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Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c34: L

Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names v2.c34

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L

v2.c34.1

Lakuṇṭaka-Atimbara.—One of the chief ministers of Duṭṭhagāmaṇi. He was the husband of Ubbarī, when, in her last birth, she was reborn as Sumanā.¹

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¹ For the story see under Ubbarī (1).

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Lakuṇṭaka-Bhaddiya Thera.—He was born in a wealthy family of Sāvatthi and was given the title of Lakuṇṭaka (Dwarf) owing to his very small stature.¹ Having heard the Buddha preach, he entered the Order and became learned and eloquent, teaching others in a sweet voice. Once, on a festival day, a woman of the town, driving with a brahmin in a chariot, saw the Elder and laughed, showing her teeth. The Elder, taking the teeth as his object, developed *jhāna* and became an *anāgāmin*. Later, after being admonished by Sāriputta,² he developed mindfulness regarding the body and became an arahant.

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¹ He was, nevertheless, beautiful in body, says the ApA.; but see below.

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² The Udāna (vii. 1, 2) makes reference to the admonitions of Sāriputta and to the Buddha’s joy when these had the desired effect. The Commentary (UdA. 360 f.) gives details.

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In the time of Padumuttara Buddha he was a very rich householder of Haṃsavatī, and, having heard the Buddha describe one of his monks as the sweetest-voiced among them all, he wished for a similar distinction for himself under a future Buddha. In the time of Phussa Buddha he was a *cittapattakokila*, named Nanda, who, seeing the Buddha in the royal park, placed in his bowl a ripe mango.³ In Kassapa Buddha’s day he was the chief architect entrusted with the building of the *thūpa* over the Buddha’s relics, and, when a dispute arose as to how big the *thūpa* should be, he decided in favour of a small one; hence his small stature in his last life.⁴

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³ The Ap. (loc. infra) says he was the king’s general.

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⁴ ThagA. i. 469 ff.; Ap. ii. 489 f.; the account in AA. i. 110 f. is slightly different; the Keḷisīla Jātaka (q.v.) gives a different reason for his shortness.

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In the assembly of monks the Buddha ranked him as foremost among sweet-voiced monks⁵ (*mañjussarāṇaṃ*). Several stories connected with Bhaddiya are recorded in the books. Because of his shortness and his youthful appearance he was sometimes mistaken for a novice.⁶ Elsewhere⁷ it is said that, because he was ugly and hunch-backed, he was despised by his companions, and the Buddha had to proclaim to them his greatness and hold him up as an example of a man who, though small, was of great power. Another account⁸ relates how novices used to pull his hair and tweek his ears and nose saying, “ Uncle, you tire not of religion? You take delight in it?” But he showed no resentment and took no offence.

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⁵ A. i. 25.

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⁶ DhA. iii. 387.

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⁷ S. ii. 279; cp. Ud. vii. 5.

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⁸ DhA. ii. 148; the introduction to the Keḷisīla Jātaka (J. ii. 142) speaks of thirty monks from the country who, seeing Bhaddiya at Jetavana, pulled him about until they were told by the Buddha who he was.

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It was in reference to Bhaddiya that the Buddha preached two famous riddle-stanzas in the Dhammapada,⁹ where he describes the arahant as one who has killed father and mother and two kings and destroyed a kingdom, but who yet goes scatheless—the words having a metaphorical meaning.

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⁹ Nos. 294, 295; for the explanation of the riddle see DhA. iii. 454.

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Several stanzas uttered by Bhaddiya in the Ambāṭakavana, as he sat there enjoying the bliss of arahantship, are included in the Theragāthā.¹⁰ In the Avadānaśataka¹¹ he is called Lakuñcika.

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¹⁰ Thag. vss. 466-72.

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¹¹ See Avś. ii. 152-60.

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Lakkha-khaṇḍa.—The fourth section of the Vidhura Jātaka, which describes the play of dice between Dhanañjaya and Puṇṇaka, ending in the defeat of the former.¹

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¹ J. iv. 280-92.

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1. Lakkhaṇa.—Son of Dasaratha and brother of Rāma, Sītā and Bharata. He is identified with Sāriputta.¹

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¹ J. iv. 130; for details see the Dasaratha Jātaka.

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2. Lakkhaṇa.—One of the eight brahmins who recognized the auspicious signs at the birth of the Buddha.¹ The Milinda² speaks of him as one of the Buddha’s first teachers.

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¹ J. i. 56.

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² Mil. 236.

