ANANDA, one of the principal disciples of the Buddha (q.v.), known as the beloved disciple of the Buddhist story. According to the commentaries he was the son of Amitodana, an uncle of the Buddha, entered the order in the second year of the Buddha's ministry, and in the 25th year was appointed his permanent attendant. He attained enlightenment just before the first council, of which he was a member, and at which he repeated the Suttapitaka. From canonical passages we learn that he per suaded the Buddha to allow women to become nuns, and he is represented as being interlocutor in many discourses and the actual author of several. A collection of verses is ascribed to him in Thera-gatha, 1,018 ff. In the time of Fa Hien (4th century A.D.) his relics were worshipped at Vesali, and special devotion was shown by the nuns owing to his having obtained their ad mission to the order. . (E. J. T.)