On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c20.102

v2.c20.102

The name Jyotishka of this passage, transcribed as Chu-ti-se-ka or Jotiska, is explained in a note as meaning "Heavenly body" (hsing-lih 星曆), and an old transcription is given as Shu-t'i-ka. Our pilgrim here calls Jyotishka an "Elder", using that word apparently in the sense of grihapati or "householder". This is the term applied to him in the Mahāvastu¹ But in other works Jyotishka is a very remarkable layman who enters Buddha's church and becomes an arhat. His story is an interesting and curious romance related with certain variations in several treatises. An extremely wealthy man of Rājagriha (or Champā) whose wife was with child was told by the Kshapanaka (or Tirthikas), to whom he was devoted, that the offspring would be a daughter. But Buddha told the man that his wife would give birth to a son who would join the Buddhists, become very distinguished, and attain arhatship. Listening to the wicked talk and counsel of the Tirthikas the husband killed his wife, and had her body taken to the cemetery to be buried. When the corpse was blazing the baby was seen, and at Buddha's request Jīvaka ventured into the fire and rescued the infant. As the father refused to take charge of his son the latter was at Buddha's request, adopted by king Bimbisāra, and Buddha gave him the name Jyotishka because he had been saved from fire (Jyotis). In the course of time the boy was claimed by his maternal uncle, and he rose to be a man of wealth and magnificence beyond imagination. In his house the walls were of silver and the floors of crystal, the furniture was of gold and other precious substances, his slaves were of heavenly beauty, and unseen devices wrought visible wonders. King Ajātaśatru coveted the house and its contents, and Jyotishka in order to avoid trouble gave away everything in alms, then entered the Buddhist church and rose to be an arhat. All the temporal and spiritual greatness of this man was explained by the Buddha as the result of religious merit acquired by him in the time of a Buddha who belonged to an era in the far off past.¹ This story of Jyotishka does not seem to be known to the Pali scriptures so far as these are at present accessible.