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3. Lakkhaṇa Thera.—Mentioned as having stayed with Mahā Moggallāna on Gijjhakūṭa. Once, when they were going down to Rājagaha for alms, Lakkhaṇa noticed that at a certain spot Moggallāna smiled; on asking him why, he was told to wait till they saw the Buddha. When the question was repeated in the Buddha’s presence, Moggallāna said that he had smiled on seeing various Petas with gruesome forms flying through the air. From the text¹ it would appear that these visions were seen again on several occasions.

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¹ S. ii. 254; Vin. iii. 104 ff.; the stories of some of the Petas seen and of their past lives are given in detail in DhA. ii. 68 ff.; iii. 60 ff.; 410 ff., 479.

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The Commentary² explains that Lakkhaṇa was one of the thousand Jaṭilas ordained by the Buddha (when he converted the Tebhātika Jaṭilas). He attained arahantship at the conclusion of the preaching of the Ādittapariyāyadesanā. He was called Lakkhaṇa because of his marvellous personality, “like unto Brahmā’s” (brahmasamena). It adds further that Lakkhaṇa’s failure to see the Petas was not because he lacked the divine eye but because he was not giving attention (anāvaj-jento), as a clairvoyant must. It is said³ that when Moggallāna related his vision, some of the monks blamed him for claiming superhuman powers (uttarimanussadhamma), but the Buddha declared him free from blame.

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² SA. ii. 159.

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³ Vin. iii. 105.

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4. **Lakkhaṇa**.—A deer, son of the Bodhisatta, identified with **Sāriputta**. For his story see the **Lakkhaṇa Jātaka**.

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**Lakkhaṇa Jātaka** (No. 11).—The Bodhisatta was once a deer and had two sons, **Lakkhaṇa** and **Kāḷa**. When the time came for gathering the crops, he told his sons to seek refuge in the mountain tracts with their herds. They agreed, but Kāḷa, being ignorant, kept his deer on the tramp early and late, and men, coming upon them, destroyed most of them. Lakkhaṇa, however, moved his deer only in the dead of night and reached the forest without losing any of his herd. The same thing happened on their return four months later, and the Bodhisatta praised Lakkhaṇa’s intelligence.

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The story was related in reference to **Devadatta** and **Sāriputta**. Devadatta had persuaded five hundred monks to secede from the Buddha and go with him, but Sāriputta visited them and brought them all back. Devadatta is identified with Kāḷa and Sāriputta with Lakkhaṇa.¹

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¹ J. i. 142 f.; the story is referred to at DhA. i. 122.

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**Lakkhaṇa Saṃyutta**.—The nineteenth section of the **Saṃyutta Nikāya**. It contains account of the *Petas* seen by **Moggallāna** when in the company of **Lakkhaṇa Thera**.¹

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¹ S. ii. 254-63.

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**Lakkhaṇa Sutta**.—The thirtieth sutta of the **Dīgha Nikāya**. It gives an account of the thirty-two special marks of the superman (*mahāpurisalakkhaṇāni*) which signify that their possessor will be either a world-emperor (*Cakkavatti*) or a Buddha. The sutta definitely states that these marks are entirely due to good deeds done in former births and can only be maintained in the present life by goodness.¹

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¹ D. iii. 142-79; the sutta is quoted in Mil. p. 405.

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**Lakkhadhammā**.—An illustrious nun of Ceylon.¹

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¹ Dpv. xviii. 40.

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1. **Lakkhī**.—The Pāli equivalent of Lakṣmī, goddess of beauty and fortune. The name is found usually only in later works.¹

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¹ *E.g.*, Cv. lxxii. 101; lxxvi. 233; J. ii. 413; iii. 306 (explained as being equal to *paññā*); v. 113; the word Lacchi, however, probably equivalent to Lakkhī (1), is found in Thig. vs. 419, but the passage is obscure. See *Sisters* 159, n. 2.

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2. **Lakkhī**.—Daughter of **Dhataraṭṭha**. She is generally called **Siri**. For her story see the **Sirikāḷakaṇṇi Jātaka**.

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Lakkhuyyāṇa.—A park in Ceylon, laid out by Parakkamabāhu I. for the benefit of the monks. The Candabhāgā Canal flowed through it.¹

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Lakhumā.—A woman who lived near Kevattadvāragāma, near Benares. She was pious and gave alms to several holy monks, listened to their preaching, and became a sotāpanna. After death she was born in a vimāna in Tāvatiṃsa and there had a conversation with Moggallāna, at the end of which she became a sakadāgāmī.¹

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¹ Vv. ii. 2; VvA. 97 f.

