Thig 5.3 - Verses of the Elder Sīhā
Translated by Bhikkhuni Soma
Source: https://suttacentral.net/thig5.3/en/soma
License: CC0-1.0

Verses of the Elder Bhikkhunīs
Chapter of the Fives
Verses of the Elder Sīhā
“Not applying the mind to see the origin of things,
I was afflicted with longing to gratify the senses.
I was restless,
and I had no power over the mind.
Overwhelmed by defilements,
I chased anything attractive.
Controlled by craving,
I could not attain tranquility of mind.
Emaciated, ugly, feeble,
I wandered for seven years,
never finding happiness by day or by night,
full of suffering.
Then I took a rope
and entered into the forest.
Better for me to be strangled here
than to go back to the inferior life.
I made a strong noose,
and hung it from the branch of a tree.
As soon as I placed the noose around my neck
my mind was liberated.”
The Elder Sīhā
