301. Padumakesariya

Tha-ap 303

A delicate fallen leaf resting in the last light of dusk.

Walt 2717 I lived in the Sage-assembly,
a fierce mātaṅga elephant.
Feeling pleasure for the Sages
I sprinkled some lotus pollen. Verse 1

Walt 2718 Having pleased my heart among those
Best of Self-Enlightened Victors,
Devoid of Passions, Neutral Ones,
I joyed an aeon in heaven. Verse 2

Walt 2719 In the ninety-one aeons since
I sprinkled that pollen back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of flower-pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 2720 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 4

Thus indeed Venerable Padumakesariya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Padumakesariya 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.