion between 膊 (“shoulder”) and 膞 (“shank”), where 膊 appears in the sūtra text and 膞 in the summary verse. Given that 膞 agrees with P. and S. jaṅgha and how easily the two characters could be mistaken for each other, I’m assuming that 膊 was a copyist error. [back]
3. Vaiḍūrya. C. 琉璃. The C. here (lit. “beryl” or “emerald”) typically translates S. vaiḍūrya (G. veḍuriya). This may refer to the same prince that P. names viḍūḍabha or viṭaṭūbha, given the instability of personal names we sometimes see in Buddhist texts. There is also a C. alt. reading as 流離 (EMC. lɪəu-lɪĕ, meaning lit. “stream let go”), but it doesn’t suggest an Indic name that I recognize. I’ve adopted the straightforward S. equivalent of the C. for the time being. [back]
4. Ela. C. 伊羅 (EMC ɪi-la = G. ela?). This name is unknown to me as a prince of Prasenajit. The C. translit. could represent Indic sounds like G. ela (“water”), era, ira (a Babylonian month), or ila. The ending of the name has likely been truncated, but it’s difficult to guess what it was. [back]
5. Śaradā. C. 薩羅陀 (EMC sat-la-da = G. sarada?). 翻梵語 (T2130.54.1019c23) says that the translit. should be 賖羅陀 (EMC ʃɪă-la-da = G. śarada, lit. “autumn”) and claims that the word means “clear and bright” (perhaps referring to the autumn moon). P. has instead Vāsabhā for this name. It also indicates that this is a warrior woman. The C. gives no indication of gender here, but shortly she’ll be referred to as one of Prasenajit’s wives. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 23 July 2023