Tathālokā Therī

February 4, 2026

From Vikas Singh's post: महापजापति गोतमी थेरी : मातृत्व से मुक्तिपथ तक "Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī - From Motherhood to Freedom. Source.

Seniormost? Longest standing? — "Meaning of 'Rattaññūnaṁ'"

. . . special dedicated post no. 2 of 7*. . .

offered in honor of the final 7 days teaching of Mahā Gotamī leading up to her Parinibbāna

. . .

Intro: Chanted daily by pilgrims while walking during our recent Footsteps of Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī: Honoring Women in Dhamma Carika pilgrimage:

"'Rattaññūnaṁ' bhikkhunīnaṁ Gotamī jinamātuchā

Ṭhapitā aggaṭṭhānamhi sadā sotthiṁ karotu no."

"Among bhikkhunis of 'long standing' is Gotamī, maternal aunt of the Buddha. Attained to the supreme state, may the power of her qualities always be a blessing to us."

Several of our venerable pilgrims asked me:

"With regards to what was 'Rattaññūnaṁ' said?"

"What is the meaning of 'Rattaññūnaṁ' here?"

I promised that I would check and write about it.

Keeping that promise, this will be my second of seven days of offerings dedicated to our most venerable founding mother, Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī Arahant Therī, during this, the lunar anniversary of the final seven days of her teachings leading up to the anniversary of her Parinibbāna (ultimate nirvāna, final passing) on the February 8th-9th Aṭṭhamī 🌕✨ (Half Moon) Uposatha.

. . .

From the venerable Anandajoti Bhikkhu's "1. The Story about the Elder Nun Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī" Source

This 'Rattaññūnaṁ' verse is the first of thirteen gāthās or verses from the "Aggasāvikā Bhikkhunī" chant in Pāli. This was composed in the Lanna Thai period when Theravāda Buddhism from Sri Lanka was still relatively new to the region.

The "Aggasāvikā Bhikkhunī" was one of several Pālī chants composed for blessing the nation. It was composed based on the "Etadaggaṁ" verses of the "Book of the Ones" in the canonical "Numerical Discourses of the Buddha" - the Anguttara Nikāya of the Pāli-text Sutta Pitaka - which also lists the same Thirteen Foremost Bhikkhuni Disciples of the Buddha with the same qualities the were commended and recognized by the Buddha for being foremost in.

To learn what the Pāli text commentators of yore wrote 'Rattaññūnaṁ' meant in this case, we can look to the Pāli-text Commentary on the Anguttara Nikāya.

First, it may bear mentioning that the Buddha also commended his Bhikkhu disciples who were foremost or pre-eminent in various qualities; likewise his upāsaka and upāsikā (male and female householder) disciples. There are many parallels across gender, although not all foremost qualities had parallels.

The practice of recollecting the great disciples of the Buddha, the Agga Sāvakas and Sāvikās, all of whom where noble disciples of the Buddha, as stream enterers and beyond, with all of the noble great bhikkhu and bhikkhunī disciples being arahantas, who had attained to arahathood in this very life. These noble disciples of all four categories compose the Sāvaka Sangha, that is, the Sangha of the Blessed One's noble disciples, all who had opened their Dhamma eyes, seen Nibbāna for themselves, and truly knowing the Noble Path for themselves, attained to irreversibility.

There are one bhikkhu and one bhikkhunī disciple acknowledged and commended by the Buddha as being the first and foremost (etadagga) of those bhikkhu and bhikkhuni disciples who were 'Rattaññūnaṁ':

Bhikkhu Aññā Kondaññā | Bhikkhunī Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī

Both were remembered as elderly.

- Aññā Kondaññā is famous for being the first stream enterer, with the Buddha's teaching of the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, "Setting into Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma." He is also famous as being among the first five bhikkhus to form the founding Bhikkhu Sangha. And among that same group of five, he is famous for becoming one of the first arahantas in the Buddha's Sāsana upon hearing the Anattalakkhana Sutta - the Buddha's teaching on what is 'not self.'

- However, Mahāpajāpatī, while her stream entry is recorded as first among women upon the Buddha's return to his hometown of Kapilavastu in the year after his great awakening, she is not recorded as the first among women to open the Dhamma eye: that was the great Upāsikā Kāḷī of Kurarāghara, who heard the Buddha's Dhammacakkappavattana teaching second hand on the very day that he gave it. And this is her "etadagga" - she is remembered as foremost among women in the attainment of stream entry, and because she was first, she is also foremost among those to attain to stream entry when hearing the Dhamma second hand.

