Yashodhara (glorious) is the cousin and the principal wife of Gautama, mother of its son Rahula. Known by Jatakas (legends of the life of the Buddha), it would have become the alive one of Gautama an ascetic, a preeminent nun and one of the four Arahant S of its entourage having the absolute intuition. The details of its legend are nowadays especially popular in the Bouddhisme theravada. It is also named Yashodhara Theri (Yashodhara senior), Bimbadevi, Bhaddakaccana or Rahulamata (mother of Rahula).

The legend of Yashodhara

Origin

Contrary to Gautami Prajapati, aunt and adoptive mother of the Buddha, his wife is practically ignored texts preceding it, making only one short appearance as “a mother of Rahula” (Rahulamata) in the passage where this last claims its heritage with his/her father. Only the Theri Apadana (Ier-.) mentions Yashodhara Theri, senior of nine thousand nuns and woman of Gautama. This name will be retained by the authors of North, but of others are allotted to him in the texts Pali S. His/her father, when it is mentioned, also appears under various names (Suppabuddha, younger brother of Suddhodana, father of the Buddha, or Shaliya Dandapani). Bhaddakaccana, mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya like a moniale endowed with extraordinary capacities in load of many nuns, is identified with the mêre of Rahula in the collection of accounts of the life of the Buddha Jatakatthavannana allotted to Buddhaghosa (5th century).

It seems that no wife of Gautama had of her time a sufficient notoriety to be named in the first texts of the Buddhist gun. Nevertheless, starting from the front J.C., the character of the woman of the Buddha is more and more frequently mentioned and takes an important place in the Jataka S. André Bareau pointed out that it was logical that one lends to Gautama, exceptional being, a partner which left ordinary and is able to support it in his search of perfection. A passage of the Kathavattu and Samajivi-sutta mention the importance of the spouse besides.

The result of the evolution of the character of Yashodhara is the female ideal of Buddhism, an avoided woman of many virtues which the Buddha Dipankara designated as partner and disciple of Gautama in the existences to come at the same time as it indicated this last like future Buddha, and also an exemplary nun.

Known episodes

The episodes of the life of the Buddha and the members of his family are reported independently in several versions of very variable length, written in faded, Sanscrit or Chinese. There exists between them many differences in the details and the narrative intention of the author. What follows is only one overall picture.

Before Gautama

The relations between Yashodhara and Gautama were tied at the era of the Buddha Dipankara, very a long time before the time of prince Siddharta. Gautama was then an ascetic Brahmane named Sumedha. After several existences passed to practice the ten virtues, it satisfied the eight necessary criteria to be recognized like future Bouddha. The day when it prepared to meet Dipankara the empty handeds because it had been able to find offering, a young Brahman named Sumitta, which awaited it also the Buddha with a sheaf in the hands, at a glance recognized his exceptional nature thanks to the intuition that the depth of its religious practice conferred to him. It offered to him the flowers in exchange of the promise that it would take it for woman and disciple during all his next existences, until it reaches the illumination.

Another episode of the life of the couple at the time of a former existence is reported by the Buddha himself to illustrate the fidelity of his wife. When it was kinnara it (celestial musician) Canda, alive with its wife Candaa (Yashodhara) in the wooded mounts of Himavanta, Anuruddha, king of Bénarès, came to pass. Allured by the beauty of Candaa, he wanted to kill her husband of an arrow. According to a version, it reached that point, but Candaa begged the gods as well as one of them the ressuscita. According to another version, it interposed, itself was killed then ressuscitée.

Time of Gautama

Yashodhara, girl of king Suppabuddha and the Pamita queen and cousin of Gautama, had been born the same day as him. When it was sixteen years old, his/her father decided to find a wife to him. Many princesses come from all the country presented themselves to the palate, but Gautama returned them one after the other with a gift as a consolation. Yashodhara was presented to the last moment and the prince, having recognized it, detached the collar of pearls which it carried to the neck for offering to him. According to some, the father of the young girl was not magic union, considering Gautama too soft to make a good warrior. As his/her daughter insisted, a kind of tournament was organized where the prince had to prove reliable with the arc, the sword and horsemanship.

Two currents divergent with regard to the circumstances in which the Buddha left its palate and its family. Some make it leave to the birth his/her son, with a last glance with this one and his deadened wife. Others report that Rahula had just been conceived, and that learning that her husband had become ascetic, Yashodhara also decided it to practice asceticism, which caused to prolong its pregnancy until six years the extraordinary duration. It had in dream the vision of the nearest illumination of Gautama. Having decided of him to be faithful, she refused all the proposals, of which those of Suddhodava, half-brother of the Buddha, and his cousin Devadatta. Its extraordinary pregnancy made it show inaccuracy when it became visible, and it resorted to various miracles to prove its innocence. Of return for a visit, the Buddha confirmed the filiation of Rahula and the uprightness of Yoshadhara by reporting the adventure of the arrow of time that it was will kinnara.

This visit was place according to the authors six or twelve years old after its departure. The shortly after its arrival with Kapilavastu, Gautama begged in the street in front of the palate. Informed, his wife looked by the window and saw indeed it. It appeared so admirable to him that she improvised a poem named Narasihagatha in which it is “the lion among the men”. The meeting again of Yashodhara and her husband give place to two narrative currents. In one of them, Yashodhara does not appear at the time of the meal offered to the palate in the honor of the Buddha, whereas all the other ladies come to greet it. It knows that having recognized its virtue, it will come from itself to find it. Indeed, Gautama goes in its room accompanied by its principal disciples and expresses that it leaves it free greet it in the manner that she will want. She greets it with the manner of a disciple and it gives him freedom to come to visit it when she wants it. In other accounts, it offers the meal, to which all the ladies of the palate are invited. While these last compete of seduction to retain Gautama, this one draws aside them and addresses a sermon to them, then addresses itself to Yoshadhara by praising its virtue. In certain versions, it is on this occasion that it converts it and that it decides to become ascetic.

Yashodhara pronounced its wishes of nun at the same time as Maha Pajapati Gautami, aunt and adoptive mother of Gautama. When this derniêre became blind, she cures it with water coming from the body of the Buddha. She became one of the four arahants gifted of faculty to remind an infinity of eras spent, and died out at the 78 years age.

Sources

Yoshadhara (Rahulamata) is unknown of the four first Nikaya S and Agamas . Only the Vinayapitaka of the theravadin in faded, the Mahisaka and the Dharmagupta (Chinese version) briefly mention it. The Vinayapitaka of the Sarvastivadin is unaware of it. The texts mahasangika, sarvastivadin, theravadin, masisaka and Dharmaguptaka do not mention a woman of Gautama among the five hundred nuns who pronounced their wishes at the same time as Mahaprajapati Gautami.

The Mahavastu and part of the Vinayapitaka of the lokottaravadin on the other hand contain many references to Rahulamata or Yoshadhara. In the Mahavatsu in particular, it is presented like a holy Buddhist as well as like the woman of Gautama. The elements of its legend are also numerous in the Vinayapitaka of the mulasarvastivadin, the faded Apadana and the Jatakas .

References

Random links:

FC KooTeePee | Transmitter of Kalundborg | Aganippe (Béotie) | Lyriq Bent | Charles Kent