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Pārāpariya Thera

An Arahant. He was the son of a very eminent brahmin of Sāvatthi, and was so called because the name of his family was Pārāpara. One day he went to Jetavana to hear the Buddha teach, and the Buddha, seeing him, taught the Indriyabhāvanā Sutta.

This probably refers to M.iii.298 ff, which deals with the views of the brahmin teacher Pārāsariya, and then gives the method of developing the faculties (indriya) as taught in the Noble One’s discipline. The sutta, however, was taught at Kajaṅgalā and not at Sāvatthi, the questioners being Uttara, a pupil of Pārāsariya, and Ānanda. See Brethren 295, n.1.

After learning the sutta, Pārāpariya pondered on its meaning and won Arahantship (Thag.vs.726 ff; ThagA.ii.17 f). The Theragāthā contains a number of verses (Vs.920‑49; ThagA.ii.74 ff) spoken by Pārāpariya after the Buddha’s parinibbāna and immediately before his own death.