Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c31.1657

v2.c31.1657

Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī.—An eminent Therī. She was born at Devadaha in the family of Suppabuddha¹ as the younger sister of Mahāmāyā. At the birth of each sister, interpreters of bodily marks prophesied that their children would be cakkavattins. King Suddhodana married both the sisters, and when Mahāmāyā died, seven days after the birth of the Buddha, Pajāpatī looked after the Buddha and nursed him. She was the mother of Nanda, but it is said that she gave her own son to nurses and herself nursed the Buddha. The Buddha was at Vesāli when Suddhodana died, and Pajāpatī decided to renounce the world, and waited for an opportunity to ask the permission of the Buddha.² Her opportunity came when the Buddha visited Kapilavatthu to settle the dispute between the Sākyans and the Koliyans as to the right to take water from the river Rohiṇī. When the dispute had been settled, the Buddha preached the Kalahavivāda Sutta, and five hundred young Sākyan men joined the Order. Their wives, led by Pajāpatī, went to the Buddha and asked leave to be ordained as nuns. This leave the Buddha refused, and he went on to Vesāli. But Pajāpatī and her companions, nothing daunted, had barbers to cut off their hair, and donning yellow robes, followed the Buddha to Vesālī on foot. They arrived with wounded feet at the Buddha’s monastery and repeated their request. The Buddha again refused, but Ānanda interceded on their behalf and their request was granted, subject to eight strict conditions.³