by Andy Rotman
When Rudrāyaṇa had recovered from the fatigue of his travels, King Bimbisāra said, “Dear friend, you have abandoned a vast kingdom, with its palace women, princes and ministers, townspeople and villagers. What’s your purpose in coming here? I hope it’s not that a neighboring king has overthrown your kingdom. Have you been attacked by a prince or by someone under the influence of an evil minister who rejoices at the thought of kingship?”
“Dear friend,”1026 he said, “I want to renounce, take ordination, and become a monk according to the dharma and monastic discipline that have been so well expressed.”
Hearing this, King Bimbisāra was overjoyed. [558] He puffed up his chest,1027 extended his right arm, and uttered this inspired utterance:
Oh Buddha!
Oh dharma!
Oh community!
Oh the clearly expressed dharma!
Even today there are men such as you who abandon vast kingdoms, vast numbers of palace women, vast numbers of kinsmen and relatives, and vast treasuries and granaries, and wish1028 to renounce, take ordination, and become monks according to the dharma and monastic discipline that have been so well expressed.
With that said, he brought King Rudrāyaṇa before the Blessed One.
At that time the Blessed One was seated in front of an assembly of many hundreds of monks,1029 and he was teaching the dharma. The Blessed One saw the king of Magadha, Śreṇya Bimbisāra, from a distance, and upon seeing him, he addressed the monks: “That, monks, is King Bimbisāra, and he is coming with a gift! For a tathāgata, there is no gift that compares with the gift of a new disciple.” With that said, he fell silent.
King Bimbisāra placed his head in veneration at the Blessed One’s feet and then sat down at a respectful distance. Sitting down at a respectful distance, King Bimbisāra said this to the Blessed One: “Bhadanta, this is King Rudrāyaṇa. He wants to renounce, take ordination, and become a monk according to the dharma and monastic discipline that have been so well expressed. May the Blessed One, out of compassion for him, initiate and ordain him.”
Then the Blessed One addressed him, uttering the “Come, O monk” formula for ordination: “Come, O monk! Follow the religious life!” As soon as the Blessed One finished speaking, there Rudrāyaṇa stood—head shaved, garbed in monastic robes, bowl and water pot in hand,1030 and with the disciplined deportment of a monk who had been ordained for one hundred years.
“Come,” the Tathāgata said to him.
With head shaved and a body wrapped in robes,
he instantly attained tranquility of the senses,
and so he remained by the will of the Buddha.1031
The next morning the venerable Rudrāyaṇa got dressed, took his bowl and robe, and entered Rājagṛha for alms. A large crowd of people saw him, and word spread throughout the city—“King Rudrāyaṇa has been initiated by the Blessed One, and he has entered Rājagṛha begging for alms!”
Hearing this, many hundreds and thousands of beings gathered around him. Even young women cloistered in their homes stood by various windows, vents shaped like bulls’ eyes, and railings and began to peer out. The ministers informed King Bimbisāra, “My lord, King Rudrāyaṇa has entered Rājagṛha for alms, [559] and many hundreds and thousands of people have surrounded him.”
Hearing this, King Bimbisāra approached the monk Rudrāyaṇa and, having approached, said this to him:
You enjoyed thousands of villages
and Roruka as well, O lord of men.
Now desiring alms that are cast off—
aren’t you tormented?
You enjoyed eating from large bowls1032
of either gold or silver.1033
Now eating from a clay bowl—
aren’t you tormented?
You enjoyed excellent rice
and meat with sauce.1034
Now eating dried-up rice gruel—
aren’t you tormented?
You abandoned silk, cotton, and linen
from Koṭumbara and Vārāṇasī.
Now wearing old rags—
aren’t you tormented?
You slept in a penthouse
with doors closed and bolted.1035
Now sitting at the roots of trees—
aren’t you tormented?
You rested on a bed
that was soft like cotton.
Now sleeping on a bed of grass—
aren’t you tormented?
You had a worthy and cherished wife
who was obedient and spoke sweetly.
And you left her crying—
aren’t you tormented?
The backs of elephants were your vehicles,
as were horses and chariots.
Now you roam about on the ground on foot—
aren’t you tormented?
You abandoned a treasury and storerooms
as well as great riches.
Now you possess nothing—
aren’t you tormented?
Rudrāyaṇa said,
Poverty subdues a man,
even if he is indomitable,
for he must beg for his food.
Even the ox is tamed by the yoke.1036
King Bimbisāra said,
Are you upset, King?
Why speak as if you’re destitute?
I’ll give you half of my kingdom.
Enjoy your fill of pleasure!1037
Are you upset, King?
Why speak as if you’re destitute?
I will offer you the finest pleasures,
whatever it is that your heart desires. [560]
Rudrāyaṇa said,
King, destitute is one in this world
not in contact with the Buddha’s dharmic form.1038
My lord, for one without aspirations on the triple path1039
the permanant state of nirvāṇa is surely secured.1040
But a king1041 attached to what is unjust
on account of his aversion to dharma
is destitute, O King. Let this be known.
