Piṇḍola¹

A Pacceka Buddha, given in a nominal list. MN.iii.69

Piṇḍola²Bhāradvāja

An arahant who announced before the Buddha his readiness to answer the questions of any doubting monks, thus uttering his “lion’s roar.” The Buddha declared him chief of the “lion roarers.”. AN.i.23 The Udāna Ud.iv.6 contains the praise uttered by him of the Buddha, because of his perfected self mastery.

Piṇḍola was in the habit of taking his siesta in Udena’s park at Kosambī. SN.iv.110f. We find Udena consulting him there and following his advice regarding the control of the senses.

In the Vinaya Vin.ii.110f. we find the Buddha rebuking Piṇḍola for performing a cheap miracle. The banker of Rājagaha had placed a sandal wood bowl on a high pole and challenged any holy person to bring it down. Piṇḍola heard of this and, at Moggallāna’s suggestion, rose in the air by magic power and brought it down. The Buddha blamed him for using his great gifts for an unworthy end. The bowl was given to the monks to be ground into sandal paste.

The Theragāthā contains two verses Thag.123–124 of Piṇḍola, which say that peace comes neither from fasting nor from eating, and that one should give up honor.