MigÄra
1. MigÄra. A millionaire of SÄvatthi. His son, Puṇṇavaá¸á¸hana, married VisÄkhÄ. He was evidently not as rich as VisÄkhÄ’s father, Dhanañjaya, for he drove back, on the plea that he could not afford to feed them, the large retinue who wished to follow VisÄkhÄ, to her new home. MigÄra was a follower of the Nigaṇá¹has, and was angry when VisÄkhÄ refused to wait on them and pay homage to them when they visited his house. One day, while MigÄra was eating and VisÄkhÄ was standing by his side fanning him, a monk stopped at their door, and VisÄkhÄ stepped aside that MigÄra might see him. However, MigÄra refused to notice the monk, whom, therefore, VisÄkhÄ asked to go away, saying that MigÄra ate “stale food†(purÄṇaṃ). This greatly annoyed MigÄra, and he ordered her to be cast out of the house. However, the servants refused to carry out his orders, and he was obliged to agree to VisÄkhÄ’s suggestion that the matter should be submitted for arbitration to the eight householders who had accompanied her to enquire into disputes of such a nature. To them, therefore, MigÄra recited a list of all his grievances against VisÄkhÄ, but she was adjudged quite innocent and threatened to return at once to her father. MigÄra begged her to stay, and she agreed on condition that he invited the Buddha and his monks for a meal. He did so, but the Nigaṇá¹has would not allow him to wait upon the Buddha. At the conclusion of the meal, however, out of politeness, he insisted on listening to the Buddha’s discourse, if only from behind a screen. At the conclusion of the discourse MigÄra became a Stream-winner, and, realising the error of his ways, adopted VisÄkhÄ as his mother by sucking her breast.
Henceforth VisÄkhÄ was called MigÄramÄtÄ. The next day, again, the Buddha was invited, and MigÄra’s wife became a Stream-winner. From that day onwards they kept open house for the Buddha and his monks. As a token of his gratitude, MigÄra held a great festival in honour of VisÄkhÄ, to which the Buddha and his monks were invited. She was bathed in sixteen pots of perfumed water and presented with a jeweled ornament called GhanamatthakapasÄdhana (DhA.i.387ff.; AA.i.220; MA.i.471f). It is probably this same MigÄra whose grandson was called SÄḷha (q.v.) MigÄranattÄ; but see MigÄra (2).
2. MigÄra. Son of VisÄkhÄ and Puṇṇavaá¸á¸hana. DhA.i.407; AA.i.313 says he was their eldest son.
3. MigÄra Rohaneyya. A multi-millionaire of SÄvatthi. Ugga, Pasenadi’s minister, mentions him during a visit to the Buddha and remarks on his immense wealth. However, the Buddha reminds him that MigÄra’s treasure is not real treasure in that it is subject to various dangers — fire, water, kings, robbers, enemies and heirs. A.iv.7.
The Commentary says (AA.ii.697) that MigÄra was called Rohaṇeyya because he was the grandson of Rohaṇaseá¹á¹hi. He is probably to be distinguished from VisÄkhÄ’s son.
4. MigÄra. A general of Kassapa I. He built a pariveṇa called after himself and a house for an image of Abhiseka Buddha, for which he also instituted a festival. Cv.xxxix.6, 40.
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