Grammatical Analysis
Apadāna: [nt.] Heroic deed; life history; legend. Often translated as “Biographical Stories.” Derived from apa (away, off) + dā (to give/cut), meaning a “harvested” or “completed” deed.
Orthodox Definition
The Apadāna is the thirteenth book of the Khuddaka Nikāya. If the Jātaka contains the past-life stories of the Buddha, the Apadāna is the collection containing the past-life stories of his great Arahat disciples.
Written entirely in verse, it contains nearly 600 autobiographical poems spoken by the elder monks and nuns. Each disciple explains the specific, extraordinary acts of merit they performed in the dispensations of previous Buddhas (often millions of aeons ago)—such as offering a flower, sweeping a stupa, or providing a meal. They trace how that single karmic seed caused them to experience massive heavenly bliss for aeons and eventually culminated in their birth during Gotama’s dispensation, allowing them to attain Arahatship.
The text emphasizes the vast cosmic scale of karma and the necessity of making merit in the presence of an awakened being to secure future liberation.
Textual References
- Canonical: Therāpadāna – Contains the past life histories of 547 senior monks, including Sāriputta, Moggallāna, and Ānanda.
- Canonical: Therīpadāna – Contains the life histories of 40 senior nuns.
- Commentary: Visuddhajanavilāsinī – The commentary providing context to the ancient, mythological settings of the previous Buddhas’ eras.