Читать книгу 108 Buddhist Parables and Stories - Olga Gutsol - Страница 16

The king conducted the Buddha into the palace, and the ministers and all the members of the royal family greeted him with great reverence. Yet, Yasodhara, the prince’s wife, did not make her appearance. The king sent for Yasodhara, but she replied, “Surely, if I am deserving of any regard, Siddhattha will come and see me.”

The Blessed One, having greeted all his relatives and friends, asked, “Where is Yasodhara?” And on being informed that she had refused to come, he rose straightway and went to her apartments.

“I am free,” the Blessed One said to his disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana, whom he had asked to accompany him to the princess’ chamber; “the princess, however, is not yet free. Not having seen me for a long time, she is exceedingly sorrowful. Unless her grief be allowed its course, her heart will cleave.”

Yasodhara sat in her room, dressed in simple garments, and with her hair cut. When Prince Siddhattha entered, she was, from the abundance of her affection, like an overflowing vessel, unable to contain her love. Forgetting that the man whom she loved was the Buddha, she held him by his feet and wept bitterly.

Remembering, however, that King Suddhodana was present, she felt ashamed, and seated herself reverently at a little distance.

The king apologized for the princess, saying, “This arises from her deep affection, and is not a temporary emotion. During the seven years that she has lost her husband, when she heard that Siddhattha had shaved his head, she did likewise; when she heard that he had left off the use of perfumes and ornaments, she also refused their use. Like her husband she had eaten at appointed times from an earthen bowl only. Like him she had renounced high beds with splendid coverings, and when other princes asked her in marriage, she replied that she was still his. Therefore, grant her forgiveness.”

And the Blessed One spoke kindly to Yasodhara, telling of her great merits inherited from former lives. She had indeed been again and again of great assistance to him. Her purity, her gentleness, her devotion had been invaluable to the Blessed One when he aspired to attain enlightenment. And so holy had she been that she desired to become the wife of a Buddha. This karma was a result of great merits.

Later, Yasodhara took a threefold refuge and, ordained as a nun, became one of the first women to enter the Sangha.