Puṣpikā

Visitors from the Sky

One by one, celestial beings came to Mahāvīra: the gods of the Moon and Sun, Śukra, and others. Each time Gautama asked: what did this being do to gain such a birth?

The Moon and Sun gods, Mahāvīra explained, had once been followers of Pārśvanātha who practised, but with lapses — enough for heaven, not for liberation.

The Goddess of Many Children

The most touching story is of Bahuputrikā, “she of many children.” She came surrounded by children.

In a past life, she was Subhadrā, a merchant’s wife in Vārāṇasī who longed for a child and had none. She became a nun, but could not let go of her longing. She would cuddle and dress the children of laypeople, against the rules of her order.

The Lesson of Longing

Her practice brought her to heaven. But her longing shaped her new birth.

The story continues into her future: born again as a woman with many children, she will find them exhausting and finally, freely, choose renunciation.

The text doesn’t mock her love. It shows how even sweet attachments can quietly bind us.