Janapada Kalyani Nanda
Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia is now 14 years old
Our Encyclopedia recently received a wonderful opportunity for a major renewal on its 14th birthday . After many years of growing our Encyclopedia had become bit slow and sometimes even decided not to answer when people knocked on the door.
A very big thank you and blessings to Dmytro Rudiy (rudiy.nl) for his great work in upgrading the server, website and all of the infrastructure and helping make TBE fast and reliable again for everyone!
We kindly ask our readers to help us cover the cost of this important upgrade and also help with the ongoing costs of keeping the Encyclopedia alive and freely available.
or card
Every little donation helps and every one is deeply appreciated. 🙏🙏🙏
OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM 🙏🙏🙏
May blessings shower down on all of yous 🙏🙏🙏
Janapada Kalyani Nanda was the prettiest maiden of the janapada (the kingdom). She was engaged in marriage to Nanda, the half brother of Gotama Buddha. Hence, she earned the sobriquet of Janapada Kalyani, which means the “Grace of the Kingdom”. She belonged to a noble family.
Engaged to the prince of the kingdom she was in deep love with her prospective groom and was over-thrilled with the prospect of her marriage with him.
Just on the day before her marriage when all preparations for the ceremony were being made the Buddha arrived at the palace and sent for Nanda, the groom. Further, she saw him walking out with the Buddha and thought that he would be back soon. But to her disappointment the groom did not return because the Buddha had taken him to his monastery to teach him to renounce the house-hold life and become a monk.
When all preparations for her marriage were taking place; she decked out in her finest dress and sat in the mandap decorated with flowers and with the banana stems raised on its four corners, the news of Nanda’s renunciation was announced all of a sudden. The news came as a blow on the bride-in-waiting. Shocked and terribly hurt, she swooned. See Samyutta Nikaya iv.341; Udana Commentary 170; Jataka 1.394; Majjhima Nikaya i.387; Dhammapada Atthakatha i.105; Theragatha Atthakatha i.318.