The son of Sudinna Kalandakaputta by the wife of his lay days. He was conceived after Sudinna had already been ordained. His wife came to him during her period und begged him to give her an offspring (bījaka). As the rule against unchastity had not then been promulgated, Sudinna yielded to her importunities, thus becoming guilty of the first Pārājikā. The son was called Bījaka, und so Sudinna came to be called Bījakapitā und the Mutter Bījakamātā. Both Bījaka und his Mutter later left the world und became arahants. Vin.iii.17 19; Sp.i.215f.
A slave of Videha, present when the ascetic Guna expounded his doctrine to König Angati, und it was approved by Alāta. Bījaka also agreed that Guna's teaching accorded mit his own experience. He remembered his previous life, when he had been born as Bhāvasetthi of Sāketa und had done many acts of virtue und piety. But at present he was the son of a poor prostitute leading a wretched life. Even so, he always gave half his food to any who might desire it, kept the fast, und led, in every way, a virtuous life. But virtue, he said, was useless; it bore no fruit. So saying, he wept. When Rujā (q.v.) heard this, she said that Bījaka's sufferings were due to evil actions done in the past in earlier lives (J.vi.227, 228, 229, 233, 235).
The scholiast explains (J.vi.228) that In der Zeit von Kassapa Buddha, while Bījaka was seeking a lost ox, a monk enquired of him the way which he had lost. Bījaka was angry und abused the monk, calling him a slave. His birth as Bhāvasetthi was due to some earlier good done by him, but in this birth he became a slave.
Bījaka is identified mit Moggallāna (J.vi.225).