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Laṅkā, Laṅkādipa, Laṅkātala.—Pāli names for Ceylon, found in the Chronicles—e.g., Dīpavamsa, Mahāvamsa and the Commentaries. An ancient tradition recorded in the Mahāvamsa,¹ and in the Samantapāsādikā,² gives the names of the Island in the times of the three previous Buddhas, the names of the capital cities, the different names of Mahāmeghavana, and of the kings contemporary with these Buddhas. Thus, in the time of Kakusandha, the Island was called Ojadīpa, the king was Abhaya, the capital Abhayapura and Mahāmeghavana, Mahātittha. In the time of Koṇāgamana, the Island was Varadīpa, the capital Vaḍḍhamāna, the king Samiddha and the park Mahānoma. In the time of Kassapa, the Island was Maṇḍadīpa, the king Jayanta, the capital Visālā and the park Mahāsāgara. Besides Mahāmeghavana, the other physical feature of Ceylon, mentioned in these accounts, is the mountain known in the present age as Sumanakūṭa, whereon the Buddha Gotama placed his footprint. During the ages of the three previous Buddhas, it was known, respectively, as Devakūṭa, Sumanakūṭaka and Subhakūṭa. Gotama paid three visits to Ceylon, while the other three Buddhas came only once.³ During their visits they consecrated various spots by spending there a short time wrapt in meditation.

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Laṅkā was once inhabited by Yakkhas. Gotama Buddha obliged them to leave the Island and seek shelter in the neighbouring Giridīpa. Laṅkādīpa was later colonised by Vijaya and his three hundred companions. Two cities of the Yakkhas are mentioned: Sirīsavatthu and Laṅkāpura.⁴

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¹ Mhv. xv. 57 ff. ² Sp. i. 86 ff. ³ Details are given under each name. ⁴ For details see s.v.

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Laṅkāgiri.—A title in use at the time of Parakkamabāhu I. Among those mentioned as having borne it are Mahī, Nātha and Sora.¹

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¹ See. Cv. lxxii. 27, 124; lxxvi. 250.

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**Laṅkāgiripabbata.**—A hill in the mountainous central province of Ceylon, in the district once known as **Bodhigāmavara**.

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It is mentioned in the account of the campaigns of **Parakkamabāhu I.**¹

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¹ Cv. lxvi. 90; lxx. 88; for identification with modern Laggala, see Cv. *Trs.* i. 259, n. 3.

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**Laṅkājayamahālekhaka.**—A title conferred by **Devānampiyatissa** on **Bodhigutta**, leader of the embassy which brought the Bodhi-tree from India to Ceylon. The title was a higher one than that of **Jayamahālekhaka**, which was conferred on **Sumitta.**¹ It was, evidently, continued in later times, because one of the officers of **Parakkamabāhu I.** was called **Laṅkāmahālāna**,² which appears to be a corruption of "*Laṅkāmahālekhakanāyaka.*"

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¹ See Mbv., p. 164 f., for a description of the ceremony of investiture.

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² Cv. lxix. 12.

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1. **Laṅkātilaka.**—An image-house in **Pulatthipura**, built by **Parakkamabāhu I.** The standing image of the Buddha (also built by the king), which it contained, bore the name of **Laṅkātilaka** too.¹

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¹ Cv. lxxviii. 53 f., 63; for identification see Cv. *Trs.* ii. 108, n. 2, 4.

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2. **Laṅkātilaka.**—A park in Ceylon, laid out by **Parakkamabāhu I.**¹

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¹ Cv. lxxix. 9.

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3. **Laṅkātilaka.**—A monastery near the modern Kandy, restored by **Parakkamabāhu VI.**¹ It was built by **Bhuvanekabāhu IV.**²

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¹ Cv. xci. 30.

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² Codrington: *op. cit.*, 83.

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**Laṅkādhikārī.**—A title in use in the time of **Parakkamabāhu I.** It was higher than either **Saṅkhanāyaka** or **Laṅkādhināyaka**, and was conferred on the two officers, **Kitti**¹ and **Rakkha.**²

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¹ Cv. lxx. 278.

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² *Ibid.*, 306.

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**Laṅkādhināyaka, Laṅkādhinātha, Laṅkānātha.**—A title in use in the time of **Parakkamabāhu I.**, held both by **Kitti** and **Rakkha**,¹ who later became **Laṅkādhikārī.**

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¹ Cv. lxx. 24, 205.

