Kisa gotami was the daughter-in-law of a well to do family. She had only one child. She could sacrifice even her life for the sake of her child. That child suddenly died one day. Kisa gotami went naturally mad at this tragedy. She could not understand that birth and death come as twins. She carried her dead child in her waist and moved house to house crying for help to save her child. She had lost her sense to pay attention to what other people said. At that time Buddha’s enlightenment had become very famous.
“All the villagers got together and persuaded kisa gautami in this manner, ‘Look none of us has the power to revive your child. If anyone can revive your dead child it would be Buddha. You take the dead body of your child to Buddha and request him to revive him.”
The semi-conscious gotami lifted the dead child’s body, went to Buddha and asked him to revive her child. Buddha understood what the problem was. He said, ‘kisa, I shall revive your child. For that sake you have to do one task. Are you ready?’
‘to revive my child I am willing to do whatever your lordshipask me to do.’
‘In that case, you go and bring me some mustard seeds from anywhere. I shall revive your child.’
When she was about to move, Buddha said, ‘But nobody should have ever died in the house from where you bring the mustard seed.’
Kisa understood from the practical lesson of Buddha that death is natural. She performed the last rites of the child and became a Bhikshuni (Nun).
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