• Nārada

The ninth of the twenty four Buddhas,

• he was born in the Dhanañjaya park at Dhaññavatī,
• his father being king Sudeva and his mother Anomā.
• For nine thousand years he lived as a layman in three palaces: Jitā, Vijjtā and Abhirāmā (BuA. calls them Vijita, Vijitāvī and Jitābhirāma).
• His wife was Jitasenā (v.l. Vijitasenā), and
• his son Nanduttara.
• He made his Renunciation on foot accompanied by his retinue.
• He practised austerities for only seven days, then,
• having accepted a meal of milk rice from his wife,
• he sat at the foot of a mahāsona tree,
• on grass given by the parkkeeper Sudassana.
• His first sermon was preached in the Dhanañjaya Park.
• His body was eighty eight cubits high, and
• his aura always spread round him to a distance of one league.
• He died at the age of ninety thousand years in Sudassana, and
• his thupa was four leagues high.
• Bhaddasāla and Jjtamitta were his chief monks
• and Uttarā and Phaggunā his chief nuns.
• Vāsettha was his personal attendant, and
• chief among his patrons were Uggarinda and Vasabha, and Indavarī and Candī.
• Among his converts were the Nāga kings Mahādona and Veracona.

The Bodhisatta was a Jatila in Himavā, and the Buddha, with his followers, visited his hermitage, where they were fed for seven days and received gifts of red sandalwood. Bu.x.1ff.; BuA.151ff.; J. i.35f.

The personal attendant of Sujāta Buddha. Bu.xiii.25.

A Brahmin in the time of Padumuttara Buddha, who praised the Buddha in three stanzas. He was a former birth of Nāgita (or Atthasandassaka) Thera. ThagA.i.180; Ap.i.168.

A brahmin in the time of Atthadassī Buddha, a former birth of Pavittha (or Ekadamsaniya) Thera. He was also called Kesava. ThagA.i.185; Ap.i.168f.

Minister of Brahmadatta, king of Benares. He was entrusted with escorting the ascetic Kesava, when lie fell ill, to Kappa's hermitage in Himavā. Nārada is identified with Sāriputta. For details see the Kesava Jātaka. J. iii.143ff., 362; DhA.i.344.

A sage, younger brother of Kāladevala and pupil of Jotipāla (Sarabhanga). He lived in the Majjhimapadesa in Arañjaragiri. He became enamoured of a courtesan, and was saved only through the intervention of Sarabhanga. For details see the Indriya Jataka. J. iii.463ff.; v.133f.

An ascetic, son of the ascetic Kassapa. He was tempted by a maiden fleeing from brigands, but his father came to his rescue. For details see the Culla Nārada Jātaka. J. iv.220ff.

King of Mithilā, seventh in direct descent from Sādhina. He is identified with Ananda. For details see the Sādhīna Jātaka. J. iv.355ff.

A brahmin sage, called a devabrāhmana, and Nāradadeva. One day, having wandered about in Tāvatimsa, he was returning to his dwelling in Kañcanaguhā holding a Pāricchattaka flower over his head, when the four daughters of Sakka - 

• āsā,
• Saddhā,
• Sirī and
• Hirī

-  asked him to give it to them. He agreed to give it to that one among them whom they should choose as their queen. They sought the advice of their father, who directed them to Macchariya Kosiya. Kosiya decided in favour of Hirī.

Nārada is identified with Sāriputta. For details see the Sudhābhojana Jataka (J.v.392ff). It is probably this same Nārada who is mentioned as being present when Kunāla delivered his famous diatribe against women. He is described as possessing the pañcābhiññā and as being attended by ten thousand ascetics. When Kunāla had finished his discourse, Nārada supplemented it with all he knew of the vices of women (Ibid.,424, 450ff., 456). He is also mentioned as having admonished Mahājanaka when the latter renounced the world. In that context, Nārada is described as belonging to the Kassapa gotta. J. vi.56, 58, 68. In SnA.i.359 he is called Nārada Devala. This may be a wrong reading for Nāradadeva.

The Bodhisatta born as a Mahā Brahma. He helped Rujā to convince her father, Angati, of the truth as declared by her. He came down to earth and frightened Angati by revealing to him the horrors of hell. In this context he is described as belonging to the Kassapa gotta. For details see the Mahānāradakassapa Jataka. J.vi.220, 242 ff.; Ap.ii.483.

A celebrated physician, probably identical with the famous sage, No. 9, above. Mil.272.

The fifth future Buddha. Anāgat. p. 40.

A Thera, mentioned once as staying at the Ghositārāma in Kosambī, with Mūsila, Savittha, and Ananda. In the course of discussion he declares that, though aware of the nature of Nibbāna, he is not an arahant (S.ii.115f). Elsewhere (A.iii.57f) he is mentioned as staying in the Kukkutārāma in Pātaliputta. At that time King Munda was grieving over the death of his wife,  Bhaddā, to the neglect of everything else, and his treasurer, Piyaka, suggested that he should visit Nārada. The king agreed, and Nārada preached to him on the inevitable ness of old age, disease, death, etc. Munda was consoled, and buried the body of his wife, which he had till then preserved.

He may be identical with the Thera mentioned in the Peta Vatthu Commentary (PvA.2, 10, 11, 14, 204, 208, 210, 211) as finding out from various petas the stories of their deeds, and in the Vimāna Vatthu Commentary (VvA.165, 169, 203) as visiting various vimānas in the course of his wanderings among the deva worlds (devacārikā). He is stated as having repeated the stories he learnt to the dhammasangāhakas to be embodied in their rescensions.

The Bodhisatta born as an ascetic. For his story see s.v. Devāla.

A Yakkha who presided over Nāradakūta. Offerings, which included a man from each village, were brought to him once a year. Dīpankara Buddha visited him and, after performing many miracles, converted him. He, with ten thousand other Yakkhas, became a sotāpanna. Bu.ii.199; BuA.101.

A class of devas mentioned, with the Pabbatas, as being wise. Sn.vs.543; SnA.ii.435; see also J. vi.568, 571; Mtu.iii.401.

An ascetic, also called Kassapa. A former birth of Cankolapupphiya. Ap.i.215.

An ascetic, also called Kassapa, a former birth of Ekāsanadāyaka. Ap.ii.381.