Skip to reading

Therīgāthā · Poems of the Elder Nuns

Thig 3:5 Ubbiri

34 selected poems · translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu

Thig 3:5  Ubbiri

[Ubbiri recalls the Buddha’s words:]

“‘Jīva, my daughter,’

you cry in the woods.

Come to your senses, Ubbiri.

84,000

all named Jīva

have been burned in that charnel ground.

For which of them do you grieve?”

Pulling out

—completely out—

the arrow so hard to see,

embedded in my heart,

he expelled from me

—overcome with grief—

the grief

over my daughter.

Today—with arrow removed,

without hunger, entirely

unbound—

to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Saṅgha I go,

for refuge to

the Sage.

See also: SN 47:13; AN 5:49; Ud 5:1; Ud 8:8; Sn 3:8; Thig 6:1

Translations & sourcesEditions & translators
Explore poems at Dhammatalks.org ↗

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu’s anthology of poems attributed to elder nuns. This source offers selections from the larger collection.

Edition & attribution

Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. These 34 selected poems are reproduced from dhammatalks.org under CC BY-NC 4.0. Formatting adapted for Buddhist Atlas; wording unchanged. This is a selection, not the complete Therīgāthā.

An introduction. Follow the source link below to read the translated text.

Introductions, reflection questions and added section headings are editorial material, separate from the attributed translation.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork created for Buddhist Atlas. It is an evocative companion, not a depiction of the text’s historical setting.

Selected translations · free

Source link checked October 1, 2026. The linked publisher provides the text and its usage terms.

Connections
Guru Viking0

No connected episodes found for this text.

People & teachers11
Traditions & history3
Books1
Topics4

Make yourself comfortable

Text size
About this textContext & reading guide

Therīgāthā — selected poems