21: Sumana, Aggidatta and Jambuka – 702 

 

Ājīvakas initiated a lad as a novice. Then his parents left after inviting the 
Ājīvakas for the next day’s meal at their home. 

The following day, the Ājīvakas said to Jambuka: “Come along, let’s go to the 
village.” He replied: “You better go and I will remain in the monastery.” After 
several vain attempts to persuade him to follow, they left him all alone and went 
into the village. Once he knew that they were gone, he took off the wooden 
covering of the latrine and went into the pit, picked up the filth with his two 
hands and helped himself to his heart’s content. 

The Ājīvakas, being unaware of the truth, sent food to him from the village. But 
he was not interested in it and rejected it, and in spite of persuasive advice given 
by the Ājīvakas, his reply was: “I don’t want this, I have enough food for myself.” 
When he was asked: “From where did you receive it?” he replied: “From within 
the precincts of the monastery.” The second, the third and the fourth days passed 
in the same manner, Jambuka refusing the invitation to go out for food but 
choose to stay alone in the monastery. 

The Ājīvakas began to wonder what Jambuka was up to: “This Jambuka refuses 
every day to go into the village, rejects the food that was sent to him, saying, he 
gets the food for himself from within the precincts of the monastery. What is he 
up to? We will have to investigate.” They then decided to leave behind one or 
two of the brethren to keep a watchful eye on Jambuka’s activities, while they 
went to the village. Those charged with the responsibility of investigation, 
pretended to go along with the group, but remained behind under cover to watch 
Jambuka. Thinking that all the Ājīvakas had left for the village, Jambuka went 
down the latrine pit as on the previous days and ate the faeces. 

Jambuka was caught red-handed by the spies and the matter was reported to 
their elders. The elders, on hearing the report murmured: “Jambuka’s action is 
grievous. Should the disciples of ascetic Gotama come to know of this affair, 
they will surely decry us as a wandering tribe of filth eaters, which will be much 
to the detriment of our dignity. He is not fit that he remain with us any longer.” 
So saying they unanimously expelled him from their sect. 

When he was expelled by the Ājīvakas, Jambuka went to stay near a huge stone 
slab which was close to a spot used by the citizens of Rājagaha as a public 
lavatory. There was 

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 also a huge sewage pipe adjacent to that large stone 

slab. People usually came to ease and relieve themselves behind the stone slab 
screen. Jambuka ate the refuse matter at nighttime, and when people came to