Maha Buddhavamsa - The Bodhisatta Prince, Minister Channa, and Kandaka

Maha Buddhavamsa
The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas
by Tipitakadhara Mingun Sayadaw

Edited and Translated by
U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin

The Bodhisatta Prince, his connatal mate Minister Channa, and the royal horse Kandaka, each having a plan of his own

      It was the time when the royal father King Suddhodana bad taken precautions to prevent the Bodhisatta from going forth by strengthening the two sides of the main gate of the royal city so that each side could be opened only with the strength of one thousand troops. He considered: "If it is thus arranged, my son will not be able to go out unnoticed at any time by opening the main gate of the city".
      The Bodhisatta was endowed with great strength; he had the strength of one thousand crores of Kalavaka elephants; he had the strength equivalent of one thousand crores of middle-sized male persons (majjhima purisa). Accordingly, he thought to himself, "If the main gate will not open, I will escape today by making use of my own strength. Remaining seated on the back of the royal steed Kandaka, I will clasp Minister Channa who accompanies me, holding the horse's tail and the royal horse Kandaka in between my two thighs and jump over the 18-cubit high city wall."
      Minister Channa also thought to himself, "If the main gate of the city will not open. I will keep my Lord's son seated on my shoulder, clasp the Kandaka horse under my right armpit, and hugging him with my right hand, I will jump over the 18-cubit high wall of Kapilavatthu City and escape."
      The royal horse Kandaka also thought to himself: "If the main gate of the royal city will not open, I will keep my royal son seated on my back as he is and along with the connatal mate Minister Channa holding on to my tail, I will jump over the 18-cubit high wall of Kapilavatthu City and escape.

The physical power of the Bodhisatta Prince

      (One elephant of Kalavaka pedigree has the combined power of 10 Majjjhimapurisa men of medium strength; one Gangeyya elephant has the combined power of 10 Kalavaka elephants (or 100 Majjjhimapurisas); one Pandara elephant has the combined power of 10 Gangeyya elephants (or 1000 Majjhimapurisas), one Tamba elephant has the combined power of 10 Pandara elephants (or 10,000 Majjhimapurisas); one pingala elephant has the combined power of 10 Tamba elephants (or 100000 Majjhimapurisas); one Gandha elephant has the combined power of 10 Pingala elephants (or 1,000,000 Majjhimapurisas); one Mangala elephant has the combined power of 10 Gandha elephants (or 10,000,000 Majjhimapurisas); one Hema elephant has the combined power of 10 Mangala elephants (or 100,000,000 Majjhimapurisas); one Uposatha elephant has the combined power of 10 Hema elephants (or 1,000,000,000 Majjhimapurisas); One Chaddanta elephant has the combined power of 10 Uposatha elephants (or 10,000,000,000 Majjhimapurisas) The Bodhisatta has the combined power of 10 Chaddanta elephants (or 100,000,000,000 Majjhimapurisas), Anguttara Commentary).

The deterrence by Vasavatti Mara

      In this manner, the three of them were having similar intentions. Even if the main gate of the city would not open, any one of them would certainly act in fulfillment of his plan. Nevertheless, by virtue of the accumulated merits and glory of the Noble Bodhisatta, the Devas guarding the gates of the royal city were very glad to keep the main gate readily open for the Bodhisatta to go out. Just as the Bodhisatta rode out from the main gate of the royal city on the back of Kandaka accompanied by his connatal mate Minister Channa, Vasavatti Mara who did not like and had always opposed and obstructed the emancipation of sentient beings from the round of rebirths came down to the human world from his abode of Paranimmitavasavatti Deva world in a moment , so soon as a strong man would stretch out his folded arm or fold his out-stretched arm, and appeared in front of the Bodhisatta. His purpose was to deter the Bodhisatta from renouncing the world by tricking him into believing that the deterrence was for his own good. Remaining in the sky, he uttered:

     Ma nikkhama mahavira ito te sattame dine

     Dibbam tu cakkaratanam addh patu bhavissati,

(Buddhavamsa Commentary)

      "O very energetic Bodhisatta Prince, do not just go forth and become a recluse. On the seventh day from today, the celestial Wheel Treasure for you will certainly make its appearance."

