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tha-ap.395 Thera Apadana

Sabbakittika

shining like a dinner-plate tree,
blazing forth like a tree of lamps,
radiant like the morning star,
like lightening in a mass of clouds,

not frightened, never terrified,
like a lion, king of the beasts,
illuming the knowledge-light,
crushing the groups of heretics,

elevating this entire world,
eliminating every doubt,
roaring like the king of the beasts,
I saw the Leader of the World.

With matted hair, wearing a hide,
lofty, strong, and powerful, I
took my robe made out of bark and
spread it at the soles of his feet.

Taking a fragrant black creeper,
I anointed the Thus-Gone-One.
After anointing the Buddha,
I praised the Leader of the World:

“O Great Sage, Crosser of the Flood,
you are lifting up the whole world.
You are shining with knowledge-light,
your supreme lightening-like knowledge.

You turn the wheel of the Teaching,
you crush the rival heretics,
the Bull, the Winner at Meetings,
you are shaking the entire world.

Like the waves of the great ocean,
breaking on the edge of the shore,
every misguided view breaks up
when it crashes on your knowledge.

When a net which has very fine
mesh has been stretched out in a lake,
creatures entangled in the net
instantly find themselves oppressed.

So the heretics in the world,
attached to the various sects,
do thrash about, O Happy One,
entangled in your great knowledge.

Support for those caught in the flood,
you’re the Lord for those lacking kin,
Refuge for those distressed by fear,
Relief for those seeking freedom,

the One Hero, the Unmatched One,
the Heap of Compassion and Love,
Moral One, Unequaled, Peaceful,
Master, Neutral, the Winning Road,

Wise One, Whose Delusion’s Destroyed,
Lust-less One, Who Speaks the Unsaid,
Accomplished One, you’ve Thrown Off Hate,
Stainless One, Restrained, Pure One,

Attachment-Free, Conceit Slain,
Arahant, Three-Worlds-Surpasser,
Limit-Free, Teaching-Respecter,
Goal-Reacher, Whose Rule is Friendship,

you Ferry Across like a ship,
Bring Relief like buried treasure,
are Without Fear as is a lion,
Haughty like an elephant-king.”

Having praised with those ten verses
Padumuttara of Great Fame,
having worshipped the Teacher’s feet,
I thereafter stood silently.

Padumuttara, World-Knower,
Sacrificial Recipient,
the Teacher, standing in the monks’
Assembly, spoke these verses then:

“He who praised my morality,
my knowledge, also my Teaching,
I shall relate details of him;
all of you listen to my words:

For sixty thousand aeons he’ll
delight in the world of the gods.
Overcoming the other gods,
he will exercise rulership.

He thereafter having gone forth,
incited by his wholesome roots,
will go forth in the Blessed One
Gotama’s dispensation.

Going forth, having avoided
bad actions done with his body,
destroying all his defilements,
he’ll reach nirvana, undefiled.”

“Just like a cloud, which thundering,
satiates this world wanting rain,
so indeed did you, Great Hero,
satiate me with your thunder.”

Praising morality, wisdom,
the Teaching and the World’s Leader,
I attained the ultimate peace,
nirvana, the unshaking state.

So now indeed the Blessed One,
the Eyeful One, should long remain;
people should learn what now is known,
and they should reach the deathless state.

This is my last going around;
all new existence is destroyed.
Knowing well all the defilements,
I now am living, undefiled.

In the hundred thousand aeons
since I praised the Buddha back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of praising Buddhas.

My defilements are now burnt up;
all new existence is destroyed.
All defilements are exhausted;
now there will be no more rebirth.

My being in Buddha’s presence
was a very good thing for me.
The three knowledges are attained;
I have done what the Buddha taught!

The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught!

Thus indeed Venerable Sabbakittika Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sabbakittika Thera is finished.

- Translator: Jonathan S. Walters

- Editor: Ayya Vimala