Woman seducing monk to escape poverty

[rever]

1. Once the Blessed Lord was living in Shravasti in the Jetavana Arama of Anathpindika.
2. It so happened that Ananda, his disciple, had gone into the city to beg for alms. After eating his
food Ananda was going to the river for drinking water.
3. He saw a girl on the river bank filling her pot. Ananda asked her to give him some water.
4. The girl, whose name was Prakrati, refused, saying she was a Chandalika.
5. Ananda said, "I am concerned with water, I am not concerned with your caste." The girl then
gave him some water from her pot.
6. Thereafter Ananda left for Jetavana. The girl followed him and saw where he was staying and
found that his name was Ananda and that he was a follower of the Buddha.
7. On returning home she told her mother Matangi what had happened and falling on the ground
started weeping.
8. The mother asked for the cause of her weeping. The girl told the whole story, and said, " If you
wish to marry me I can only marry Ananda. I will not marry anybody else."
9. The mother started on an inquiry. On return she told the girl that such a marriage was impossible
for Ananda was under a vow of celibacy.
10. On hearing this news the girl was filled with extreme sorrow and gave up food. She was not
prepared to take things as though it was a decree of fate. So she said: " Mother, you know the
art of sorcery, don't you ? Why don't you employ it to achieve our purpose ?" The mother said,
"I will see what can be done."
11. Matangi invited Ananda to her house for a meal. The girl became very happy. Matangi then told
Ananda that her daughter was very anxious to marry him. Ananda replied, " I am vowed to be
celibate and therefore I cannot marry any woman."
12. " If you do not marry my daughter, she will commit suicide, so attached she is to you," Matangi
told Ananda. " But I cannot help," replied Ananda.
13. Matangi went inside and told her daughter that Ananda refused to marry her.
14. The girl cried: " Mother, where is your sorcery ?" The mother said, " My sorcery cannot win
against the Tathagata."
15. The girl shouted and said, " Close the door and do not allow him to go out. I shall see that he
becomes my husband this very night."
16. The mother did what the girl wanted her to do. As night fell the mother brought in the room a
bed. The girl, dressed in her best, stepped in. But Ananda remained unmoved.
17. The mother at last used her sorcery. As a result a fire broke out in the room. The mother then
held Ananda by his clothes and said, " If you will not agree to marry my daughter, I will throw
you in this fire." However, Ananda did not yield, and the mother and the daughter feeling
helpless, left him free.