Translations of two works from Sri Lanka on Yasodhar?, the wife of the Buddha—an allusive and intriguing figure in Buddhist lore and literature.
What about Buddha's wife? We all know that Prince Siddhartha left his wife and infant son to begin his journey to enlightenment. The Pali canon does not mention the woman he left behind. Yasodhar? enters the commentarial tradition around the first century CE and lives on in the folk tradition, growing from a shadowy figure to a nun and arahat (an Enlightened One), even gaining magical powers. In this book, Ranjini Obeyesekere offers a translation of two works from Sri Lanka on this intriguing figure. The Yasodhar?vata (The Story of Yasodhar?) is a folk poem, whose best-known verses are Yasodhar?'s lament over the departure of her husband. The Yasodhar?pad?naya (The Sacred Biography of Yasodhar?) is an account of Yasodhar? as a nun capable of miracles, who has traveled through sa?s?ra with the Bodhisattva, and who is praised by him. Obeyesekere places these works within their historical and literary context and provides a glossary of Buddhist terms.