Therigatha

The braces {} that follow each sutta title contain the verse numbers of the corresponding Pali text of the Therigatha.

• Chapter I -- The Single Verses
  • 1. An Anonymous Bhikkhuni {v. 1} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Like a pot of pickled greens boiled dry.
  • 3. Punna {v. 3} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Bursting the mass of darkness.
  • 11. Mutta {v. 11} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Free at last from three crooked things!
  • 17. Dhamma {v. 17} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Collapsing to the ground from weakness -- the Dhamma appears!

• Chapter II -- Pairs of Verses
  • 3. Sumangala's Mother {vv. 23-24} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. What bliss -- free at last from my shameless husband!

• Chapter III -- The Threes
  • 2. Uttama {vv. 42-44} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Seven days of continuous meditation. On the eighth: Victory!
  • 4. Dantika and the Elephant {vv. 48-50} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | C.A.F. Rhys Davids, trans.]. Taming the mind: "Why I'd gone to the woods in the first place."
  • 5. Ubbiri {vv. 51-53} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A mother conquers her grief over her daughter's death.

• Chapter IV -- The Four
  • 1. Bhadda Kapilani {vv. 63-66} [Hellmuth Hecker/Nyanaponika Thera, trans.]. Bhadda recalls her ex-husband (Ven. Maha Kassapa), and sings of how they now are both "cooled of passions".

• Chapter V -- The Fives
  • 2. Vimala, the Former Courtesan {vv. 72-76} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A former prostitute joins the ranks of the arahants.
  • 4. Nanda's Vision {vv. 82-86} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. Contemplating the foulness of the body, Nanda uproots all passions.
  • 6. Mittakali {vv. 92-96} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. No time for heedlessness!
  • 8. Sona, Mother of Ten {vv. 102-106} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. Sona conquers aging: "I spit on old age!"
  • 9. Bhadda Kundalakesa, the Former Jain Ascetic {vv. 107-111} [Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. Bhadda looks back and gives thanks to whomever it was who long ago gave her a robe when she set out in the homeless life.
  • 10. Patacara {vv. 112-116} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. "And taking a pin, I pulled out the wick..."
  • 11. Patacara's Thirty Students {vv. 117-121} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans. | Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. Patacara's instructions lead all her students to arahantship.
  • 12. Canda, the Beggar {vv. 122-126} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A former beggar becomes an arahant.

• Chapter VI -- The Sixes
  • 1. Patacara's 500 Students {vv. 127-132} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. "As he came, so he has gone -- so what is there to lament?" A mother conquers her grief over her son's death.
  • 2. Vasitthi, the Madwoman {vv. 133-138} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A mother conquers her grief over her son's death.
  • 4. The Verses of Final Knowledge of Bhikkhuni Sujata {vv. 145-150} [Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. When, by chance, she passed by a monastery, her life changed forever.
  • 5. Anopama, the Millionaire's Daughter {vv. 151-156} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A wealthy heiress realizes the Dhamma, goes forth as a nun, and becomes an arahant.
  • 7. Gutta {vv. 163-168} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. The Buddha urges a childless mother in her pursuit of the Deathless.

• Chapter X -- The Eleven
  • Kisagotami {vv. 213-217, 220, 222-223} [Hellmuth Hecker/Sister Khema, trans.]. A woman's lot is hard, indeed -- until the heart is freed!

• Chapter XII -- The Sixteens
  • Punnika and the Brahman {vv. 236-251} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Punnika convinces a brahman to abandon his purifying water-rites -- after all, if bathing were sacred, then frogs, turtles, and fish would all be pure!

• Chapter XIII -- The Twenties
  • 1. Ambapali {vv. 252-270} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. A former courtesan -- now an arahant -- reveals how aging has eroded every trace of her youthful beauty. An exquisite portrait of the effects of aging.
  • 2. Rohini {vv. 271-290} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Before her ordination, Rohini answers her father's accusation that monks are lazy. In fact, she points out, "They do the best work."
  • 5. Subha, the Goldsmith's Daughter {vv. 339-367} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Subha resists her family's efforts to lure her back the world of sensuality and riches, and soon discovers a treasure worth more than any amount of gold or silver.

• Chapter XIV -- The Thirties
  • Subha and the Libertine {vv. 366-399} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. Subha, an arahant nun living alone in the forest, is hounded by a man who lusts after her. The "special gift" that she finally hands to him instantly brings about a change in his heart. A magnificent story.