Academic Sutta Name Notes PSA Plae Vagga Nikaya PTS Keywords
DhA.

IV:4 The lady who was born In Tavatimsa heaven (Pati Pujika Kumari)

Pati Pujika Kumari was a lady from Savatthi. She married at the age of sixteen and had four sons. She was a virtuous and generous lady, who loved to make offerings of food and other requisites to the holy people. She would often go to the monastery and clean up the premises, fill the pots and jars with water and perform other services. Pati Pujika also possessed the knowledge through which she remembered that in her previous existence she was one of the wives of Malabhari, in the deva world of Tavatimsa. She also remembered that she had passed away from there when all of them were out in the garden enjoying themselves, plucking flowers. So every time she made offerings to the bhikkhus or performed other meritorious acts, she would aspire that she might be reborn in the Tavatimsa realm as a wife of Malabhari, her previous husband.

One day Pati Pujika fell ill and passed away. As she had so ardently wished, she was reborn in Tavatimsa deva world again as a wife of Malabhari. As one hundred years in the human world is equivalent to just one day in Tavatimsa world, Malabhari and the other devas were still in the garden enjoying themselves and Pati Pujika was barely missed by them. So, when she rejoined them, Malabhari asked her where she had been the whole morning. She then told about her passing away from there and finally her return to Tavatimsa.

The bhikkhus reported the death of Pati Pujika to the Buddha. He explained that the life of beings was very brief; and that before they could be satiated in their sensual desires, they would be overpowered by death.

55/170 Dhammapada & Commentary Khuddhaka J.i.106ff. despair


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Last modified on: Sunday, 13 August 2000.