The Story of Hariti (鬼子母)

   The Story of Hariti (鬼子母)

Sutra of Miscellaneous Precious Deposits, Vol. 9

    Hariti was the wife of Pañcika, the commander-in-chief of the Yakṣa. She had ten thousand children, and each of them had the power of Hercules. Her youngest son was called Piṅgala. Hariti was cruel and oppressive and devoured human children after slaughtering them. This caused much suffering to the people, so they complained to the World-Honored One and pleaded to Him for help. The World-Honored One then took away Hariti’s youngest son, Piṅgala, and hid him at the bottom of His alms bowl. After desperately searching in vain for her missing son throughout the universe for seven days, upon hearing that the Buddha was all knowing, Hariti went to the Buddha’s place to ask for His help. The Buddha told her, “You have ten thousand children and lost only one of them. How come you have become so distressful and have tried to search for him? Could you imagine the suffering of the parents whose only child or whose three or five kids had been killed and devoured by you?” Hariti then said to the Buddha, “If I can have Piṅgala back, I will no longer kill any of the kids in the secular world.” The Buddha then allowed Hariti to see Piṅgala, who was under His bowl. Hariti exhausted her psychic powers trying to get Piṅgala but failed to do so. Hariti then begged the Buddha to release her son. The Buddha told her, “If you can take the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts and do no more killing for the rest of your life, I will return your child to you.” Immediately, Hariti accepted the Buddha’s instructions and took the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts. Once Hariti met all the promises she had made, the Buddha returned her son to her. The Buddha then said to her, “You should well observe the precepts from now on. In the past, during the time of Kaśyapa Buddha, you were the seventh daughter of King Kanish. Although you had accumulated enormous virtues and merits at that time, you failed to keep the precepts, and for that reason, you were reborn in the form of a yakṣa.”

#Buddha #Buddhism #threerefugesandfiveprecepts #nirvana #transmigration #karma

《雜寶藏經》卷9：

【鬼子母者，是老鬼神王般闍迦妻，有子一萬，皆有大力士之力。其最小子 ，字嬪伽羅，此鬼子母兇妖暴虐，殺人兒子，以自噉食。人民患之，仰告世尊。世尊爾時，即取其子嬪伽羅，盛著鉢底。時鬼子母，周遍天下，七日之中，推求不得，愁憂懊惱，傳聞他言，云佛世尊，有一切智。即至佛所，問兒所在。時佛答言：「汝有萬子，唯失一子，何故苦惱愁憂而推覓耶？世間人民，或有一子，或五三子，而汝殺害。」鬼子母白佛言：「我今若得嬪伽羅者，終更不殺世人之子。」佛即使鬼子母見嬪伽羅在於鉢下，盡其神力，不能得取，還求於佛。佛言：「汝今若能受三歸五戒，盡壽不殺，當還汝子。」鬼子母即如佛勅，受於三歸及以五戒。受持已訖，即還其子。佛言：「汝好持戒 ，汝是迦葉佛時，羯膩王第七小女，大作功德，以不持戒故，受是鬼形。」】