He belonged to a family of caravan-leaders and, on the death of his father, travelled about himself with five hundred carts, engaged in trade. One day, one of his oxen fell on the road, and seeing that his men could not get it up, Godatta went up and smote it. The ox, incensed by this cruelty, assumed a human voice and, chiding him for his base ingratitude, cursed him. Godatta, much moved, renounced all his property and joined the Order, in due course attaining Arahantship (ThagA.i.555 f).

The Theragāthā (vs.659-72) contains several stanzas attributed to him, wherein he discoursed to “Ariyan” groups, both lay and religious, on worldly truths (lokadhammā), illustrating his meaning with a wealth of similes. He is probably the Godatta of the Godatta Sutta.