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 Prince Siddhartha after leaving the palace, intending to take up the life of a wandering ascetic or monk. He travelled with his friend and servant Channa, and his horseKanthaka. | |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
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Channa, also written asChhanna, (Pali: Channa;Sanskrit:Chandaka) (6th century BCE, in what is nowBihar andUttar Pradesh,India) was a royal servant and head charioteer of PrinceSiddhartha, who was to become theBuddha. Channa later became a disciple of the Buddha (bhikkhu) and achievedarahantship, as is described in the 78th verse of theDhammapada.
Channa was a servant in the court of KingŚuddhodana who was entrusted to attend to the needs ofSiddhartha, who had been lavished and pampered in a series of purpose-built palaces in order to shield him from thoughts of pain and suffering. This was done due to a prophecy by the asceticAsita, who predicted that Siddhartha would renounce the throne to become a spiritual leader were he to contemplate human suffering. Channa was the servant who served as the charioteer pulled by the horseKanthaka, when Siddhartha saw theFour sights whilst meeting his subjects in theSakya capitalKapilavastu, which prompted his decision to renounce the world.
During these expeditions, Channa explained toSiddhartha the sights of an elderly man, a sick person, a dead person whose funeral was being conducted and finally, anascetic who had renounced worldly life for a spiritual one, as Siddhartha who had been secluded from such sights within the palace was taken aback. Channa was later entrusted by Siddhartha to accompany him upon his escape from the palace to become an ascetic, whilst the remainder of the palace guards were asleep.
After initially protesting and refusing to accept that Siddhartha would leave him, Channa saddled Kanthaka,[1] guiding him out of the town aboard the horse to a forest by the edge of theAnoma River.[2] Channa returned Siddhartha's accoutrements, weapons and hair to Suddhodarnha upon his return to the palace, after Siddhartha compelled him to return after Channa had refused to leave him.
Upon Siddhartha's enlightenment asGautama Buddha and return toKapilavastu, Channa became a Buddhist monk, joining theSangha. Due to his lone accompaniment of the Buddha on his renouncement, Channa behaved in an overbearing way to the other monks, and frequently criticized the two chief disciplesSariputta andMoggallana. In spite of continual advice from The Buddha he continued to abuse the other monks. Prior to theparinibbana, the Buddha instructedAnanda to impose thebrahmadanda on Channa, whereby the other monks would simply ignore him. After the parinibbana, Channa learned of the decree, and feeling remorse for his behaviour, he fainted three times before asking and obtaining pardon. He eventually became anarahant.
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