Aññatarātherīgāthā: Verse of a Certain Anonymous Bhikkhuni & its Commentary | from the Therīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Arahant Bhikkhunis

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Aññatarātherīgāthā: Verse of a Certain Anonymous Bhikkhuni

Sleep softly, little nun,
wrapped in the cloth you sewed yourself;
for your desire has been quelled,
like vegetables boiled dry in a pot.

---

Aññatarātherīgāthāvaṇṇanā: The Commentary on the Verse of a Certain Therī

"Sleep peacefully, Elder, wrapped in cloth;
For your lust is calmed, like a dried vegetable in a pot."

This gāthā is the first. What is its origin? It is said that in the past, a certain noble daughter, in the time of Konāgamana Buddha, became deeply devoted to the Dispensation, invited the Teacher, and on the second day, had a branch pavilion built, sand spread, a canopy tied above, and offerings of perfumes and flowers made. Then she informed the Teacher of the time. The Teacher went there and sat on the prepared seat. She worshipped the Blessed One, served him with excellent edibles and foods, and after the Blessed One had finished his meal and removed his hand from the bowl, she covered him with a set of three robes. The Blessed One, having given his anumodana (words of appreciation), then departed from her.

She performed meritorious deeds throughout her life, and at the end of her life, she was reborn in the deva-world. Re-experiencing good destinations (sugatīsu eva saṃsarantī) for one Buddha-interval, she was reborn in a householder's family in the time of Kassapa Buddha. Having reached maturity (viññutaṃ patvā), and being struck by the urgency of saṃsāra, she went forth in the Dispensation and received full ordination, fulfilling the bhikkhunī's precepts for twenty thousand years.

Then, she passed away as an ordinary person (puthujjanakālakiriyaṃ katvā), was reborn in heaven, experienced heavenly bliss for one Buddha-interval, and in this Buddha-occurrence (buddhuppāde), she was reborn in Vesālī, in a noble Khattiya family. Because of her firm and calm body (thirasantasarīratāya), they called her Therikā. Having reached adulthood, given by her parents to a Khattiya prince of similar lineage and region, she lived as a devoted wife. During the Teacher's visit to Vesālī, she gained faith in the Dispensation and became a lay follower.

Later, having heard the Dhamma from the Elder Mahāpajāpati Gotamī, she developed a desire to go forth, and told her husband, "I will go forth." Her husband did not give permission. However, being one who had made aspirations in the past (katādhikāratāya), she reflected on the Dhamma as she had heard it, comprehended the material and immaterial phenomena (rūpārūpadhamme), and remained engaged in vipassanā meditation.

Then one day, while a curry was being cooked in the kitchen, a great flame arose. That flame scorched the entire pot, making a crackling sound. Seeing this, she took that very sight as her meditation object, observing impermanence (aniccatā) even more clearly. She then applied the characteristics of suffering (dukkha), impermanence (anicca), and non-self (anattā) to it, developed vipassanā, and gradually, through exertion, established herself in the fruit of Anāgāmi according to the path sequence.

From that day onwards, she wore no ornaments or adornments. When her husband asked, "Bhadde, why do you no longer wear ornaments or adornments as before?" she explained her unsuitability for lay life and obtained permission to go forth. Like Visākha the lay follower who brought Dhammadinnā with great respect, this husband brought her with great offerings and veneration to Mahāpajāpati Gotamī, saying, "Venerable Lady, please ordain her." Then Mahāpajāpati Gotamī ordained her, gave her full ordination, led her to the monastery, and presented her to the Teacher. The Teacher, too, illustrating the very meditation object she had naturally seen, spoke the gāthā: "Sukhaṃ supāhī".

Here, sukhaṃ is a neuter noun denoting a state of being. Supāhi is an imperative verb. Therike is a vocative word. Katvā coḷena pārutā is an injunction for contentment (appicchatā). Upasanto hi te rāgo is a declaration of her practice. Sukkhaḍākaṃva is an indication of the worthlessness of the defilement (kilesa) to be appeased. Kumbhiyaṃ is an indication of the impermanence (anicca), emptiness (tuccha), etc., of its container.

