• Kosiya, Kosiyagotta

1. Kosiya, Kosiyagotta

The name of a brahmin clan. In the Pācittiya it is given as one of the lower gottas. (Vin.iv.8; but it is also Sakka's gotta, and is therefore generally regarded as a high one; see e.g., Thag.415; ThagA.i.452).

Among those mentioned as belonging to this gotta are the brahmin Kevatta (J.vi.418f), the brahmin who was the father of Sona Kumāra (the Bodhisatta) (J.v.319ff), Bhaddākāpilāni, born in Sāgala (AA.i.99; ThagA.68; SA ii.144), and the banker who came to be known as Macchari-Kosiya.

Kātiyāna's father was a Kosiyan, but he married a woman of the Kātiyāna family (ThagA.ii.452).

The Bhūridatta Jātaka (J.vi.181; Mtu.ii.49) mentions a sage Kosiya, who taught Alambāyana the Nāga-spell. The scholiast says he belonged to the Kosiyagotta.

The Sālikedāra Jātaka (J.iv.278f) mentions a brahmin of Sālindiya, called Kosiyagotta, probably for the same reason.

The Kosiya Jātaka (J.i.465f) speaks of a Kosiya-brāhmanī. All these are either addressed or spoken of as Kosiya in their different contexts. The name Kosiya is also used twice in speaking of Sakka - once by the Buddha (D.ii.270), once by Mahā Moggallāna (M.i.252) - and again by Guttila (J.ii.252) and by Mahā Kassapa (Ud.iii.7; UdA.200; DhA.i.429).

The name means "belonging to the Kusika family." It is once used of Indra in the Rg Veda, in what exact sense is not known. Rhys Davids suggests (Dial.ii.296f; see also Dvy.632; Mtu.iii.200, 202, 315, 403) that perhaps we have here a survival from the time when Indra was only the god of a Kusika clan.

The word Kosiya (e.g., J. ii.208) means "Owl" and is probably one of the several clan names which are also names of animals (cf. Vaccha).

2. Kosiya. See Macchari-Kosiya.

3. Kosiya Thera. An arahant. He belonged to a brahmin family in Magadha and was called by his gotta-name. He often listened to the preaching of Sāriputta and, joining the Order, in due course won arahant ship. He was a gate-keeper of Bandhumatī and in the time of Vipassī Buddha gave to the Buddha a piece of sugar-cane. (Thag.370-4; ThagA.i.431f).

He is probably identical with Ucchukandika of the Apadāna. Ap.ii.393.

4. Kosiya. See Kosika (1).

5. Kosiya.See Nanda Mānava.