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# Therigatha

## Verses of the Elder Nuns

### (selected verses)

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See also the Theragatha (Verses of the Elder Monks).

The Therigatha, the ninth book of the Khuddaka Nikaya, consists of 73 poems (522 verses in all) in which the early nuns (bhikkhunis) recount their struggles and accomplishments along the road to arahantship. Their stories are told with often heart-breaking honesty and beauty, revealing the deeply human side of these extraordinary women, and thus serve as inspiring reminders of our own potential to follow in their footsteps.

An anthology of selected suttas from the Khuddaka Nikaya (including the Therigatha), translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, is also available in Microsoft Word 6 (Macintosh/Windows) format. See the Theravada Text Archives page for more information.

The braces {} that follow each sutta title contain the verse numbers of the corresponding Pali text of the Therigatha.

- Chapter I -- The Single Verses
  - 1. An Anonymous Bhikkhuni {v. 1} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Like a pot of pickled greens boiled dry.
  - 3. Punna {v. 3} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Bursting the mass of darkness.
  - 11. Mutta {v. 11} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Free at last from three crooked things!
  - 17. Dhamma {v. 17} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Collapsing to the ground from weakness -- the Dhamma appears!

- Chapter II -- Pairs of Verses
  - 3. Sumangala's Mother {vv. 23-24} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. What bliss -- free at last from my shameless husband!

- Chapter III -- The Threes
  - 2. Uttama {vv. 42-44} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Seven days of continuous meditation. On the eighth: Victory!
  - 3. Dantika and the Elephant {vv. 48-50} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | C.A.F. Rhys Davids, trans.]. Taming the mind: "Why I'd gone to the woods in the first place."
  - 5. Ubbiri {vv. 51-53} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A mother conquers her grief over her daughter's death.

- Chapter IV -- The Four
  - 1. Bhadda Kapilani {vv. 63-66} [Hellmuth Hecker/Nyanaponika Thera, trans.]. Bhadda recalls her ex-husband (Ven. Maha Kassapa), and sings of how they now are both "cooled of passions".

- Chapter V -- The Fives
  - 2. Vimala, the Former Courtesan {vv. 72-76} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A former prostitute joins the ranks of the arahants.
  - 4. Nanda's Vision {vv. 82-86} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. Contemplating the foulness of the body, Nanda uproots all passions.
  - 6. Mittakali {vv. 92-96} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. No time for heedlessness!
  - 8. Sona, Mother of Ten {vv. 102-106} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. Sona conquers aging: "I spit on old age!"
  - 9. Bhadda Kundalakesa, the Former Jain Ascetic {vv. 107-111} [Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. Bhadda looks back and gives thanks to whomever it was who long ago gave her a robe when she set out in the homeless life.
  - 10. Patacara {vv. 112-116} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. "And taking a pin, I pulled out the wick..."
  - 11. Patacara's Thirty Students {vv. 117-121} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. Patacara's instructions lead all her students to arahantship.
  - 12. Canda, the Beggar {vv. 122-126} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A former beggar becomes an arahant.

- Chapter VI -- The Sixes
  - 1. Patacara's 500 Students {vv. 127-132} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. "As he came, so he has gone -- so what is there to lament?" A mother conquers her grief over her son's death.
  - 2. Vasitthi, the Madwoman {vv. 133-138} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A mother conquers her grief over her son's death.
  - 4. The Verses of Final Knowledge of Bhikkhuni Sujata {vv. 145-150} [Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. When, by chance, she passed by a monastery, her life changed forever.
  - 5. Anopama, the Millionaire's Daughter {vv. 151-156} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A wealthy heiress realizes the Dhamma, goes forth as a nun, and becomes an arahant.

- Chapter X -- The Eleven
  - Kisagotami {vv. 213-217, 220, 222-223} [Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. A woman's lot is hard, indeed -- until the heart is freed!

- Chapter XII -- The Sixteens
  - Punnika and the Brahman {vv. 236-251} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Punnika convinces a brahman to abandon his purifying water-rites -- after all, if bathing were sacred, then frogs, turtles, and fish would all be pure!

- Chapter XIII -- The Twenties
  - 1. Ambapali {vv. 252-270} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A former courtesan -- now an arahant -- reveals how aging has eroded every trace of her youthful beauty. An exquisite portrait of the effects of aging.
  - 2. Rohini {vv. 271-290} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Before her ordination, Rohini answers her father's accusation that monks are lazy. In fact, she points out, "They do the best work."

- Chapter XIV -- The Thirties
  - Subha and the Libertine {vv. 366-399} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Subha, an arahant nun living alone in the forest, is hounded by a man who lusts after her. The "special gift" that she finally hands to him instantly brings about a change in his heart. A magnificent story.

See also: Inspiration from Enlightened Nuns (Susan Elbaum Jootla).

Revised: Tue 16 April 2002