He will wander from darkness to darkness.
Listen to me, your majesty.
I will teach you the nature of dharma.
After hearing the dharma, if you understand it,
you will be pleased.1042
The body is without virtue
yet has one very great virtue.
Just as you fashion it,
so it will take shape.
One hundred years are said
to be the life span of a man.1043
What fun and pleasure is there
in children, wives, and money?1044
The work of a wife is said
to instill enmity in the son.1045
Thieves1046 long for wealth.
King, I am free from bondage.
Medicines offer no protection,
nor do wealth or relatives.
Scientific learning, strength, and heroism
offer no protection from death.
Even powerful gods in this world,
living long lives in high places,
when their lives are finished will pass away—
who here1047 is freed from bodily destruction?
Even the powerful rulers of kingdoms,
the Vṛṣṇis and Andhakas, the Kurus and Pāṇḍavas,1048
wealthy and burning with fame,1049
are not able to avoid death.1050
Not by restraint nor asceticism, O King,
not by an act of heroism and valor
nor massive wealth or vast riches1051
is one ever able to be released from death. [561]
Not in the sky or in mid-ocean
or by entering a mountain cave
is there a place on earth to be found1052
where one is not overpowered by death.1053
Not in the sky or in mid-ocean
or by entering a mountain cave
is there a place on earth to be found
where one is not over
powered by karma.
What pleasure is there in seeing
bones pigeon-gray in color
cast off and discarded
in the ten directions?1054
What pleasure is there in seeing
skulls the color of conch shells
discarded1055 like gourds
in the autumn [wind]?1056
You shield it in the heat
and cover it in the cold.
But still, King, death will destroy
the self that is dear to you.
Under the influence of death,1057
one eats, dresses, and makes offerings.
All this is known as what is his;
the rest inevitably goes away.1058
A person accumulates true wealth,
which cannot be shared with others1059
and cannot be stolen by thieves,
through gifts and other good deeds.
Sickness, old age, and death will soon drag you off,
as a tiger would a deer he has slain.
Your friends can’t cure the disease,
nor can all your kinsmen gathered together.
Left over from his earnings are
goods, grain, silver, and gold.1060
And contriving to claim this inheritance
are his sons, wives, and dependents.
If one’s father dies with debt
his beloved sons won’t [light] his funeral pyre.1061
They won’t cry at his death with faces teary
nor say, “This is my father! What am I to do?”1062 [562]
But if they think him rich,1063 with disheveled hair
and faces teary, they do cry, “It’s my father!”
They bring the flame before him and say,
“Oh! Would that he had lived forever!
Bearing his corpse wrapped in a shroud,
they take the flame and light his pyre.1064
While his relatives weep, he burns
with just a single cloth,
leaving behind worldly pleasure.1065
When he is born, he is born alone,
and when he dies, he dies alone.
Alone one suffers in this world,
for no being has a companion
while cycling through saṃsāra.
Seeing all this, good people
go forth and are no longer confined.
Those who forsake all contact with others
will never again bed down in a womb.
With each answer, King Bimbisāra was refuted by the eloquent monk Rudrāyaṇa. King Bimbisāra, at a loss for words, left silently.
Now for a while King Śikhaṇḍin managed to rule his kingdom justly, but then he began to rule unjustly.
“My lord,” Hiru and Bhiru said, “rule the kingdom justly, not unjustly. Why is that? My lord, people are like trees that produce flowers and fruit. In the same way, my lord, that flower-bearing and fruit-bearing trees are carefully protected at the appropriate times so that when the time is right they always produce flowers and fruit, people who are protected will, when the time is right, always offer taxes and tributes.”
The king was persuaded by his chief ministers, but after ruling the kingdom justly for a while, he once again began to rule unjustly. His chief ministers spoke to him three times about this, but the king’s craving was spreading. Even though he was admonished, he kept backsliding.1066 Infuriated, the king addressed his ministers: “Gentlemen, what sort of punishment is appropriate for someone who, three times, rejects the command of a kṣatriya king who has been duly consecrated?”
Some evil ministers among them said, “My lord, what more is there to know? His punishment is death.” And they uttered these verses: [563]
In the case of an evil minister,
a loose tooth, or a [foul]1067 meal,
the only pleasure to be found
is in its removal.
He who won’t put to death a minister,
even though intelligent, wise, a skilled disciplinarian,
and in charge of the treasury and army,
will himself be killed.
“Gentlemen,” King Śikhaṇḍin said, “these two ministers were appointed by my father. I won’t have them killed. But they should stay out of my sight.” So the two of them were denied access to the king. Two other ministers, both of whom were evil, were appointed in their place.
“My lord,” the two evil ministers said, “unless they are broken,1068 shredded, heated, and crushed, sesame seeds don’t yield sesame oil.1069 Lord of men, like this are your subjects.”