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**Laṅkānagara, Laṅkāpura.**—One of the chief cities of the **Yakkhas** in Ceylon. **Polamittā**, wife of **Mahākālasena**, the chief Yakkha of Ceylon, was a princess of **Laṅkāpura.**¹ **Kuveṇī** herself was evidently from Laṅkāpura, because it was there she went when she was abandoned by Vijaya.²

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¹ Mhv. vii. 33; MT. 260.

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² Mhv. vii. 62; MT. 265.

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1. Laṅkāpura.—See Laṅkānagara.

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2. Laṅkāpura Daṇḍanātha.—A general of Parakkamabāhu I. He was probably¹ the son of the Laṅkādhinātha Kitti. We first hear of him as having parried the attack of Gajabāhu’s forces, at the pass of Khaṇḍigāma. He was later sent in command of the expedition against Kulasekhara, to help the Paṇḍu king, Parakkama of Madhurā. He landed at the Paṇḍu port of Taḷadilla and occupied Rāmissara. From there he advanced to Kundukāla. The prisoners whom he sent to Ceylon were used to help in the restoration of the Ratanavāluka-cetiya. At Kundukāla, Laṅkāpura built the fortress of Parakkamapura. He defeated Kulasekhara and his numerous allies in several battles, and won over some of his allies, such as Iḷaṅkiyarāyara, Mālavarāyara and Coḷagaṅgara, by gifts and honours, and captured, among other places, the fortress of Semponmāri. He was assisted by Laṅkāpura Deva and Laṅkāgiri Sora, the general Gokaṇṇa, the Kesadhātus Loka and Kitti, and an officer named Jagadvijaya. He then captured Muṇḍikkāra and several other fortresses and occupied Rājinā. He subdued the Coḷa and Paṇḍu countries, and is said to have issued coins bearing the name of Parakkamabāhu I., while he restored the Paṇḍu kingdom to Virapaṇḍu. The village of Paṇḍu-vijaya was founded by the king to commemorate the victory of Laṅkāpura.²

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¹ Cv. lxx. 218; Cv. Trs. 305, n. 5.

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² The account of Laṅkāpura’s exploits is found in Cv. lxxvi. 76 ff.; lxxvii. 1 ff.

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It is curious that no mention is made in the Ceylon Chronicles of Laṅkāpura’s return to Ceylon, nor of any honours bestowed on him by the king. South Indian inscriptions relate that Laṅkāpura was defeated, and that his head, with those of his officers, was nailed to the gates of Madhurā.³

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³ Codrington, op. cit., 62, 74; also Smith, Early History of India, p. 340.

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3. Laṅkāpura.—The name seems to have been used as a title and was conferred on Kaḍakkuḍa,¹ Rakkha,² and Deva.³

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¹ Cv. lxxii. 39.

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² Ibid., lxxv. 70.

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³ Ibid., 130.

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Laṅkāmahālāna.—See Laṅkājayamahālekhaka.

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Laṅkārāma.—A monastery in Ayodhyā where lived the author of the Saddhammasaṅgaha (q.v.).

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Laṅkā-vihāra.—A monastery near Mahāgāma; it was near there that Kākavaṇṇatissa found Vihāradevī when she landed from the sea.¹ But this is probably a wrong reading.²

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¹ Mhv. xxii. 22.

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² See MṬ. 432, where the place is called Toḷaka-vihāra.

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Lacchi.—See Lakkhī.

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Lajjika.—A village in Ceylon given by Aggabodhi I. for the maintenance of the Mūgasenāpati-vihāra.¹

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¹ Cv. xlii. 23.

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Lajjitissa.—See Lañjatissa.

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Lañjakāsanasālā.—A building in Ceylon, erected by Lañjatissa for the use of the monks.¹

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¹ Mhv. xxxiii. 24.

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Lañjatissa, Lañjakatissa, Lajjitissa.—King of Ceylon (59-50 B.C.). He was the eldest son of Saddhātissa, but, when his father died, the ministers and monks crowned his younger brother, Thūlatthana, king. Lañjatissa killed Thūlatthana after one month, and ruled for nine years and fifteen days. At first he was very indifferent towards the monks, but later made amends. He built the Ariṭṭha and Kuñjarahinaka-vihāras, the Lañjakāsanasālā and a stone mantling for the Kanthakathūpa, in addition to other good works.¹

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¹ Mhv. xxxiii. 14 ff.

