Mahavagga, Khandaka 1, Chapter 7

Note: A well-known scene in the life of the Bodhisatta has evidently been represented after the model of this story. See Jātaka I, p. 61; Lalita Vistara, p. 251; Bigandet, Life of Gaudama, p. 55. Nowhere in the Pāli Piṭakas is the story told about the Bodhisatta himself.

1. At that time there was in Benares a noble youth, Yasa by name, the son of a seṭṭhi (or treasurer^[1]) and delicately nurtured. He had three palaces, one for winter, one for summer, one for the rainy season. In the palace for the rainy season he lived during the four months (of that season), surrounded with female musicians among whom no man was, and he did not descend from that palace (all that time). Now one day Yasa, the noble youth, who was endowed with, and possessed of the five pleasures of sense^[2], while he was attended (by those female musicians), fell asleep sooner than usual; and after him his attendants also fell asleep. Now an oil lamp was burning through the whole night.

2. And Yasa, the noble youth, awoke sooner than usual; and he saw his attendants sleeping; one had her lute leaning against her arm-pit; one had her tabor leaning against her neck; one had her drum leaning against her arm-pit; one had dishevelled hair; one had saliva flowing from her mouth; and they were muttering in their sleep. One would think it was a cemetery one had fallen into^[3]. When he saw that, the evils (of the life he led) manifested themselves to him; his mind became weary (of worldly pleasures). And Yasa, the noble youth, gave utterance to this solemn exclamation: 'Alas! what distress; alas! what danger!'

3. And Yasa, the noble youth, put on his gilt slippers, and went to the gate of his house. Non-human beings opened the gate, in order that no being might prevent Yasa the noble youth's leaving the world, and going forth into the houseless state. And Yasa, the noble youth, went to the gate of the city. Non-human beings opened the gate, in order that no being might prevent Yasa the noble youth's leaving the world, and going forth into the houseless state. And Yasa, the noble youth, went to the deer park Isipatana.

4. At that time the Blessed One, having arisen in the night, at dawn was walking up and down in the open air. And the Blessed One saw Yasa, the noble youth, coming from afar. And when he saw him, he left the place where he was walking, and sat down on a seat laid out (for him). And Yasa, the noble youth, gave utterance near the Blessed One to that solemn exclamation: 'Alas! what distress; alas! what danger!' And the Blessed One said to Yasa, the noble youth: 'Here is no distress, Yasa, here is no danger. Come here, Yasa, sit down; I will teach you the Truth (Dhamma).'

5. And Yasa, the noble youth, when he heard that there was no distress, and that there was no danger, became glad and joyful; and he put off his gilt slippers, and went to the place where the Blessed One was; having approached him and having respectfully saluted the Blessed One, he sat down near him. When Yasa, the noble youth, was sitting near him, the Blessed One preached to him in due course: that is to say, he talked about the merits obtained by alms-giving, about the duties of morality, about heaven, about the evils, the vanity, and the sinfulness of desires, and about the blessings of the abandonment of desire^[4].

6. When the Blessed One saw that the mind of Yasa, the noble youth, was prepared, impressible, free from obstacles (to understanding the Truth), elated, and believing, then he preached what is the principal doctrine of the Buddhas, namely, Suffering, the Cause of stiffering, the Cessation of suffering, the Path. Just as a clean cloth free from black specks properly takes the dye, thus Yasa, the noble youth, even while sitting there, obtained the pure and spotless Eye of the Truth (that is, the knowledge): 'Whatsoever is subject to the condition of origination is subject also to the condition of cessation.'

7. Now the mother of Yasa, the noble youth, having gone up to his palace, did not see Yasa, the noble youth, and she went to the seṭṭhi, the householder (her husband), and having approached him, she said to the seṭṭhi, the householder: 'Your son Yasa, O householder, has disappeared.' Then the seṭṭhi, the householder, sent messengers on horseback to the four quarters of the horizon; and he went himself to the deer park Isipatana. Then the seṭṭhi, the householder, saw on the ground the marks of the gilt slippers; and when he saw them, he followed them up.

8. And the Blessed One saw the seṭṭhi, the householder, coming from afar. On seeing him, he thought: 'What if I were to effect such an exercise of miraculous power, that the seṭṭhi, the householder, sitting here, should not see Yasa, the noble youth, who is sitting here also.' And the Blessed One effected such an exercise of his miraculous power.

9. And the seṭṭhi, the householder, went to the place where the Blessed One was; having approached him, he said to the Blessed One: 'Pray, Lord, has the Blessed One seen Yasa, the noble youth?'

“Well, householder, sit down. Perhaps, sitting here, you may see Yasa, the noble youth, sitting here also.”

And the seṭṭhi, the householder, who thought: 'Indeed, sitting here I shall see Yasa, the noble youth, sitting here also I became glad and joyful, and having respectfully saluted the Blessed One, he sat down near him.

