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Thig 5.4 Sundarīnandātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Sundarīnandā

“Nandā, see this body as diseased,
impure, and rotten.
Cultivate awareness of the unattractive,
with a well-collected, one-pointed mind.

As this is, so is that,
as that is, so is this.
Only fools enjoy
the vile smell of rotten winds.”

“I looked at it in this way
relentlessly, by day and by night,
saw it for myself with wisdom,
and had a breakthrough.

I heedfully investigated
the origin of things
to accurately see this body
inside and out.

Then I was disenchanted by the body,
and I became dispassionate.
Heedful, unbound,
I am quenched and at peace.”


Read this translation of Therīgāthā 5.4 Sundarīnandātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Sundarīnandā by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org or DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in Deutsch, Magyar, Indonesian, Italiano, 日本語, Norsk, සිංහල, or Tiếng Việt. Learn how to find your language.

Thig 1.18 Saṁghātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Saṅghā

“I left behind the house and went forth.
I left behind child, cattle, and all that is dear.
I left behind passion and aversion,
and I left behind ignorance—by means of dispassion.
Having pulled out craving by the roots,
I am quenched and at peace.”


Read this translation of Therīgāthā 1.18 Saṁghātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Saṅghā by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net or SuttaFriends.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in Deutsch, Magyar, Indonesian, 日本語, Norsk, සිංහල, or Tiếng Việt. Learn how to find your language.

Thig 2.3 Sumaṅgalamātātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Sumaṇgala’s Mother

“Well released, well released,
I am well released and free from the pestle.
I am shielded from my shameless husband
and from the kettle that hisses like a water snake.

Hiss! Hiss! I destroy
passion and aversion.
Having gone to the root of a tree,
‘O bliss!’ I happily meditate.”


Arahant Bhaddiya was also known to cry out “O bliss” at the root of a tree. Read his story in Ud 2.10 Bhaddiya Sutta.

Read this translation of Therīgāthā 2.3 Sumaṅgalamātātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Sumaṇgala’s Mother by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org or DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Thig 5.10 Paṭācārātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Paṭācārā

“With plows young men plough the field,
sowing seeds in the earth.
As they nourish wife and children,
young men find wealth.

I have perfect morality,
I follow the teaching of the Teacher,
I am not lazy nor conceited,
so why have I not attained Nirvana?

After washing the feet,
I observed the water,
and noticed the foot-washing water
flowing from top to bottom.

From there I sought one-pointedness of mind,
like a good thoroughbred horse.
Later, I took the lamp,
and entered my dwelling.
I checked the bed
and took a seat on a mat.

I took the needle
and pulled out the wick.
My emancipation of mind
was like the going out of the lamp.”


You can also read the life story of Arahant Paṭācārā in the commentary to Dhammapada verse 113.

Read this translation of Therīgāthā 5.10 Paṭācārātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Paṭācārā by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org or DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net.

Thig 14.1 Subhājīvakambavanikātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Subhā of Jīvaka’s Mango Grove

Bhikkhunī Subhā was going
to Jīvaka’s charming mango grove.
A rogue obstructed her,
so Subhā said this to him:

“Have I done something to offend you,
that you stand there holding me back?
Because it is not proper, friend,
for a layperson to touch one who has gone forth.

This is serious, according to my teacher’s instructions.
The One Faring Well has made the trainings clear.
I am on the path of complete purity, I am flawless,
why do you stand there holding me back?

Your mind is turbulent, mine is not,
your mind is dirty, mine is not.
My mind is flawless and liberated in every way,
why do you stand there holding me back?”

“Young and innocent girl,
what can going forth do for you?
Put down that ochre robe,
come enjoy yourself in this flowering forest.

Sweet winds blow everywhere,
from trees full of flower-pollen.
Early Spring is a pleasant season—
come enjoy yourself in this flowering forest.

Trees tipped with flowers
murmur in the wind.
But how can you enjoy yourself,
if you descend into the forest alone?

Surrounded by a multitude of beasts and snakes,
wild and agitated elephants;
you want to go without a companion
into this lonely, dreadful, and immense forest?

Like a shiny golden doll,
like a nymph amongst beautiful vines,
you will stand out
wearing the finest linen from Kāsi.

I will be under your control,
if we live together in the forest.
Because there is no one more dear to me than you,
creature with the soft eyes of a dryad.

If you were to say to me:
‘Come, let’s live a pleasant household life!’
you would live in a sheltered palace
and have women attending you.

You would wear the finest linen from Kāsi,
as well as garlands and makeup.
I would adorn you
with lots of gold, jewels, and pearls.

You would rest on a fabulous bed with a beautiful blanket,
freshly washed and dyed,
on a brand-new mattress upholstered with wool and
scented with sandalwood.

But if you live the chaste and holy life,
then like a blue lotus that rises above the water
but is not touched by anyone,
you will wither away all alone.”

