Zwezarni Htun’s drawing It was a while staying at Jetanava that the Buddha told this story about King Udena. In a previous life Venerable Pindola was a king in Kosambi and knew a park. He travelled there using his supernatural power and spend hot days under the cool shade of that park. While he was sitting there King Udena who had been drinking, layed down in the arms of a woman on the great royal stone. The other women had came upon Venerable Pindola. They had been listening to the ascetic but then the king awoke and was mad at Pindola. He dumped a basket of red ants on Pindola but Pindola rose into the air and he went to the Buddha”s Perfumed Chmaber, and told the Tathagata what happened. Then the buddha told this story of the past. Long ago when Brahmadatta was reigning in Baranasi, the Bodhisatta was born as the son of a candala and was named Matanga. Ditthamangalika, the daughter of a rich merchant, saw Matanga and thought this would be bad luck and so she returned home. Her friends beat up Matanga and left him senseless. But Matanga, now wanted to marry her because of these actions. He laid there and never took food for 7 days. Ditthamangalika took him in, and Matanga wanted to go out to gather food. He did so but he became a ascetic and in 7 days, achieved the five extraordinary powers and the eight jhanas. He came back and showed the townpeople that he was the Maha Brahmin. After that, the townpeople made a pavilion for him. After that, he went to Mejjha and transported himself to the capital and now finding alms. Some brahmins reported this saying that Matanga was posing as an ascetic, and the king sent someone to cut off Matanga’s head. A soldier succeeded in doing so but then devas arose and wiped Mejjha from the ground up. It is revealed that Matanga was the Buddha.Kids’ drawing
