113. Saraṇāgamaniya (THA-AP115)

The battle between both god-kings
had by then come into being.
A huge crowd was gathered for it,
making a very loud racket.

Padumuttara, World-Knower,
Sacrificial Recipient,
the Teacher, standing in the sky,
then made many people feel moved.

All of the gods were delighted;
their weapons and mail were thrown down.
Having worshipped the Sambuddha
they then stood off to one side there.

Discerning what we were thinking,
the Compassionate, World-Knower,
uttered majestic words just then,
bringing many to nirvana.

“One man with evil in his heart
might harm a single living being.
Because of that stain on his heart
he will be reborn in some hell.

An elephant on the battle front
might harm so many living beings,
but if he cools off his own heart
he won’t be killed repeatedly.”

Both of the armies of those two
spirit-kings were then astonished.
And they went to the World’s Best One,
the Neutral One, to take refuge.

After he’d convinced the people,
the Eyeful One then rose upwards,
and being seen by all the gods,
he departed, facing the north.

I was first to go for refuge
to the Biped-Lord, Neutral One.
For one hundred thousand aeons
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth.

In the thirty thousandth aeon
there were sixteen chariot-bulls,
kings who turned the wheel of the Law,
all were named Mahādundubhi.

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

Thus indeed Venerable Saraṇāgamaniya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Saraṇāgamaniya 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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