“What do you consider of value here,
in this carcass – full of corpses,
bound for the cemetery, destined to break apart?
What have you seen that makes you so deranged?”

“Your eyes are like a symphony,
like a dryad in the mountains.
Seeing your eyes
fills me with sensual desire.

Your eyes are like lotus flowers
in a face that shines like pure gold.
Seeing your eyes,
my excitement grows ever more.

Even when we are far apart,
I will remember your long lashes and pure eyes,
because there is no one more dear than you,
with the soft eyes of a dryad.”

“You want to walk where there is no path,
you want to take the moon as a toy,
you want to jump over Mount Meru,
you chase after a disciple of the Buddha.

There is nothing in this world, even with all its devas
which I could now have craving for.
I do not know what it could be like,
since it has been completely uprooted by the path.

Cast away like burning coal,
destroyed like a worthless bowl of poison.
I do not see what it could be like,
since it has been completely uprooted by the path.

One who has not contemplated,
or has not been close to the Teacher,
may be enticed by you,
but I am one who knows, so you are wasting your time here.

Whether I am reviled or respected,
whether there is pleasure or pain, my mindfulness is stable.
Knowing that conditioned things are not beautiful,
my mind is never stained.

I am a female disciple of the one faring well,
I travel with the Eightfold Path as my vehicle.
Free from influences, with darts removed,
I enjoy going to an empty dwelling.

I have seen well-painted
wooden puppets of children,
bound with sticks and strings
like a group of little dancers.

But when those sticks and strings are removed,
when everything is untied, non-functional, splayed out,
one could not find anything in its parts,
so where could the mind settle?

Likewise my body parts
do not function without those mindstates;
this being the case,
where could the mind settle?

It’s like seeing a painting on a wall
made with orpiment;
if your vision of it is distorted,
you misperceive it as a human being.

It is like a supreme illusion,
like a golden tree in a dream.
Blind one, you are getting close to something as meaningless
as a marionette amidst a group of people.

Spinning in a blood-red hole,
engulfed in pus and tears,
here watery tumors are born,
various eye-components balled up together.”

She pulled out that charming eye,
and with a mind of non-attachment, she said:
“Well then, take your eye,”
and she gave it to that man.

In that moment his lust dissipated,
and he apologized:
“May you be well living the holy life,
this will not happen again.

Assailing such a person,
is like embracing a blazing fire,
or picking up a poisonous snake.
May you be well, forgive me.”

The bhikkhunī was let go, and from there
she went to the excellent Buddha.
Seeing the characteristic of excellent merit,
her eye was restored.


If you liked this sutta, you may enjoy the suttas found in the Māra Saṁyutta, SN5, where arahant bhikkhunis do battle with Māra.

Read this translation of Therīgāthā 14.1 Subhājīvakambavanikātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Subhā of Jīvaka’s Mango Grove by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net or SuttaFriends.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net.

Thig 5.2 Vimalātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Vimalā

“Intoxicated with this beautiful body,
as well as glory and success,
relying on my youth,
I despised anyone who was not my equal.

Dressed up in flashy outfits,
prattling on,
I stood at the entrance of the pleasure house,
like a hunter setting traps.

I showed off my assets,
I often exposed my private parts,
I deceived people in many ways,
and I made fun of many a person.

Today I walk for alms,
with a shaven-head, wrapped in the outer robe.
Seated at the root of a tree,
I attain the absence of thought.

All attachments have been cut off,
both divine and human.
Having cast away all influences,
I have become cool and quenched.”


Read this translation of Therīgāthā 5.2 Vimalātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Vimalā by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org or DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net.

Thig 3.4 Dantikātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Dantikā

“Having ventured out from my day’s abiding
at Vulture’s Peak Mountain,
I saw an elephant going in and out
the river by the shore.

A man took a pole with a hook,
and said to him: ‘give me your foot.’
The elephant held out his foot,
and the man mounted him.

Once I saw the untamed tamed,
brought under human control,
from there I sought one-pointedness of mind—
this is why I went to the forest.”


Read this translation of Therīgāthā 3.4 Dantikātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Dantikā by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org or DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net.

Thig 5.1 Aññataratherīgāthā: Verses of a Certain Unknown Elder

“For twenty-five years,
since I had gone forth,
I had not experienced serenity of mind,
not even for a split second.

I had not attained peace of mind,
I was overflowing with lust,
and with my arms in the air, crying aloud,
I entered the monastery.

I approached a bhikkhunī,
who I had confidence in.
She taught me the Dhamma:
the aggregates, elements, and sense domains.

Having heard that Dhamma,
I sat down on one side.
I know my past lives,
I have purified my divine eye.

I am able to read the minds of others,
and I have purified the ear element.
I have attained psychic powers,
and reached the destruction of the influences.
I have realized the six special knowledges,
and completed the teaching of the Buddha.”



Read this translation of Therīgāthā 5.1 Aññataratherīgāthā: Verses of a Certain Unknown Elder by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net or SuttaFriends.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net.

Thig 6.6 Mahāpajāpatigotamītherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Mahāpajāpati Gotamī

“Homage to you, Buddha, Hero!
Best of all beings,
who released me and many others
from suffering.

All suffering is fully understood,
craving, its cause, has been made to wither,
the Eightfold Path has been developed,
and cessation has been attained by me.

In the past I was a mother, a child, a father, a brother,
and a grandmother.
Not knowing the truth of how things are,
I came back again and again, not finding what I was looking for.

I have seen the Magnificent One,
indeed, this is my last body.
Destroyed is rebirth in saṁsāra,
now there is no coming back to any state of being.

See the disciples on the path—
established in energy, self-directed,
always making a sincere effort:
this is paying homage to the Buddhas!

Indeed, for the benefit of many beings,
Māyā gave birth to Gotama.
Pierced is sickness and death,
dispelled is the mass of suffering.”


Read this translation of Therīgāthā 6.6 Mahāpajāpatigotamītherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Mahāpajāpati Gotamī by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org or DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net.

Thig 2.9 Abhayātherīgāthā: Abhayā

Abhayā, the body is fragile,
yet ordinary people are attached to it.
I’ll lay down the body,
aware and mindful.

Though subject to so many painful things,
I have, through my love of diligence,
reached the ending of craving,
and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.


Read this translation of Therīgāthā 2.9 Abhayātherīgāthā: Abhayā Abhayātherīgāthā by Bhikkhuni Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net or SuttaFriends.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net.

Thig 13.2 Rohinītherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Rohinī

“You fall asleep talking about ‘contemplatives’,
you wake up talking about ‘contemplatives’,
you only praise contemplatives,
surely you will become a contemplative.

Abundant food and drink
you offer to contemplatives.
Rohinī, now I ask:
what is so dear to you about contemplatives?

They’re idle and lazy,
living on what is given by others,
longing for sweet sensual pleasures,
what is so dear to you about contemplatives?”

“For a very long time indeed, father,
you have asked me about contemplatives.
For you, I will speak in praise of their
wisdom, morality, and commitment.

Industrious, not lazy,
doers of the best deeds,
they give up passion and aversion,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

The three roots of evil
they shake off, the ones whose actions are pure,
they have abandoned all evil,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

They do pure bodily actions,
as well as verbal actions,
and pure mental actions,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

Spotless as a pearl,
they are pure internally and externally.
Full of bright qualities,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

Very learned, knowing the Dhamma by heart,
Noble Ones, living a life of Dhamma,
they expound the meaning of the Dhamma,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

Very learned, knowing the Dhamma by heart,
Noble Ones, living a life of Dhamma,
mindful, with one-pointed minds,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

Going afar, mindful,
giving counsel without conceit,
they clearly know the end of suffering,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

From whichever village they set out,
they never look back,
they wander without longing,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

They do not deposit things in storerooms,
nor do they have pots and pans.
Seeking complete perfection,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

They do not take up gold,
silver or money,
they are nourished by the present moment,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.

Monastics from different clans,
and from different provinces,
they hold each other dear,
because of this, contemplatives are dear to me.”

“Madam, it surely was for our benefit,
that you were born in this clan, Rohinī,
very devout, and with faith in the Buddha, the Dhamma,
and the Sangha.

You clearly know this
incomparable field of merit.
These contemplatives
will receive donations from us as well.

Charity will be established here by us,
and it will be abundant.”
“If you are afraid of suffering,
if you dislike suffering,

go for refuge to the Buddha,
Dhamma, and Sangha.
Take up the moral practices,
for your own sake.”

“I go for refuge to the Buddha,
Dhamma, and Sangha.
Having taken up the moral practices,
it will be for my sake.”

“Before I was a kinsman of Brahmā,
now I am a brahmin.
Possessing three superhuman knowledges, I am one who has attained the highest knowledge,
I am one who has bathed.”


Read this translation of Therīgāthā 13.2 Rohinītherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Rohinī by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org or DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net.

Thig 6.7 Guttātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Guttā

“Guttā, why did you go forth?
You have left behind child, wealth, and all that is dear.
Practice in this way,
do not be controlled by the mind.

Sentient beings are misguided by the mind,
enjoying the realm of Māra.
Fools wander along in saṁsāra,
running through countless births.

Interest in sensual pleasures, ill will,
attachment to self-identity,
clinging to rites and rituals,
and the fifth is doubt—

once you abandon these fetters,
Bhikkhunī,
you will not return
to the near shore again.

Once you forsake passion, conceit, ignorance,
and restlessness,
having cut off the fetters,
you will bring suffering to an end.

Once you have discarded birth in saṁsāra,
having fully understood how existence is renewed,
seeing the Dhamma, without cravings,
you will walk in peace.”


Read this translation of Therīgāthā 6.7 Guttātherīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Guttā by Ayya Soma on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org or DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net.