Tha Ap 428Ghatamaṇḍadāyaka

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

423. {426.} Ghatamaṇḍadāyaka

Walt 4539 Seeing the Blessed One, Well-Thought,

the World’s Best One, the Bull of Men,

entered into the great forest,

tormented by internal pain,

bringing pleasure to my own heart,

I presented cream from some ghee. Verse 1

Walt 4540 From doing and heaping that up,

the river named Bhāgīrathī,

and even the four great oceans

are supplying ghee- cream to me. Verse 2

Walt 4541 And even this whole awful earth,

beyond measure, beyond counting,

discerning what I am thinking,

turns into honey and sugar. Verse 3

Walt 4542 These trees on all four continents,

foot-drinkers growing in the earth,

discerning what I am thinking,

turn into wishing-trees for me . Verse 4

Walt 4543 Fifty times the lord of the gods,

I exercised divine rule there .

And fifty-one times I was then

a king who turns the wheel of law .

And I enjoyed much local rule,

innumerable by counting. Verse 5

Walt 4544 In the ninety-four aeons since

I gave him that gift at that time,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

that’s the fruit of the cream from ghee. Verse 6

Walt 4545 My defilements are now burnt up;

all new existence is destroyed.

Like elephants with broken chains,

I am living without constraint. Verse 7

Walt 4546 Being in Best Buddha’s presence

was a very good thing for me.

The three knowledges are attained;

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 8

Walt 4547 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 9

Thus indeed Venerable Ghatamaṇḍadāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Ghatamaṇḍadāyaka Thera is finished.

Translated by Jonathan S. Walters .

Whitman College, 2017

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