- 7 days ago
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Tathālokā Therī
February 15, 2026
This post is part of a series: #HerStoryOurStory: Inscribed
Part 5: "The Gift of Bhikkhunī Nāgilā" at Bharhut Stupa
#reawakeningheritage | "Having severed my bonds like a she-elephant,* I live free from afflictions." 🐘🛞✨
INSPIRING DHAMMA VERSE
the mantra of the ancient bhikkhunī arahantīs
‘Kilesā jhāpitā mayhaṃ, bhavā sabbe samūhatā;
Nāgīva bandhanaṃ chetvā, viharāmi anāsavā.
"My defilements are burnt out;
all [future] births are completely destroyed.
Having severed my bonds like a she-elephant,*
I live without taints."
- Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, Yasodharā, Khemā, Uppalavannā, and Bhaddā Kuṇḍalakesī...Therī Apadāna(s), Sutta Pitaka Pālī
DESCRIPTION OF THE INSCRIPTION
Dao Siam writes:
"The Gift of Bhikkhunī Nāgilā"
"There are not many Buddhist sites left in India built since the time of Emperor Ashoka and later periods. This is because many have been destroyed or damaged. When the monastic Sangha is gone, Buddhists migrate or convert to other religions, there is no one to look after the sacred sites, and they are easily destroyed.
"Among the important Buddhist sites that have been excavated, inscriptions in Dhammalipi aka Brahmi script in the Prakrit language have been found. These inscriptions concern bhikkhus, bhikkhunīs, upāsakas, upāsikās, householders, and merchants who jointly sponsored Buddhist initiatives. Many of the ancient Buddhist holy sites listed here preserve inscriptions made by and dedicated to both bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs. [These are were real monastics who lived at that time, not legendary figures of the Buddhist texts.]
1. Sanchi Stupa: 90 bhikkhus' and 84 bhikkhunīs' inscriptions.
2. Bharhut Stupa: 8 bhikkhus' and 15 bhikkhunīs' inscriptions.
3. Amarāvatī Stupa: 15 bhikkhus' and 3 bhikkhunīs' inscriptions.
4. Kanaganahalli Stupa (Sannati) 25 bhikkhus' and 17 bhikkhunīs' inscriptions
"The inscription you see here now was found at the Bharhut Stupa. It was written in Prakrit (the 'natural' or colloquial language) and Dhammalipi (aka Brahmi) script.
"It reads:
Line 1: Moragirimha Nāgilaya Bhikkhuniyā Dānam Thambho
𑀫𑁄𑀭𑀕𑀺𑀭𑀺𑀳𑀦𑀸𑀕𑀺𑀮𑀸𑀬𑀪𑀺𑀔𑀼𑀡𑀺𑀬𑀸𑀤𑀸𑀦𑁉𑀣𑀁𑀪𑁄
Translation: "This pillar was offered as the dāna of Bhikkhunī Nāgilā of Moragiri"
[𑀪𑀺𑀔𑀼𑀡𑀺 Bhikkhunī is in the Pāli form]
Line 2: Bhagavato Vipassino Bodhi
𑀪𑀕𑀯𑀢𑁄𑀯𑀺𑀧𑀲𑀺𑀦𑁄𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺
Translation: "The Bodhi tree of Bhagavan [Buddha] Vipassi."
"In short, the sponsor who commissioned the carving of the image on the stone pillar depicting people reverencing the Bodhi tree [and Bodhi Pallanke - the Seat of Awakening] of the Buddha Vipassi, was the Bhikkhunī named Nāgilā [who hailed from Moragiri ('Peacock Peak')**].
"To see the inscription of this Bhikkhuni, visit the India Museum in Kolkata."
- translated into English (with 'anumodana') from the post in Thai by Dao Siam shared here, with assistance from Google Translate.
HISTORICAL COMMENTARY
Ratio of bhikkhus to bhikkhunīs in the inscriptions
As noted by Dao Siam, at the 4 named ancient stupa sites above, with inscriptions dating from the 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE, total known Bhikkhu inscriptions are 138, and total known Bhikkhuni inscriptions are 119. This gives an averaged ratio of around 86 bhikkhunīs actively participating for every 100 bhikkhus participating in the establishing these ancient Buddhist community stupa sites enshrining the sacred relics of the Buddha.
Vipassī Buddha and his meaning to the Bhikkhunī Sangha
In this case, we know that by the time of the inscription, the doctrine of our Gotama Buddha, Sakyamuni, being one of a lineage of Buddhas including the pre-historic Vipassī Buddha, who we find in the Pāli-text Sutta Pitaka, as having lived ninety-one eons ago. In the Samyutta Nikāya, Vipassī Buddha is the first of seven Buddhas, with Gotama Buddha as the seventh. In the Buddhavaṁsa, Vipassī Buddha is the twenty-second of twenty-eight Buddhas.
