Therīgāthā | Poems of the Elder Nuns
This is an anthology consisting of 34 poems from the Therīgāthā (Poems of the Elder Nuns). It is the ninth text in the Khuddaka Nikāya. The Therīgāthā contains a total of 73 poems, all attributed to early members of the monastic Saṅgha. Some of the poems are attributed to nuns well-known from other parts of the Canon—such as Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī and Uppalavaṇṇā—whereas the majority are attributed to nuns otherwise unknown. It is a landmark in the history of world literature. The Therīgāthā is the earliest extant text depicting women’s spiritual experiences.
- Introduction
- Thig 1:1 An Anonymous Nun — Passion stilled, like a pot of pickled greens boiled dry.
- Thig 1:3 Puṇṇā — Grow full (puṇṇā) with good qualities like the full moon.
- Thig 1:11 Muttā — From three crooked things set free.
- Thig 1:17 Dhammā — Set free after falling down on the ground.
- Thig 2:3 Sumaṅgala’s Mother — From three crooked things set free, I do jhāna.
- Thig 2:4 Aḍḍhkāsī — A high-priced courtesan becomes disgusted with her body.
- Thig 3:2 Uttamā — After running amok, a nun learns the Dhamma and gains awakening.
- Thig 3:4 Dantikā & the Elephant — Seeing an untamed elephant made tame (danta), a nun centers her mind.
- Thig 3:5 Ubbiri — A nun recalls the Buddha’s words that freed her from grief over her dead daughter.
- Thig 5:2 Vimalā, the Former Courtesan — Once adorned as a courtesan, now wrapped in a double cloak, a nun cuts through all ties, human and divine.
- Thig 5:4 Nandā’s Vision — The Buddha’s half-sister contemplates a dead body and so grows disenchanted with her own.
- Thig 5:6 Mittakālī — Once greedy for tribute, a nun comes to her senses.
- Thig 5:8 Soṇā, Mother of Ten — After giving birth to ten children, an old nun goes beyond birth and aging.
- Thig 5:10 Paṭācārā — “And taking a pin, I pulled out the wick…”
- Thig 5:11 Paṭācārā’s Thirty Students — Pāṭācārā’s students pay her homage after having followed her instructions.
- Thig 5:12 Candā, the Beggar — Exhorted by Pāṭācārā, a former beggar gains awakening.
- Thig 6:1 Paṭācārā’s 500 Students — Pāṭācārā tells her students of the Buddha’s words that freed her from grief over her dead son.
- Thig 6:2 Vāsiṭṭhī the Madwoman — Once mad with grief over her dead son, a woman regains her mind and goes forth after meeting the Buddha.
- Thig 6:3 Khemā — Two poems. In the first, Māra tries to tempt a nun to enjoy sensuality. In the second, the nun contrasts effective and ineffective ways of paying homage for the sake of purity.
- Thig 6:4 Sujātā — Returning from a picnic, a woman penetrates the Dhamma on hearing the Buddha’s teachings.
- Thig 6:5 Anopamā, the Millionaire’s Daughter — A woman sought after by many potential husbands seeks and finds the Dhamma instead.
- Thig 6:6 Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī — The Buddha’s stepmother pays homage to him.
- Thig 6:7 Guttā — A nun recalls the Buddha’s admonishment.
- Thig 6:8 Vijayā — After running amok, a nun learns the Dhamma and gains awakening.
- Thig 7:2 Cālā — Māra confronts a nun who, approving of the Dhamma, approves of no one’s philosophy.
- Thig 7:3 Upacālā — A nun confronted by Māra explains why she doesn’t approve of birth.
- Thig 8 Sīsūpacālā — Māra tries to tempt a nun to enjoy the pleasures of heaven.
- Thig 9 Vaḍḍha’s Mother — A monk, roused by his mother, attains the highest peace.
- Thig 10 Kīsā Gotamī — A nun achieves the deathless after her entire family suddenly dies.
- Thig 12 Puṇṇikā & the Brahman — Puṇṇikā, a slave woman, teaches the Dhamma to a brahman who is trying to wash his sins away.
- Thig 13:1 Ambapālī — A former courtesan surveys the ravages of time on her body.
- Thig 13:2 Rohiṇī — Rohiṇī convinces her father that, instead of being lazy, monks actually do the best work.
- Thig 13:5 Subhā the Goldsmith’s Daughter — When her relatives try to tempt her to marry, Subhā tells them of the dangers of sensuality, then ordains and gains awakening.
- Thig 14 Subhā & the Libertine — A nun going through the forest is accosted by a man who invites her to be his wife. She gives him a lesson that he will never forget.