Therigatha1.1

Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Therigatha >> Therigatha1.1

Adapted from Archaic Translation By Mrs. Rhys Davids 1909

Compared with the Pali Tipitaka at www.tipitaka.org

1.1 A Certain Theri Of A Noble Family Of Vesali, Known As Therika.

Sleep softly, Therika, take your rest At ease, wrapped in the robe yourself have made. Stilled are the passions that would rage within, Withered as potherbs in the oven dried. (1) How was she reborn?

Long ago, a certain daughter of one of the clans became a fervent believer in the teaching of the Buddha Konagamana, [1] and entertained him hospitably. She had a dwelling made with tree branches, a draped ceiling, and a sanded floor, and did him honour with flowers and perfumes. And all her life doing meritorious acts, she was reborn among the gods(angels), and then again among men when Kassapa was Buddha, under whom she renounced the world. Reborn again in heaven till this Buddha-period, she was finally born in a great nobleman's family at Vesali. From the sturdy build of her body they called her Sturdykin. She became the devoted wife of a young noble. When the Master(Buddha) came to Vesali, she was convinced by his teaching, and became a lay-disciple. Later on, hearing the Great Pajapati the Elder nun (Foster Mother & Aunt of Buddha as well as head of nuns order)preaching the Doctrine, the wish arose in her to leave the world & become nun, and she told this to her husband. He would not consent; so she went on performing her duties, looking back at the sweetness of the doctrine, and living devoted to insight. Then, one day in the kitchen, while the curry was cooking, a mighty flame of fire shot up, and burnt all the food with much crackling. She, watching it, made it a basis(idea) for deep meditation on the utter impermanence of all things. By that her insight meditation(Vipassana[2]) grew and she was established in the Fruition of the State of No-return(Anagami[3]). From then on she wore no more jewels and ornaments. When her husband asked her the reason, she told him how incapable she felt of living a domestic life. So he brought her, as Visakha brought Dhammadinna, with a large following, to Great Pajapati the Gotami, and said: 'Let the reverend Theris give her ordination.' And Pajapati did so, and showed her the Master(Buddha); and the Master, emphasizing, as was his custom to make it clear what she had attained, spoke the verse above.

Now, when she had attained Arahantship(enlightenment equal to Buddha), the Theri repeated that verse in her blissfulness, for that reason this verse became her verse.

[1] Konagamana and Kassapa successively preceded Gotama as Buddhas.

[2] Vipassana : This refers to the foremost insight meditation called 'Vipassana' taught by Buddha in which attention is focussed on inner phenomenon (breath,body,mind,emotions & sensations) with detachment (samata/equanimity) leading to self-awakening & enlightenment.

[3] Anagami - lit. non-returner, The state prior to nirvana , one who will be reborn in Brahmaloka (arch-angel world) and then from there one will achieve Nirvana.