Nanda was originally a prince of the Shakya clan and also the half-brother of Buddha (Shakyamuni), which made his birth rather extraordinary. Prince Nanda grew up healthy and strong, and today was a double joyous occasion—his coronation ceremony and his wedding. However, Prince Nanda, at Buddha’s wish, was made a disciple of the Buddha, suddenly entering the monastic life of the precepts alongside other monks.
On what should have been the happiest day of his life, Nanda was forced into the monastic life. Yet, since it was under the instruction of the Great Buddha himself, he could not disobey and reluctantly entered a life centered around meditation. But his mind was filled not with thoughts of training, but with thoughts of his fiancée, Princess Sundari.
Seeing this, Buddha had no choice but to use his supernatural powers. "Nanda, follow me," said Buddha, and he led Nanda to the heavens—a realm of pure pleasure. There, high towers and beautiful gardens flourished, the breeze was fragrant, birds danced, and beautiful melodies filled the air. Among the heavenly beings was a particularly beautiful celestial maiden who caught Nanda's eye.
When Nanda spoke to her, she said, "I am the fiancée of one named Nanda. Nanda is now engaged in a sacred practice on Earth. Thanks to the merits of his training, I will be united with Nanda."
What? This maiden is my fiancée! Nanda was completely infatuated with the celestial maiden, and for the first time, he realized the merit of spiritual practice.
From then on, Nanda was in high spirits and trained with great enthusiasm. He completely forgot about Princess Sundari, and his thoughts were now solely focused on the celestial maiden.
Although Nanda trained with passion, his true intention was only to be united with the celestial maiden. Gradually, this became a problem among the monks, who began to say, "Something is wrong with Nanda. He has deviated from the path of enlightenment that we are supposed to seek."
Seeing this, Buddha once again summoned Nanda. Using his supernatural powers, this time Buddha took him to the depths of hell! It was a terrifying place where the dead were dragged before the King of Hell, Enma, and all their past misdeeds were reflected in the mirror of karma.
The hell wardens, called Gozu, brutally punished the wrongdoers. Although these beings were followers of Buddha, they were not evil.
Under the judgment of King Enma, a harsh but compassionate process of purging all sins was carried out. Hell was a place for a fresh start, and even the most wicked souls had the chance to atone and eventually leave. Nanda was horrified by the scenes of men and women struggling in misery amidst mountains of needles, swords, rivers of blood, and flames.
One of the hell wardens was preparing a large iron cauldron filled with oil, stoking a fierce fire beneath it. The warden said, "This cauldron is for a foolish monk named Nanda. Though he accumulated great merit by renouncing his royal status and entering the Buddhist path, he wasted it all by being infatuated with a celestial maiden. His attachment has led him to this hellish fate."
Shocked, Nanda fainted.
Buddha admonished him, saying, "Pleasure does not bring true happiness. True happiness comes from self-restraint and the unification of the mind. If you endure the hardships of training and sharpen your wisdom, anyone can reach a state of freedom. Follow the path."
Finally awakened, Nanda dedicated himself solely to the unification of his mind. Eventually, he was able to leave behind all delusions and attain the state of great peace and bliss.
Buddha stripping Nanda of his royal title, taking away his fiancée, and guiding him on the path of renunciation was, in truth, an act of great compassion from the perspective of the Buddhist path. Nowadays, this might be seen as a violation of human rights, but thanks to this, Nanda was able to escape the world of suffering.
