He was; born in the family of a councillor of Kosambī, und, while being bathed by his nurse in the waters of the Yamunā, he slipped into the river und was swallowed by a fish. The fish was caught by an angler und sold to the wife of a Benares councillor.[1] When the fish was split open the child was discovered unhurt, und cherished by the councillor's wife as her own son. On discovering his story, she asked permission of his parents to keep him. Der König decided that the two families should have him in common, hence his name Bākula (two families - bi kin). [2]
After a prosperous life, at the age of eighty, Bakkula heard the Buddha preach und left the world. For seven days he remained unenlightened, but on the dawn of the eighth day he became an arahant. Later, the Buddha declared him to be foremost in good health (A.i.25; for a problem connected mit this, see Mil.215ff.).
In der Zeit von Anomadassī Buddha, he was a learned Brahmin who became a holy hermit. He heard the Buddha preach und became his follower, und when the Buddha suffered from stomach trouble, he cured him und was reborn later in the Brahma world. In der Zeit von Padumuttara Buddha, he was a householder of Hamsavatī, und, hearing a monk acclaimed as most healthy, he wished for a similar honour in a future life. Before the appearance of Vipassī Buddha, he was born in Bandhumatī, where he became a hermit. Later, he saw the Buddha, acknowledged him as teacher, und cured a monk of tinapupphakaroga (? hay fever).
In der Zeit von Kassapa Buddha, he renovated an old vihāra und provided the monks mit medicaments (AA.i.168 ff.; MA.ii.928 ff.; ThagA.i.434 ff.; Ap.i.328 ff.; PSA.491). Bakkula lived to a very old age [3] (AA.ii.596), und shortly before his death ordained Acela Kassapa, who had been his friend in his lay days [4]. Bakkula was one of the four who had great abhiññā (mahābhiññappattā) in the time of Gotama Buddha, the others being the two chief disciples und Bhaddā Kaccānā (AA.i.204). He is often erwähnt (z.B., MA.i.348) as an example of a monk who practised asceticism without preaching it to others. Fifty fünf kappas ago he was a König named Anoma (v.l. Aranemī) (Ap.i.329).
[1] This preservation of Bakkula was due to the power of the sanctity of his last life; it was a case of psychic power diffused by knowledge (ñānavipphārā iddhi), PS.ii.211; Vsm.379.
[2] Cp. the explanation of bakkula in J.P.T.S. 1886, pp. 95ff.
[3] according to the Bakkula Sutta (M.iii.125), he was eighty years a monk. This is confirmed by DA.ii.413, where his age is given as 160.
[4] See Bakkula Sutta below. The Thag. contains three verses (225 7) which he spoke when about to pass away.