The yakkha Maṇibhadda challenges the Buddha in verse on with maṇibhadda; the Teacher answers with teaching on abandoning anger, harmlessness, and the path to peace.

SN 10.4 With Maṇibhadda

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā magadhesu viharati maṇimālike cetiye maṇibhaddassa yakkhassa bhavane.

Atha kho maṇibhaddo yakkho yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

“Satīmato sadā bhaddaṁ,
satimā sukhamedhati;
Satīmato suve seyyo,
verā ca parimuccatī”ti.

“Satīmato sadā bhaddaṁ,
satimā sukhamedhati;
Satīmato suve seyyo,
verā na parimuccati.

Yassa sabbamahorattaṁ,
ahiṁsāya rato mano;
Mettaṁso sabbabhūtesu,
veraṁ tassa na kenacī”ti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā magadhesu viharati maṇimālike cetiye maṇibhaddassa yakkhassa bhavane.

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Magadhans at the Maṇimālika Shrine, the haunt of the native spirit Maṇibhadda.

Atha kho maṇibhaddo yakkho yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

Then the native spirit Maṇibhadda went up to the Buddha, and spoke this verse in the Buddha’s presence:

“Satīmato sadā bhaddaṁ,

“It’s always auspicious for the mindful;

satimā sukhamedhati;

the mindful prosper in happiness.

Satīmato suve seyyo,

Each new day is better for the mindful,

verā ca parimuccatī”ti.

and they are freed from enmity.”

“Satīmato sadā bhaddaṁ,

“It’s always auspicious for the mindful;

satimā sukhamedhati;

the mindful prosper in happiness.

Satīmato suve seyyo,

Each new day is better for the mindful,

verā na parimuccati.

but they’re not freed from enmity.

Yassa sabbamahorattaṁ,

But someone whose mind delights in harmlessness,

ahiṁsāya rato mano;

all day and all night,

Mettaṁso sabbabhūtesu,

with love for all living creatures—

veraṁ tassa na kenacī”ti.

they have no enmity for anyone.”

Qualities:

Affection

Affection

A mental quality of tender affection and fond regard, often wholesome when rooted in kindness, which inclines the mind toward warmth and care. When unguarded, it may turn toward fixation upon what is 'dear,' leading the mind to attachment and the grief that follows separation from what has been clung to as 'dear'.

Also known as: fondness, love, tender regard
Pāli: pema
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Happiness

Happiness

Bodily ease and comfort; a pleasant feeling experienced with the body. In the third jhāna, one dwells experiencing this pleasure with the body. It is abandoned, along with bodily pain, for the fourth jhāna to arise.

Also known as: pleasant abiding, positive state of mind, sense of ease
Pāli: sukha
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Harm

Harm

Intention or action that causes injury or suffering to oneself or others. It arises from aversion and heedlessness and destroys trust and safety. The opposite of non-harm, it obscures compassion and leads to regret.

Also known as: injury causing behavior, destructiveness, bad, evil
Pāli: pāpaka
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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
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Non-harm

Non-harm

The intention of harmlessness, rooted in the understanding that all beings tremble at violence and fear death.

Also known as: non-violence, non-injury, harmlessness, non-killing, non-hurting
Pāli: avihiṃsā, ahiṁsa
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Last updated on July 27, 2026