The Story of Monk Mahàkàla (Verses 7 & 8)
While residing in the neighbourhood of the town of Setavya, the Buddha uttered these verses, with reference to Mahàkàla and his brother Cålakàla. For Cålakàla, Majjhima Kàla, and Mahàkàla were three householders who lived in Setavya, and they were brothers. Cålakàla and Mahàkàla, the oldest and youngest respectively, used to travel abroad with their cara-van of five hundred carts and bring home goods to sell, and Majjhima Kàla sold the goods they brought. Now on a certain occasion the two brothers, taking wares of various kinds in their five hundred carts, set out for Sàvatthi, and halting between Sàvatthi and Jetavana, unharnessed their carts. In the evening Mahàkàla saw Noble Disciples, residents of Sàvat-thi, with garlands and perfumes in their hands, going to hear the Law. “Where are they going?” he asked. Receiving the answer that they were going to hear the Law, he thought to himself, “I will go too.” So he addressed his youngest brother, “Dear brother, keep watch over the carts; I am going to hear the Law.” So saying, he went and paid obeisance to the Buddha and sat down in the outer circle of the congregation.On that day the Teacher preached the Law in orderly sequence with reference to Mahàkàla’s disposition of mind, and quoting the Sutta on the Aggregate of Suffering, and other Suttas, discoursed on the sinfulness and folly and con-tamination of sensual pleasures. Mahàkàla, after listening to the discourse, became a monk under the Teacher. Cålakàla likewise became a monk. But the thought in Cålakàla’s mind was, “After a time I will return to the world and take my brother with me.”Somewhat later Mahàkàla made his full profession, and approaching the Teacher, asked him, “How many duties are there in this Religion?” The Teacher informed him that there were two. Said Mahàkàla, “Venerable, since I became a monk in old age, I shall not be able to fulfill the Duty of Study, but I can fulfill the Duty of Contemplation.” So he had the Teacher instruct him in the Practice of meditation in a cemetery, which leads to Arahatship. At the end of the first watch, when every-one else was asleep, he went to the cemetery; and at dawn, before anyone else had risen, he returned to the Monastery.Now a certain young woman of station was attacked by a disease, and the very moment the disease attacked her, she died, in the evening, without a sign of old age or weakness. In the evening her kinsfolk and friends brought her body to the burning-ground, with firewood, oil, and other requisites, and said to the keeper of the burning-ground, “Burn this body.” And paying the keeper the usual fee, they turned the body over to her and departed. When the keeper of the burning-ground removed the woman’s dress and beheld her beautiful golden-hued body, she straightway thought to herself, “This corpse is a suitable Subject of Meditation to show to His rever-ence.” So she went to the Venerable, paid obeisance to him, and said, “I have a remarkably good Subject of Meditation; pray look at it, Venerable.” “Very well,” said the Venerable. So he went and caused the dress which covered the corpse to be removed, and surveyed the body from the soles of the feet to the tips of the hair. Then he said, “Throw this beautiful golden-hued body into the fire, and as soon as the tongues of fire have laid hold of it, please tell me.” So saying, he went to his own place and sat down. The keeper of the burning-ground did as she was told and went and informed the Venerable. The Venerable came and surveyed the body. Where the flames had touched the flesh, the colour of her body was like that of a mottled cow; the feet stuck out and hung down; the hands were curled back; the forehead was without skin. The Vener-able thought to himself, “This body, which but now caused those who looked thereon to forget the Sacred Word, has but now attained decay, has but now attained death.” And going to his night-quarters, he sat down, discerning clearly Decay and Death. Mahàkàla developed Spiritual Insight and attained Arahatship, together with the Supernatural Faculties.When Mahàkàla attained Arahatship, the Buddha, sur-rounded by the Congregation of Monks, travelling from place to place, arrived at Setavya and entered the Simsapà forest. Cålakàla’s wives, hearing that the Buddha had arrived, thought to themselves, “Now we shall recover our husband.” So they went and invited the Buddha. Now when a visit is expected from the Buddha, it is customary for a single monk to go in advance and give warning. When Cålakàla went home to prepare for alms-giving his wives tore off his robes. Mahàkàla’s eight wives also thought that they would get their husband to give up the robes. One day, they arranged an alms-giving for the Buddha and the Disciples and asked the Buddha to leave Mahàkàla behind to pronounce the formula of thanksgiving after alms-giving. The Buddha left him at his former home and went away with the other disciples.When the Buddha reached the village gate, the congre-gation of monks was offended and said, “What a thing for the Buddha to do! Did he do it wittingly or unwittingly? Yester-day Cålakàla came and that was the end of his monastic life. But today, a different monk came and nothing of the sort hap-pened.” The Buddha sent Mahàkàla back and continued on his way. Said the monks, “The monk Mahàkàla is virtuous and upright. Will they put an end to his monastic life?” Mahàkàla’s wives tried to make him a layman but he rose into the air through his psychic power as an Arahat and appeared before the Buddha as he was reciting these two verses. Monk Mahàkàla paid obeisance to the Buddha and the Buddha told the other monks that they were wrong about Arahat Mahàkàla to compare him with Monk Cålakàla.
Explanatory Translation (Verse 7)subhànupassiü viharantaü indriyesu asaüvutaübhojanamhi ca amatta¤¤uü kusãtaü hãnavãriyaütaü ve pasahati Màro vàto dubbalaü rukkhaü ivasubhànupassiü: dwelling on the attractiveness of sensual pleasures; viharantaü: he who lives; indriyesu: in senses; asaüvutaü: unguarded; bhojanamhica: in food also; amatta¤¤uü: immoderate; kusãtaü: lazy; hãnavãriyaü: weak in making an effort; taü: that person; Màro: emotion per-sonified as ‘Màra’ (the equivalent of ‘Devil’); ve: indeed
pasahati: overpowers; vàto: the wind; dubbalaü: weak; rukkhaü: tree; iva: like.
Those who dwell on the attractiveness of sensual enjoyments, and live with the senses unguarded, and are immoderate in eating, they are slothful and weak in perseverance and will-power. Emotions overpower such persons as easily as the wind overpowers a weak tree.
Explanatory Translation (Verse 8)asubhànupassiü viharantaü indriyesu susaüvutaü bhojanamhi ca matta¤¤uü saddhaü àraddha vãriyaü Màro taü ve nappasahati vàto selaü pabbataü iva.asubhànupassiü: dwelling on the unattractiveness of sensual pleasure; viharantaü: he who lives; indriyesu: in senses; susaüvutaü: well guarded; bhojanamhica: in food also; matta¤¤uü: moderate; saddhaü: devoted; àraddhavãriyaü: strong in effort; taü: that person; Màro: emotions personified as ‘Màra’ (the equivalent of ‘Devil’); nappasa-hati: does not overpower; vàto: the wind; selaüpabbataü: rocky mountain; iva: like.
Those who dwell on the unattractiveness of sensual enjoy-ments, and live with the senses well guarded, and moderate in eating, they are devoted to the Teaching and to persistent methodical practice. Such persons are not overpowered by emotions just as a rocky mountain is not shaken by the wind.
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