On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c9.s5.64

v1.c9.s5.64

The Kuei-tzŭ-mu or "Mother of Demon-children" of this passage is evidently the goddess whom I-ching identifies with the Ha-li-ti (Hārītī) of the Sarvāstivādin Vinaya.¹ This goddess, in the time of the Buddha, was a Yakshinī living near Rajagriha, and married to a Yaksha of Gandhāra. Her name was *Huan-hsi* (Nandā?) or "Joy", and she was supposed to be a guardian deity to the people of Magadha. But as the result of a spiteful wish in a previous life she took to stealing and eating the children of Rājagaha. When the people found that their goddess was secretly robbing them of their offspring to feed herself and her 500 sons, they changed her name to Hārītī or Thief. On the petition of the victims the Buddha undertook to put an end to the Yakshinī's cannibal mode of life.² In order to convert her he hid her youngest and favourite son, in one account called Pingala, in his alms-bowl, and gave him up to the mother on her promise to renounce cannibalism and become a lay member of his communion. Then to provide for the subsistence of the mother and her numerous offspring the Buddha ordained that in all monasteries food should be set out for them every morning. In return for this service the Yakshinī and her sons were to become and continue guardians of the Buddhist sacred buildings. The Sar. Vin. does not make any mention of Hārītī undertaking to answer the prayers of barren women for children, but in one of the sūtras the Kuei-tzŭ-mu agrees to comply with the Buddha's request in this matter.³ I-ching tells us that the name Kuei-tzŭ-mu was used by the Chinese before they had the story of Hārītī, and a goddess of children with that name is still worshipped by Chinese women. She is commonly represented by a standing image with a baby in her arms and two or three children below her knees as described by I-ching. As the word *kuei* has only unpleasant associations ever since the T'ang period the Chinese have occasionally substituted for it in the name of this goddess the word for nine, calling her *Kiu-tzŭ-mu*, "Mother of nine (that is, many) sons"