Saṃyutta Nikāya
I. Sagatha Vagga
5. Bhikkhuni Saṃyutta
Sutta 7
Upacala Sutta
Sister Upacala
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Provenance, terms and conditons
[7.1][pts][bps] Near Sāvatthī.
Then, early in the morning, Upacala the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl and outer robe, went into Sāvatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Sāvatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Māra the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, and terror in her, wanting to make her fall away from concentration, approached her and said, "Where do you want to reappear [be reborn], nun?"
"I don't want to reappear anywhere, my friend."
[Māra:]
The devas of the Thirty-three,
the Hours, the Contented,
those who delight in creation,
and those in control:
direct your mind there
and it will enjoy
delight.
[Sister Upacala:]
The devas of the Thirty-three,
the Hours, the Contented,
those who delight in creation,
and those in control:
they are bound
with the bonds of sensuality;
they come again
under Māra's sway.
The whole world is burning.
The whole world is aflame.
The whole world is blazing.
The whole world is provoked.
The Unprovoked, Unblazing
— that people run-of-the-mill
don't partake,
where Māra's
never been —
that's where my heart
truly delights.
Then Māra the Evil One — sad and dejected at realizing, "Upacala the nun knows me" — vanished right there.
