Just as the Lamp Went out, My Mind was Free

Today is Buddha's birthday.

This book is said to be the first-ever compilation of poems exclusively by women. Belonging to about 2600 years ago, TheriGatha (Sayings of the Elders) contains poems by women Buddhist monks. Harvard University Press has brought out a beautiful English translation by Charles Hallisey, under the Murty Classical Library of India series.

"The modern reception of the poems in the Therigatha encourages us to read these poems not only to learn about the distant past but also because they can speak to us about the present and about the future, sharing with us their news that has stayed news."

I translated a few of these poems into Tamil and shared them today with the Tamil audience. Here are some of the lines from Hallisey's English version.

"Take care of the body; it's your last"

***

A monk, addressing her son who became monk earlier:

"Dear one who is quite free, dear one who is quite freed,

I too am well-freed from the pestle;

my shameless husband, even the sunshade he worked under,

and my pot that stinks like a water snake all disgust me."

***

"I have thrown off my outer robe

turned my bowl over,

I leaned against a rock

after splitting open

the mass of mental darkness."

***

"A man holding a goad told the elephant, "Hold up your foot."

and the elephant put its foot forward, and the man climbed on.

I saw how the untamed was tamed,

how the animal was ruled by the human.

I concentrated my mind,

I went to the forest just for that."

***

"Mother, you cry in the forest, "O Jiva,"

get hold of yourself, Ubbiri.

Eighty-four thousand daughters, all with the same name,

the ones that said they were "Life,"

all have been burnt in this cremation ground,

so, which one of them are you grieving for?"

***

"I held back my mind,

as one would do with a thoroughbred horse,

and I took a lamp and went into the hut.

First I looked at the bed, then I sat o the couch,

I used a needle to pull out the lamp's wick.

Just as the lamp went out, my mind was free.

***

Spoken by Mara to Soma:

"It is hard to get to the place that sages want to reach,

it's not possible for a woman,

especially not one with only two fingers worth of wisdom."

Soma replied:

"What does being a woman have to do with it?

What counts is that the heart is settled

and that one sees what really is.

What you take as pleasures are not for me,

the mass of mental darkness is split open.

Know this, evil one, you are defeated, you are finished."

***

- Payani Dharan

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