229. Sukatāveḷiya

Tha-ap 231

Weathered stepping stones cross a clear mountain stream towards a grassy bank, with an autumn leaf on the nearest stone.

Walt 2415 Back then I was named Asita,
and I was a garland-maker.
Picking up a flower-garland,
I went to give it to the king. Verse 1

Walt 2416 Not having yet met with the king,
I saw the Leader, Sikhi.
Happy, and with a happy heart,
I offered it to the Buddha. Verse 2

Walt 2417 In the thirty-one aeons since
I did pūjā with that flower,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 2418 In the twenty-fifth aeon hence
I was a king who had great strength,
known by the name of Dvebhāra,
a wheel-turning king with great strength. Verse 4

Walt 2419 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Sukatāveḷiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sukatāveḷiya 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.