Puṣpacūlikā
Ten goddesses who were once nuns — and how a small obsession changed their path.
This text tells of ten goddesses — Śrī, Hrī, Dhṛti, Kīrti, Buddhi, Lakṣmī and others — who in past lives were nuns in the order of Pārśvanātha, led by the senior nun Puṣpacūlā.
The story
The Girl Called Bhūtā
Śrī Devī came to honour Mahāvīra. Gautama asked about her past. She had been Bhūtā, a merchant’s daughter in Rājagṛha. She heard Pārśvanātha’s teaching and joined the order of nuns under Puṣpacūlā.
A Small Obsession
At first she practised well. But slowly, she became preoccupied with keeping her body clean — washing her hands, feet and face again and again, preparing special places to sit.
The senior nun warned her. Bhūtā would not listen and went to live apart.
Heaven, Not Freedom
She still practised enough to be reborn as a goddess. But her attention to the body held her back from the highest goal.
The lesson is subtle: spiritual life can be derailed not only by big sins but by small obsessions that pull attention away from the soul.
What it teaches
- Small obsessions can derail spiritual life
- Listen to wise guidance in the community
- Care of the body can become attachment to it
- Heaven is still not liberation
How the text is arranged
Ten chapters on ten goddesses who were nuns in Pārśvanātha’s order.
A spotless body cannot clean a restless mind.
Ask yourselfWhat small habit takes more of your attention than it deserves?