[396] On the bank of the river Sindhu my hermitage was well made;
there I taught my pupils the Itihāsa (traditional lore) together with the science of marks (lakkhaṇa).
Lovers of Dhamma, well trained, eager to hear good instruction,
attained to perfection in the six branches, they dwelt on the bank of the Sindhu.
Skilled in portents and their occurrence and in the marks,
seeking the supreme goal, they dwelt then in the great forest.
Just then the Fully Awakened One named Sumedha arose in the world;
having compassion upon us, the Guide drew near.
When the Great Hero Sumedha, the Leader of the World, had come,
I made a spread of grass and gave it to the Eldest of the World.
Taking honey from the great forest, I gave it to the Best of Buddhas;
the Fully Awakened One, having partaken of it, spoke these words:
"He who, with a mind of faith, gave me that honey with his own hands —
him I shall proclaim; listen to me as I speak.
By this gift of honey and by the spread of grass,
for thirty thousand aeons he will delight in the world of the gods (devaloka).
Thirty thousand aeons hence, one born in the family of Okkāka,
Gotama by name, will be the Teacher in the world.
An heir in his teachings, a true-born son formed by the Dhamma,
having fully understood all the taints (āsava), he will attain Nibbāna, free from taints."
Having come here from the world of the gods, when I had entered my mother's womb,
a rain of honey poured down, covering the earth with honey.
And as soon as I had come forth, overflowing the very pots,
there too a rain of honey rained down for me perpetually.
Having departed from home, I went forth into homelessness;
I am a gainer of food and drink: this is the fruit of the gift of honey.
Having been one prosperous in every pleasure among gods and humans,
by that same gift of honey I have attained the destruction of the taints.
When the heavens have rained, when the grass stands four fingers high,
when the earth-grown trees are in full flower in the sown tracts,
in an empty dwelling, in a pavilion, or at the root of a tree,
I dwell, ever happy, free from taints.
In between there were existences for me; those existences I have fully transcended;
today my taints are destroyed; now there is no renewed existence.
Thirty thousand aeons ago I gave that gift;
I know of no bad destination since — this is the fruit of the gift of honey.
My defilements have been burned away; all existences have been uprooted;
all the taints are utterly destroyed; now there is no renewed existence.
Truly, my coming was a welcome one — into the presence of my Buddha;
the three true knowledges (vijjā) have been attained; the Buddha's teaching has been done.
The four analytic insights (paṭisambhidā), and also these eight liberations (vimokkha),
and the six superknowledges (abhiññā) have been realized; the Buddha's teaching has been done.
Thus indeed the Venerable Madhudāyaka the Elder spoke these verses.
The Apadāna of Madhudāyaka the Elder is concluded.
Fifth: The Apadāna of Padumakūṭāgārika the Elder (395)
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.