11.8. Verocana, Lord of the Asuras (SN11.8)

At Savatthī in Jeta’s Grove. Now on that occasion the Blessed One had gone for his day’s abiding and was in seclusion. Then Sakka, lord of the devas, and Verocana, lord of the asuras, approached the Blessed One and stood one at each door post. Then Verocana, lord of the asuras, recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

“A man should make an effort
Until his goal has been achieved.
Goals shine when achieved:
This is the word of Verocana.”

Sakka:

“A man should make an effort
Until his goal has been achieved.
Of goals that shine when achieved,
None is found better than patience.”

Verocana:

“All beings are bent on a goal
Here or there as fits the case,
But for all creatures association
Is supreme among enjoyments.
Goals shine when achieved:
This is the word of Verocana.”

Sakka:

“All beings are bent upon a goal
Here or there as fits the case,
But for all creatures association
Is supreme among enjoyments.
Of goals that shine when achieved,
None is found better than patience.”

© Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2000)

This excerpt from The Connected Discourses of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Bodhi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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