Vasitthi

Kamanita

Kamanita and Vasitthi are deeply in love, their bond enduring across lifetimes and spiritual trials.

The Master

The Master offers spiritual counsel to Vasitthi, helping her cope with loss and guiding her toward inner peace.

The Lord Buddha

The Lord Buddha teaches Vasitthi directly, offering her solace and a path to liberation from her grief.

Satagira

Satagira and Vasitthi are acquaintances from the same social circle, with Satagira occasionally acting as a messenger or intermediary.

Kamanita

Kamanita and Vasitthi are deeply in love, their bond enduring across lifetimes and spiritual trials.

The Master

The Master offers spiritual counsel to Vasitthi, helping her cope with loss and guiding her toward inner peace.

Kamanita

Kamanita and Vasitthi are deeply in love, their bond enduring across lifetimes and spiritual trials.

The Master

The Master offers spiritual counsel to Vasitthi, helping her cope with loss and guiding her toward inner peace.

The Lord Buddha

The Lord Buddha teaches Vasitthi directly, offering her solace and a path to liberation from her grief.

Satagira

Satagira and Vasitthi are acquaintances from the same social circle, with Satagira occasionally acting as a messenger or intermediary.

Satagira

Satagira and Vasitthi are acquaintances from the same social circle, with Satagira occasionally acting as a messenger or intermediary.

The Lord Buddha

The Lord Buddha teaches Vasitthi directly, offering her solace and a path to liberation from her grief.

IV: The Maiden Ballplayer

The maiden ballplayer, described as the incarnate goddess of Fortune and Beauty, who captivates Kamanita.

The Magic Portrait

The subject of the portrait; her name is revealed and she responds with a verse.

On the Terrace of the Sorrowless

The beloved maiden who reciprocates Kamanita's love, speaks of true love's color being black like Shiva's throat, and recites a verse to the asoka tree.

VII: In the Ravine

Falls ill from worry over Kamanita; pleads with him to leave the city for his safety.

The Paradise Bud

Meets Kamanita in the temple, expresses fear of never seeing him again, and proposes they swear to meet in Paradise.

Under the Constellation of the Robbers

Kamanita's beloved, remembered with longing; he imagines her under the sorrowless tree.

XI: The Elephant's Trunk

Revealed as Satagira's bride, appearing sorrowful and lifeless during the procession.

At the Grave of the Holy Vajaçravas

Seen by Kamanita in a marriage procession, her face full of misery, leading to his resolve to stay hidden.

XIV: The Husband

Mentioned as Kamanita's first wife, who becomes embroiled in bitter rivalry with the second wife.

XV: The Bald-Pated Monk

Vasitthi is one of Kamanita's two wives; she and the other wife unite in verbally abusing the ascetic, showing their maternal contempt.

XVI: Ready for Action

Implied among Kamanita's wives; she and the other wife argue hysterically when ordered to leave.

XVII: To Homelessness

Kamanita's lost love, remembered during his reflection; their vow to meet in the Western Paradise haunts him.

In the Hall of the Potter

Referenced in the Master's internal reflection as faithful to Kamanita, married to Satagira by fraud, and instrumental in Angulimala's visit to Ujjeni.

XX: The Unreasonable Child

Mentioned in the context of the Sinsapa wood at Kosambi, where she and Kamanita swore eternal fidelity and pledged to meet in the Paradise of the West.

XXIII: The Roundelay of the Blest

White-robed figure who points to the river feeding the pond and discusses the heavenly Gunga.

XXV: The Bud of the Lotus Opens

Awakens in a white lotus in Sukhavati; initially does not recognize Kamanita but later remembers him after smelling the Coral Tree's perfume.

The Chain with the Tiger-Eye

Narrates her suffering, longing, and defiant refusal to marry Satagira, clinging to hope despite evidence of Kamanita's death.

XXVII: The Rite of Truth (Saccakiriya)

Performs the omen ritual under the asoka tree; confronts Angulimala; ultimately accepts Satagira's proposal after losing hope.

On the Shores of the Heavenly Gunga

Newly awakened in Paradise, she is drawn to the heavenly Gunga and contemplates the nature of eternal happiness and limitation.

XXIX: Amid the Sweets of the Coral Blossom

Alongside Kamanita, she recalls their many incarnations and marvels that they are as old as the world.

To Be Born Is to Die

Calmly explains the Buddha's teaching about impermanence; has personally sat at the feet of the Master.

XXXI: The Apparition on the Terrace

Narrates her years of lonely grief after marrying Satagira, and her encounter with Angulimala on the terrace.

Satagira

Vasitthi is consumed by hatred for Satagira and tempted to betray him to Angulimala, but she is horrified by her own thoughts. She ultimately helps Satagira plan his route through a ravine, torn between her desire for freedom and her moral revulsion.

Angulimala

Consumed by vengeful fury, Vasitthi conspires with Angulimala to murder her husband Satagira, but is thwarted by Angulimala's transformation.

The Hell of Spears

Addressed by Angulimala at the end of his story, as he declares his new life as a disciple.

A Pure Offering

Reflects on Angulimala's transformation and decides to visit the Buddha; prepares offerings and goes to the Sinsapa wood.

Buddha and Krishna

Narrator and listener; recalls her vow with Kamanita but feels no desire for the old Paradise, embracing the Buddha's teaching on suffering and Nirvana.

The Blossoms of Paradise Wither

Vasitthi speaks words of wisdom about the transience of paradise and the higher uncreated state, encouraging Kamanita to aim for rebirth in the Brahma realm.

In the Kingdom of the Hundred-Thousandfold Brahma

Reborn as a star-god, sharing a double-star existence with Kamanita.

XXXIX: The Dusk of the Worlds

Remains calm and wise, recalling the Buddha's teachings and preparing to share her last earthly memories.

In the Grove of Krishna

Narrator and central figure; she counsels Satagira, reveals her past plot, and requests to enter the Sacred Order.

The Simple Motto

Now a sister of the Order, she receives the motto 'Where love is, there is also suffering' from the Buddha and struggles with its implications.

XLII: The Sick Nun

The sick nun, consumed by love and longing for Kamanita, confronts Angulimala and later falls into despair before redirecting her pilgrimage toward the Buddha.

XLIII: The Passing of the Perfect One

The narrator, a sick nun who travels to see the Buddha before his death, hears of Sariputta's passing, and receives the Master's final blessing.

XLIV: Vasitthi’s Bequest

Describes the Buddha to Kamanita, creates a vision of the Perfect One, and ultimately sacrifices her own form to complete the image.

Night and Morning in the Spheres

Kamanita reflects that Vasitthi has passed away without leaving seed of existence, and that life without her is meaningless, motivating his choice of the eternal.