      He discouraged the Bodhisatta also by telling him: "You will become the Universal Monarch ruling over the four Great Continents surrounded by two thousand small islands. Do turn back, Your Majesty" Thereupon, the Bodhisatta Prince asked: "Who are you, speaking to me and discouraging me now?" Mara Deva replied:" Your Highness, I am Vasavatti Mara." Then the Bodhisatta made this bold reply:

Janamaham maharaja, mayham cakkassa sambhavam.

Anatthiko'ham rajjena, gaccha tvam Mara ma idha.

      "O powerful Mara, I already know even before you that the divine Wheel Treasure will certainly arise for me. As for myself, I do not have the least desire to become a Universal Monarch, ruling over the four Continents. Go ye away now, O Mara, from here; do not stand in my way."

Sakalam dasasahassam pi, lokadhatum'aham pana

Unnadetva bhavissami,, Buddho loke vinayako.

      "As for me, I will strive to become a Buddha to help and convey all sentient beings, who are ready to listen to the Dhamma (veneyya), to the victorious land of Nibbana, making the ten thousand world revolve and resound like the potter's wheel."

      Thereupon, Mara threatened the Bodhisatta with these words: "O friend Prince Siddhattha, keep your words constantly in mind. From this time on, I will make you know well what I am whenever your mind is filled with thoughts of sensual desires (kamevitakka), thoughts of malice (vyapadavitakka), or thoughts of cruelty (vihimsavitakka)." And, thenceforward, he was constantly on the look-out for the occasion when mental defilements (kilesa) would perchance arise in the mental continuum of the Bodhisatta, following him closely like a shadow for a total period of seven years. (He followed closely behind the Bodhisatta for a total period of seven years with intent to kill him outright at the very place where mind defilements would perchance arise in the mind continuum of the Bodhisatta.)

The ceremonious escort provided by the Devas and Brahmas to the bank of the River Anoma

      At the age of twenty nine years, when he was about to acquire the glory and powers of a Universal Monarch, he forewent and spurned them as if they were spittle. At midnight, on the full-moon day of Asalha when the constellation Asalha and the moon were in conjunction in the year 97, Maha Era, he left the royal palace which was comparable to the magnificent palace of the Universal Monarch. But while he was thus leaving, the desire to turn round and take a view of the royal city of Kapilavatthu arose in his mind. Immediately after that thought had arisen in the mind of the Bodhisatta, the very locality where the thought occurred revolved round like a potter's wheel as if the earth was addressing him: "O noble person Bodhisatta, your deeds of merit were such that you need not turn round to look at any thing; the object you want to see will present itself in front of you." The Bodhisatta thus viewed the royal city Kapilavatthu from where he was without having to take the trouble of turning round. The site where the royal horse Kandaka halted was marked for the erection of a stupa to be named Kadaka Nivattana. He then proceeded on his journey in a majestic manner on the back of the royal horse Kandaka. Along the route taken by the Bodhisatta, all the Devas and Brahmas marched along in the front and rear, and on the left and right, some holding sixty thousand lighted torches (six hundred lighted torches according to the Buddhavamsa Commentary); others came along honouring him with festoons of fragrant flowers, sandalwood powder, yak-tail fly-flaps, banners and streamers. They came along singing celestial songs and playing all kinds of celestial musical instruments.
      The noble Bodhisatta who, as described above, had gone forth in such magnificence passed through the three kingdoms of Sakiya, Koliya and Malla in one single night covering a distance of thirty yojanas, eventually arriving on the bank of the River Anoma.

     (Special Note: The royal Kandaka horse possessed the power of speed enabling him to run around the Cakkavala mountain in the early morning and arrive back in time for the morning meal readily prepared for him. Nevertheless it should be especially noted that at that time the garlands of scented flowers strewn by the Devas and Brahmas, nagas and garudas, etc. from the sky were covering the ground up to the height of the horse's navel and so he had trudged along, struggling and struggling through the mass of garlands of flowers as though making his way through marshy ground and thus was able to cover only thirty yojanas in one whole night.)