10. When the seṭṭhi, the householder, was sitting near him, the Blessed One preached to him in due course; that is to say, he talked about the merits obtained by alms-giving, . . . . (&c., as at end of § 5). And the seṭṭhi, the householder, having seen the Truth, having mastered the Truth, having penetrated the Truth, having overcome uncertainty, having dispelled all doubts, having gained full knowledge, dependent on nobody else for the knowledge of the doctrine of the Teacher, said to the Blessed One: 'Glorious, Lord! glorious, Lord! Just as if one should set up, Lord, what had been overturned, or should reveal what had been hidden, or should point out the way to one who had lost his way, or should bring a lamp into the darkness, in order that those who had eyes might see visible things, thus has the Blessed One preached the doctrine in many ways. I take my refuge, Lord, in the Blessed One, and in the Dhamma, and in the fraternity of Bhikkhus; may the Blessed One receive me from this day forth while my life lasts as a disciple who has taken his refuge in Him.'

This was the first person in the world who became a lay-disciple by the formula of the holy triad

11. And Yasa, the noble youth, while instruction was administered (by the Buddha) to his father, contemplated the stage of knowledge which he had seen with his mind and understood; and his mind became free from attachment to the world, and was released from the Āsavas. Then the Blessed One thought: 'Yasa, the noble youth, while instruction was administered to his father, has contemplated the stage of knowledge which he had seen with his mind and understood; and his mind has become free from attachment to the world, and has become released from the Āsavas. It is impossible that Yasa, the noble youth, should return to the world and enjoy pleasures, as he did before, when he lived in his house. What if I were now to put an end to that exertion of my miraculous power.' And the Blessed One put an end to that exertion of his miraculous Power.

12. Then the seṭṭhi, the householder, saw Yasa, the noble youth, sitting there. On seeing him he said to Yasa, the noble youth: 'My son Yasa, your mother is absorbed in lamentation and grief; restore your mother to life.'

13. Then Yasa, the noble youth, looked at the Blessed One. And the Blessed One said to the seṭṭhi, the householder: 'What do you think then, O householder? That Yasa has (first) won only an imperfect^[5] degree of knowledge and insight into the Truth, as you have yourself? Or that rather he was contemplating the stage of knowledge which he had seen with his mind and understood; and that his mind has thus become free from attachment to the world, and has become released from the Āsavas? Now would it then be possible, O householder, that Yasa should return to the world and enjoy pleasures as he did before, when he lived in his house?'

'Not so, Lord.' 'Yasa, the noble youth, O householder, had (first) won, like yourself, an imperfect degree of knowledge and insight into the Truth. But when he was contemplating the stage of knowledge which he had seen with his mind and understood, his mind has become free from attachment to the world, and has become released from the Āsavas. It is impossible, O householder, that Yasa, the noble youth, should return to the world and enjoy pleasures as he did before, when he lived in his house.'

14. 'It is all gain, Lord, to Yasa, the noble youth, it is high bliss, Lord, for Yasa, the noble youth, that the mind of Yasa, the noble youth, has become free from attachment to the world, and has become released from the Āsavas. Might, Lord, the Blessed One consent to take his meal with me to-day together with Yasa, the noble youth, as his attendant?'

The Blessed One expressed his consent by remaining silent. Then the seṭṭhi, the householder, when he understood that the Blessed One had accepted his invitation, rose from his seat, respectfully saluted the Blessed One, and passing round him with his right side towards him, departed thence.

15. And Vasā, the noble youth, soon after the seṭṭhi, the householder, was gone, said to the Blessed One: 'Lord, let me receive the pabbajjā and upasampadā ordinations from the Blessed One.'

'Come, O Bhikkhu,' said the Blessed One, 'well taught is the doctrine; lead a holy life for the sake of the complete extinction of suffering.'

Thus this venerable person received the upasampadā ordination. At that time there were seven Arahats in the world.

End of the story of Yasa's pabbajjā.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This was a position of honour among the merchants. In the later literature we hear of an office of seṭṭhi (seṭṭhi-ṭṭhāna) in a city, to which any one with the requisite wealth and talent was eligible (Jātaka I, 120-122); and, according to the Mahāvaṃsa, the king appointed to an office called seṭṭhitā, apparently at his court (Mah. p. 69). The Gahapati, or Treasurer, one of the seven jewels of a king, is explained by Buddhaghosa to be seṭṭhi-gahapati (see Rh. D.'s note on Mahā-sudassana Sutta I, 41). 'The Seṭṭhi,' standing alone, or 'the Mahā-seṭṭhi,' means Anātha Piṇḍika (Jātaka I, 95, 227-230; Dhammapada Commentary, p. 395). Below, in chapter 9, § 1, it would seem that the rank of seṭṭhi was hereditary, and this is confirmed by the later literature; but this applies to the social rank only, and not to the office.

[2]:

Pleasures of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and touch.

[3]:

Hatthappattaṃ susānaṃ maññe, literally, 'one would think a cernetery had (suddenly) come to one's hand.'

[4]:

Nekkhamma is neither naiṣkramya nor naiṣkarmya, but naiṣkāmya. Itivuttaka, fol. khi (Phayre MS.): kāmānam etaṃ nissaranaṃ yad idaṃ nekkhammaṃ, rūpānam etaṃ nissaraṇaṃ yad idaṃ aruppaṃ.

[5]:

The stage of a sekha, i.e. a person who has attained to any stage in the Noble Eightfold Path (such as sotāpattiphala, &c.) inferior to the highest (Arahatship).