[168] Attended by bhikkhunīs in their hundreds and thousands, she of great psychic power (iddhi) and great wisdom — I approached the Fully Awakened One.
Having paid homage to the Fully Awakened One at the Teacher's wheel-marked [feet], and seated to one side, I spoke these words:
"I am seventy-eight years of age; the last of my life is running its course. Having reached the decline [of life], I announce it to the Great Sage.
My age is fully ripened; little of my life remains. I shall go, leaving you; my own refuge has been made by me.
In this final time of life, death closes in: this very night, O Great Hero, I shall attain final quenching (nibbuti).
There is no birth there, no aging, no sickness, and no death, O Great Sage: I shall go to the unconditioned (asaṅkhata) city where there is no aging, no death, and no fear.
In so far as the assemblies that wait upon the Teacher know of an offense [of mine], may they pardon it face to face, O Sage.
If, while I wandered on in saṃsāra, there was any lapse of mine toward you, I declare it, O Great Hero: forgive me my offense."
[The Blessed One:]
"Display your psychic power, O you who carry out my teaching, and cut off the doubt of all the assemblies regarding the dispensation (sāsana)."
[Yasodharā:]
"I, O Hero, am Yasodharā, your consort (pajāpati) in the household life; born in the Sakyan family, I stood established in the graces of womanhood.
Among one hundred and ninety-six thousand women, O Hero, in your household I was the foremost, sovereign over them all.
Endowed with beauty, good conduct, and virtue, ever standing in [the bloom of] youth, all honored me, as human beings honor the deities.
At the head of a thousand maidens in the residence of the Sakyan son — [maidens] sharing alike in happiness and in sorrow, like deities in Nandana.
Wise, passing beyond the desire element, [even] in the form element there was none my equal in beauty, save only the Leader of the World."
Having saluted the Fully Awakened One, she displayed psychic power before the Teacher; many great powers, manifold in kind, she showed:
her body the equal of the world-sphere (cakkavāḷa), her head the Kuru country to the north, her two wings the two continents, her trunk Jambudīpa;
the southern sea her tail-feathers, the various branches her plumage, the moon and the sun her two eyes, Mount Meru her crest;
the mountain[-wall] of the world-sphere her beak. Taking up the rose-apple tree together with its root, fanning [him] she approached and venerated the Leader of the World.
The likeness of an elephant, likewise of a horse, a mountain and the sea, the moon and the sun, Meru, and the likeness of Sakka she displayed.
"I, Yasodharā, O Hero, venerate your feet, O One with Vision." [So saying,] she covered [the expanse] of a thousand world-systems with flowers in full bloom.
And having conjured up the likeness of Brahmā, she taught the Dhamma of emptiness (suññatā). "I, Yasodharā, O Hero, venerate your feet, O One with Vision."
I have mastery of the psychic powers and of the divine ear element; I have mastery of the knowledge encompassing the minds of others (cetopariyañāṇa), O Great Sage.
I know my former abodes (pubbenivāsa); the divine eye (dibbacakkhu) has been purified; all my taints (āsava) are utterly destroyed; now there is no renewed existence.
Knowledge (ñāṇa) in respect of meaning, of dhamma, of language, and likewise of ready exposition arose in me, O Great Hero, in your presence.
The meeting with Buddhas, the Protectors of the World, has been well shown by you; many are my acts of service (adhikāra), [wrought] for your sake, O Great Sage.
Recall, O Sage, that former wholesome kamma of mine: it was for your sake, O Great Hero, that merit was heaped up by me.
Shunning occasions of the unfitting, restraining [all] misconduct, for your sake, O Great Hero, even my life was given up.
Many thousands of koṭis [of times] you gave me away to be [another's] wife: I was not displeased at that — it was for your sake, O Great Sage.
Many thousands of koṭis [of times] you gave me away for [others'] service: I was not displeased at that — it was for your sake, O Great Sage.
Many thousands of koṭis [of times] you gave me away for the sake of food: I was not displeased at that — it was for your sake, O Great Sage.
Many thousands of koṭis of lives I relinquished; [thinking,] 'Let them work [his] release from peril,' I gave my life away.
The ornaments upon my limbs, the many garments of every kind, my woman's goods — never did I withhold them, for your sake, O Great Sage.
Wealth and grain surrendered in giving, villages and market towns, field, sons, and daughters — [all] were relinquished, O Great Sage.
Elephants, horses, and cattle too, slave-women and serving-women — beyond reckoning were they relinquished for your sake, O Great Hero.
Whenever you took counsel with me, [saying,] 'I shall give a gift to the supplicants,' no discontent did I find in myself while that supreme gift was being given.
Suffering (dukkha) manifold and abundant, in saṃsāra of many kinds, I endured for your sake, O Great Hero, beyond all reckoning.
When happiness was won I rejoiced, nor was I dejected amid sufferings; contented everywhere I remained, for your sake, O Great Sage.
Along the way the Fully Awakened One aspired to whatever dhamma [was to be fulfilled]; having passed through pleasure and pain, the Great Sage attained awakening (bodhi).
Great was my association with you — the Fully Awakened Gotama, deva supreme, Leader of the World — and with the other Protectors of the World.
Many are my acts of service, [wrought] for your sake, O Great Sage: seeking the Dhamma of the Buddhas, I was your attendant.
A hundred thousand aeons (kappa) and four incalculables ago, Dīpaṅkara, the Great Hero, the Leader of the World, arose.
Having invited the Tathāgata into the borderland region, with gladdened hearts [the people] cleared the path for his coming.
At that time he was the brahmin named Sumedha, and he made ready the road for the All-Seeing One as he came.
At that time I was a maiden born of brahmins, Sumittā by name; I went up to that gathering.
