Academic Sutta Name Notes PSA Plae Vagga Nikaya PTS Keywords
J.009 Makhaadeva Jaataka The king was once born as Makhadeva, king of Mithila in Videha. For successive periods of 84,000 years, he had been prince, viceroy and then king. One day, he asked his barber to tell him as soon as he had any grey hairs. When, many years later, the barber found a grey hair, he pulled it out and laid it on the kingís palm as he had been requested. The king had 84,000 years left to live, but he granted the barber the revenues of a village yielding 100,000 and on that very day gave over the kingdom to his son and renounced the world as if he had seen the king of death. For 84,000 years he lived in the Makhadeva Mango Grove and was reborn in Brahma-world. Later he became the king of Mithila as king Nimi and in that life too became an ascetic. The barber is identified with Ananda and the son with Rahula. The story was related to some monks who were talking one day about the Buddhaís renunciation. 55/219 Jaataka Khuddhaka J.i.137ff. grey hair, renunciation


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Last modified on: Sunday, 2 January 2000.