Verses on Dhamma 11.5.p2

11.5.p2

Sā kira ekadivasaṃ cintesi – ‘‘mayhaṃ jeṭṭhabhātiko rajjasiriṃ pahāya pabbajitvā loke aggapuggalo buddho jāto, puttopissa rāhulakumāro pabbajito, bhattāpi me pabbajito, mātāpi me pabbajitā, ahampi ettake ñātijane pabbajite gehe kiṃ karissāmi, pabbajissāmā’’ti. Sā bhikkhunupassayaṃ gantvā pabbaji ñātisineheneva, no saddhāya, abhirūpatāya pana rūpanandāti paññāyi. ‘‘Satthā kira ‘rūpaṃ aniccaṃ dukkhaṃ anattā, vedanā… saññā… saṅkhārā… viññāṇaṃ aniccaṃ dukkhaṃ anattā’ti vadetī’’ti sutvā sā evaṃ dassanīye pāsādike mamapi rūpe dosaṃ katheyyāti satthu sammukhībhāvaṃ na gacchati. Sāvatthivāsino pātova dānaṃ datvā samādinnuposathā suddhuttarāsaṅgā gandhamālādihatthā sāyanhasamaye jetavane sannipatitvā dhammaṃ suṇanti. Bhikkhunisaṅghopi satthu dhammadesanāya uppannacchando vihāraṃ gantvā dhammaṃ suṇāti. Dhammaṃ sutvā nagaraṃ pavisanto satthu guṇakathaṃ kathentova pavisati.

The story goes that one day Janapada-Kalyāṇī thought to herself, "My eldest brother has renounced the glory of dominion, has become a monk, and has now become the foremost being in the world, even the Buddha; his son, Rāhula Kumāra, has become a monk; my husband has become a monk; so also has my mother become a nun. Seeing that all these kinsfolk of mine have adopted the religious life, why should I continue any longer to live the house-life? I too will become a nun." Accordingly she went to the community of nuns and became a nun, not at all because of faith, but solely because of love for her kinsfolk. Because of her wondrous beauty, she became known as Rūpa-Nandā ('Beauty-Nandā').

One day she heard that the Teacher had said, "Beauty of form is impermanent, involved in suffering, unreal; so likewise are sensation, perception, the aggregate of mental states, consciousness, impermanent, involved in suffering, unreal." Thereupon she said to herself, "In that case he would find fault even with my own form, so beautiful to look upon and so fair to see." Therefore she avoided meeting the Teacher face to face.

Now the residents of Sāvatthi, having given alms early in the morning, took upon themselves the obligations of fast-day. In the evening, clad in spotless upper garments and bearing garlands and flowers in their hands, they assembled at Jetavana to hear the Law. And the community of nuns also, desiring to hear the Law, went to the monastery and heard the Law. And having heard the Law, they entered the city, praising the virtues of the Teacher as they entered.