We might imagine then that Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, known for having gone forth and walking 300kms from Kapilavastu to Vaishali at the remarkably elderly age of 80 years old was just simply oldest - and thus most senior - of all the Bhikkhunīs of the early Bhikkhunī Sangha.

Or we might imagine that she is foremost among the Bhikkhunis who are 'Rattaññūnaṁ' because she was first to be fully accepted and ordained by the Buddha himself, while the Buddha shortly afterwards directed the Bhikkhu Sangha to give ordination to the remaining 500 Sakyan women from Kapilavastu and Koliya who had gone forth together, with Mahāpajāpatī as their preceptor. (This might also lead us to think of her as seniormost among the Bhikkhunī preceptors as well.)

But what does the Aṅguttara Commentary say?

The Aṅguttara Commentary acknowledges all of these things, but it says that among all these reasons, first and foremost among them is THE REASON:

That Aññā Kondaññā was the first to receive Bhikkhu ordination from the Buddha, and that he was first among the bhikkhus to attain to Arahathood.

The Aññāsikoṇḍaññattheravatthu Commentary emphasizes that, all other things aside, this is of the foremost importance, and should be remembered thus.

Likewise, that Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī was first to receive Bhikkhuni ordination from the Buddha, and that she was first among the bhikkhunīs to attain to Arahathood.

. . .

The Venerable Aññā Kondaññā is remembered as having attained to arahanta one week after he became a bhikkhu (as above).

The Venerable Mahāpajāpatī is also remembered as having attained to arahanta in 'no long time' one week after she became a bhikkhunī.

Her arahanthood followed her ordination and the Buddha's teaching to her 'in brief,' sometimes known as the 'Gotamī Sutta' and sometimes as the 'Sankhitta Sutta' - it is the 53rd sutta in the Book of the Eights in the Anuguttara Nikāya - because the Buddha emphasis Eight Important Points of practice to Gotamī.

In the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha Fourth Edition, for which i've served as editor, which was given as Vinaya Dhamma Dana to all our Footsteps of Mahāpajāpatī pilgrims — this teaching of the Buddha's given to Gotamī, with which she, 'diligent, ardent and resolute' attained to arahanta 'in no long time' — is placed right at the front of the book.

"Surely," you may think, "these cannot be the eight important points that i'm familiar with?"

Please check and see if they are.

This is the sutta:

"At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the Kūṭāgārasālā, the hall with the peaked roof.

Then Mahāpajāpati Gotamī went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and said to him:

“'Bhante, may the Buddha, the Bhagavan, please teach me the Buddha Dhamma in brief. When I’ve heard it, I’ll live secluded, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute.'

"Gotamī, those qualities of

which you would know:

1. "These qualities lead to dispassion,

   not passion;

2. to being unfettered,

   not fettered;

3. to getting rid of,

   not heaping up;

4. to few wishes,

   not many wishes;

5. to contentment,

   not discontentment;

6. to seclusion,

   not socializing;

7. to arousal of energy,

   not laziness;

8. to being easy to support,

   not hard to support."

   
   

You may definitely hold:

'This is the Dhamma.

This is the Vinaya.

This is the teaching of the Buddha.'"

— the Buddha, AN 8.53 Gotamī Sutta

The first page of Bhikkhuni Pātimokkha Fourth Edition. Source

The 'Gotamīsuttavaṇṇanā' commentary to the sutta adds:

Iminā ca pana ovādena gotamī arahattaṃ pattāti:

"By this instruction, Gotamī reached arahantship."

The Mahāpajāpatigotamītherīvatthu adds:

Sā satthu santike kammaṭṭhānaṃ gahetvā arahattaṃ pāpuṇi.

Sā: She (referring to Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī),

Satthu santike: In the presence of the Teacher (Buddha),

Kammaṭṭhānaṃ gahetvā: Having received/taken up the Kammaṭṭhānaṃ meditation subject,

Arahattaṃ pāpuṇi: Attained arahantship (final liberation).

And:

Evametaṃ vatthu samuṭṭhitaṃ.

"This is how the occasion arose."

Sesā pañcasatā bhikkhuniyo nandakovādasuttapariyosāne (ma. ni. 3.398 ādayo) arahattaṃ pāpuṇiṃsu.

