The Therigatha or the Poems of the Elder Nuns is the ninth text in the Khuddaka Nikaya, the last section of the Sutta Pitaka in the Pali Canon. The verses were composed during the Buddha's life and immediately after his death.
The
Therigatha
consists
of 73 poems organized into 16 chapters. Despite its small size it is
a very significant document in the study of early Buddhism as well as
the earliest-known collection of women's literature. This text, these poems, are a landmark in the history of world literature. The Therigatha is the earliest known text depicting women's spiritual experiences. The Therigatha
contains passages reaffirming the view that women are the equal of men in
terms of spiritual attainment as well as verses that address issues
of particular interest to women in ancient South Asian society.
Included are the verses of a mother whose child has died (6:1 and
6:2), a former sex worker who became a nun (5:2), a wealthy heiress
who abandoned her life of pleasure (6:5) and even verses by the
Buddha's own aunt and stepmother, Mahapajapati Gotami (6:6).
The word theri means a female elder. The word gatha refers to a verse.
Therigatha 6:4
Sujata
Ornamented, well-dressed,
garlanded, sprinkled with sandalwood,
covered all over with jewelry,
surrounded by a group of slave-women,
taking food and drink,
and not a little staple and non-staple food,
leaving the house,
I fetched myself to the pleasure garden.
Having enjoyed ourselves and played there,
we headed back to our home.
I saw in Saketa a hall at the Anjana wood.
I entered.
Seeing the light of the world*,
I, paying homage, sat nearby.
He, the One with Eyes,
from sympathy,
taught me the Dharma.
Hearing the Great Seer, I
fully penetrated
the truth.
Right there I touched the Dharma,
dustless, the deathless state.
Then, knowing the True Dharma,
I went forth
into homelessness.
The three knowledges
are attained.
The Buddha's bidding
is not in vain.
*The Buddha
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