101. Bhikkhadāyī

Tha-ap 103

The delicate veins of a fallen leaf on damp stone.

Walt 1611 I saw the golden Sambuddha,
Sacrificial Recipient,
who, gone forth from the excellent
forest, has come to nirvana. Verse 1

Walt 1612 I gave a spoonful of begged food
to Siddhattha, the Sage so Great,
the Great Hero, the Neutral One,
the Wise One, he who was Tranquil. Verse 2

Walt 1613 When he made many folks attain
nirvana as they followed him,
a lofty joy arose in me
about the Buddha, Sun’s Kinsman. Verse 3

Walt 1614 In the ninety-four aeons since
I gave him that alms-food back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of begged-for alms-food. Verse 4

Walt 1615 In the eighty-seventh aeon
there were seven wheel-turning kings;
they were all named Mahāreṇu,
possessors of the seven gems. Verse 5

Walt 1616 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 6

Thus indeed Venerable Bhikkhadāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Bhikkhadāyaka Thera is finished.

Connections

Collection & context

TherāpadānaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

About this edition

Translation by Jonathan S. Walters · SuttaCentral · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US

Noncommercial reuse with attribution and the same license. Original publication and digitization credits are preserved below.

Translated by Jonathan S. Walters.

Whitman College, 2017

Legends of the Buddhist Saints (Apadāna) is released under the Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike license.

This is the first-ever complete translation of Apadāna into a Western language.

For more information, visit apadanatranslation.org

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.