Three times a day—morning, midday, and evening—I plunged into the water at Gayā for the Gayā spring festival.
“Any bad things I’ve done in previous lives, I’ll now rinse away right here”—such was the view I used to hold.
Having heard the fine words, a passage meaningful and principled, I rationally reflected on the true, essential goal.
I’ve washed away all bad things; I’m stainless, clean, pristine; the pure heir of the pure one, a bosom son of the Buddha.
When I plunged into the eightfold stream, all bad things were rinsed away. I’ve attained the three knowledges and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.
Gayākassapa
Thag 5.7 · Gayākassapattheragāthā
Connections
Collection & context
- TheragāthāThe 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 Bhikkhu Sujato and Jessica Walton · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
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.