46. Padumacchadaniya

Tha-ap 48

Walt 1197 When Vipassi, the Chief Person,
the World-Lord had reached nirvana,
taking a pink lotus in bloom
I placed it on the Buddha’s pyre. Verse 1

Walt 1198 And when it was placed on the pyre,
that lotus rose into the sky.
Making an awning in the sky
I held it there over the pyre. Verse 2

Walt 1199 In the ninety-one aeons since
I offered that flower to him,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 1200 Forty-seven aeons ago
I was named Padumissara,
victorious on all four sides,
a wheel-turner with great power. Verse 4

Walt 1201 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed, Venerable Padumucchadaniya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Padumucchadaniya 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.