Nārada untranslated

Nārada 01. Nārada Buddha. The ninth of the twenty-four Buddhas, he was born in the Dhanañjaya park at Dhaññavatī, his father being king Sudeva and his mother Anomā. For nine thousand years he lived as a layman in three palaces: Jitā, Vijitā and Abhirāmā (Bv­a. calls them Vijita, Vijitāvī and Jitābhirāma). His wife was Jitasenā (v.l. Vijitasenā), and his son Nanduttara. He made his Renunciation on foot accompanied by his retinue. He practised austerities for only seven days, then, having accepted a meal of milk-rice from his wife, he sat at the foot of a mahāsoṇa tree, on grass given by the parkkeeper Sudassana. His first sermon was preached in the Dhanañjaya Park. His body was eighty-eight cubits high, and his aura always spread round him to a distance of one league. He died at the age of ninety thousand years in Sudassana, and his Thūpa was four leagues high. Bhaddasāla and Jitamitta were his chief monks and Uttarā and Phaggunā his chief nuns. Vāseṭṭha was his personal attendant, and chief among his patrons were Uggarinda and Vasabha, and Indavarī and Candī. Among his converts were the Nāga kings Mahā Doṇa and Verocana. The Bodhisatta was a Jaṭila in Himavā, and the Buddha, with his followers, visited his hermitage, where they were fed for seven days and received gifts of red sandalwood. Bv.x.1ff.; Bv­a.151ff.; Ja.i.35f.

Nārada 02. The personal attendant of Sujāta Buddha. Bv.xiii.25.

Nārada 03. A Brahmin in the time of Padumuttara Buddha, who praised the Buddha in three stanzas. He was a former birth of Nāgita (or Atthasandassaka) Thera. Thag­a.i.180; Ap.i.168.

Nārada 04. A Brahmin in the time of Atthadassī Buddha, a former birth of Paviṭṭha (or Ekadaṁsaniya) Thera. He was also called Kesava. Thag­a.i.185; Ap.i.168f.

Nārada 05. Minister of Brahmadatta, king of Benares. He was entrusted with escorting the ascetic Kesava, when he fell ill, to Kappa’s hermitage in Himavā. Nārada is identified with Sāriputta. For details see the Kesavajātaka. Ja.iii.143ff., 362; Dhp­a.i.344.

Nārada 06. A sage, younger brother of Kāḷadevala and pupil of Jotipāla (Sarabhaṅga). He lived in the Majjhimapadesa in Arañjaragiri. He became enamoured of a courtesan, and was saved only through the intervention of Sarabhaṅga. For details see the Indriyajātaka. Ja.iii.463ff.; v.133f.

Nārada 07. An ascetic, son of the ascetic Kassapa. He was tempted by a maiden fleeing from brigands, but his father came to his rescue. For details see the Cūḷa Nāradajātaka. Ja 477, Ja.iv.220ff.

Nārada 08. King of Mithilā, seventh in direct descent from Sādhīna. He is identified with Ānanda. For details see the Sādhīnajātaka. Ja 494, Ja.iv.355ff.

Nārada 09. A Brahmin sage, called a Devabrāhmaṇa, and Nāradadeva. One day, having wandered about in Tāvatiṁsa, he was returning to his dwelling in Kañcanaguhā holding a Pāricchattaka flower over his head, when the four daughters of Sakka –Āsā, Saddhā, Sirī and Hirī – asked him to give it to them. He agreed to give it to that one among them whom they should choose as their queen. They sought the advice of their father, who directed them to Macchariya Kosiya. Kosiya decided in favour of Hirī.

Nārada is identified with Sāriputta. For details see the Sudhābhojanajātaka (Ja 535, Ja.v.392ff). It is probably this same Nārada who is mentioned as being present when Kuṇāla (q.v.) delivered his famous diatribe against women. He is described as possessing the pañcābhiññā and as being attended by ten thousand ascetics. When Kuṇāla had finished his discourse, Nārada supplemented it with all he knew of the vices of women (Ja 535, Ja.424, 450ff., 456). He is also mentioned as having admonished Mahā Janaka when the latter renounced the world. In that context, Nārada is described as belonging to the Kassapagotta. Ja.vi.56, 58, 68. In Snp­a.i.359 he is called Nārada Devala. This may be a wrong reading for Nāradadeva.

Nārada 10. The Bodhisatta born as a Mahā Brahma. He helped Rujā to convince her father, Aṅgati, of the truth as declared by her. He came down to earth and frightened Aṅgati by revealing to him the horrors of hell. In this context he is described as belonging to the Kassapagotta. For details see the Mahā Nāradakassapajātaka. Ja.vi.220, 242 ff.; Ap.ii.483.

Nārada 11. A celebrated physician, probably identical with the famous sage, No. 9, above. Mil.272.

Nārada 12. The fifth future Buddha. Anāg. p. 40.

Nārada 13. A Thera, mentioned once as staying at the Ghositārāma in Kosambī, with Mūsila, Saviṭṭha, and Ānanda. In the course of discussion he declares that, though aware of the nature of Nibbāna, he is not an Arahant (SN.ii.115f). Elsewhere he is mentioned as staying in the Kukkuṭārāma in Pāṭaliputta (AN.iii.57f). At that time King Muṇḍa was grieving over the death of his wife, Bhaddā, to the neglect of everything else, and his treasurer, Piyaka, suggested that he should visit Nārada. The king agreed, and Nārada preached to him on the inevitableness of old age, disease, death, etc. Muṇḍa was consoled, and buried the body of his wife, which he had till then preserved.

He may be identical with the Thera mentioned in the Petavatthu Commentary (Pv-a.2, 10, 11, 14, 204, 208, 210, 211) as finding out from various Petas the stories of their deeds, and in the Vimānavatthu Commentary (Vv-a.165, 169, 203) as visiting various vimānas in the course of his wanderings among the Deva worlds (devacārikā). He is stated as having repeated the stories he learnt to the Dhammasaṅgāhakas to be embodied in their rescensions.

Nārada 14. The Bodhisatta born as an ascetic. For his story see Devāla.

Nārada 15. A Yakkha who presided over Nāradakūṭa. Offerings, which included a man from each village, were brought to him once a year. Dīpaṅkara Buddha visited him and, after performing many miracles, converted him. He, with ten thousand other Yakkhas, became a Sotāpanna. Bv.ii.199; Bv­a.101.

Nārada 16. A class of Devas mentioned, with the Pabbatas, as being wise. Snp.vs.543; Snp­a.ii.435; see also Ja.vi.568, 571; Mvu.iii.401.

Nārada 17. An ascetic, also called Kassapa. A former birth of Caṅkolapupphiya (q.v.). Ap.i.215.

Nārada 18. An ascetic, also called Kassapa, a former birth of Ekāsanadāyaka (q.v.). Ap.ii.381.