Alāta

A minister and general of Angati, King of Videha. He is described as wise, smiling, a father of sons and full of experience. When Angati consulted his ministers as to ways and means of finding diversion for himself and his subjects, Alāta's counsel was that they should set out to battle with a countless host of men. The suggestion of another minister, Vijaya, was that the king should visit some samana or brahmin, and this idea it was that won the king's approval. Thereupon Alāta persuaded Angati to visit the ājīvika Guna of the Kassapa family, who evidently enjoyed Alāta's patronage. When Guna preached his doctrine that good and evil actions were alike fruitless, he was supported by Alāta, who stated that in a previous birth he had been Pingala, a cowkilling huntsman in Benares, and that he had committed many sins for which, however, he had never suffered any evil consequences.

Later, Angati's daughter Rujā explains that Alāta's present prosperity is the result of certain past acts of righteousness and that time will eventually bring him suffering on account of his evil deeds. Alāta himself, she says, is not aware of this because he can remember only one previous birth, while she herself can recall seven. See the Mahā Nārada-Kasappa Jātaka (J.vi.222ff).

Alāta was a previous birth of Devadatta (J.vi.255).

In the text he is sometimes (E.g., pp.221, 230) also called Alātaka, perhaps for the purposes of metre.

Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, G P Malalasekera (1899-1973), which is available as printed version from

Alāta (nt.) [Sk. alāta, related to Lat. altāre altar, adoleo to burn] a firebrand A ii.95 (chava˚ a burning corpse, see chava); J i.68; Pug 36; DhA iii.442.

Pali-English Dictionary, TW Rhys Davids, William Stede,

alāta n. a fire-brand, coal MBh. &c

Sanskrit-English Dictionary, by M. Monier William