Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c31.2715

v2.c31.2715

Māyā’s resolve to be the mother of a Buddha was formed ninety-one kappas ago in the time of Vipassī Buddha.⁹ She was then the elder daughter of King Bandhumā. One of the king’s vassals sent him a piece of priceless sandalwood and a golden wreath, worth one hundred thousand. The sandalwood the king gave to his elder daughter and the wreath to the younger. The elder powdered the sandalwood and took it in a golden casket to the Buddha. Some of the powder she offered to the Buddha to be rubbed on his body, and the rest she scattered in his cell. It was the sight of the Buddha’s golden body that inspired her with the desire to be the mother of such a being. Her sister later became Uracchadā (q.v.).