# Sujātā

Source: https://buddhisma2z.com/sujata/  
Author: Bhante S. Dhammika, *Guide To Buddhism A To Z*  
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

![Sujātā](https://buddhisma2z.com/images/S/sujata.webp)

According to legend, just before [**Siddhattha Gotama**](https://buddhisma2z.com/siddhattha-gotama/) began the final meditation at the foot of the [**Bodhi Tree**](https://buddhisma2z.com/bodhi-tree/) at [**Bodh Gayā**](https://buddhisma2z.com/bodh-gaya/), a young woman named Sujātā offered him a bowl of milk rice and [**honey**](https://buddhisma2z.com/honey/). This preparation, called *khīrodana* or *pāyāya* in Pāḷi, is made by boiling rice and milk until it becomes thick. This meal is said to have given the Buddha the strength he needed to continue his quest and finally attain [**enlightenment**](https://buddhisma2z.com/enlightenment/). Depictions of Sujātā offering her milk rice are commonly found in temple wall paintings throughout Asia, although the story is not found in the [**Tipiṭaka**](https://buddhisma2z.com/tipitaka/). However, a woman named Sujātā is mentioned as being the Buddha’s first female disciple (A.I,26).

Subjects: Personalities