The Buddha’s mother’s sister and his step-mother. She was the mother of Nanda. After the death of the Buddha’s father, She became the first nun.

The Buddha’s aunt and stepmother, who became the first nun.

The Buddha’s aunt and stepmother, the first bhikṣuṇī, who later attained the state of arhat.

The maternal aunt and adoptive mother of the Buddha as well as the first woman to be ordained.

The maternal aunt and adoptive mother of the Buddha as well as the first woman to be ordained.

See “Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī.”

The step-mother and maternal aunt of Śākyamuni Buddha who became a nun (bhikṣuṇī) and his disciple.

The maternal aunt and adoptive mother of the Buddha as well as the first woman to be ordained.

See “Mahā­prajāpatī Gautamī.”

One of the female śrāvakas attending the delivery of the MMK.

The Buddha’s mother’s sister and his stepmother. She was also the mother of Nanda, whom the Buddha later inspired to become a monk, as recorded in two sūtras bearing his name and elsewhere. She became the first bhikṣuṇī after the death of the Buddha’s father.

The Buddha’s mother’s sister and his stepmother. She was the mother of Nanda, whom the Buddha later inspired to become a monk, as recorded in two sūtras bearing his name and elsewhere. She became the first bhikṣuṇī after the death of the Buddha’s father.

The Buddha’s mother’s sister and his stepmother. She was the mother of Nanda, whom the Buddha later inspired to become a monk, as recorded in two sūtras bearing his name and elsewhere. She became the first bhikṣuṇī after the death of the Buddha’s father.

The Buddha’s aunt and the first ordained nun.

Siddhārtha Gautama’s aunt, who raised him following his mother’s death and who later became the first woman to go forth as a member of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s monastic saṅgha.

The Buddha’s mother’s sister and his step-mother. She was the mother of Nanda. She became the first bhikṣuṇī after the death of the Buddha’s father. Gautamī is the family name, the female equivalent to Gautama. The family line is said to descend from the Gautama who was one of the seven rishis that established the religion and culture of India. His sūtra specifies that a renunciant should be called a bhikṣu, have a shaved head, and wear yellow robes. Also rendered here simply as “Mahāprajāpatī.”

The Buddha Śākyamuni’s maternal aunt who became the first female renunciant in the Buddhist monastic order.

Siddhārtha Gautama’s aunt, who raised him following his mother’s death and who later became the first woman to go forth as a member of Buddha Śākyamuni’s monastic saṅgha. Also rendered here as “Mahā­prajāpatī.”