[289. Buddhūpaṭṭhāyaka1]

Veṭambari2 was the name of
[the man] who was my father then.
Having taken [me by] my hand,
he led me to the Greatest Sage. (1) [2660]

“These Buddhas, Chief Lords of the World,
will [all] be pointed out to me;”
I served them [all] respectfully,
[feeling well-] pleased by [my] own hands. (2) [2661]

In the thirty-one aeons since
I looked after the Buddha then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
the fruit of providing service. (3) [2662]

In the twenty-third aeon hence
there were four of the ruling caste,3
[who] were [all] called Samaṇūpaṭṭhāka,4
wheel-turning monarchs with great strength. (4) [2663]

The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
[I have] done what the Buddha taught! (5) [2664]

Thus indeed Venerable Buddhūpaṭṭhāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Buddhūpaṭṭhāyaka Thera is finished.


  1. “Buddha-Server” or “Attendant on the Buddha”

  2. the name varies widely amongst the manuscripts, perhaps because it seems to have no discernible meaning, beyond being his father’s name.

  3. lit., kṣatriyans

  4. “Servant of the Monks”