194. Asokapūjaka

Tha-ap 196

An earthen path through a sheltered grove in warm afternoon light.

Walt 2230 In lovely Tivarā City,
there was a royal garden then.
I was a royal attendant,
the warden of the garden there. Verse 1

Walt 2231 The Self-Become One, Full of Light,
named Paduma was Buddha then.
Sitting in a lotus’ shade
that Sage had not yet left the world. Verse 2

Walt 2232 Seeing an ashoka in bloom
heavy with clusters, beautiful,
I gave a bloom to the Buddha,
the excellent-lotus-named Sage. Verse 3

Walt 2233 In the ninety-four aeons since
I offered that flower to him,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 4

Walt 2234 In the seventieth aeon
were sixteen Aruṇañjahas,
wheel-turning monarchs with great strength,
possessors of the seven gems. Verse 5

Walt 2235 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 6

Thus indeed Venerable Asokapūjaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Asokapūjaka 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.