The city of Kosambi was once glorious, with many monks. Wealthy merchants and elites of that time built temples and donated them to the Buddha as places for rest and preaching the Dhamma.
 
Here, Queen Māgandiya spread false stories to defame both the Buddha and Queen Sāmāvati. Having spread the rumors, she complained to King Udena, causing the king’s faith in the Buddha to waver and leading him to punish Queen Sāmāvati., As a result of her devout following of the Buddha, Queen Sāmāvati met a tragic death in a fire set by Queen Māgandiya. What drove Queen Māgandiya’s enmity was a grudge against the Buddha for declining her marriage proposal before she married the king.
 
The story is told as follows:
 
On one occasion, the Buddha arrived in Kosambi, aware that the Brahmin couple Māgandi was ready for enlightenment. He appeared in a place where the Brahmin could easily see him. Upon seeing the Buddha, Brahmin Māgandi thought, “This man is superior to everyone else. There is no one in this world like him. This man, or this ascetic, truly deserves my daughter.” He approached the Buddha and said, “Sir, I have a beautiful daughter, and I would like to offer her to you. Would you please wait here?” And then the Brahmin quickly went home and told his wife, “My wife, I have just found a suitable man to be our daughter’s husband. You and your daughter should dress appropriately and come with me.” When the three of them went to the spot where the Buddha was supposed to be waiting, they only saw the footprints intentionally left behind by the Buddha.
 
The Buddha only left footprints on the earth when he intended to, and they remained unchanged according to his will. Only those he chose to reveal them to could see them. The Brahmin’s wife asked her husband, “Where is your future son-in-law?” The Brahmin replied, “I asked him to wait here, but where did he go?” As they looked around, he pointed to the footprint on the ground and said, “Here it is. This is his footprint!”
 
The wife of the Brahmin was well-versed in reading prognosticative marks. She looked at the footprint and said, “The owner of this footprint does not seem to be someone who enjoys sensual pleasure.” The Brahmin froze when he heard her assessment, as he deemed her Vedic knowledge only average. He quickly went to find the Buddha and said, “Excuse me, Ascetic, I have brought my daughter here to be married to you.”
The Buddha did not directly answer the Brahmin’s request. He instead said, “Brahmin, let me tell you a story.” He then proceeded to tell the Brahmin the story of his own journey to enlightenment, including his renunciation, his 50-day stay at the bodhi tree, his battle against Māra, and how the temptations of Māra’s three daughters were unsuccessful. Through these stories, the Buddha wanted to show the Brahmin and his wife that he no longer had any sensual desires. He also hoped that the couple would gain wisdom in the Dhamma, so he spoke the following verse.
 
Disvāna taṇhaṃ aratiṃ ragañca
nāhosi chando api methunasmiṃ,
kimevidaṃ muttakarīsapuṇṇaṃ?
pādāpi naṃ samphusituṃ na icche.
 
Seeing even Taṇhā, Arati and Ragā,
(The three daughters of Māra),
Aroused in me no longing for sexual intercourse.
So for what reason would I want this woman,
Filled as she is with urine and excrement?
I would not want to touch her – even with my foot. (Translated by Bhante Varado)
 
“Although I have encountered Taṇhā (Craving), Arati (Discontent), and Ragā (Lust), the beautiful daughters of Māra, I feel no desire for them. And as for the Māgandiya girl, whose body is filled with excrement and urine, how could desire possibly arise in me? I wouldn’t even touch her with my foot.”
 
The Brahmin and his wife heard the Buddha’s words and immediately became Non-returners (Anāgami). They entrusted their daughter to the care of Cula Māgandi, her uncle. Soon after, they both joined the Sangha of the Buddha and became Arahants.
 
Meanwhile, Māgandiya was furious when she heard the Buddha’s answer. She felt upset when the Buddha described her body as a storehouse of urine and feces. She thought, “Well, even if you don’t need me, you don’t have to say that. Why do you say that I am filled with feces and urine? It is a blatant insult.” She said to herself, “Okay, let it be. I can get a noble husband, and then I’ll show Gotama what I do to him.”
 
Māgandiya’s uncle then introduced her to King Udena of the Kosambi Kingdom, who was delighted with her beauty and made her the queen, despite already having two others. They were Vasuladattā, the daughter of King Chandrapejjota, and Sāmāvati, the foster daughter of a wealthy merchant named Ghosaka. Each queen had five hundred attendants.
 
The Buddha’s rejection was given as part of a discourse on the dangers and bondage of inferior indulgence and the sense of urgency (saṃvega). Lady Māgandiya understood only part of that discourse on the filthiness of the body. She immediately became angry, believing the handsome monk despised her for her beauty. Thus, after becoming crowned queen, her malicious behavior resulted in tragic consequences. Once evil kamma is created, its bitter products cannot be avoided. This is axiomatically true.
 
(To be continued)

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Source: Dhammacetiya