243. Naḷinakesariya

Tha-ap 245

A white camellia among rain-washed leaves.

Walt 2470 I was a water bird who dwelled
within a natural lake there.
Then I saw him, the God of Gods,
when he was flying through the sky. Verse 1

Walt 2471 With a mind that was very clear
I plucked some pollen with my beak
and then offered it to Tissa,
the Buddha, Kinsman of the World. Verse 2

Walt 2472 In the ninety-two 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 2473 In the seventy-third aeon
I was one named Satapatta,
a wheel-turning king with great strength,
possessor of the seven gems. Verse 4

Walt 2474 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Naḷinakesariya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Naḷinakesariya 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.