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Laṭukika Jātaka (No. 357).—A quail once laid her eggs in the feeding ground of the elephants. When the young ones were hatched, the Bodhisatta, the leader of the elephants, passed along that way with the herd, and, at the request of the mother quail, carefully avoided the young ones. But a rogue elephant, who came after, though warned in the same way, trod on the nest and fouled it. The quail swore revenge, and got a crow to put out the elephant's eyes and a fly to put maggots in them, and when the elephant, in great pain, looked for water, she persuaded a frog to croak on the mountain top and thus to lead the elephant into a precipice down which he fell and was killed.

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The story was told in reference to Devadatta who was identified with the rogue-elephant.¹

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¹ J. iii. 174-77.

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In the accounts² of the quarrel between the Sākyans and the Koliyans, this Jātaka is said to have been one of those preached by the Buddha on that occasion, showing that even such a weak animal as a quail could sometimes cause the death of an elephant. Perhaps the story was related on more than one occasion.³ See also below, Laṭukikopama Sutta.

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² See s.v. Rohiṇī.

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³ See DhA. i. 46, where it is related to the Kosambi monks to show the danger of quarrelling.

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Laṭukikopama Sutta.—Preached to Udāyī¹ in a wood near Āpaṇa. Udāyī recalls the rules made by the Buddha regarding the hours for meals, how such rules were added to, until, in the end, any meal out of hours was forbidden; and he mentions how, though at first these rules involved hardship, in the end they were very helpful in dispelling unhappy states of consciousness and in implanting happy ones. The Buddha agrees, but adds that many people are foolish, and consider such sacrifices insignificant, growing discontented when asked to make them. But this insignificant thing develops into a bond strong enough to hold them fast. Some people are like quails caught in traps, unable to escape from their bonds, others like mighty elephants, bursting their bonds and going where they wish. Thus there are four types of individuals, differing according as to whether they are attached to their bonds or detached from them.²

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¹ This is Mahā-Udāyī, says the Commentary.

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² M. i. 447-56; MA. ii. 656-60.

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Laṭṭhivana, Laṭṭhivanuyyāna.—A grove to the south-west of Rājagaha. In it was the Supatiṭṭha-cetiya, where the Buddha stayed during his first visit to Rājagaha from Gayāsīsa, after the Enlightenment. There Bimbisāra visited him with twelve nahutas of followers, and Uruvela Kassapa dispelled their doubts by declaring his acceptance of the Buddha as his teacher. It was during this visit that Bimbisāra gifted Veḷuvana to the Buddha and his Order.¹ Eleven nahutas, with Bimbisāra at their head, became sotāpannas at the end of the Buddha’s sermon, which included the Mahānārada Kassapa Jātaka. The remaining nahuta was established in the Refuges.² The grove evidently received its name from its green liquorice creepers, hence its description as Laṭṭhimadhukavana.³ Hiouen Thsang⁴ calls it Yaṣṭivana and describes it as a grove of bamboos, giving accounts of its origin and various stories connected with it.

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¹ Vin. i. 35 ff.; DhA. i. 72; AA. i. 166; BuA. 18, etc.

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² J. i. 84; AA. i. 57; also J. vi. 219.

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³ E.g., J. i. 68.

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⁴ Beal, op. cit., 145 f.; see VT. 136.

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Laṭā.—A woman of Sāvatthi. She was good and holy, and after death was born as a daughter of Vessavaṇa. Her sisters were Sajjā, Pavarā, Acchimati and Sutā. Sakka married them all, and when a dispute arose as to which was the most skilled in dance and song, a contest was held on the banks of the Anotatta, in which Latā won. Sutā asked Latā how she acquired her great talents, and the latter gave an account of her good deeds as a human being. Later, the story was related to Moggallāna on one of his visits to the deva worlds, and was repeated by him to the Buddha.¹

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¹ Vv. iii. 4; VvA. 131 ff.

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Ladagāma.—A village assigned by Jeṭṭhatissa for the maintenance of Kālavāpi-vihāra.¹

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¹ Cv. xliv. 101.

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Labujagāma.—A village in Ceylon, in the province of Saparagamu. Once, for a short period, the Tooth Relic of the Buddha was placed in the monastery there, after being taken from Jayavaddhanapura,¹ and Vimaladhammasūriya removed it from there to Sirivaddhanapura.²

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¹ Cp. Cv. xci. 17 f.

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² Ibid., xciv. 11 f.

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Labujadāyaka Thera.—An arahant.¹ It was evidently the same as Yasoja (q.v.).

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¹ Ap. ii. 409.

