Dhammapada 3.9.p2

3.9.p2

Vatthu soreyyanagare samuṭṭhitaṃ, sāvatthiyaṃ niṭṭhāpesi. Sammāsambuddhe sāvatthiyaṃ viharante soreyyanagare soreyyaseṭṭhiputto ekena sahāyakena saddhiṃ sukhayānake nisīditvā mahantena parivārena nhānatthāya nagarā nikkhami. Tasmiṃ khaṇe mahākaccāyanatthero soreyyanagaraṃ piṇḍāya pavisitukāmo hutvā bahinagare saṅghāṭiṃ pārupati. Therassa ca suvaṇṇavaṇṇaṃ sarīraṃ. Soreyyaseṭṭhiputto taṃ disvā cintesi – ‘‘aho vata ayaṃ vā thero mama bhariyā bhaveyya, mama vā bhariyāya sarīravaṇṇo etassa sarīravaṇṇo viya bhaveyyā’’ti. Tassa cintitamatteyeva purisaliṅgaṃ antaradhāyi, itthiliṅgaṃ pāturahosi. So lajjamāno yānakā oruyha palāyi. Parijano taṃ asañjānanto ‘‘kimeta’’nti āha. Sāpi takkasilamaggaṃ paṭipajji. Sahāyakopissā ito cito ca vicaritvāpi nāddasa. Sabbe nhāyitvā gehaṃ agamiṃsu. ‘‘Kahaṃ seṭṭhiputto’’ti ca vutte, ‘‘nhatvā āgato bhavissatīti maññimhā’’ti vadiṃsu. Athassa mātāpitaro tattha tattha pariyesitvā apassantā roditvā paridevitvā, ‘‘mato bhavissatī’’ti matakabhattaṃ adaṃsu. Sā ekaṃ takkasilagāmiṃ satthavāhaṃ disvā yānakassa pacchato pacchato anubandhi.

While the Supremely Enlightened was in residence at Sāvatthi, the following incident took place in the city of Soreyya: A treasurer's son named Soreyya, together with a certain intimate friend of his, sitting in a carriage, accompanied by a large retinue, drove out of

the city to bathe. At that moment Elder Mahā Kaccāyana, intending to enter the city of Soreyya for alms, was putting on his mantle outside of the city gate. When the treasurer's son Soreyya saw the golden-hued body of the Elder, he thought to himself, "Oh, that this Elder might become my wife! Else may the hue of my wife's body become like the hue of his body!"

The instant this thought passed through his mind Soreyya was transformed from a man into a woman. He descended from the carriage in embarrassment and took to flight. His attendants, not understanding what had taken place, said, "What does this mean? What does this mean?" Soreyya, thus transformed into a woman set out on the road to Takkasilā. His carriage-companion searched everywhere for him, but failed to find him. When all the members of the party had bathed, they returned home. They were asked, "Where is the treasurer's son?" They replied, "We supposed that, after bathing, he must have returned home." His mother and father searched everywhere for him, but failing to find him, wept and lamented. And concluding that he must be dead, they gave the funeral feast.

Soreyyā, now a woman, seeing a caravan leader bound for Takkasilā, followed close behind his wagon. Members of the caravan noticed her and said, "She keeps following close behind our wagon, but we do not know whose daughter she is." Said she, "Masters, drive your own wagon. I will follow on foot." Having continued her journey on foot for a considerable distance, she bribed her masters with the present of a seal-ring to make room for her in a certain wagon. The men of the caravan thought to themselves, "Our treasurer's son, who lives in the city of Sāvatthi, has no wife. We will tell him about this woman, and he will give us a handsome present." So when they reached Takkasilā, they went and said to him, "Master, we have brought you a jewel of a woman." When the treasurer's son heard this, he sent for her. Observing that she suited his age and was exceedingly beautiful, he fell in love with her and married her.