Katyayana (Buddhist)

In the Pāli tradition, Kātyāyana was born as Nalaka (Sanskrit: Nālaka), born of a brahmin family in the city of Ujjayini (Pali: Ujjenī, modern-day Ujjain). His father was a brahmin advisor to King Candapajjota, ruler of the state of Avanti.[3] His name is explained by the golden hue of his skin (his parents called him Kañcanamānava, meaning the 'young man with golden colored skin'[4]), and the name of the gotra. He received a classical brahmin education, which included study of the Vedas.[2] He studied assiduously under his uncle and sage Asita, who had made a prediction about Prince Siddharta's future. In texts of several traditions, Asita's nephew is sometimes called Nālaka, but sometimes also Nārada, both of which are identified with Kātyāyana in those texts.[5] After his father died, Kātyāyana became an advisor to the same king. At the king's request, Kātyāyana left with a group of seven friends to visit the Buddha to invite him to come to Avanti. The eight friends gained enlightenment while listening to him preach, and were ordained by the Buddha.[2][6] As a monk, Kātyāyana became known by his gotra name.[7]

Nāgārjuna cites a text which he calls the Kātyāyanavavāda ("Advice to Kātyāyana") in his Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (15.7). This text appears to have been a Sanskrit parallel of the Pāli Kaccānagotta Sutta.

There is a famous incident given in Verse 43 of the Dhammapada commentary in which a man named Soreyya was traveling with a friend and happened to see Kātyāyana adjusting his robes. Upon seeing his golden complexion, Soreyya began to fantasize that Kātyāyana should become his wife or that his wife's complexion should be like that of Kātyāyana. Due to the nature of this thought, he transformed into a woman. He married a wealthy man from Taxila and bore him two sons.

Soreyya later approached Kātyāyana and explained the situation, apologizing for his misconduct in thought. Kātyāyana accepted his apology, upon which Soreyya regained his male form.

Another story relates the incident of a man named Vassakāra, minister of King Ajātaśatru. Upon seeing Kātyāyana descend from a mountain, the minister stated that he looked like a monkey. The Buddha advised the minister that he should ask Kātyāyana for forgiveness, lest he would be reborn as a monkey in the Veṇuvana forest. Vassakāra was certain that he would be reborn as a monkey, though, and as a precaution, he supplied that area with fruit and other trees. After death, he was reborn as the Buddha had predicted.[8]

In the lifetime of Padumuttara Buddha, Kātyāyana made the resolve to attain greatness[2] after hearing the praise of another monk that shared his name. In this life, he was a vidyādhara[2] and offered the Buddha three kanikāra flowers. After building a hut in the shape of a lotus and naming it Paduma (Pali; lit. "lotus"), he became a king named Pabhassara after thirty kalpas.

It is also mentioned that he was a vidyādhara in the time of Sumedha Buddha.

In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha he was a householder of Benares. He offered a golden brick to a caitiya that housed the Buddha's remains, and made a vow that in the future his body would have a golden complexion.

Kātyāyana build up a reputation for expanding on brief statements and verses of the Buddha, that were sometimes not understood by the disciples.[2][12] For this he was declared as foremost.[13] Several early discourses are attributed to him. The Pāli texts state Kātyāyana taught the Madhupiṇḍika Sutta, the Kaccāyana Sutta, and the Parāyana Sutta.[2] In the Madhura Sutta, King Avantiputta of Madhurā approached Kātyāyana some time after the Buddha's parinirvana with a question regarding the Brahmin's claims to superiority due to their caste. Kātyāyana pointed out that wealth confers power to people regardless of caste and that Brahmins experience the same results of good or evil conduct in the same way those of other castes do. Tradition also holds that Kātyāyana was the author of some verses of the Theragāthā, where he gives advice to meditators.[14]