Pāli Dictionary

Dūsī

Person

The name of Māra in the time of Kakusandha Buddha, who as the son of Mahā-Moggallāna’s sister Kālī tried repeatedly to undermine that Buddha’s monks before being reborn in a great hell.

Name of Māra in the time of Kakusandha Buddha. He was, in that birth, son of Kālī, sister of Mahā-Moggallāna. He first incited the brahmin householders to revile Kakusandha’s monks, chief of whom were Vidhura and Sañjīva; when that effort failed owing to the thoughts of goodwill, pity, sympathy and equanimity, developed by the monks, he next incited the brahmins to show great honour to the monks, hoping, in that way, to tempt them. However, owing to the intervention of Kakusandha, Dūsī’s attempts failed and he was born in the Mahā Niraya.

The story is given in the Māratajjaniya Sutta (M.i.333 ff; also Thag.1187-91; ThagA.ii.183).

Dūsī is mentioned as having died early because his life was cut off by kamma (Vism.229).

All entries named Dūsī

Found an error in the dictionary?