According to the Mahāpadāna Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya "Long Discourses of the Buddha," the Bodhi tree of Vipassi Buddha, the first of the seven Buddhas of antiquity, was a Pāṭalī tree, also known as the trumpet flower tree or Bignonia suaveolens. Vipassi Buddha attained enlightenment while meditating under this specific tree according to the Sutta.
The Buddha Vipassī's two leading bhikkhunī disciples were said to have been named Candā and Candamittā.
Khemā Therī, who become one of our Buddha Gotama's two chief female disciples 'foremost in wisdom,' in her Therī Apadāna verses, recollects having first ordained as a bhikkhunī with the Buddha Vipassī.
Nāgas and Nāgīs (female Nāgas)
Five-headed nāgas feature on both sides of this stone carving, as well as 'nāgī' featuring in the donor's name.
*The word/name 'nāga' is often used to describe both snakes and elephants. It is also used for the Nāga tribal peoples of South Asia, and Nagaland is a state in far northeastern India.
In the suttas, the Buddha is described as a great nāga. Also, when a person leaves the home life and goes forth into the Buddhist monastic life in the Early Buddhist Teachings, they are described as being like nāgas (here translated as 'elephants') breaking free from their bonds. Until this day, in the Theravāda traditions, aspirants to ordination, just before ordaining are called 'nāgas'.
Likewise for the Bhikkhunī Arahantīs, the Arahant Therīs, describing their arahatship, the frequently repeat a verse which becomes like a 'mantra of awakening' which described them as being "nāgīva bandhanaṃ chetvā, viharāmi anāsavā" - like female elephants who have broken free from the bondage and affliction of the kilesas and āsavas.
The female forms of 'nāga' are:
nāgī, nāginī
nāgikā, nāgavikā
In terms of being a monastic life trainee, pre-ordination, these latter forms may be compared in old Indian use with the male 'māṇava' and 'māṇavaka' and the female 'māṇavī' and 'māṇavikā'. These words were used to describe those who had come to the monastery aspiring to ordain, in an observation and preparatory period prior to ordination, similarly to how we now use the words 'nekkhamma' and 'anagārika' for this preliminary stage.
A last note about the name 'Nāgilā.
Some scholars have speculated that she might be related to her co-contemporary Nāgadevī who was one of the donors, together with the Maghada royals Ayyā Kuraṅgī and Sirīmā, who offered the five main elements of the shrine at Bodhgaya, including the very similar railings. As Nāgilā from Moragiri is a bhikkhunī and Nāgadevī is a member of a Maghada royal household I feel this is doubtful, although the original railings at the Vajrāsana in Bodhgaya and at Bharhut are from the same time period and so similar.
Where was Bhikkhunī Nāgilā from?
Up still now in this series, we have had no indication of where the bhikkhunīs memorialized in their donative inscriptions are from. That changes with this inscription.
** Per "Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. II, Part II, "North Indian Inscriptions" as published on Whatsindia.com:
"Moragiri (also known as Mayūragiri) is identified in ancient Sāñchī inscriptions from North India as a location represented by the villages of Chuḍa-moragiri and Mahā-moragiri. It is associated with the historical locality of Mayūraparvata (मयूरपर्वत), as referenced in ancient Indian texts."
FULL DHAMMA COMPLETION
Kilesā jhāpitā mayhaṃ,
bhavā sabbe samūhatā;
✨nāgīva bandhanaṃ chetvā,✨
viharāmi anāsavā.
My defilements (kilesas) are burnt out,
All becoming has been uprooted in me;
✨Like a she-elephant who has broken her bonds,✨
I live free from the taints (āsavas).
Svāgataṃ vata me āsi,
mama buddhaseṭṭhassa santike;
tisso vijjā anuppattā,
kataṃ buddhassa sāsanaṃ.
Welcome indeed for me,
Was the presence of the Buddha, the Foremost One;
The three knowledges achieved,
The Buddha’s teaching has been done.
Paṭisambhidā catasso,
vimokkhāpi ca aṭṭhime;
chaḷabhiññā sacchikatā,
kataṃ buddhassa sāsanaṃ.
The four discriminatory knowledges
And the eight liberations are mine;
The six super powers manifest,
The Buddha’s teaching has been done.
- the "lions' roar" or "she-elephants' trumpet" of the arahant therīs, Therī Apadāna Pāli, shared verses
May it be so!
🙏 Tathālokā Therī, at Dhammadharini
