Theragatha

The Theragatha (Verses of the Elder Monks) is a

Therigatha

, contains verses attributed to early Buddhist nuns.

Etymology

Theragatha is a Pali word, constructed from the words thera (elder, masculine) and gāthā (verse).

Overview

The Theragatha consists of 264 poems, organized into 21 chapters. Chapters are based on the number of verses in the poem, but beyond chapter 16 the chapter headings are only a rough guide.^[1] Various figures for the number of total verses in the collection are given- the oral tradition claimed 1360, 1294 are mentioned in summaries within the text, but a plain count of the verses gives a number of 1279.^[2] This may be because different versions of the Theragatha were combined to produce the current version of the text.^[1]

While most of the verses are spoken by the monk to whom they are attributed, some seem to have become associated with them in other ways- some verses are addressed to the monk the poem is named for, and a collection of verses associated with

Ananda contains a mix of verses recited by or to Ananda on various occasions.^[1] Several verses in the Theragatha appear elsewhere in the canon, attributed to the same monks.^[2]

Most of the monks in the Theragatha lived during the time of the Buddha, but the collection seems to have continued to grow until at least the

Milindapanha suggests that while chapters continued to be added to the Theragatha for a period of 300 years or so, the collection was ultimately closed and put in a final form.^[2]^[1]

A variety of early and late poetic meters are employed, and

K.R. Norman suggests that the inclusion of miracle stories and congregations of gods are indicative of later additions.^[1] Some of the verses in the collection seem to mirror contemporary secular poetry of their time, with romantic lyrics replaced with religious imagery.^[2]

Notable texts from the Theragatha include the eighth poem of chapter sixteen, consisting of verses recited by the reformed killer

Ananda mourns the passing of his master. Many of the verses of the Theragatha concern the attempts of monks to overcome the temptations of Mara

.

Related works

A single commentary attributed to

Dhammapala covers both the Theragatha and Therigatha.^[2] In one case, a poem appears to have been split with verses attributed to a monk appearing in the Theragatha, and verses attributed to his mother placed in the Therigatha.^[1]

Fragments of a

Sarvastivadin tradition, known as the Sthaviragatha, were discovered in Turkestan and published in 1961.^[1]