Taking eight handfuls of lotuses for the worship of the Teacher, in the midst of the crowd I beheld the supreme seer.
Seeing him then — long-devoted, beloved, surpassing [all], captivating the mind — I thought: 'Fruitful indeed is my life!'
Then I beheld the striving of that seer bearing fruit, and through kamma done of old my mind (citta) was filled with confidence in the Fully Awakened One.
Still more did I gladden my mind toward that seer of exalted intent: 'No other gift do I see to give; O seer, I give these flowers to you.
Let five handfuls be yours, O seer, and let three be mine; therewith let them be equal — for the sake of your awakening, O seer!'
The Fourth Recitation Section (bhāṇavāra).
The seer, taking the flowers, in the midst of the crowd worshipped [with them] the great seer of great fame who was approaching — for the sake of awakening.
And beholding [him] in the midst of the crowd, Dīpaṅkara, the Great Sage, the Great Hero, made his prediction of the seer of exalted mind.
Incalculable aeons ago from now, O Great Sage, Dīpaṅkara the Great Sage declared the straight course of my kamma:
'Of the same mind, of the same kamma, acting in the same way shall she be; through her deeds she shall be dear [to you] — for your sake, O great seer.
Fair to behold, well-beloved, pleasing, of affectionate speech, she shall live on as heir in his dhammas, possessed of power.
Just as owners keep watch over a casket of goods, even so shall she keep watch over wholesome dhammas.
For his sake they will hold her dear; she will fulfill the perfections (pāramī); like a lion that has left its cage, she will attain awakening.'
That which the Buddha predicted of me, incalculable aeons ago — rejoicing in that utterance, such a doer [of it] did I become.
I made my mind serene there over that deed well done; and having passed through births divine and human beyond reckoning,
having experienced happiness and suffering among devas and among human beings, when the last existence came round, I was born in the Sakyan family.
Possessing beauty, possessing wealth, then possessed of fame and virtue, accomplished in every grace, I was honored highly among the families.
Gain, renown, and honor — the concourse of worldly conditions (lokadhamma) [was mine]; no pain was there in my mind; I dwelt with fear from no quarter.
For this was said by the Blessed One at that time in the king's inner palace; in the city of the khattiyas, O Hero, he pointed out [my] helpfulness:
'The woman who is a helper, the woman [who stands by one] in happiness and in suffering, the woman who declares one's good, the woman who is compassionate.'
Five hundred koṭis of Buddhas, and nine hundred koṭis besides: to these devas above devas I kept a great almsgiving (mahādāna) flowing.
Great was my service — O Great King, hear me! Eleven hundred koṭis there were, supreme Leaders of the World:
to these devas above devas I kept a great almsgiving flowing. Great was my service — O Great King, hear me!
Twenty hundred koṭis of Buddhas, and thirty hundred koṭis besides: to these devas above devas I kept a great almsgiving flowing.
Great was my service — O Great King, hear me! Forty hundred koṭis, and five hundred koṭis besides:
to these devas above devas I kept a great almsgiving flowing. Great was my service — O Great King, hear me!
Sixty hundred koṭis of Buddhas, and seventy hundred koṭis besides: to these devas above devas I kept a great almsgiving flowing.
Great was my service — O Great King, hear me! Eighty hundred koṭis of Buddhas, and ninety hundred koṭis besides:
to these devas above devas I kept a great almsgiving flowing. Great was my service — O Great King, hear me!
A hundred thousand koṭis there were, supreme Leaders of the World: to these devas above devas I kept a great almsgiving flowing.
Great was my service — O Great King, hear me! Nine thousand koṭis besides, further Leaders of the World:
to these devas above devas I kept a great almsgiving flowing. Great was my service — O Great King, hear me!
Eighty-five hundred-thousands of koṭis of great seers, eighty-five hundred koṭis, and twenty-seven koṭis:
to these devas above devas I kept a great almsgiving flowing. Great was my service — O Great King, hear me!
Paccekabuddhas, free of lust, to the number of eight koṭis at the utmost: great was my service — O Great King, hear me!
Disciples of the Buddha with taints destroyed, free from stain, beyond calculation: great was my service — O Great King, hear me!
Thus [have I served] those practiced in the dhammas, ever faring in the true Dhamma. One who fares by Dhamma rests at ease, in this world and in the next.
One should fare by Dhamma in good conduct; one should not fare in it with misconduct: one who fares by Dhamma rests at ease, in this world and in the next.
Grown disenchanted with saṃsāra, I went forth into homelessness; having gone forth with a retinue of a thousand, I was without possessions.
Having left the household behind, I went forth into homelessness; before half a month had passed, I attained the four truths.
Robes and almsfood, requisites and lodging — many are they who bring them, as waves [rise] upon the sea.
My defilements (kilesa) have been burned away; all existences have been extirpated; like a she-elephant that has burst her bond, I dwell without taints.
Welcome indeed was it to me in the presence of the best of Buddhas! The three true knowledges (vijjā) have been attained; the Buddha's teaching has been done.
The four analytical knowledges (paṭisambhidā), and these eight liberations (vimokkha), and the six direct knowledges (chaḷabhiññā) have been realized; the Buddha's teaching has been done.
Thus, [having passed through] suffering of many kinds and prosperity of many kinds, arrived at the state of purity, I obtain every attainment.
Whoever gives their very self to the Great Seer for the sake of merit, for them there is the blessing of [his] companionship — the unconditioned state of Nibbāna.
Exhausted is [my kamma] past, present, and future; all my kamma is destroyed: I venerate your feet, O One with Vision.
Thus indeed did the bhikkhunī Yasodharā utter these verses in the presence of the Blessed One.
The Apadāna of Yasodharā Therī is concluded.
The Ninth: the Apadāna of the Ten Thousand Therīs (29).
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.