"Later, the remainder of the 500 bhikkhunīs attained arahatship upon the completion of the teaching of the Nandakovāda Sutta. (given at Majjhima Nikāya 3.398)"

Aparabhāge satthā jetavane nisinno bhikkhuniyo ṭhānantare ṭhapento mahāpajāpatiṃ rattaññūnaṃ aggaṭṭhāne ṭhapesīti.

"[So], at a later time, the Teacher (the Buddha), while seated in Jetavana [monastery], was appointing bhikkhunis to their respective positions of pre-eminence, he placed Mahāpajāpati [Gotamī] in the foremost position among those of long standing (rattaññū)."

The Paramatthadīpanī commentary to the Therīgāthā, in the Mahāpajāpatigotamītherīgāthāvaṇṇanā, says likewise:

Sā satthu santike kammaṭṭhānaṃ gahetvā bhāvanamanuyuñjantī na cirasseva abhiññāpaṭisambhidāparivāraṃ arahattaṃ pāpuṇi.

"She [Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī], having received a subject of meditation (kammaṭṭhānaṃ) in the presence of the Teacher (the Buddha) and having devoted herself to meditation (bhāvanamanuyuñjantī), attained Arahatship (arahattaṃ pāpuṇi) together with the higher knowledges and analytical insights (abhiññā-paṭisambhidā-parivāraṃ) in no long time (na cirasseva)."

[noting this phrase 'na cirasseva' normally means within less than a week]

Sesā pana pañcasatā bhikkhuniyo nandakovādapariyosāne (ma. ni. 3.398 ādayo) chaḷabhiññā ahesuṃ.

"The remaining five hundred bhikkhunis became possessors of the six supernormal powers (chaḷabhiññā) at the conclusion of the Nandakovāda (Nandaka's Advice)."

Athekadivasaṃ satthā jetavanamahāvihāre ariyagaṇamajjhe nisinno bhikkhuniyo ṭhānantare ṭhapento mahāpajāpatigotamiṃ rattaññūnaṃ bhikkhunīnaṃ aggaṭṭhāne ṭhapesi.

"Then one day one day, while the Teacher (the Buddha) was seated in the midst of the noble assembly at the Jetavana monastery acknowledging and commending the excellent qualities of the foremost bhikkhunis, he acknowledged and commended Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī as being in the first and foremost place (aggaṭṭhāna) among the bhikkhuni arahantīs of long-standing seniority (rattaññūnaṃ)."

Sā phalasukhena nibbānasukhena ca vītināmentī kataññutāya ṭhatvā ekadivasaṃ satthu guṇābhitthavanapubbaka-upakāraka-vibhāvanā-mukhena aññaṃ byākarontī –

"She [Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī], spending her time in the bliss of fruition (phalasukha) and the bliss of Nibbāna (nibbānasukha), standing in gratitude, one day, through the mouth of praising the virtues of the Teacher (satthu guṇābhitthavana) and highlighting his past help (pubbakaupakārakavibhāvana), proclaiming her knowledge (aññaṃ byākarontī)..."

This then sets the stage for her Therīgāthā verses starting with:

“Buddhavīra namo tyatthu,

sabbasattānamuttama.

Yo maṃ dukkhā pamocesi,

aññañca bahukaṃ janaṃ.”

Homage to you, hero among Buddhas,

best of all beings!

You released me

and many others from suffering.

Sabbadukkhaṃ pariññātaṃ,

hetutaṇhā visositā;

Bhāvito aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo,

nirodho phusito mayā.

"All suffering has been fully understood,

The craving that causes it has dried up;

The Eightfold Path has been developed,

And cessation [Nibbāna] has been touched by me."

Mātā putto pitā bhātā,

ayyakā ca pure ahuṃ;

Yathābhuccamajānantī,

saṃsariṃhaṃ anibbisaṃ.

"Mother, son, father, brother,

grandmother too, I was in the past.

Not knowing the true nature of things,

I wandered on [in saṃsāra] without finding peace".

‘‘Diṭṭho hi me so bhagavā,

antimoyaṃ samussayo;

Vikkhīṇo jātisaṃsāro,

natthi dāni punabbhavo.

"I have seen the Blessed One,

this is the last body;

the cycle of rebirth is destroyed,

there is no more renewed existence".

Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu!

Anumodāmī 🙏🙏🙏

✍️ Tathālokā Therī at Dhammadharini

offering the second of seven offerings

with love for the teachings, for the Buddha, and for our great therīs, feeling their love for all of us, treasures of the Sangha, latent and manifest, shining in the eyes of the Knowing