The splendour of Asia: The story and teaching of the BuddhaBeck, L. Adams (Lily Adams)
Religion
The splendour of Asia: The story and teaching of the Buddha
Beck, L. Adams (Lily Adams)
Buddha (The concept)
And it was granted and they sent her to her husband in the city of
Savatthi. Now Visakha was one who followed the Enlightened One with all
her wise heart, but it was not so with Migara, her husband’s father, nor
yet with his household. But she gratified their eyes for they demanded
the Five Beauties in a daughter of the House, and these five she richly
possessed namely, beauty of hair, beauty of flesh, beauty of bone,
beauty of skin, and beauty of youth.
And beauty of hair is when the hair resembles a peacock’s tail, falling
to the end of the tunic where it curls upward. Beauty of flesh, when the
lips resemble a bright red gourd. Beauty of bone, when the teeth gleam
between the rosy lips like cut mother-of-pearl, with even division.
Beauty of skin, when without the application of any cosmetic it is
smooth as a lotus-wreath and white as Kanikara flowers. Beauty of youth
is the endurance of the gaiety and freshness of youth after many
child-births. All these had Visakha, and yet another, for her voice was
sweeter than music, like the silver sounding of a little gong. And on
parting her father presented her with a magnificent jewel adornment
known as the Great Creeper Parure, and a part of it consisted of a
peacock with five hundred feathers of red gold in each wing, the beak of
coral, the eyes of jewels and likewise the neck and tail-feathers. And
on Visakha’s head it resembled a peacock perched on a height, and it
gave forth music and appeared to be real.
But when she was established in her new home she found that Migara, her
father-in-law, was a follower of the naked ascetics, and they and he
cast scorn on the Perfect One, and this disturbed her much, and the
ascetics said to Migara:
“O householder, you have introduced into your family an arrant
misfortune breeder, a disciple of the monk Gotama. Expel her instantly.”
“And that is not easy!” thought Migara, “for she comes of a great
family,—But I will take measures.”
So he sat down and began to eat sweet rice-milk from a golden bowl, and
Visakha stood before him, dutifully fanning him. And a holy mendicant
entered with his begging bowl for alms, but Migara made as though he did
not see him, and ate on, keeping his head down.
“Pass on, reverend sir!” said Visakha with courtesy. “My father is
eating stale food—it would not be agreeable to you.”
And when she said this, Migara leaped to his feet and cried:
“Take away this food and drive the girl from the house. To think the
slut should accuse _Me_ of eating stale food, and at a time of
festival!”
“Father!” said Visakha, with composed serenity. “I shall not easily
leave the house. For I am no harlot picked up at some river bathing
place, but a great lady. And my father foresaw such a case, and when I
left commanded eight householders of this town to investigate any charge
brought against me. Summon them now.”
And Migara agreed joyfully, knowing what they must adjudge to such
insolence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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