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Labujaphaladāyaka Thera.—An arahant.¹ The story given is identically the same as that of Labujadāyaka (q.v.).

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¹ Ap. i. 295.

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Labujamaṇḍaka.—One of four villages given by Parakkamabāhu IV. for the maintenance of the pariveṇa built by him for Medhaṅkara Thera.¹

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¹ Cv. xc. 87.

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Labhiya-Vasabha.—See Vasabha.

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Lambaka.—A rock near Himavā.¹

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¹ ThagA. i. 97; Ap. i. 15, 280; ii. 454.

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Lambakaṇṇā.—A gotta, mentioned in the Chronicles as being among the inhabitants of Ceylon. The Lambakaṇṇas had, probably, certain duties to perform in connection with the consecration of a king,¹ for we find that Iḷanāga, when he went to take his ceremonial bath in Tissavāpi, was enraged on finding that the Lambakaṇṇā were not there. As a punishment, he ordered them to work at the remaking of a road along the bank of the tank, leading to the Mahā Thūpa, and set caṇḍalas to supervise them. Full of anger, the Lambakaṇṇas rose in revolt and seized the throne. Three years later the king returned from exile, and, having defeated the Lambakaṇṇas, made them drag his chariot in triumphal procession. When he proposed to behead them his mother intervened, and he contented himself with having their noses and toes cut off.²

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¹ This was perhaps the reason why Parakkamabāhu I. gave them a prominent place in the ceremonies held in honour of the Tooth Relic (Cv. lxxiv. 213); see also below, in the text.

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² Mhv. xxxv. 18 ff.

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The Lambakaṇṇas were evidently a powerful clan, and several members of the clan ruled as kings of Ceylon—e.g., Vasabha, Saṅghatissa, Saṅghabodhi and Gothābhaya, the last three of whom came from Mahiyaṅgaṇa and seized the throne from Vijayakumāra.³ Between the reign of Kittisirimegha and the Coḷiyan conquest in 1017 A.C.—i.e., between the third and the eleventh centuries—out of thirty-six kings who occupied the throne of Ceylon the majority belonged to either the Moriyā or the Lambakaṇṇā. A clan of Lambakaṇṇas lived also in South India in the twelfth century. When Laṅkāpura, acting under the orders of Parakkamabāhu I., crowned Vīrapaṇḍu as king of Paṇḍu, three Lambakaṇṇa chiefs were asked to carry out "the duties of the Lambakaṇṇas" (*Lambakaṇṇadhuram*).⁴

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³ Ibid., xxxvi. 58 ff.

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⁴ Cv. lxxvii. 27 f.

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The name may have had a totemistic origin, but according to some Sinhalese Chronicles⁵ the Lambakaṇṇas of Ceylon were a branch of the Moriyas. They claimed descent from Sumitta—a prince of the Moriyan clan, who formed one of the escort that brought the Bodhi-tree from India—and Sumanā, a princess of the same race, who was at one time a nun, ordained under Saṅghamittā. According to these Chronicles most of the kings of Ceylon down to the time of Parakkama-bāhu VI. were scions of this clan.

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⁵ E.g., the Saddharmaratnākara and the Pārakumbā-Sirita.

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In Ceylon, the Lambakaṇṇas had settlements in Rohaṇa.⁶

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⁶ See, e.g., AA. i. 262.

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Lambacūḷaka.—A town in the domain of King Pajaka,¹ and, therefore, in Avanti. Elsewhere² it is mentioned as having been in the domain of Caṇḍappajjota, probably again referring to Avanti.

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¹ J. iii. 463.

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² J. v. 133.

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Lambitakā.—A class of devas present at the preaching of the Mahā-samaya Sutta.¹

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¹ D. ii. 261.

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Laḷātadhātuvamsa.—A Pāli work containing the history of the frontal bone relic of the Buddha.¹

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¹ For a discussion see P.L.C. 255.

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Lasuṇadāyaka Thera.—An arahant. In the time of Vipassī Buddha he was an ascetic living on garlic (*lasuṇa*). Pleased with the Buddha and his monks, he once gave a whole pingo-load of garlic to the monastery.¹

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¹ Ap. i. 89.

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1. Lahu Sutta.—Four conditions, the cultivation of which leads to buoyant (*lahu*) insight.¹

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¹ S. v. 412.

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2. Lahu Sutta.—There is no other single thing so quick to change (*lahuparivatta*) as mind.¹

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¹ A. i. 10.

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Lahulla.—A village in Ceylon, near Nālandā.¹

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¹ Cv. lxx. 214.

