Grammatical Analysis
Gijjhakūṭa: [m.] Vulture Peak. Formed by gijjha (vulture) + kūṭa (peak, mountain top, crag).
Orthodox Definition
Gijjhakūṭa is a prominent mountain overlooking the city of Rājagaha. It was one of the Buddha’s favorite secluded retreats. Unlike the structured monasteries of Jetavana or Veḷuvana, Vulture Peak was a rugged, natural environment containing small caves where the Buddha and his senior disciples would reside for intense meditation.
In Theravāda history, Vulture Peak is famously associated with the assassination attempt by the Buddha’s cousin, Devadatta, who hurled a massive boulder down the mountain slope in an effort to kill the Tathāgata. The rock struck a ledge, and a splinter struck the Buddha’s foot, drawing blood—an act of immediate, heavy karmic consequence (ānantarika-kamma).
(Note: In Mahāyāna traditions, Vulture Peak is the mythological setting for the delivery of massive cosmic sutras like the Lotus Sutra, but in Theravāda, it remains a historical, geographic site of ascetic practice.)
Textual References
- Vinaya: Cullavagga (Saṅghabhedakkhandhaka) – The historical account of Devadatta rolling the boulder down Vulture Peak.
- Sutta: Mahāsāropama Sutta (MN 29) – Delivered on Vulture Peak shortly after Devadatta caused a schism in the Saṅgha.