Aṅgulimāla untranslated

Aṅgulimāla (Aṅgulimālaka). A robber who was converted by the Buddha in the twentieth year of his ministry, and who, later, became an Arahant. His story appears both in the Majjhima Commentary, 743ff., and in the Theragātha Commentary, ii.57ff. The two accounts differ in certain details; I have summarised the two versions.

He was the son of the Brahmin Bhaggava, chaplain to the king of Kosala, his mother being Mantāṇī. He was born under the thieves’ constellation, and on the night of his birth all the armour in the town shone, including that belonging to the king. Because this omen did no harm to anyone the babe was named Ahiṁsaka. The Theragātha Commentary says he was first called Hiṁsaka and then Ahiṁsaka. See also Brethren, 323, n.3.

At Takkasilā he became a favourite at the teacher’s house, but his jealous fellow-students poisoned his teacher’s mind, and the latter, bent on his destruction, asked as his honorarium a thousand human right-hand fingers. Thereupon Ahiṁsaka waylaid travellers in the Jālinī forest in Kosala and killed them, taking a finger from each. The finger-bones thus obtained he made into a garland to hang round his neck, hence the name Aṅgulimāla.

As a result of his deeds whole villages were deserted, and the king ordered a detachment of men to seize the bandit, whose name nobody knew. But Aṅgulimāla’s mother, guessing the truth, started off to warn him. By now he lacked but one finger to complete his thousand, and seeing his mother coming he determined to kill her. But the Buddha, seeing his upanissaya (potential), went himself to the wood, travelling thirty yojanas, (DN­a.i.240; Ja.iv.180) and intercepted Aṅgulimāla on his way to slay his mother. Aṅgulimāla was converted by the Buddha’s power and received the “ehi bhikkhu” pabbajjā (Thag.868-70) while the populace were yelling at the king’s palace for the robber’s life. Later, the Buddha presented him before King Pasenadi when the latter came to Jetavana, and Pasenadi, filled with wonder, offered to provide the monk with all requisites. Aṅgulimāla, however, had taken on the dhutaṅgas and refused the king’s offer.

When he entered Sāvatthī for alms, he was attacked by the mob, but on the admonition of the Buddha, endured their wrath as penance for his former misdeeds.

According to the Dhammapada Commentary (Dhp-a.iii.169) he appears to have died soon after he joined the Saṅgha.

There is a story of how he eased a woman’s labour pains by an act of truth. The words he used in this saccakiriyā (yato ahaṁ sabbaññutabuddhassa ariyassa ariyāya jātiyā jāto) have come to be regarded as a paritta to ward off all dangers of childbirth and constitute the Aṅgulimālaparitta. The water that washed the stone on which he sat in the woman’s house came to be regarded as a panacea (MN.ii.103-4; MN­a.747f).

In the Aṅgulimālasutta he is addressed by Pasenādi as Gagga Mantānīputta, his father being a Gagga. The story is evidently a popular one and occurs also in the Avadānaśataka (No. 27).

At the Kosala king’s Asadisadāna, an untamed elephant, none other being available, was used to bear the parasol over Aṅgulimāla. The elephant remained perfectly still – such was Aṅgulimāla’s power (Dhp­a.iii.185; also DN­a.ii.654).

The conversion of Aṅgulimāla is often referred to as a most compassionate and wonderful act of the Buddha’s, e.g. in the Sutasomajātaka, (Ja.v.456f.; see also Ja.iv.180; Snp-a.ii.440; Dhp­a.i.124) which was preached concerning him. The story of Aṅgulimāla is quoted as that of a man in whose case a beneficent kamma arose and destroyed former evil kamma (AN­a.i.369).

It was on his account that the rule not to ordain a captured robber was enacted (Vin.i.74).

For his identification with Kalmāsapāda see JPTS, 1909, pp. 240ff.