SN 5.3

Kisāgotamīsutta

Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Atha kho kisāgotamī bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi. Sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena andhavanaṁ tenupasaṅkami, upasaṅkamitvā divāvihārāya. Andhavanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi. Atha kho māro pāpimā kisāgotamiyā bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena kisāgotamī bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā kisāgotamiṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

With Kisāgotamī

At Sāvatthī. Then the nun Kisāgotamī robed up in the morning and, taking her bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms. She wandered for alms in Sāvatthī. After the meal, on her return from almsround, she went to the Dark Forest for the day’s meditation, plunged deep into it, and sat at the root of a tree to meditate. Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the nun Kisāgotamī feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make her fall away from immersion, went up to her and addressed her in verse:

“Kiṁ nu tvaṁ mataputtāva, ekamāsi rudammukhī; Vanamajjhagatā ekā, purisaṁ nu gavesasī”ti.

“Why do you sit alone and cry as if your children have died? You’ve come to the woods all alone— are you looking for a man?”

Atha kho kisāgotamiyā bhikkhuniyā etadahosi: “ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti? Atha kho kisāgotamiyā bhikkhuniyā etadahosi: “māro kho ayaṁ pāpimā mama bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti.

Then the nun Kisāgotamī thought, “Who’s speaking this verse, a human or a non-human?” Then she thought, “This is Māra the Wicked, wanting to make me feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make me fall away from immersion!”

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

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

“Accantaṁ mataputtāmhi, purisā etadantikā; Na socāmi na rodāmi, na taṁ bhāyāmi āvuso.

“I’ve got over the death of children, and I’m finished with men. I don’t grieve or lament, and I’m not afraid of you, sir!

Sabbattha vihatā nandī, tamokkhandho padālito; Jetvāna maccuno senaṁ, viharāmi anāsavā”ti.

Relishing is banished in every respect, and the mass of darkness is shattered. I’ve defeated the army of death, and live without defilements.”

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

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