Children disappeared almost every day from a village neighbouring Shravasti. This sent a wave of terror in the village. The villagers knew that a cruel Yakshini (a female spirit) came into the village from a forest nearby and kidnapped children. To get rid of the Yakshini, the villagers went to the refuge of the Buddha. 

Those days, Gautam Buddha was staying at the Jitavan Mahavihar in Shravasti to spend his summer days. 

When the villagers reached the Vihar, the Buddha was in deep meditation. When he opened his eyes, he saw a crowd of depressed villagers standing in front of him. He was surprised. So he asked the villagers,

“What is the matter? Why did you come to see me?”

One of the villagers came forward and shared the problem in a sad tone:

“A Yakshini is troubling us and kidnapping and eating up our children. Please help us get rid of her.” 

On knowing about the grievances of the villagers, the Buddha was in serious thoughts. He thought for a long time, took a long breath and said, 

“Does the Yakshini have children?”

“She has many children, more than a hundred,” said one of the villagers. 

“If so, can you by some means bring her youngest child to me?” the Buddha asked. 

On hearing this question from the Buddha, the villagers gawked for a while. They looked at one another. A young villager said, 

“Bhanté, we shall try.” 

“Fine. Bring the child to me without doing any harm,” the Buddha said. 

After several attempts, the village kidnapped the youngest daughter of the Yakshini and brought her before the Buddha. The Buddha arranged to keep the girl under great care and accommodation inside the Vihar.

The Yakshini grew mad on losing her youngest child. She started searching among the streets in the villages after her daughter. When she failed to find her daughter after a long search she fell ill of anxiety. On seeing her in that condition, one of her relatives said to the Yakshini, 

“Instead of immersing yourself in such worry, why don’t you go to the Buddha and tell him about the loss of your child?” 

The Yakshini had no other way out. So she went to the town of Shravasti. She arrived at Jitavan Vihar, looking for the Buddha. There, she stood before the Buddha and started lamenting. 

“What’s the matter? Why are you lamenting?” the Buddha asked. 

“I lost my dearest daughter,” she said, snivelling. 

“How many kids do you have?” the Buddha asked. 

“I have a hundred, My Lord,” she said, folding her hands. 

“Why does it matter if one among a hundred is lost?” the Buddha asked. 

“She is my youngest daughter. I don’t love any other child as much as I love her. If she is gone I will suffocate to death,” she said, continuing to lament. 

“You said you will die of suffocation because of losing one out of a hundred children. Think of those who have only one or two children. Have you ever thought how they feel when they lose their kids?” said the Buddha in a rather harsh voice. 

The Buddha’s words left the Yakshini shocked. For a while, she could not speak. Tears rolled down her eyes. She wiped her eyes and spoke after a while,

“Bhanté, I understand what you mean. I shall never do such a bad thing again. I beg your pardon.” 

The Buddha said with a smile, “Your loving daughter is safe here at this Vihar. She is playing with her friends.” 

The Yakshini was delighted to know that her daughter was safe and playing with her friends. She was impatient to see her child. 

The Buddha said, “Do not hurry. From now onwards, love others’ children the way you love your own kids.”

The Yakshini turned quite serious. She folded her hands before the Buddha and said, “Bhanté, if you would allow, I would become children’s protector from now onwards.” 

The Buddha allowed her request, but could not completely believe the Yakshini. Yet he arranged a room outside the Vihar for the Yakshini to stay. She stayed there and started safeguarding the children of the nearby villages.

In the long run, people started calling Yakshini with the name ‘Harati Mata’, considering her a protector of children. Since that day, the tradition of constructing the temples of Harati Mata outside viharas and chaityas started. There is a famous temple of Harati Mata at Swayambhu in Kathmandu. People in Kathmandu Valley call Harati Mata by different names including Harati Maju, Ajima Dyah, Mayaju Devi, Harati Bajrayogini, Shitala Maju, Swayambhu Sanrakshita, Dharmapali, Dhakwakiswa Machapya, etc.

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Bijaya Raj Acharaya is a writer from Nepal.