SN 11.7

Nadubbhiyasutta

Sāvatthiyaṁ. “Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, sakkassa devānamindassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: ‘yopi me assa supaccatthiko tassapāhaṁ na dubbheyyan’ti. Atha kho, bhikkhave, vepacitti asurindo sakkassa devānamindassa cetasā cetoparivitakkamaññāya yena sakko devānamindo tenupasaṅkami. Addasā kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo vepacittiṁ asurindaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ. Disvāna vepacittiṁ asurindaṁ etadavoca: ‘tiṭṭha, vepacitti, gahitosī’ti.

Not Betray

At Sāvatthī. “Once upon a time, mendicants, as Sakka, lord of gods, was in private retreat this thought came to his mind, ‘I should never betray even a sworn enemy.’ And then Vepacitti, lord of titans, knowing Sakka’s train of thought, approached him. Sakka saw Vepacitti coming off in the distance, and said to him, ‘Stop, Vepacitti, you’re caught!’

‘Yadeva te, mārisa, pubbe cittaṁ, tadeva tvaṁ mā pajahāsī’ti.

‘Good fellow, don’t give up the idea you just had!’

‘Sapassu ca me, vepacitti, adubbhāyā’ti.

‘Swear, Vepacitti, that you won’t betray me.’

‘Yaṁ musā bhaṇato pāpaṁ, Yaṁ pāpaṁ ariyūpavādino; Mittadduno ca yaṁ pāpaṁ, Yaṁ pāpaṁ akataññuno; Tameva pāpaṁ phusatu, Yo te dubbhe sujampatī’”ti.

‘Whatever bad things happen to a liar, or to someone who slanders the noble ones, or to someone who betrays a friend, or to someone who’s ungrateful, the same bad things impact anyone who betrays you, Sujā’s husband.’”