Daughter of Senānī, a landowner of the village of Senānī near Uruvelā. She made a promise to the god of the banyan tree nearby that she would offer a meal of milk-rice to the god if she gave birth to a son. Her wish was fulfilled, the son was born, and she sent her maid, Puṇṇā, to prepare the place for the offering. This was on the very day of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, and Puṇṇā, finding Gotama sitting under the banyan, thought that he was the tree god present in person to receive the offering. She brought the news to Sujātā, who, in great joy, brought the food in a golden bowl and offered it to him.

Gotama took the bowl to the river bank, bathed at the Suppatiṭṭhita ford and ate the food. This was his only meal for forty-nine days. J.i.68 f; DhA.i.71, etc. In Lal.334-7 (267 f ) nine girls are mentioned as giving food to the Buddha during his austerities. Cf. Dvy.392, where two are given, Nandā and Nandabalā.

Sujātā’s meal was considered one of the most important of those offered to the Buddha, and the Devā, therefore, added to it divine flavours.

Yasa (q.v.) was Sujātā’s son, and when he attained Arahantship his father, who had come in search of him, became the Buddha’s follower and invited him to a meal. The Buddha accepted the invitation and went with Yasa to the house. The Buddha taught at the end of the meal, and both Sujātā and Yasa’s wife became Stream-winners. On that day Sujātā took the threefold formula of Refuge. She thus became foremost among lay women who had taken the threefold formula (aggaṃ upāsikānaṃ pathamaṃ saranaṃ gacchantīnaṃ) (SNA.i.154; D.ii.135). She had made an earnest resolve to attain this eminence in the time of Padumuttara Buddha. A.i.26; AA.i.217 f.