Tha Ap 245Naḷinakesariya

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

243. Naḷinakesariya

Walt 2470 I was a water bird who dwelled

within a natural lake there .

Then I saw him , the God of Gods,

when he was flying through the sky. Verse 1

Walt 2471 With a mind that was very clear

I plucked some pollen with my beak

and then offered it to Tissa,

the Buddha, Kinsman of the World. Verse 2

Walt 2472 In the ninety-two aeons since

I did pūjā with that flower,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

that’s the fruit of Buddha- pūjā . Verse 3

Walt 2473 In the seventy-third aeon

I was one named Satapatta,

a wheel-turning king with great strength,

possessor of the seven gems. Verse 4

Walt 2474 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Naḷinakesariya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Naḷinakesariya 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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