Previous Year Question

Subhadda was a wandering ascetic who came to meet Gautama Buddha at Kusinara shortly before his Mahaparinibbana. When he came to know that the Buddha was about to attain Mahaparinibbana, he expressed a desire to obtain answers to his religious questions from him.

Subhadda sought permission from Ananda to approach the Buddha. Seeing the Buddha's physical condition, Ananda initially prevented him from doing so, but the Buddha overheard their conversation and instructed Ananda to allow Subhadda to come to him.

Subhadda questioned the Buddha concerning various contemporary religious teachers and their doctrines. Instead of engaging in a dispute regarding the other teachers, the Buddha explained to him the Noble Eightfold Path and the fundamental teaching of his Dhamma associated with that path.

Impressed by the Buddha's teaching, Subhadda requested admission into the Sangha. He was ordained, and the Buddhist text Mahaparinibbana Sutta explicitly states that Subhadda was the last disciple whom the Buddha himself converted.

In contrast, Sariputta and Moggallana had become prominent disciples of the Buddha much earlier, while Ananda had also long been a disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha.