Buddhist Fables

  1. The Story of Ruru Deer
  2. The Story of Two Swans
  3. The Hare on The Moon
  4. The Story of Chaddanta Elephant
  5. The Story of Great Monkey
  6. The Story of The Two Deer
  7. The Story of a Buffalo
  8. Silava Elephant
  9. The Wise Monkey
  10. The Story of the Golden Swan
  11. The Story of The Great Ape
  12. The Mighty Fish
  13. Story of the Monkey King
  14. Lion and Jackal
  15. Somdatta
  16. The Story of the Crows
  17. The Monkey Brothers
  18. The Story of Nigrodha Deer
  19. Kalbahu
  20. Nandivisala
  21. Coronation of Owl
  22. The Feast of the Dead
  23. The Heart of the Monkey
  24. The Story of a Rooster
  25. The Story of a Tigeress
  26. The Pigeon and The Crow
  27. The Story of Romaka Pigeon
  28. The Story of Khardiya Deer
  29. The Thankless Monkey
  30. Can A Fool Ever Act Good!
  31. The Story of a Tortoise
  32. Jackal –The Arbitrator
  33. The Story of a Snake Charmer
  34. The Leather Garment
  35. The Giant Crab
  36. Mahilaimukha Elephant
  37. The Story of Vinilaka

Buddhist Classics

  1. The Sacrifice of Vessantara
  2. The Wisdom of Vidhura Pandita
  3. Chullabodhi – The Conqueror of Anger
  4. The Story of Kushinagar
  5. The Virtue of Forbearance
  6. Matanga – The World’s First Crusader of Untouchability
  7. The Temptation of Isisanga
  8. The Flight of Sakka
  9. Mahajanaka’s Renunciation
  10. The Wine-Jar
  11. The Sacrifice of Sivi
  12. The Box of the Monster
  13. The Lotus Stalk
  14. Kandari – The Handsome Prince
  15. Ghat: The Virtuous King
  16. Supparaka – The Ancient Mariner
  17. Sankhapala: The Naga King
  18. Champeyya
  19. The Baveru Island
  20. The Great Gambler
  21. The Story of The Dumb Prince
  22. The Naive House-Holder
  23. The Jewelled Serpent
  24. The Mango-Thief
  25. The Foot-Print Reader
  26. The Story of Sutasoma
  27. The Story of Sudasa
  28. The Little Bowman
  29. The Envoy of Belly
  30. Story of a Drummer
  31. The King, Who Knew The Language Of Animals
  32. The Happy Man
  33. Sama: The Good Son

Life and Legends of Buddha

  1. Gotama Buddha
  2. Birth Story of Gotama
  3. Maha Maya’s Dream
  4. Sage Asita’s Visit
  5. The Four Sights
  6. Story of Renunciation
  7. The Buddha’s Victory over Mara
  8. The Personality of the Buddha
  9. Nalgiri Elephant
  10. Story of Kumara Kassapa
  11. Dhamma-Chakka-Pavattana-Katha
  12. The Buddha’s Teaching of Abhidhamma
  13. Buddha's Visit to Rahula Mata
  14. The Savatthi Miracles
  15. The Flying Buddha
  16. Story of Parinibbana
  17. Suddhodana
  18. Sujata
  19. Sariputta
  20. Moggallana
  21. Story of Mara
  22. Bimbisara
  23. Nanda
  24. Janapada Kalyani Nanda
  25. The Spiritual Journey of Janapada Kalyani
  26. Phussa Buddha
  27. Vipassi Buddha
  28. Sikhi Buddha
  29. Vessabhu Buddha
  30. Kakusandha Buddha
  31. Konagamana Buddha
  32. Kassapa Buddha
  33. Metteya

The Illustrated Jataka & Other Stories of the Buddha by C. B. Varma Introduction | Glossary | Bibliography

090 – Moggallana

Moggallana and Sariputta on the foot of the Buddha
(Courtesy: Sakyamuni: An Exhibition of Rare Thankas Central
Institute of Buddhist Studies Choglamsar Leh; p.20)

M oggallana, popularly known as Maha Moggallana in the Pali tradition, was one of the two chief disciples of the Buddha. He was ordained along with Sariputta; and on the same day the Buddha, too, had declared that they were the Chief Disciples. As Sariputta was best known for his wisdom, Moggallana was best known for the possession of the supernatural powers. For example, he was capable of creating manifold living shapes; and assuming any form. Further, he shook the monastery called Migaramatupasada by the touch of his great toe to warn some monks who were gossiping on the ground floor despite the knowledge that the Buddha was upstairs.

Moggallana was born on the same day when Sariputta was born. He derived his name from his mother who was called Moggali (or Moggallani). He was also called Kolita, which was the name of his village. The friendship between the families of Moggallana and Sariputta existed for seven generations; and the two were the friends since their childhood. Once, the two friends went to see a mime-play (giraggasamajja) and realised through the play that the “world itself is a drama” as “all the worldly things are impermanent”. This realisation made them renounce the world. First, they became the disciples of Sanjaya; and when dissatisfied with his teachings they wandered all over the Indian subcontinent to discuss with the scholars of the time. Eventually, not being satisfied by them they separated with the understanding that each would inform the other of any worthy discovery.

So, when Sariputta heard a discourse of Assaji, a disciple of the Buddha, he was impressed with his doctrine and became a Sotapanna. He then went to Moggallana to inform him of his discovery; who in turn also became a Sotapanna, soon after hearing the teaching of the Buddha. The two then marched to the Buddha along with five hundred disciples of Sanjaya. They all met the Buddha and heard his discourse and became the arahatas but for the two, Moggallana and Sariputta. Moggallana then went to the hamlet of Kallavala in Magadha and a week after his ordination he, too, attained a high stage of trance, where he received the exhortation of the Buddha and finally achieved the arahatahood.

Moggallana’s demonstration of the great supernatural power was best exemplified in the subjugation of the great serpent called the Naga Nandopananda, as he could enter the fourth stage of the trance most quickly.

When there was a schism in the Order engendered by Devadatta, the Buddha sent the two chief disciples to Gayasisa to bring back the misguided monks. Both the monks accomplished their task by bringing back all the five hundred monks to the order. If Sariputta was the preceptor of Rahula (the son of the Buddha); Moggallana was his teacher. Both Sariputta and Moggallana had a mutual request for each other. Moggallana died a fortnight after Sariputta on a new moon night.

Moggallana’s end was pathetic as he was beaten and killed by the brigands in his cell in Kalasila. He then crawled and dragged his body with several crushed bones to the Buddha and sought his leave to depart from the world. According to the tradition the cause of his pathetic end was due to his gross misconduct against his old, senile and blind parents in one of his births, as he had undertaken the ill-advice of his wife to carry them to a forest and to beat them to death. He had followed that advice out of his infatuation during that birth. As no one can escape the fruits of the karma, he too had his death in the similar way in his current birth.

Moggallana is identified with numerous characters in the Jataka tales, e.g., Kisavaccha in the Indriya Jataka, the tortoise in the Kurungamiga Jataka, the tiger in the Tittira Jataka, the Garuda king in the Vidhurapandita Jataka and so on.