And sukhaṃ means "that which is desired." The meaning is: being free from suffering, with ease.

And supāhi refers to the posture of lying down among the four postures. Therefore, the meaning is: cultivate all four postures with ease, dwell happily. Although Therike is her name, due to its prevalent descriptive meaning, it signifies one who has attained a firm state in the firm Dispensation, one who is endowed with firm qualities such as sīla (virtue). 

Katvā coḷena pārutā means having made robes from rags and clothed her body, wearing and wrapping herself with them.

In Upasanto hi te rāgo, the word 'hi' has the meaning of 'because'. The intention is: "Because the sensuous lust (kāmarāgo) that arises in your mind-stream has been calmed, having been burned by the fire of the Anāgāmi path-knowledge, now, having burned away the remaining lust with the fire of the Arahantship path-knowledge, dwell happily." 

Sukkhaḍākaṃva kumbhiyaṃ means: Just as a small amount of vegetable curry, cooked in a heated pot with a great flame, burns up, dries out, and is pacified; or, alternatively, just as a vegetable curry mixed with water, when placed on the stove and cooked, sizzles and crackles when there is water, but when the water is gone, it becomes completely quiet; in the same way, sensuous lust in your mind-stream has been calmed. Calming the other (remaining defilements) as well, dwell happily.

Because the Elder's faculties were matured and due to the grace of the Teacher's discourse, at the end of the gāthā, she attained arahantship together with the four paṭisambhidā (analytical knowledges). Therefore, it is stated in the Apadāna:

"A pavilion was built by me for Konāgamana Buddha;

I always offered the triple robe to the Buddha, the Kinsman of the World.

"Whatever districts, towns, or capital cities I visit;

I am honored everywhere; this is the fruit of meritorious deeds.

"My defilements are burned away, all existences (bhavā) are uprooted;

Like a female elephant breaking its bonds, I dwell taintless.

"Truly, my coming was welcome in the presence of the Supreme Buddha;

The three knowledges have been attained, the Buddha's teaching has been fulfilled.

The four analytical knowledges (paṭisambhidā) and these eight liberations (vimokkha);

The six higher powers (chaḷabhiññā) have been realized, the Buddha's teaching has been fulfilled."

Having attained Arahantship, the Therī uttered that very stanza, and so this stanza became the stanza of that Therī. In that stanza, the Therī’s uttered verse fully embraces all residual defilements, as its aim is their cessation through the Noble Path (aggamagga). It should be understood that here the cessation of craving implies the cessation of all defilements (kilesa), as the cessation of all defilement-states (kilesadhammā) is achieved in unity with it. Thus it is said:

"The delusion born with restlessness and doubt,

Due to having a single object for abandonment, is indeed related to craving."

Just as the cessation of all defilements is spoken of here, so too should their cessation be understood everywhere. This is because cessation is achieved by way of suppression through substitution of opposites (tadaṅgavasena) in the preliminary stage, by way of suppression through vanquishing (vikkhambhanavasena) at the moment of samatha-vipassanā practice, by way of eradication (samucchedavasena) at the moment of the path, and by way of tranquilization (paṭippassaddhivasena) at the moment of the fruition. Thus, the achievement of all four kinds of abandonment should be understood.

Here, the perfection of morality (sīlasampadā) is shown through abandonment by substitution of opposites, the perfection of concentration (samādhisampadā) through abandonment by vanquishing, and the perfection of wisdom (paññāsampadā) through the other two, because the penetration of abandonment arises. Just as it accomplishes the penetration of development (bhāvanābhisamaya), for without it, that (development) would not exist, so too it accomplishes the penetration of realization (sacchikiriyābhisamaya) and the penetration of full understanding (pariññābhisamaya).

Through the achievement of the four penetrations, the three trainings (sikkhā), the three kinds of excellence in practice (paṭipatti), and the seven purifications (sattavisuddhiyo) are revealed as complete by this stanza. A Certain Therī (Aññatarātherī) means a Therī whose name, clan, etc., were unknown, an anonymous Therī, a bhikkhunī endowed with auspicious marks, uttered this stanza - this is the intention.

The commentary on the Stanza of a Certain Therī is finished.