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So, they gave up his company, picked up their belongings and started in the direction of Rsipattana which was at a distance of 18 yojanas.
In a religion named Uruvela, in a village named Sanāni, Sujātā was born as a daughter upto one Senani Kutumbi. At her youth, she prayed to Baragada (Banyan tree):
'If I am married in a family which has an equal status with my parental family, i.e., if I have an endoganous marriage, and if my first child is a boy, then, every year, I shall spend a lakh to worship you'.
Her wishes were fulfilled. This happened about the time when the Buddha was about to close his six-year long chapter of hard penances. It was the full-moon day of Baisakha. With a view to offer the promis ed workshop. Sujātā gave the milk of 1000 cows who had grazed on a sugarcane farm to 500 cows, the milk of these 500 cows she gave to 250 cows, and so on, till at last, she gave the milk of 16 to 8 cows. The idea in doing so was to increase the density, sweetness and strength of the milk. Having done so, she milked these eight in the very early hours of the morning, and with this milk, she prepared khir in a brand new pot.
Sujātā asked her maid Pūrṇā to clean the god's alter outside beneath the tree. The maid went out. She came beneath the tree. During the same night (when Sujata was preparing the milk for her worship), the Buddha dreamt five great dreams on the basis of which he felt sure that the time of his attaining sambodhi was imminent. When the night was over he performed his morning duties, and sat beneath the (same) tree waiting till the arrival of the time for begging. As he sat beneath it, the whole tree looked radiant by his brilliance. When Pūrṇā came there, he was sitted with his face turned towards the east. When Pūrņa saw this brilliant man, she thought as follows:
'Meseems that the god has come down in person to receive the offer with his own hands'.
At once, she turned her steps and went back to her mistress to report about the arrival of the god in person. When Sujata heard the tale narrated by the maid, she too became very much delighted and said,
| SR No. | 022804 |
| Book Title | Agama And Tripitaka Comparative Study |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Nagaraj Muni |
| Publisher | Today and Tomorrows Printers and Publishers |
| Publication Year | 1986 |
| Total Pages | 804 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 19 MB |