Thenceforward, with the 1,250 Arahants being sent forth on their mission
of disseminating the Buddha's Message, the news flashed in all
directions, and soon reached the city of Kapilavatthu, the Buddha's
hometown, that the Sakyan recluse had been enlightened, becoming thereby
the Buddha, and was preaching His Message in the state of Magadha with
great success. Of course, king Suddhodana was delighted to know this. He
managed to send his envoys, one group after another, inviting the Buddha
to come back to His hometown. For nine times had the king tried to do so
and for all those times never was there any of the envoys returning,
since they all were ordained. It was then in the second year after the
Buddha's Enlightenment that the king sent once again a senior courtier
by the name of K ludy as his representative and for the same purpose.
As before, Kludy and his men were all ordained and attained
Arahatship. But being resourceful the courtier managed to find a way by
which he was able to persuade the Buddha to response to the king's
invitation. |
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It was during the summer period of the new year that the Buddha, together
with a number of His Bhikkhu followers, includes Kludy, set out from the
City of Rjagaha. He walked
covering the distance of one Yojana (i.e. 16 kilometres) a day. Thus it took
Him two months to reach Kapilavatthu, where He and other Bhikkhus were
invited to stay in the Nigrodhrma, near Mahvana Grove, which was offered Him by His relatives.
On the day of His arrival He delivered to them a sermon on the Mahvessantara Jtaka story, by which they were all delightedly
imrpressed. On the following day He preached to His royal father until the
king achieved the Eye of Dhamma. He and the other Bhikkhus stayed within
that Grove throughout the rainy period of that year.
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One day while the Buddha and the Bhikkhus were invited to a meal in the
king's palace, His former consort Bimb
Yasodhar suggested to
Rahula her son, then aged seven, that he should ask permission from the
Buddha to be heir to His throne. But the Buddha, ignoring His son's request,
took the boy with Him to the Nigrodhrma and had Venerable Srputta ordained him as a Smanera (novice). This by means of having the boy
recite the passages declaring his intention to take the Triple Gem as his
Refuge, The novice, having been steadily instructed by the Buddha, soon
achieved Arahatship. He was the first novice to be able to do so. |
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Now Bimb, having learnt
that her beloved son had followed the Buddha and been ordained a Smanera, was afflicted with such a poignant sorrow
and grief that she soon fell ill. Her illness appearing to be terminal, the
Buddha paid her a visit and preached to her until she attained Arahatship,
However, due to her age coming to its end, she passed away on that same day,
being thereby the first woman who won through to Arahatship and who passed
away before all other Arahant disciples of the Buddha. |
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