229. Sukatāveḷiya (THA-AP231)

Back then I was named Asita,
and I was a garland-maker.
Picking up a flower-garland,
I went to give it to the king.

Not having yet met with the king,
I saw the Leader, Sikhi.
Happy, and with a happy heart,
I offered it to the Buddha.

In the thirty-one aeons since
I did pūjā with that flower,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā.

In the twenty-fifth aeon hence
I was a king who had great strength,
known by the name of Dvebhāra,
a wheel-turning king with great strength.

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

Thus indeed Venerable Sukatāveḷiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sukatāveḷiya 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.

For more information, visit apadanatranslation.org

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.