Rohini

I. Immediate family of the Buddha 1.King Suddhodana(father) 2.Queen Maha Maya(mother) 3.Maha Pajapati Gotami(aunt and foster mother) 4.Yasodhara(cousin and wife) 5.Rahula(son) II. Male Disciples 6.Sariputta (first chief male disciple) 7.Moggallana (second chief male disciple) 8.Ananda(cousin and personal attendant) 9.Maha Kassapa(preserver of the Dhamma) 10.Anuruddha (cousin and foremost in divine eye) 11.Maha kaccana (foremost in explaining deep and complex sayings ) 12.Bakkula (foremost in good health and longevity) 13.Sivali (foremost in obtaining monastic requisites) 14.Angulimala(murderer turned saint) 15.Nanda(stepbrother) 16.Devadatta(cousin and brother-in-law) III. Female Disciples 17.khema (first chief female disciple) 18.Uppalavanna (second chief female disciple) 19.Bhadda Kundalakesa(debating nun, foremost in quick understanding) 20.Patacara(foremost in discipline) 21.Sundari Nand (stepsister) 22.Bhadda Kapilani (foremost in recollecting past births) 23.Kisa Gotami (foremost in wearing coarse rag-robes) 24.Isidasi 25.Sona(foremost in effort) IV. Royal Patrons 26.king Bimbisara 27.Queen mallika 28.King Pasenadi 29.Queen Samavati V. Lay Disciples 30.Anathapindika(chief male lay disciple) 31.Visakha (chief female lay disciple) 32.Citta (foremost lay disciple in teaching the Dhamma) 33.Rohini(cousin of the Buddha) 34.Jivaka(physician) 35.Ashin-upagotes

Rohini was one of the Buddha’s cousins and the sister of Anuruddha. When the ladies of the court decided to follow Pajapati Gotami and join the order of nuns, Rohini declined.

When Anuruddha visited Kapilavatthu with a large retinue of monks, all his relatives came to the monastery to pay their respects. Rohini, however, did not come. When Anuruddha inquired as to why his sister had not come he was informed that she was embarrassed to face people as she was suffering from an unsightly skin rash. Anuruddha asked that she be brought to his presence. Rohini came with her face covered by a veil.

Anuruddha asked Rohini to construct an assembly hall for the monks and nuns, as her affliction was of kammic origin. As she did not have the money needed to construct an assembly hall, she decided to sell her jewels to obtain the required funds. With the help of her Sakyan cousins and under the guidance of the Ven. Anuruddha, an assembly hall was built for the Buddha and His retinue. Upon the completion of the structure, Rohini’s unsightly rash disappeared. Rohini then invited the Buddha and His retinue for a meal.

The Buddha, having asked on whose account the assembly hall was built and who had provided the meal, was informed of Rohini’s surprising story. He then informed her of the cause of her unsightly rash. Many births ago she had been the chief consort of the King of Benares. She had had a falling out with one of the king’s dancing girls, whom he favoured. Rohini, who was jealous of the dancing girl, had secured scabs from an infected person, crushed them to a powder and spread them on the bed and over the face of the dancing girl. This had led to an infection that had caused an ugly rash on the skin of the dancing girl. The kammic effect of this unwholesome act was the ugly rash that Rohini had. The wholesome effects of the building of the assembly hall had helped to nullify the effects of this evil kamma.

After listening to the Dhamma, Rohini attained the first stage of sainthood, Sotapanna. She became a supporter of the Buddha and His monks and continued to perform many meritorious deeds. At death she passed away to the Tavatimsa Heaven where she was born as the very beautiful consort of Sakka, the king of the Tavatimsa Heaven.