Maha Buddhavamsa - The appointment of attendants for the Bodhisatta

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

Edited and Translated by
U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin

The appointment of attendants for the Bodhisatta

      For his son Prince Siddhattha, King Suddhodana selected and appointed two hundred and forty female attendants who were clean and fair, skilled in carrying out their duties such as breast-feeding, by giving sweet milk free of pungent, salty and other unpleasant tastes, bathing, carrying and nursing.
      The king also appointed sixty male servants to help the female attendants and further appointed sixty officers who would oversee the duties of these men and women.
      Of the two hundred and forty female attendants, sixty were to breast-feed the Bodhisatta Prince, another sixty were to bathe him with scented water and dress him, still another sixty were to carry him supporting and clasping with their hands, or in their laps and so on for long; and the remaining sixty had to share the same duty by taking over the Prince in turn. Thus the nursing work was distributed among two hundred and forty female attendants. With the sixty male servants and sixty officers, there were altogether three hundred and sixty persons responsible for looking after the little prince.

      All this is given in accordance with the Sutta Mavavagga and its Commentary where mention is definitely made of appointment of attendants by King Bandhuma for his son Prince Vipassi (the Bodhisatta). On this basis, the appointment by King Suddhodana has been described.
      In the Swezon Kyawthin, (Question No. 33 of Volume 1) this is asked in verse form by Shin Nandadhaja, the celebrated Samanera of Kyeegan village. The answer given by Kyeethai Layhtat Sayadaw is: "There are 60 Myanmar hours in one day and one night; since four nurses had to take charge in turn every one hour, multiply 60 by 4, and the result is 240."

      It' we take the reckoning made in the Swezon kyawthin, "four nurses had to take charge in turn every one hour" in the sense that one was to feed, and another one was to bathe and dress , still another one to tend to him, supporting and clasping with her hands or in her lap, and the last one to carry on the same task after taking over the Prince in turn, then it is quite in consonance with what is contained in the exposition of the Mahapadana Sutta of the aforesaid Sutta Mahavagga Commentary.

The selection of Attendants as described in the Temiya Jataka

      In the exposition of the Temiya Jataka, Jataka Commentary, the detailed description of how King of Kasi chose attendants for his son Temiya (the Bodhisatta) is recorded as follows:
      (1) A tall woman was not appointed nurse because the child's neck is apt to become elongated for having to suck milk while remaining close to her bosom.
      (2) A short woman was not appointed nurse because the child's neck is apt to become stunted for having to suck milk while remaining close to her bosom.
      (3) A thin woman was not appointed nurse because the child's limb such as thighs, etc., are apt to be hurt for having to suck milk while remaining close to her bosom.
      (4) A fat woman was not appointed nurse because the child is apt to become crippled with its thighs, knees and legs deformed for having to suck milk while remaining close to her bosom.
      (5) A long-breasted woman was not appointed nurse because the child's nose is apt to become snub as it might be pressed by her long breasts as he sucks milk while remaining close to her bosom.
      (6) A woman with too dark a complexion was not appointed nurse because her milk is very cold and not suitable for the child in the long run.
      (7) A woman with too white a complexion was not appointed nurse because her milk is very warm and not suitable for the child in the long run.
      (8) A woman suffering from cough was not appointed nurse because her milk is very sour and not suitable for the child.
      (9) A woman suffering from phthisis was not appointed nurse because her milk is pungent and bitter and not suitable for the child.
      Thus such women were not appointed attendants; only those free from all defects were appointed, so says the above mentioned Commentary.
      Relying on the statement of the Commentary, Manli Sayadaw describes the same selection of attendants in verse form (v. 498) in his Mahasutakari Magha Deva Linka Thit, (The author then quotes the whole verse in toto, but we have skipped it over.)

The upbringing of the Bodhisatta by Mahapajapati Gotami through breast-feeding

      Though attendants were selected and appointed for Prince Siddhattha in the said manner, it was his aunt (or step mother) Mahapajapati Gotami who more often than not breast-fed him. To explain: After the demise of Mahamaya Devi, King Suddhodana raised the Bodhisatta's aunt to the status of Chief Queen. Two or three days after the birth of the Bodhisatta by Queen Maya, his aunt Mahapajapati Gotami bore Prince Nanda. When Queen Maya passed away on the seventh day after the Bodhisatta's birth, Mahapajapati Gotami entrusted her own son Prince Nanda (who was only three or four days old) to nurses, and she herself breast-fed the Bodhisatta and looked after him. It was in the lap of his aunt (and step mother) that the Bodhisatta stayed most of the time. (From the exposition of the Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta in the Uparipannas Commentary.)
      In this way, Prince Siddhattha the Bodhisatta grew up blissfully in a gradual manner under the care and treatment of hosts of attendants and in great pomp and splendour.