149. Vaṭaṁsakiya

Tha-ap 151

The delicate veins of a fallen leaf on damp stone.

Walt 1983 The Self-Become, Unconquered One,
the Buddha known as Sumedha,
strengthening his separation,
went off into a great forest. Verse 1

Walt 1984 Having seen a sal tree blooming,
I bound up a hair-wreath right then.
Face to face with the World-Leader,
I gave that wreath to the Buddha. Verse 2

Walt 1985 In the thirty-thousand aeons
since I offered him that flower,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 1986 In the nineteen-hundredth aeon
there were sixteen named Nimmita,
wheel-turning kings with great power,
possessors of the seven gems. Verse 4

Walt 1987 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Vaṭaṁsakiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Vaṭaṁsakiya 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.