Chapter 31
women's navel is another cause for pregnancy.
Similarly, while menstruation was occurring to a rich man's daughter, DiÔÔhama~galika,
the Bodhisatta hermit, MÈta~ga, stroke her navel which made her pregnant and her son,
MaÓÉavya, was born. The mother of Prince CaÓÉa Pajjota, during the menses, felt a
scorpion's walking across her navel pleasant, she became pregnant and gave birth to
the prince.
(6) Being deprived of copulation with men, some women in this world who eye men
lustfully while in the period and even staying at home can become pregnant. (In
Ceylon there was a court lady, to whom the same thing happened.) Thus, through the
sight of the male's appearance pregnancy happens.
(7) No male is known among the pond herons. When they hear thunder when in heat, they
become pregnant. Sometimes pregnancy occurs to hens on hearing the crowing of a
cock. Similarly, pregnancy happens to cows as they hear the bellowing of a bull. Thus,
through the hearing of the male's sound pregnancy takes place.
(8) Sometimes, cows conceive when they get the smell of a bull. Thus, through the male's
odour, pregnancy takes place.
These eight causes for pregnancy should particularly be noted.
——
Vinaya PÈaijikakanda, Vol. I
. ——
Tumultuous Denunciation of Devas and BrahmÈs
(There is no hidden place in the world for a man who commits evil. In fact, he who does
evil is the first to know his evil. Next, his guardian spirit and the guardian spirits of forests
know it. Then other devas and BrahmÈs come to know successively. Therefore, when
Sudinna copulated with his ex-wife, the terrestrial spirit living all over the entire MahÈvana
saw the offence and transmitted by shouting so that higher devas and BrahmÈs might hear:
‚Friends, the Sangha of
bhikkhus
(in the past) was indeed free from the thieves of
immorality (
dussÊla
)! It was indeed free from the blemishes of immorality
(
dussÊla
)! But now the Kalanda merchant's son, Sudinna, has caused theft which is
immorality (
dussÊla
)! He has caused the blemishes of immorality (
dussÊla
)!‛
On hearing the voice of the terrestrial spirits, the celestial spirits, such as CatumahÈrajika
devas, TÈvatiÑsa devas, YÈma devas, TusitÈ devas, NimmÈnarati devas,
ParanimmitavasavattÊ devas, and BrahmÈs shouted in the same way successively. Thus, in a
moment, the roars of condemnation spread and rose to the world of BrahmÈs.
When her pregnancy became mature, Sudinna's ex-wife gave birth to a son. Then
Sudinna's friends named him, Bijaka, but not otherwise (as it was well known that the
baby's grandmother made the request saying: ‚
BajakaÑ pi dehi
—— give us then the
procreative seed.‛) Sudinna's ex-wife also came to be known as BÊjaka-mata, (BÊjaka's
mother), and Sudinna BÊjaka-pitÈ.( BÊjaka's father).
Seven or eight years later, the son and the mother, BÊjaka and BÊjaka-mata, went forth
from household life and joined the monastic Order, respectively as a monk and a nun. They
attained arahatship through the help of good teachers and friends.
In this way the monastic life of the son and the mother was that of benefit. The father
(the Venerable Sudinna) was, however, severely tormented by grief.
(In this connection, the Commentary says: ‚
pitÈ pana vippaÔisÈrÈbhibh|to-vihÈsi
, --
the father (Venerable Sudinna), however, lived being overcome by great sorrow‛.
It should therefore be assumed that for the Venerable Sudinna it was totally
impossible to attain arahatship in that life (or existence).
——
SÈrattha Tika
——
Though it is said in the Commentary that the (former) Sudinna, the Kalanda
merchant's son, while going to listen to the discourse, was
bhabba kulaputta ——
‘the
clansman worthy of the Path and Fruition.’ Though he was a man endowed with
merits leading to such higher attainments, a hindrance to the Path and Fruition
would occur to him as in the case of King AjÈtasattu and that hindrance actually
occurred, as he was in great torment on account of his evil (sexual intercourse with
his ex-wife), teachers say so.