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Lājā.—A goddess (*devadhītā*). She was once the watcher of a field of paddy-rice in Rājagaha, and when Mahā Kassapa, out of compassion, approached her, she took some of the parched rice and, with devout heart, poured it into his bowl. Almost immediately she was bitten by a snake, and was reborn after death in Tāvatiṃsa. Realizing that it was to Kassapa that she owed her good fortune, she decided to wait on him, sweep his cell, etc. As soon as Kassapa discovered this, he forbade her to come near him any more. Lājā was much distressed, and the Buddha, noting her despair, sent a ray of light to console her.¹

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¹ DhA. iii. 6 ff.

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Lābugāmaka.—A village in Ceylon where Paṇḍukābhaya vanquished his uncles. Their heads were collected and lay “like a heap of gourds,” hence the name of the village.¹ Its original name was Nagaragāma.²

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¹ Mhv. x. 72; see also Mhv. Trs. 73, n. 2.

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² MT. 292.

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Lābhagaraha Jātaka (No. 287).—The Buddha was once a famous teacher of the Vedas with five hundred pupils. One pupil asked him how people could obtain gain in this world. His teacher answered that in a world full of fools the man who slanders, possesses the tricks of an actor and carries evil talk, gains prosperity. The pupil expressed his disappointment and continued his religious life.

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The story was related in reference to a colleague who asked Sāriputta the same question and received the above answer.¹

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¹ J. ii. 420-3.

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Lābhavāsī.—A group of ascetic monks within the Buddhist Order in Ceylon. Mahinda IV. showed them special favour,¹ while Vijayabāhu I. gave for their maintenance the villages of Antaraviṭṭhi, Saṅghatagāma and Sirimaṇḍagalagāma, and provided them with necessaries.²

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¹ Cv. liv. 27.

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² Ibid., lx. 68, 72.

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Lābhasakkāra Saṃyutta.—The seventeenth section of the Saṃyutta Nikāya.¹

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¹ S. ii. 225-44.

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Lāmaṣeṭṭhā.—A class of devas present at the preaching of the Mahāsamaya Sutta.¹

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¹ D. ii. 261; DA. ii. 691.

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Lāḷa.—A country in India, the capital of which was Sīhapura; it was the birthplace of Vijaya, founder of the Sinhalese dynasty.¹ The country is now generally identified with the modern Gujerat, the Larika of Ptolemy.

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¹ Dpv. ix. 5; Mhv. vi. 5, 36.

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Lāḷudāyī Thera.—An Elder who possessed the knack of saying “the wrong thing.” He would go to a place where people were enjoying a holiday and recite stanzas suitable to a funeral and vice versa.¹ When the Buddha heard of this he related the Somadatta Jātaka (q.v.), showing that in past births, too, Lāḷudāyī had possessed the same propensity. He is identified with the foolish father (Agnidatta) of the story.² We also read of his jealousy of the praises bestowed on Sāriputta and Moggallāna for their knowledge and exposition of the Law, and he claimed that he possessed knowledge equal to theirs. But one day when asked to preach, he sat on a seat holding a painted fan, but found nothing to say. He thereupon agreed to preach in the evening; but the same thing happened, and he barely escaped with his life, so furious was his audience. The Buddha, on hearing of this, related the Sūkara Jātaka (q.v.) (in which Lāḷudāyī was the pig), showing that in the past, too, he had covered himself with disgrace because of his boastfulness.³ On another occasion, he had a dispute with Dabba Mallaputta regarding the allotment of the rice tickets, and the monks, in order to teach him a lesson, handed him the tickets to distribute. But he created such confusion that there was a great uproar, and Ānanda was sent by the Buddha to find out what was happening. When Ānanda returned with this story, the Buddha related the Taṇḍulanāli Jātaka (q.v.) to show that in the past Lāḷudāyī had been a foolish appraiser.⁴ The Naṅgalisa Jātaka gives another example of his folly and ineptitude⁵; so does also the Padañjali Jātaka,⁶ where he is identified with Padañjali, an idle, lazy loafer. In the Mahāummagga Jātaka⁷ he is identified with the somewhat foolish king, Vedeha.

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¹ DhA. iii. 123 ff.

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² J. ii. 167; DhA. iii. 125.

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³ J. ii. 344 ff.; but according to the introductory story of the Jātaka itself (in J. ii. 9 ff.), Lāḷudāyī’s name is not mentioned, and the incident described differs somewhat.

