Personalities of the Buddhist Suttas

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Abhaya

Commonly called Abhayarājakumāra

DPPN: He was the son of King Bimbisāra and of Padumavatī, the belle of Ujjeni. When the boy was seven years old, his mother sent him to the king and he grew up with the boys of the court. He first came under the influence of the Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta, who taught him a dilemma to set the "Samaṇa Gotama." In the Buddha’s reply, the prince recognised the defeat of the Nigaṇṭha and the supreme Enlightenment of the Exalted One, whose disciple he then became. Later, when the king died, Abhaya was disturbed in mind, and entered the Order. On the occasion of the teaching of the Tālacchiggalūpama Sutta (probably the same as S.v.455 and M.iii.169), he became a Stream-enterer and afterwards attained Arahantship (Thag.26; ThagA.i.83 4 also ThagA.39. In ThagA. his mother’s name does not appear). The Abhayarājakumāra Sutta (M.i.392ff) contains the dilemma episode. It also mentions that at the time the prince had a little son of whom he was evidently very fond.

In the Saṃyuttanikāya (S.v.126‑8) he is stated as having visited the Buddha at Gijjhakūṭa and discussed with him the views of Pūraṇa Kassapa. The Buddha teaches him about The Diversions nīvaraṇā and The Seven Factors Of Enlightenment sambojjh'aṅgaṃ.

In the Vinaya (i.269), Abhaya is mentioned as having discovered Jīvaka Komārabhacca lying on a dung-heap (cast there by the orders of his mother, the courtesan Sālāvatī), and having brought him up.

The Aṅguttaranikāya Commentary (AA.i.216), on the other hand, says that Abhaya was Jīvaka’s natural father.

As a reward for quelling a disturbance on the frontier, Abhaya was given a skilled nautch girl by his father, Bimbisāra. For seven days he enjoyed her company to the exclusion of all else, but on the seventh day she died. Disconsolate, he sought comfort from the Buddha, who assuaged his grief (DhA.iii.166‑67; cf. the story of Santati). The Apadāna (Ap.ii.502‑4) gives the story of his past. He had been a brahmin of Haṃsavatī, skilled in the Vedas; having heard Padumuttara Buddha teach, he was converted and joined the Order, where he spent his time singing the greatness of the Buddha.

The Theragāthā Commentary (i.83‑4) quotes, in his story, some verses in the Apadāna, which in the Apadāna itself are ascribed to a Thera Ketakapupphiya. They state that he offered a ketaka-flower to the Buddha Vipassī, Perhaps Ketakapupphiya was the title of another Thera, whose real name was Abhaya, and hence the stories were confused.