Huen Tsiang was a Chinese traveler who had visited India in AD 629. He wrote a story about Kunala, the prince and younger son of Emperor Ashoka the Great, being blinded by the evil machinations of his step-mother and then cured of his blindness by a Yogi (Buddhist Arhat).
This incident highlights not only the miraculous powers of spiritually accomplished Yogis but also the underlying spiritual principle that makes such miracles possible – the call, urge, prayer of heart for something desired. The outer manifestation of the earnestness of such call, urge or prayer is welling of eyes.
The miraculous efficacy of this spiritual exercise was not just possible during the Ashoka’s times but it is as efficacious even today. But its efficacy is totally dependent on the earnestness of heart, which is in short supply in modern times when our heart is ruled by our mind.
Kunala was the son of royal-queen Padmavati. He was handsome, graceful and humane prince who was rightful heir of the empire to succeed his father, Ashoka. But unfortunately his mother Padmavati died and her place was taken over by his step-mother named Tishyarakshita.
She was a young and an evil-minded lady, who had a mischievous design in her heart. One day, she made an immoral proposal to the young prince who rejected such move, wept and left the place. She, being rejected, became hateful and revengeful to him, and made her husband emperor to send Kunala to Takshshila to quell a public unrest there and rule there as a governor.
While Kunala was in Takshsila, she contrived to send a message in the name of emperor Ashoka ordering his ministers to pluck-out the eyes of Kunala for his immoral act and banish him and his wife Kanchanmala to wilderness and leave them there to die.
The story says, the ministers on receiving the letter dared not to do the crime (of plucking out the eyes of the prince) and brought this letter to the prince. Kunala read the letter; there was an order in the name of the emperor – his father – to pluck out his eyes. He sensed the evil contraivance of his step-mother but the order was an order of the emperor.
He directed his ministers to carry out the order. But they refused. Then, he ordered them to comply. There upon the order was duly executed and the eyes of Kunala were plucked out, making him blind. Kunala and his wife Kanchanmala wandered here and there, weeping for their misfortune and begging to linger on their life. One day Kunala thought that it was better to get justice at the hand of the emperor for an act that he never did.
They made their way and came to the capital where the emperor lived. Kunala could not disclose his identity and it was not easy to meet the emperor and tell the fact. They contrived a plan: they came in the third part of the night just below that part of the palace where the emperor was sleeping; Kunala wept there, mingled with the interludes of flute-notes full of sadness.
The emperor, being disturbed in his sleep, rose and inquired from his attendants who was the person at this hour so weeping full of sadness. The attendants brought the weeping Kunala and his wife up to the chamber of Ashoka. The emperor enquired of them who they were and what was the cause of their sorrow.
Huen Tsiang writes the real part of the story thus: “The prince, yielding to his tears, thanked (his father) and replied, ‘In truth, for want of filial piety have I thus been punished by Heaven. In such a year and such a month and such a day suddenly there came a loving order (or an order from my Mother). Having no means of excusing myself, I dared not shrink from the punishment.
“The king’s heart, knowing that the second wife had committed this crime, without any further inquiry caused her to be put to death.
“At this time in the sangharama of the Bodhi tree (in Bodh Gaya) there was a great Arhat (= a Yogi who is spiritually accomplished in Buddhist enlightenment) called Ghosha (note by editor: he may be Ashwaghosha = अश्वघोष, who wrote Buddhacharit = बुद्धचरित). He had the fourfold power of “explanation without any difficulties. He was completely versed in the “Trividyas (त्रिविद्या = three branches of knowledge)”.
“The king taking to him his blind son, told him all the matter, and prayed that he would of his mercy restore him to sight.
“Then that Arhat, having received the king’s request, forthwith addressed to the people this order: ‘Tomorrow I desire to declare the mysterious principle (of the law), let each person come here with a vessel in his hands to hear the law and receive in it his tears.’
“Accordingly, they came together from every side (far and wide), both men and women, in crowds.
“At this time the Arhat preached on the twelve Nidanas, and there was not one of those who heard the sermon but was moved to tears.
“The tears were collected in the vessels, and then, when his sermon was finished, he collected all these tears in one golden vessel, and then, with a strong affirmation, he said, ‘What I have said is gathered from the most mysterious of Buddha’s doctrines; if this is not true, if there be error in what I have said, and then let things remain as they are; but if it is otherwise, I desire that this blind man may recover his sight after washing his eyes with these tears.’
“After finishing this speech he washed his eyes with the water (tears), and lo! his sight was restored.
“The king then accused the ministers (who had executed the order) and their associates. Some he degraded others he banished, others he removed, others he put to death. The common people (who had participated in the crime) he banished to the north-east side of the Snowy Mountains, to the middle of the sandy desert.”