Uppalavaṇṇā (SA-2.217)

Thus have I heard, once, the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī at the Jeta Grove in the Anāthapiṇḍika Park.

At that time one morning the nun Uppalavaṇṇā took her robes and her begging bowl and entered the town Sāvatthī to beg for food. Having finished her meal, she cleaned her bowl, gathered her seat for meditation. Having washed her feet, she went to the Andhavana forest, and sat upright under a tree, for the day’s abiding.

At that time King Māra thought: “The renunciant Gotama is staying at Sāvatthī at the Jeta Grove in the Anāthapiṇḍika Park. The nun Uppalavaṇṇā took her robes and her begging bowl and entered the town Sāvatthī to beg for food. Having finished her meal, she cleaned her bowl, gathered her seat, and went to the Andhavana forest. She is sitting upright under a tree, for the day’s abiding. I shall disturb her!”

Having thought thus he transformed himself into a young man, went to her place and spoke this verse:

“Sitting under a Sāla tree, /
beautiful like its blossoms;
All alone bhikkhunī, /
is it that you are you meditating?
Without a companion, /
aren’t you afraid of the ignorant?”

At that time Uppalavaṇṇā thought: “Who is this who wants to disturb me? What a deceiver! Is he a human or a non-human being?” She entered concentration and recognized that it was the Bad One. She spoke a verse:

“A hundred thousand sly and deceitful rogues /
could all do just as much as you.
They could not move me even an inch, /
therefore I stay alone and unafraid.”

At that time King Māra again spoke a verse:

“I might hide myself /
within your belly,
Between your brows, /
unseen by you.”

And the nun again replied with a verse:

“My mind has attained self-mastery; /
I have practised well the concentration that gives super-natural powers.
Having cut off the great bondages, /
I will never be frightened by you.

I have cast aside all fetters, /
have pulled out the root of the three taints of attachment, hate and ignorance.
The roots of fear thus gone, /
I am not afraid.

I abide here, /
I have no fear of you.
Bring on your armies all, /
I shall not be afraid.

I have cut off all craving, /
the darkness of ignorance destroyed.
Having attained complete cessation, /
I peacefully dwell in a state of purity.
Therefore understand: /
Bad One you are defeated.”

At that time the Bad One thought: “The nun Uppalavaṇṇā understands my mind well!” Depressed, dispirited, and ashamed he returned to his palace.

Translation by Marcus Bingenheimer, 2005–8 (minor revisions 2009). First version published in Buddhist Studies Review vol. 23.1 (2006). The translations used here were revised by the translator and published in his Studies in Āgama Literature—with Special Reference to the Shorter Chinese Saṁyuktāgama, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, 2010.

Translated from the Taishō text of the CBETA-Database (Version Feb. 2006). All sutta titles added by the translator.

This series of translations were part of the project “A Digital Comparative Edition of the Bieyi za ahan jing” conducted at the Chung-hwa Institute for Buddhist Studies (中華佛學研究所) and the Dharma Drum Buddhist College (法鼓佛教研修學院), funded by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (蔣經國國際學術交流基金會). The full project, including parallel Chinese, Pali, and Sanskrit texts, is available online here.

Used with kind permission of the translator.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Bhikkhu Sujato.