The Exemplary Tale of Sumagadha

The Exemplary Tale of Sumagadha (Skt. Sumāgadhāvadāna; Tib. མ་ག་དྷཱ་བཟང་མོའི་རྟོགས་པ་བརྗོད་པ།, Wyl. ma ga d+hA bzang mo'i rtogs pa brjod pa) opens at Prince Jeta's Grove, Anathapindada’s Park, in Shravasti where the Buddha is staying. At the time, Anathapindada's daughter Sumagadha is married off to Vrsabhadatta, the son of a nirgrantha merchant in the distant city of Pundravardhana. After arriving at the home of her in-laws, Sumagadha is repulsed and disheartened on encountering the nirgrantha mendicants. When her mother-in-law asks why she seems despondent, Sumagadha tells her about the Buddha. At her mother-in-law's request, she invites the Buddha and the sangha of monks for a meal, and she does so by preparing an offering and calling out from the rooftop. When Ananda inquires about this invitation, the Buddha announces that all monks with miraculous powers must take a tally stick and travel to Pundravardhana. As the shravakas arrive with their miraculous displays, Sumagadha relates a brief story about each of them. Finally, the Buddha arrives and converts the people of Pundravardhana with his own miraculous display. When the monks ask how Sumagadha’s marriage has benefitted so many beings, the Buddha relates the story of her past life as the princess Kañcanamala during the time of the Buddha Kashyapa and, in turn, Kañcanamala’s past life as the virtuous wife of a farmer, explaining that she has performed buddha activity in the past and continues to do so. This sutra also contains the popular account of the ten dreams of King Krkin, which are interpreted by the Buddha as foretelling the future decline of the Dharma.

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The Tibetan translation of this sutra can be found in the General Sutra section of the Tibetan Dergé Kangyur, Toh 346

• English translation: The Exemplary Tale of Sumāgadhā