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Keṇiyajaṭilavatthu: The Story of Keṇiya the Coiled-hair Ascetic

Keṇiyajaṭilavatthu

Summary:

Mv VI 23 PTS: Mv VI 35 | CS: vin.mv.06.23

Keṇiyajaṭilavatthu

The Story of Keṇiya the Coiled-hair Ascetic

by

Ven. Khematto Bhikkhu

Alternate translations/layout: Ven. Thanissaro | 'line by line' Pāḷi - English

(Mv.VI.35.1) [86] Then the Blessed One, traveling by stages, arrived at Āpaṇa.

Then Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic heard that, “Gotama the contemplative — the son of the Sakyans, having gone forth from the Sakyan clan, has arrived at Āpaṇa. And of that Master Gotama this fine reputation has spread: ‘He is indeed a Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened, consummate in clear-knowing & conduct, well-gone, an expert with regard to the cosmos, unexcelled trainer of people fit to be tamed, teacher of devas & human beings, awakened, blessed. He has made known — having realized it through direct knowledge — this world with its devas, Māras, & Brahmās, its generations with their contemplatives & brahmans, their rulers & common people; has explained the Dhamma admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle, admirable in the end; has expounded the holy life both in its particulars & in its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure. It is good to see such a worthy one.’”

Then the thought occurred to Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic, “What should I have brought for Gotama the contemplative?”

(Mv.VI.35.2) Then the thought occurred to him, “Those brahman seers of the past, the creators of the hymns, the composers of the hymns — those ancient hymns, sung, repeated, & collected, which brahmans at present still sing, still chant, repeating what was said, repeating what was spoken — i.e., Aṭṭhaka, Vāmaka, Vāmadeva, Vessāmitta, Yamataggi, Aṅgirasa, Bhāradvāja, Vāseṭṭha, Kassapa & Bhagu: They refrained from eating at night and from eating at the wrong time. But they consented to juice drinks of this kind.

(Mv.VI.35.3) “Gotama the contemplative also refrains from eating at night and from eating at the wrong time. Gotama the contemplative should consent to juice drinks of this kind.”

So he prepared a large amount of drinks and, having it taken with carrying poles, went to the Blessed One. On arrival, he exchanged courteous greetings with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he stood to one side. As he was standing there, Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic said to the Blessed One, “May Master Gotama accept my juice drinks.”

“In that case, Keṇiya, give them to the monks.”

Anxious, the monks didn’t accept them.

“Accept them, monks, and consume them.”

(Mv.VI.35.4) Then Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic, with his own hands, served and satisfied the Saṅgha of monks headed by the Buddha with the large amount of juice drinks. Then, when the Blessed One had washed his hand and withdrawn it from the bowl, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One instructed, urged, roused, & encouraged Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic with a Dhamma talk.

Having been instructed, urged, roused, & encouraged by the Blessed One with a Dhamma talk, he said to the Blessed One, “May Master Gotama acquiesce to my meal tomorrow, together with the Saṅgha of monks.”

(Mv.VI.35.5) “Keṇiya, the Saṅgha of monks is large — 1,250 monks. And you are strongly confident in the brahmans.”(1)

A second time, Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic said to the Blessed One, “Master Gotama, even though the Saṅgha of monks is large — 1,250 monks, and I have the highest confidence in the brahmans, may Master Gotama acquiesce to my meal tomorrow, together with the Saṅgha of monks.”

“Keṇiya, the Saṅgha of monks is large — 1,250 monks. And you are strongly confident in the brahmans.”

A third time, Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic said to the Blessed One, “Master Gotama, even though the Saṅgha of monks is large — 1,250 monks, and I have the highest confidence in the brahmans, may Master Gotama acquiesce to my meal tomorrow, together with the Saṅgha of monks.”

The Blessed One acquiesced with silence.

Then Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic, understanding the Blessed One’s acquiescence, got up from his seat and left.

(Mv.VI.35.6) Then the Blessed One, having given a Dhamma talk with regard to this cause, to this incident, addressed the monks:

“I allow eight juice drinks: mango juice drink, rose apple juice drink, seed-banana juice drink, seedless banana juice drink, madhu juice drink, grape juice drink, water-lily root juice drink, phārusaka juice drink.(2)

“I allow all fruit juice except for the juice of grain.

“I allow all leaf-juice except for the juice of cooked vegetables.(3)

“I allow all flower juice except for the juice of licorice flowers.

“I allow fresh sugar cane juice.”

(Mv.VI.35.7) Then, at the end of the night, Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic, having ordered exquisite staple and non-staple food prepared in his own ashram, had the time announced to the Blessed One: “It’s time, Lord. The meal is ready.”

Then the Blessed One, early in the morning, adjusted his under robe and — carrying his bowl & outer robe — went to Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic’s ashram and, on arrival, sat down on a seat laid out, along with the Saṅgha of monks. Then, with his own hands, Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic served and satisfied the Saṅgha of monks, with the Buddha at its head, with exquisite staple and non-staple food. Then, when the Blessed One had finished his meal and withdrawn his hand from the bowl, he sat to one side.

(Mv.VI.35.8) As he was sitting there the Blessed One expressed his appreciation to Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic with these verses:

[87] “The fire oblation is the chief of sacrifices, the Sāvitti(4), the chief of Vedic hymns,(5) a king, chief among human beings, the ocean, chief among rivers, the moon, chief of the zodiac stars, the sun, chief of things that burn,(6) and for those who sacrifice, wishing for merit, the Saṅgha, truly, is chief.”

Then the Blessed One, having expressed his appreciation to Keṇiya the coiled-hair ascetic with these verses, got up from his seat and left.

Notes

1.
2.
3.

anujānāmi bhikkhave sabbaṁ pattarasaṁ ṭhapetvā pakkaḍākarasaṁ. [ME has just ‘ḍākarasaṁ.

4.

This is apparently a reference to Ṛgveda iii, 62, 10, an invocation addressed to Sāvitrī, or the Sun:

tat savitur vareṇ(i)yaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayāt “Let us meditate on the glory of the excellent deva Sāvitrī, that he may inspire our thoughts.”

This verse, in the Gāvitrī meter, is recited during the upanayana ceremony, when a young brahman is invested with the sacred thread that initiates him into the status of a “twice-born” brahman and he begins his study of the Vedas. Although similar passages were recited when young men of other castes began their education, Ṛgveda iii, 62, 10 was reserved exclusively for brahmans. It was also the subject of many meditations on its esoteric meaning, some of which can be found in the major Upaniṣads: Bṛhad-āraṇyaka 6.3.6; śvetāśvatara 4.18; and Maitrī 6.7 and 6.34.
SnA suggests that the Buddha’s question about this verse surprises Sundarika, making him suspect that the Buddha knows more about brahmanical lore than he does, which is why he changes his tone with the following question. SnA also asserts that the Buddhist equivalent to the Sāvitti — three lines, 24 syllables — is the expression of homage to the Triple Gem: Buddhaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi, Dhammaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi, Saṅghaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.

5.

Chandas. This term normally means “meter,” but it also means Vedic hymn.

BMCII Chap. 8: Vedic meter BMCII Chap. 8: Vedic meter.

6.


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en/tipitaka/vin/mv/mv06/mv.06.23.khem.txt · Last modified: 2022/03/24 13:49 by Johann