Queen Anoja
Encyclopedia
Queen Anojā was the Chief queen
of king Mahākappina, before he entered the Order. She had been his wife in former births as well and had helped him in his good works. In this age she was of equal birth with Mahākappina and became his chief consort
. She was so called because her complexion was the colour of anoja-flowers.
When Kappina made his renunciation, she and her companions followed him in chariot
s, crossing rivers by an act of truth (saccakiriyā), saying "the Buddha
could not have arisen only for the benefit of men, but for that of women as well."
When she saw the Buddha and heard him preach, she and her companions became Stream-enterers. She was ordained by Uppalavanna
(AA.i. pp. 176ff. ; SA.ii., pp. 178ff). In the Visuddhimagga
it is said that Mahākappina was present when she heard the Buddha preach, but the Buddha contrived to make him invisible. When she asked whether the king was there, the Buddha's reply was "Would you rather seek the king or the self?" "The self " was the answer (p. 393. The conversation on the "self" seems to have been borrowed from Vin.i.23.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of king Mahākappina, before he entered the Order. She had been his wife in former births as well and had helped him in his good works. In this age she was of equal birth with Mahākappina and became his chief consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
. She was so called because her complexion was the colour of anoja-flowers.
When Kappina made his renunciation, she and her companions followed him in chariot
Chariot
The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
s, crossing rivers by an act of truth (saccakiriyā), saying "the Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
could not have arisen only for the benefit of men, but for that of women as well."
When she saw the Buddha and heard him preach, she and her companions became Stream-enterers. She was ordained by Uppalavanna
Uppalavanna
Uppalavannā was considered to be amongst the two chief female disciples of the Buddha, the other being Khema.She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and was known for her great beauty. Her name means "one with the hue of the blue lotus"....
(AA.i. pp. 176ff. ; SA.ii., pp. 178ff). In the Visuddhimagga
Visuddhimagga
The Visuddhimagga , is the 'great treatise' on Theravada Buddhist doctrine written by Buddhaghosa approximately in 430 CE in Sri Lanka. A comprehensive manual condensing the theoretical and practical teaching of the Buddha, it is considered the most important Theravada text outside of the Tipitaka...
it is said that Mahākappina was present when she heard the Buddha preach, but the Buddha contrived to make him invisible. When she asked whether the king was there, the Buddha's reply was "Would you rather seek the king or the self?" "The self " was the answer (p. 393. The conversation on the "self" seems to have been borrowed from Vin.i.23.