12 Ven. Kisā Gotamī

In the time of Buddha Padumuttara, she aspired to be foremost in wearing coarse robes. She was later born as Princess Dhammā, the fifth daughter of King Kikī. In her final life, born into poverty and thus known as Kisā (lean) Gotamī, she married a rich man’s son. Her status was confirmed when she gave birth to a son, but the child died young. Grief-stricken, she carried the corpse, begging for medicine. The Buddha instructed her to find mustard seed from a house where no one had ever died. Her search revealed that death is universal. She realized the truth, left her child’s body, and attained Stream-entry. After becoming a nun, she meditated on a flickering lamp, seeing the rise and fall of all phenomena, and with the Buddha’s guidance, became an Arahat, earning her title as foremost in wearing coarse robes.