99. Veyyāvaccaka (THA-AP101)

There was a large group waiting on
Vipassi, then the Blessed One.
Busy with all sorts of duties,
I was then a humble servant.

I had nothing that I could give
to that Well-Gone-One, the Great Sage,
so I worshipped the Teacher’s feet
with a mind that was very clear.

In the ninety-one aeons since
I performed that service back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of doing service.

Then, in the eighth aeon ago,
I was the king, Sucintita,
a wheel-turner with great power,
possessor of the seven gems.

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

Thus indeed Venerable Veyyāvaccaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Veyyāvaccaka Thera is finished.

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.

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Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.