Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v1.c13.247

v1.c13.247

Once, in the past, she was a serving-woman of the king of Benares, and one day, having seen a Pacceka Buddha who was slightly hunchbacked, she threw a blanket over her shoulder, and bending down to look like a hunchback, she imitated the Buddha’s manner of walking. Therefore, in this present birth she herself was hunchbacked. On another occasion eight Pacceka Buddhas, receiving their bowls filled with rice-porridge from the palace, found the bowls so hot that they were obliged to move them from one hand to the other. Seeing this, Khujjuttarā gave them eight ivory bracelets as stands for their bowls. It is said that these bracelets are still preserved in the **Nandamūla-pabbhāra**. Because of this act Khujjuttarā obtained profound wisdom in this birth, and was able to learn the Tipiṭaka by heart. In the time of **Kassapa** Buddha she was the daughter of a treasurer, and had a friend who was a nun; one day when she was adorning herself at eventide the nun visited her, and as there was no servant-girl at the time Khujjuttarā asked the nun to do various things for her. As a result she was born as a slave. Her desire to become chief among learned lay-women was formed in the time of **Padumuttara** Buddha, on her seeing a similar rank bestowed on a lay-woman.³