212. Pānadhidāyaka

Tha-ap 214

Two clear woodland streams merge around a smooth mossy stone.

Walt 2324 One time I gave a pair of shoes
to a forest-dwelling rishi
who’d long practiced austerities,
grown old, with cultivated thought. Verse 1

Walt 2325 Because of that deed, Biped Lord,
Best in the World, O Bull of Men,
I enjoy every vehicle:
that is the fruit of past karma. Verse 2

Walt 2326 In the ninety-one aeons since
I did that good karma back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of a pair of shoes. Verse 3

Walt 2327 Seventy-seven aeons hence
there were eight of the royal caste
known by the name of Suyāna,
wheel-turning monarchs with great strength. Verse 4

Walt 2328 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Pānadhidāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Pānadhidāyaka 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.