Part 13 - Apadana Pali

It is a biographical work containing the life stories (past and present) of the Buddha and his Arahat disciples. It is divided into two divisions, the Therapadana giving the life stories of the Buddha, of forty-one Paccekabuddhas and of five hundred and fifty-nine Arahats from^the Venerable Sariputta to the Venerable Ratthapala, and Theripadana with the life stories of forty theri Arahats from Sumedha Then to PesalaThen

Apadana here means a biography or a life story of a particularly accomplished person, who has made a firm resolution to strive for the goal he desires, and who has ultimately achieved his goal, namely, Buddhahood for an Enlightened One,_Arahatship for his disciples Whereas the Thera Gatha and the Theri Gatha depict generally the triumphant moment of achievements of the theras and theris, the Apadana describes the up-hill work they have to undertake to reach the summit of their ambition The Gathas and the Apadanas supplement one another to unfold the inspiring tales of hard struggles and final conquests.