Hatthaka of Alavi

Hatthaka of Alavi was the son of the ruler of Alavi. He was one of the foremost lay disciples of the Buddha. It is said that Buddha’s hand saved him from being eaten by a Yaksha or spirit named Alavaka and hence his given name was changed to Hatthaka meaning from hand. His first meeting with the Buddha was on a cold winter evening when he saw a lone ascetic walking in just one thin robe and sleeping on the hard ground. Stunned he asked him who he was and whether he was happy to be in that condition. When the Buddha replied that he was very happy he asked him how that could be possible under such adverse conditions. Buddha said that inspite of having all comforts greed, fear or ambition made a person unhappy but since he had got rid of all these vices he was always happy. Hathaka was stunned and decided to follow Buddha and his teachings. He was so deeply influenced by the teachings that he decided to use his wealth and knowledge to propagate the teachings. This became his life’s mission.

Hatthaka’s preachings

According to the Buddha Hatthaka possessed eight wonderful qualities namely virtue, faith, fear of blame, conscientiousness, modesty, wisdom, generosity and he was also learned. These qualities of his attracted hundreds of people to the teachings of the Dhamma. Inspite of his knowledge and wealth he was unassuming and modest and his preachings were motivated purely by concern for the people and not for self aggrandisement or to make a name for himself. He spoke kind words with sympathy to them and since he practised all that he preached goodness was reflected in him which attracted everybody to him. Inspite of being praised by the Buddha he was never vain or proud, instead he would feel shy and modest on hearing these praises.

Hatthaka’s passing away

It is said that Hatthaka passed away and was reborn as a Deva and one night he came to visit the Buddha. The Buddha asked him if he had any regrets and he said that he wished he had seen more of the Buddha, heard more about his teachings and served the Dhamma for a longer period.

Conclusion

Disciples like Hatthaka through their love and devotion to the Buddha exhibited those qualities in their preachings and attracted many people to the teachings of the Dhamma. Hatthaka’s wealth was used to help society and his knowledge of the Dhamma led many people to the path of Dhamma and righteousness.