Vāsabhakkhattiyā untranslated

Vāsabhakkhattiyā. Daughter of Mahā Nāma the Sākiyan by a slave-woman named Nāgamuṇḍā (Ja.i.133). When Pasenadi asked for a Sākiyan girl in marriage, she was given to him. Mahā Nāma went through the pretence of eating with her in order to allay Pasenadi’s suspicions. It is said (Ja.iv.145) that Mahā Nāma sat down to eat with her, but that as he was about to take the first mouthful, a messenger arrived, as prearranged, and brought him an urgent letter. He, thereupon, left the food uneaten in order to read the letter, and asked Vāsabhakkhattiyā to finish her meal.

Viḍūḍabha was the son of Vāsabhakkhattiyā. It was this deceit practised on Pasenadi which made Viḍūḍabha take his revenge on the Sākiyans (Dhp­a.i.345f; Ja.iv.145f).

It is said that when Pasenadi discovered Vāsabhakkhattiyā’s servile origin, he degraded both her and her son from their rank, and that they never went outside the palace (Ja.i.133f.; iv.148; see also MN.ii.110, where she is called Vāsabhā). When the Buddha heard of this, he visited the king, preached to him the Kaṭṭhahārijātaka, and had the queen restored to honour.