Slave girl of Sujátá. J.i.69; AA.i.218.
An arahant. She was born in a householder's family of Sávatthi, and, at the age of twenty, having heard Pajápati Gotamí preach, she left the world. One day, while meditating, the Buddha appeared before her in a ray of glory and she became an arahant.
In the past she was a kinnarí on the banks of the Candabhágá, and, having seen a Pacceka Buddha, worshipped him with a wreath of reeds. Thig. vs. 3; ThigA. 9f.
She is perhaps identical with Tíninalamáliká of the Apadána. Ap.ii.515.
An arahant. She was born in Anáthapindika's household, as the daughter of a domestic slave. She was called Punna because, with her birth, the number of children in the household reached one hundred.
On the day, on which she heard the Síhanáda Sutta she became a sotápanna. She converted the brahmin Sotthiya, who believed in purification through water (the conversation is recorded in Thig. vs. 236 51), and thereby won the esteem of Anáthapindika, so that he freed her. Thereupon she entered the Order and in due course became an arahant.
In the time of Vipassí Buddha she was born in a clansman's family and entered the Order. She learned the three Pitakas and became a distinguished preacher. She did the same under five other Buddhas - Sikhí, Vessabhú, Kakusandha, Konágamana and Kassapa but, owing to her tendency to pride, she was unable to root out the defilements. ThigA. 199 ff.; Ap.ii.611.
Buddhaghosa, however, say of this Therí (MA.i.347f.; the story, with very different details, is given in AA.ii.716f) that she was a slave girl of Anáthapindika. On one occasion, when the Buddha was about to set out on a tour, Anáthapindika and the other chief patrons of the Buddha, loth to lose him for several months, begged him to remain with them. But the Buddha declined this request, and Punná, seeing Anáthapindika very dejected and learning the reason, offered to persuade the Buddha to stay. So she approached him and said that she would take the Three Refuges with the Five Precepts if he would postpone his tour. The Buddha at once agreed, and Punná was freed and adopted as Anáthapindika's daughter. She later joined the Order, and became an arahant after listening to an admonition (Therigáthá, vs.3, about Punná 2) of the Buddha, who appeared before her in a ray of glory. Here we undoubtedly have a confusion of legends. See Punná (2).
It may be this same Punná who is mentioned in the Milindapańha (p.115) as one of the seven people whose acts of devotion brought them recompense in this very life.
The slave girl of the brahmin soothsayer of the Nánacchanda Játaka. When asked what boon she desired, she answered, “A pestle and mortar and a winnowing basket." J.ii.428, 429.
A slave woman of Rájagaha. Late one night, when standing outside the house, cooling herself after having pounded a large quantity of rice, she saw Dabba Mallaputta taking some monks to their lodgings. She thought to herself that she had to work and therefore could not sleep early, but why should monks, who are free from care, be sleepless? She concluded that one of them was sick or had been bitten by a snake. At dawn the next day she went down to the bathing-ghat, taking a cake made of rice dust and baked over charcoal, meaning to eat it after the bath. On the way she met the Buddha and offered him the cake, though she did not expect he would eat it. But the Buddha, who was with Ananda, accepted the gift and sat down to eat it, while Punná stood watching. When the meal was over, the Buddha asked her what she had thought of the monks, and she told him. The Buddha pointed out to her that monks could not sleep till late for they had to be watchful and assiduous. At the end of the discourse Punná became a sotápanna.
It was in reference to this Punná that the Kundakasindhavapotaka Játaka was preached. DhA.iii.321 ff.
A slave woman. The Commentaries mention (E.g., MA.ii.696) that the Buddha once made a rag robe (pamsukúla) out of a garment cast off by her in a cemetery overgrown with weeds (atimuttakasusána). When the Buddha donned the robe the earth trembled in wonder. It was this robe that the Buddha exchanged with Mahá Kassapa; when the Buddha picked it up from the cemetery where Punná had cast it off it was covered with insects (SA.ii.149).