Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja untranslated

Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja. The son of the chaplain of King Udena of Kosambī. He belonged to the Bhāradvāja gotta. He learnt the Vedas and became a successful teacher, but, finding his work distasteful, he went to Rājagaha. There he saw the gifts and favours bestowed on the Buddha’s disciples and joined the Saṅgha. He was very greedy, and went about with a large bowl made of dried gourd, which he kept under his bed at night and which made a scraping sound when touched; but the Buddha refused to allow him a bag for it until it should be worn down by constant contact. Later he followed the Buddha’s advice, conquered his intemperance in diet, and became an Arahant. He then announced before the Buddha his readiness to answer the questions of any doubting monks, thus uttering his “lion’s roar.” The Buddha declared him chief of the “lion-roarers” (AN.i.23; AN­a.i.112f.; Thag­a.i.245f.; Ud­a. 252; SN­a.iii.26). The Udāna (iv.6) contains the praise uttered by him of the Buddha, because of his perfected self-mastery.

Piṇḍola was in the habit of taking his siesta in Udena’s park at Kosambī (he had been king in a former birth and had spent many days in that park). One day Udena’s women, who had come to the park with him, left him asleep and crowded round Piṇḍola to hear him preach. Udena, noticing their absence, went in search of them, and, in his anger, ordered a nest of red ants to be put on Piṇḍola’s body. But Piṇḍola vanished and returned to Sāvatthī, where the Buddha related the Mātaṅgajātaka (Ja 497, Ja.iv.375ff.) and also the Guhaṭṭhakasutta (Snp­a.ii.514f) (SN­a.iii.26 says that when the king went to fetch the red ants from an asoka tree, the ants fell on him and started to sting him. The women, under pretence of helping him, picked up the ants that fell from him and replaced them on his body, because they were angry at his rudeness to Piṇḍola). Later, we find Udena consulting him at the same spot and following his advice regarding the control of the senses (SN.iv.110f.; SN­a.iii.26).

In the Vinaya we find the Buddha rebuking Piṇḍola for performing a cheap miracle (Vin.ii.110f.; the story is given in greater detail at Dhp­a.iii.201ff.; see also Ja.iv.263). The seṭṭhi of Rājagaha had placed a sandalwood bowl on a high pole and challenged any holy person to bring it down. Piṇḍola heard of this and, at Moggallāna’s suggestion, rose in the air by magic power and brought it down. The Buddha blamed him for using his great gifts for an unworthy end. The bowl was given to the monks to be ground into sandal paste.

In the time of Padumuttara Buddha, Piṇḍola had been a lion in Himavā. The Buddha visited the lion in his cave, who waited on him for seven days, paying him great honour. Later, the lion died and was reborn in Haṁsavatī, where he heard the Buddha preach and declare one of his disciples chief of the “lion-roarers.” Eight kappas ago he was a king named Paduma. AN­a.i.111f.; Ap.i.50f.; Thag­a.i.244f.; the last seems to identify him with Piyālaphaladāyaka of the Apadāna. (ii.444).

The Theragāthā contains two verses (vs.123-4) of Piṇḍola, uttered by him to a former friend, to convince him that he was no longer greedy and self-seeking. The Milindapañha (pp. 398, 404) contains two other verses not traced elsewhere.

Dhammapāla says that Piṇḍola was so-called because he entered the Saṅgha from love of food (piṇḍaṁ ulamāno pariyesamāno pabbajito ti, Piṇḍolo) (Ud­a.252; see also SN­a.iii.26).