“What1070 is done by these two ministers is final and not to be questioned,” the king said. The two ministers then began to oppress the people.
Meanwhile a certain merchant who had brought his goods from the city of Roruka arrived in Rājagṛha. The venerable Rudrāyaṇa saw him and said,
I hope Śikhaṇḍin is in Roruka,
fit and healthy with his retinue,
that he rules his kingdom justly
and no enemy gives him trouble.
And the merchant said,
It is true—Śikhaṇḍin is in Roruku,
fit and healthy with his retinue,
and no enemy gives him trouble.
But he always rules unjustly.
The venerable Rudrāyaṇa began to question him. “Who is the chief minister? Under whose influence does Śikhaṇḍin oppress his subjects?”1071
“My lord,” he said, “the ministers Hiru and Bhiru have been denied access to the king. Two other ministers, both of whom are evil, have been appointed in their place. It is under their influence that Śikhaṇḍin oppresses the people.”
“Go, my friend,” Rudrāyaṇa said, “console the residents of Roruka. I will go there on an alms tour.1072 [564] I will keep Śikhaṇḍin from doing wrong and guide him toward what is right.”
The merchant then disposed of his goods, took up new goods in turn, and set out. In due course, he arrived in Roruka, and he secretly informed his relatives, “Friends, I brought my goods to Rājagṛha, and there I saw the old king. He said, ‘I will go to Roruka for an alms tour. I will keep Śikhaṇḍin from doing wrong and guide him toward what is right so that he won’t oppress the people.’”
His relatives informed others, who in turn also informed others. In this way, from ear to ear, word also reached the ears of the two evil ministers. They reflected, “If the old king comes, he’ll certainly reestablish Hiru and Bhiru as the chief ministers and make trouble for us. A plan needs to be devised so that the old king is killed while he is on his way here.” So the two ministers informed King Śikhaṇḍin, “My lord, it is heard that the old king is coming.”
“But he has gone forth as a monk,” the king said. “What’s his purpose in coming here?”
“My lord,” they said, “how will one who has ruled even a single day ever be happy without a kingdom? He wants to rule this kingdom again!”
“If he becomes king,” Śikhaṇḍin said, “then I’ll be a prince as I was before. What’s the objection?”1073
“My lord,” they said, “this wouldn’t be proper. How can someone who is now greeted respectfully by princes, ministers, townspeople, and villagers with thousands of folded hands, and who has ruled a kingdom, once again live the life of a prince? Better to leave the country than to live a prince’s life. A man who once traveled on the back of an elephant may now travel by horseback, and one who traveled by horseback may now travel by palanquin, and one who traveled by palanquin may now travel on foot. In this way, one who once ruled a kingdom may now resume the life of a prince.”
Having fallen prey to their deception, he said, “What’s right then? How should I proceed?”
“My lord,” they said, “he should be killed. If he isn’t killed, he’ll inevitably fall under the influence of evil ministers and kill my lord.”
Thus addressed, he stood silent for a moment, his face full of sadness and pity, his heart overcome with tears, and
he spoke with drawn-out words full of compassion and torment: [565] “Gentlemen, how can I kill my father?”
And the two ministers said, “Hasn’t my lord heard?
Whether he be your father or brother,
or a son come forth from your body,
you should act against those who oppose you
and work to expand your lands.1074
And it is said,
One may have a thousand sons
who have boarded a single boat,
but if one among them is an enemy,
for his sake they should all be drowned.
And elsewhere it has been said,
One should sacrifice one person for the sake of the family,
one family for the sake of the village,
one village for the sake of the province,
but for one’s own sake, one should sacrifice the earth.1075
“My lord, nothing should torment you.1076 He deserves death and should be killed. If my lord delays now, those1077 princes, ministers, townspeople, and villagers that are devoted to my lord will surely get upset and make trouble.”
There is no evil act that a person who indulges the passions won’t commit.
“Do as you must.”
Pleased, satisfied, and delighted, the two evil ministers tried to incite some assassins: “Friends, go and kill the old king! We’ll share the spoils with you.”
The townspeople and villagers were very devoted to the old king, and no one could bring himself to kill him. Though the two ministers enticed them with silver, gold,1078 gifts of villages, and so on, they still wouldn’t do it. Incensed, the two ministers commanded the guards to the prison: “Men, go and lock up those people in prison, along with their children and wives and their friends, relations, and relatives.”
When the people heard this they were afraid, so they consented and said, “My lord, don’t be angry. We are your obedient servants. We’ll go.” So they set out with sharp daggers concealed under their arms.
After the three months of the rainy season, the venerable Rudrāyaṇa, with his robes fixed and readied, took his bowl and robe and approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he placed his head in veneration at the Blessed One’s feet and then said this to him: “Bhadanta, I want to travel to the city of Roruka.”
