Agama And Tripitaka Comparative Study

SR No.: 022804
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

Page 463

"Don't ye be covetous of royal patronage, prestige and prominence that have been acquired by Devadatta. So long as Prince Ajatasatru continues his patronage, Devadatta will be a loser rather than a gainer. He will wane in spirit. He will not enrich his own self. This royal favour is a prelude to his defeat and annihilation, just as it happens to a banana tree, a bamboo tree and a narakața tree which die after their first fruit, or even to an asvatari who becomes pregnant in order to die at the birth of its offspring. The same will be the case with Devadatta. You should not attach too much importance to it".
One Kakudha Koliyaputra who was a devoted follower of long-lived Mahamoggalana had died about that time and was born in a heaven named Mano maya. His body was as large as two or three farms at Magadha. But such a large body caused inconvenience neither to him nor to others. This Kokudha Devaputra came to the long-lived Moggalāna, saluted him, stood on one side and submitted,
"Bhante! Aspirant Devadatta has a thought like this: 'I must assume the leadership of the monastic order'. No sooner did he entertain such a thought in his mind than he lost all his spiritual powers".
Having communicated this, Kakudha Devaputra disappeared at once.
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Moggalana came to the Buddha and narrated the account tendered to him by Kakudha Devaputra. Said the Buddha to Moggalana,
"Did you yourself verify the same by dint of your spiritual power"?
To this Moggalana humbly submitted,
"Bhante! I feel that whatever Kakudha Devaputra has tendered is correct. There is no distortion in it".
The Buddha was speaking before a vast assembly. Prince Ajatasatru was also present. In this assembly, Devadatta stood up, paid his obeisance and with folded hands said,