SN 9.9

Vajjiputtasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ aññataro vajjiputtako bhikkhu vesāliyaṁ viharati aññatarasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe. Tena kho pana samayena vesāliyaṁ vajjiputtako sabbaratticāro hoti. Atha kho so bhikkhu vesāliyā tūriyatāḷitavāditanigghosasaddaṁ sutvā paridevamāno tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

A Vajji

At one time a certain Vajjian mendicant was staying near Vesālī in a certain forest grove. Now at that time the Vajjis were holding an all-night event in Vesālī. Then that mendicant, complaining at the noise of musical instruments being beaten and played, on that occasion spoke this verse:

“Ekakā mayaṁ araññe viharāma, Apaviddhaṁva vanasmiṁ dārukaṁ; Etādisikāya rattiyā, Ko su nāmamhehi pāpiyo”ti.

“We dwell alone in the wilderness, like a log dumped in the forest. On a night like this, who’s worse off than me?”

Atha kho yā tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe adhivatthā devatā tassa bhikkhuno anukampikā atthakāmā taṁ bhikkhuṁ saṁvejetukāmā yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

The deity haunting that forest had sympathy for that mendicant, and wanted what’s best for them. So they approached that mendicant wanting to stir them up, and addressed them in verse:

“Ekakova tvaṁ araññe viharasi, Apaviddhaṁva vanasmiṁ dārukaṁ; Tassa te bahukā pihayanti, Nerayikā viya saggagāminan”ti.

“You dwell alone in the wilderness, like a log dumped in the forest. Lots of people are jealous of you, like beings in hell of those going to heaven.”

Atha kho so bhikkhu tāya devatāya saṁvejito saṁvegamāpādīti.

Impelled by that deity, that mendicant was struck with a sense of urgency.