SN 1–11 The Group of Connected Discourses With Verses – Sagāthāvaggasaṁyutta > SN 5 Connected Discourses With Nuns – Bhikkhunīsaṁyutta > SN 5.5 With Uppalavaṇṇā

Linked Discourses 5.5 – Saṁyutta Nikāya 5.5

1. Nuns – 1. Bhikkhunīvagga

SN 5.5 With Uppalavaṇṇā – Uppalavaṇṇāsutta

At Sāvatthī.

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Then the nun Uppalavaṇṇā robed up in the morning …

Atha kho uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā …pe…

and stood at the root of a sal tree in full flower.

aññatarasmiṁ supupphitasālarukkhamūle aṭṭhāsi.

Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the nun Uppalavaṇṇā feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make her fall away from samādhi, went up to her and addressed her in verse:

Atha kho māro pāpimā uppalavaṇṇāya bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā uppalavaṇṇaṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

“You’ve come to this sal tree all crowned with flowers,

“Supupphitaggaṁ upagamma bhikkhuni,

and stand at its root all alone, O nun.

Ekā tuvaṁ tiṭṭhasi sālamūle;

Your beauty is second to none;

Na catthi te dutiyā vaṇṇadhātu,

silly girl, aren’t you afraid of rascals?”

Bāle na tvaṁ bhāyasi dhuttakānan”ti.

Then the nun Uppalavaṇṇā thought,

Atha kho uppalavaṇṇāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:

“Who’s speaking this verse, a human or a non-human?”

“ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti?

Then she thought,

Atha kho uppalavaṇṇāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:

“This is Māra the Wicked, wanting to make me feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make me fall away from samādhi!”

“māro kho ayaṁ pāpimā mama bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti.

Then Uppalavaṇṇā, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:

Atha kho uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:

“Even if 100,000 rascals like you

“Sataṁ sahassānipi dhuttakānaṁ,

were to come here,

Idhāgatā tādisakā bhaveyyuṁ;

I’d stir not a hair nor panic.

Lomaṁ na iñjāmi na santasāmi,

I’m not scared of you, Māra, even alone.

Na māra bhāyāmi tamekikāpi.

I’ll vanish,

Esā antaradhāyāmi,

or I’ll enter your belly;

kucchiṁ vā pavisāmi te;

I could stand between your eyebrows

Pakhumantarikāyampi,

and you still wouldn’t see me.

tiṭṭhantiṁ maṁ na dakkhasi.

I’m the master of my own mind,

Cittasmiṁ vasībhūtāmhi,

I’ve developed the bases of psychic power well.

iddhipādā subhāvitā;

I’m free from all bonds,

Sabbabandhanamuttāmhi,

and I’m not afraid of you, sir!”

na taṁ bhāyāmi āvuso”ti.

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The nun Uppalavaṇṇā knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

Atha kho māro pāpimā “jānāti maṁ uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī”ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.