“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.