In the Himalayan region,
there’s a mountain named Sobhita.
My well-constructed hermitage
was built by my own students there.There were many canopies there,
and flowering Chinese chaste trees.
There were many wood-apple trees,
and jīvajīvakas in bloom.There were many nigguṇḍi trees,
jujube, also gooseberry,
phārusaka and bottle-gourds
and white lotus flowers in bloom.There was āḷakā and bel there,
plantain, and also citron trees;
there was lots of sugarcane there,
arjuna and piyaṅguka.Neem, salalā, yellow
cheesewoods, banyan, wood-apple trees,
my hermitage was one like that;
I lived there with my students then.Anomadassi, Blessed One,
the Self-Become One, World-Leader,
looking for a secluded place,
then came up to my hermitage.When the Great Hero had approached,
Anomadassi of Great Fame,
suddenly some internal pain,
arose for the Lord of the World.Wandering in the hermitage,
I saw the Leader of the World.
Having approached the Sambuddha,
the Eyeful One, he of Great Fame,
and having seen his deportment,
I diagnosed him at that time:
“without a doubt some illness has
been born inside of the Buddha.”Wishing to practice medicine,
I ran back to the hermitage.
In the presence of my students,
I then addressed all my students.All the students were respectful;
having listened to what I said,
they assembled in one group for
me, who respected the Teacher.Having quickly scaled a mountain,
I fetched all of the healing herbs.
Making them into a liquid,
I gave it to the Best Buddha.When the Great Hero consumed it,
the Omniscient One, World-Leader,
quickly that illness was suppressed
for the Well-Gone-One, the Great Sage.Having seen his distress relieved,
Anomadassi of Great Fame,
after sitting on his own seat,
spoke these verses to us back then:“This one who gave me medicine
and thereby relieved my disease,
I shall relate details of him;
all of you listen to my words:For one hundred thousand aeons
he’ll delight in the world of gods.
When instruments are sounded there,
this one constantly will be thrilled.Coming to the world of humans,
incited by his wholesome roots,
a thousand times he’ll be a king,
a king who turns the wheel of law.In the fifty-fifth aeon hence
he’ll be the king named Anoma,
lord of the grove of rose-apples,
victorious on all four sides.A wheel-turning king with great strength,
possessor of the seven gems,
he will exercise sovereignty,
making even the heavens shake.Whether born human or divine,
he’ll be one with little disease.
Throwing away his possessions,
he’ll transcend illness in the world.Aeons beyond measure from now,
arising in Okkāka’s clan,
the one whose name is Gotama
will be the Teacher in the world.Worthy heir to that one’s Dhamma,
Dhamma’s legitimate offspring,
knowing well all the defilements,
he’ll reach nirvana, undefiled.”Burning up all his defilements
he will cross the flood of clinging.
He’ll be the Teacher’s follower,
the monk whose name is Bakkula.Having come to know all of this,
Gotama, Bull of the Śākyas,
seated in the monks’ Assembly
will place him in that foremost place.”Anomadassi, Blessed One,
the Self-Become One, World-Leader,
looking for a secluded place,
came to my hermitage back then.With all the healing herbs I served
the Great Hero who had approached,
Omniscient One, the World-Leader,
feeling well-pleased by my own hands.I can’t even start to spend the
harvest of that seed well-planted,
that karma I did well for him,
well done by me so long ago.My gains were well-obtained be me
who saw the Leader of the World;
through the remainder of that deed,
I realized the deathless state.Having come to know all of that,
Gotama, Bull of the Śākyas,
seated in the monks’ Assembly
has placed in that foremost place.In the vast number of aeons
since I did that karma back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that is the fruit of medicine.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 Bakkula Thera spoke these verses.
The legend of Bakkula Thera is finished.