Tha Ap 109Naḷamāliya

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

107. Naḷamāliya

Walt 1646-1647 Taking up a garland of reeds

and binding it I then approached

Padumuttara, the Buddha,

the World’s Best One, the Neutral One,

the Tranquil One, the Neutral One,

who was seated in the grass then,

and there I fanned the Biped-Lord,

the Buddha, he , the Neutral One. Verse 1-2

Walt 1648 The Omniscient One received it,

then the World-Leader fanned himself .

Discerning what I was thinking,

he spoke this verse about me then : Verse 3

Walt 1649 “Just as this one cooled my body

he will not feel the scorch of hell ;

just so your heart will be freed from

the three-fold fire of existence .” Verse 4

Walt 1650 All the gods gathered in a tree

whichever ones were then thinking ,

“we’ll hear the words of the Buddha

which will cause the donor to laugh.” Verse 5

Walt 1651 Then , seated there, the Blessed One,

Honored by the Gods’ Assembly

bringing laughter to the donor

spoke these verses about me too : Verse 6

Walt 1652 “Because of this gift of fanning

and the resolve in his own heart,

he’ll become a wheel-turning king

known by the name of Subbata. Verse 7

Walt 1653 Through the remainder of that deed,

incited by his wholesome roots,

he’ll become a wheel-turning king

known by the name of Māluta. Verse 8

Walt 1654 Because of this gift of fanning

and his abundant honoring,

for one hundred thousand aeons

he’ll come to know no bad rebirth.” Verse 9

Walt 1655 In the thirty-thousandth aeon

there were eight kings named Subbata.

In the twenty-nine thousandth aeon

there were eight kings named Māluta. Verse 10

Walt 1656 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 11

Thus indeed Venerable Naḷamāliya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Naḷamāliya 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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