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Thig 5.9

Bhaddā of the Curly Hair

Bhaddākuṇḍalakesātherīgāthā

from: The Book of the Fives

Bhaddā of the Curly Hair

My hair mown off, covered in mud,
I used to wander wearing just one robe.
I saw fault where there was none,
and was blind to the actual fault.

Leaving my day’s meditation
on Vulture’s Peak Mountain,
I saw the stainless Buddha
at the fore of the mendicant Saṅgha.

I bent my knee and bowed,
and in his presence raised my joined palms.
“Come Bhaddā,” he said;
that was my ordination.

“I’ve wandered among the Aṅgans and Magadhans,
the Vajjis, Kāsis, and Kosalans.
I have eaten the almsfood of the nations
free of debt for fifty years.”

“O! He has made so much merit!
That lay follower is so very wise.
He gave a robe to Bhaddā,
who is released from all ties.”

Translation: German (Ayyā Sabbamittā), English (Bhikkhu Sujato). Source: SuttaCentral / Bilara (public domain, CC0).

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