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⁴ J. i. 123 ff.

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⁵ Ibid., 446 ff.

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⁶ J. ii. 263 f.

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⁷ J. vi. 478.

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Lāḷudāyī once had a discussion with Pasūra, who, at first, thought him to be clever and wise, and accepted him as teacher, being ordained by him. But, later, Pāsura easily defeated him in discussion.⁸ Others, too, visiting Jetavana, and seeing him in the Preacher's seat, mistook him for an eminent Elder, but soon discovered their mistake.⁹

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⁸ SNA. ii. 540.

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⁹ E.g., DhA. ii. 31.

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On one occasion¹⁰ Lāḷudāyī even dared to contradict Sāriputta regarding birth among the manomayadevā. Three times Sāriputta repeated his statement and three times Lāḷudāyī contradicted him, and, there being no monk in the assembly who supported Sāriputta, he took Lāḷudāyī to the Buddha, where he three times repeated the same statement, being three times contradicted. Then the Buddha called Lāḷudāyī “a witless fool” and silenced him. Ānanda was witness to the dispute, but took no part in it, thereby winning the Buddha’s censure.

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¹⁰ A. iii. 192 f.; AA. ii. 628.

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Elsewhere,¹¹ however, we find Lāḷudāyī listening in all humility to a discourse by Sāriputta on Nibbāna, as the happiness which is not sensed (avedayitasukha). Though Udāyī’s knowledge of the Dhamma was not profound, he did not hesitate to take part in a discussion, even with the Buddha himself, when occasion arose. We find him twice censured by the Buddha for this exhibition of his ignorance, once in the Mahākamma-vibhaṅga Sutta¹² and once again in a discussion on anussati.¹³ In both instances Ānanda is present, and, in the discussion on anussati, he earns the Buddha’s praise for his knowledge compared with Udāyī’s ignorance. This annoyed Udāyī, for we find him confronting Ānanda with the fact that though he had been in the constant society of the Buddha he had not profited by it, a remark which earned the censure of the Buddha and his assurance that Ānanda would certainly reach perfection in that very life.¹⁴

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¹¹ A. iv. 414 f.; AA. ii. 810.

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¹² M. iii. 208.

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¹³ A. iii. 322 f.

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¹⁴ A. i. 228; AA. i. 441.

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Buddhaghosa¹⁵ calls Lāḷudāyī Kovariyaputta. It is not clear whether this means that his father was called Kovariya. The Vinaya¹⁶ mentions a monk called Udāyī who was a colleague of Seyyasaka. He persuaded Seyyasaka to commit the first Saṅghādisesa offence, saying that he himself acted likewise. For this the Mānatta penalty was imposed on him. According to the Commentaries,¹⁷ this Udāyī is to be identified with Lāḷudāyī, and if this be correct, it was perhaps the same monk who was guilty of several Vinaya offences attributed to Udāyī—see Udāyī (2)—though the Vinaya Commentary does not elsewhere¹⁸ definitely so identify him, except once,¹⁹ where he is mentioned as having made an embroidered robe for a nun, which he persuaded her to wear in the assembly of the nuns! Was this because the Commentator regarded the two Udāyīs as distinct persons?²⁰

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¹⁵ ThagA. ii. 7; some of the MSS. read nāṭakācariyaputta.

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¹⁶ Vin. iii. 110.

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¹⁷ Sp. iii. 517; DhA. iii. 5.

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¹⁸ E.g., Sp. iii. 541, 549, 552, where he is simply called Udāyī.

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¹⁹ Sp. iv. 804.

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²⁰ E.g., MA. i. 348.

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Lāḷudāyī is given as an example of a person who did no good either to himself or to others (*neva attahitāya paṭipanno no parahitāya*). Buddhaghosa elsewhere²¹ describes him as “*bhantamigasappaṭibhāgo niddārāmatādim anuyuttānaṃ aññataro lolabhikkhu*.”

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²¹ Sp. iii. 517.

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1. Lāḷudāyīthera Vatthu.—The story of Lāḷudāyī's past life as Aggidatta.¹ *Cp.* the Somadatta Jātaka.

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¹ DhA. iii. 123 ff.

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2. Lāḷudāyīthera Vatthu.—The story of Lāḷudāyī's futile attempt to excel Sāriputta and Moggallāna in the power of preaching.¹

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¹ DhA. iii. 344 ff.

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Lāvarāvapabbata.—Probably a monastery in Ceylon rebuilt by Aggabodhi IX.¹

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¹ Cv. xlix. 76.

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