Pleasure Seeker Is Swept Away
The Story of Vidudabha
Chapter 4: Flowers • Verse 4
The Story of Vidudabha
Chapter 4: Flowers • Verse 4
As a mighty flood sweeps away the sleeping village, so death carries away the person of distracted mind who only plucks the flowers (of pleasure).
While residing at the Jetavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse with reference to Vidudabha, son of King Pasenadi of Kosala.
King Pasenadi of Kosala, wishing to marry into the clan of the Sakyans, sent emissaries to Kapilavatthu requesting the hand of one of the Sakyan princesses. Not wishing to offend the king, the Sakyan princes agreed, but instead of a true Sakyan princess sent a beautiful girl born to King Mahanama by a slave woman.
King Pasenadi made this girl one of his chief queens, and she later gave birth to a son named Vidudabha. When the prince was sixteen, he was sent to visit King Mahanama and the Sakyan princes, who received him with some hospitality, though all the Sakyan princes younger than him had been sent away to a village so they would not have to pay him respect.
After Vidudabha and his people left Kapilavatthu, a slave girl who was washing the seat he had sat on with milk cursed him, saying, "This is the place where that son of a slave woman had sat." A member of Vidudabha's entourage, returning to fetch something he had left behind, overheard her, and she told him that Vidudabha's mother was in fact the daughter of a slave girl belonging to Mahanama.
When Vidudabha learned of this, he became wild with rage and vowed that one day he would wipe out the whole Sakyan clan. True to his word, once he became king, he marched on the Sakyans and massacred them, sparing only a few who were with Mahanama and some others.
On their way home, Vidudabha and his army encamped on a sandbank in the Aciravati River. That very night, heavy rain fell upstream, and the river swelled and swept away Vidudabha and his entire army.
When the Buddha heard of these two tragedies, he explained to the monks that his Sakyan relatives had, in a previous existence, poisoned a river and killed fish, and it was the result of that deed that they had died. He then recited the stanza concerning Vidudabha and his army.
The Story of Vidudabha
Chapter 4: Flowers • Verse 4
As a mighty flood sweeps away the sleeping village, so death carries away the person of distracted mind who only plucks the flowers (of pleasure).
While residing at the Jetavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse with reference to Vidudabha, son of King Pasenadi of Kosala.
King Pasenadi of Kosala, wishing to marry into the clan of the Sakyans, sent emissaries to Kapilavatthu requesting the hand of one of the Sakyan princesses. Not wishing to offend the king, the Sakyan princes agreed, but instead of a true Sakyan princess sent a beautiful girl born to King Mahanama by a slave woman.
King Pasenadi made this girl one of his chief queens, and she later gave birth to a son named Vidudabha. When the prince was sixteen, he was sent to visit King Mahanama and the Sakyan princes, who received him with some hospitality, though all the Sakyan princes younger than him had been sent away to a village so they would not have to pay him respect.
After Vidudabha and his people left Kapilavatthu, a slave girl who was washing the seat he had sat on with milk cursed him, saying, "This is the place where that son of a slave woman had sat." A member of Vidudabha's entourage, returning to fetch something he had left behind, overheard her, and she told him that Vidudabha's mother was in fact the daughter of a slave girl belonging to Mahanama.
When Vidudabha learned of this, he became wild with rage and vowed that one day he would wipe out the whole Sakyan clan. True to his word, once he became king, he marched on the Sakyans and massacred them, sparing only a few who were with Mahanama and some others.
On their way home, Vidudabha and his army encamped on a sandbank in the Aciravati River. That very night, heavy rain fell upstream, and the river swelled and swept away Vidudabha and his entire army.
When the Buddha heard of these two tragedies, he explained to the monks that his Sakyan relatives had, in a previous existence, poisoned a river and killed fish, and it was the result of that deed that they had died. He then recited the stanza concerning Vidudabha and his army.