Poems by Women from Ancient India

The Therigatha is a compilation of poems by the first women monks of the Buddhists order from the 6th BCE to 2nd BCE. They give us a peek into the life and times of these women and underline how so much remains the same! Scholar and translator, Charles Hallisey, from the Harvard Divinity School has studied the Therigatha and takes us behind the verses.

Interestingly, these poems are used even today by monks who want to explain the finer details of the Buddhist doctrine to their followers. Sri Lankan monk Venerable Nedagamuve Samitha adds a different dimension to this talk as he recites these poems and tells us how they inspire and celebrate faith.

Here is the film on Therigatha.