ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 33.2

33.2

The Story of Head of Indra

When the Blessed One was in Rājagṛha, in Vaiśālī there lived a certain archery master named Head of Indra who knew everything there was to know about archery. He trained five hundred Licchavis in archery, and they mastered it and became very powerful.

One day a disagreement arose between the people of Rājagṛha and Vaiśālī, and the people of Rājagṛha arrayed the four divisions of their army and advanced on Vaiśālī to wage war. Master archer Head of Indra heard that Rājagṛha was advancing on them to wage war, and when he heard this he set out with a retinue of five hundred and advanced on the Rājagṛha army to wage war.

As they advanced they massacred many, and the Rājagṛha soldiers fled. Many people of Rājagṛha were slaughtered as they advanced again not twice or thrice but five times. Soon word spread that master archer Head of Indra had shot five thousand men with arrows and killed them all.

So it was that one day the people of Rājagṛha implored the Blessed One, “Lord, Head of Indra is an adversary to those without adversaries, a rival to those without rivals. Lord, he has killed some five thousand men. Blessed One, out of compassion, please tame Head of Indra.” The Blessed One assented to the people of Rājagṛha by his silence. Understanding that by his silence the Blessed One had given his assent, the inhabitants of Rājagṛha then took leave of the Blessed One.

The Blessed One disappeared from Rājagṛha and traveled to Vaiśālī,