The tenth of the twenty four Buddhas. He was born in Hamsavatī, of the khattiya Ananda and his wife Sujātā. At the moments of his birth and his Enlightenment, a shower of lotuses fell in the ten thousand worlds, hence his name. He lived as a householder for ten thousand years in three palaces: Naravāhana, Yassa (or Yasavatī) and Vasavatti. His wife was Vasudattā, by whom he had a son, Uttara (according to SNA.i.341, his son was Uparevata). He left home in his palace (Vasavatti), and practised austerities only for seven days. A maiden of Ujjeni, called Rucinandā, gave him milk rice, and the ājīvaka Sumitta gave him grass for his seat. His bodhi tree was a salala, under which he spent a week, and when he touched the ground with his foot, huge lotus flowers sprang out of the earth, covering his body completely with their pollen. (The Samyuttabhānakas give this as the reason for his name.) His first sermon was preached to his cousins Devala and Sujāta, who later became his chief disciples. The spot where the sermon was preached was Mithiluyyāna. Sumana was Padumuttara's personal attendant, Amitā and Asamā his chief women disciples, Vitinna and Tissa his chief patrons among men, and Hatthā and Vicittā among women. His body was fifty eight cubits high, and his aura spread for twelve yojanas. He died in Nandārāma at the age of one hundred thousand, and a thūpa twelve leagues in height was erected over his relics. In his time, the Bodhisatta was governor of a province (ratthika) called Jatika (Jatila). Bu.xi.1ff.; BuA.157ff.; J.i.37, 44; DhA.i.99, 417; iii.146, etc.; also Ap.i.57, 63, 101, 107; Mtu.ii.58.
It is said (E.g., MT.59) that in the time of Padumuttara there did not exist a single heretic.
Many of the eminent disciples of Gotama Buddha are said to have first conceived their desire for their respective positions in the time of Padumuttara Buddha, after seeing similar rank conferred on Padumuttara's various disciples in acknowledgment of their special attainments - e.g.,
A Pacceka Buddha. M.iii.70.