SN 11.23 The Sambari Sorcery

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Sāvatthiyaṁ …pe…

At Sāvatthī.

bhagavā etadavoca:

The Buddha said this:

“bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, vepacitti asurindo ābādhiko ahosi dukkhito bāḷhagilāno.

“Once upon a time, mendicants, Vepacitti, lord of titans, was sick, suffering, gravely ill.

Atha kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo yena vepacitti asurindo tenupasaṅkami gilānapucchako.

So Sakka went to see him to ask after his illness.

Addasā kho, bhikkhave, vepacitti asurindo sakkaṁ devānamindaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ.

Vepacitti saw Sakka coming off in the distance,

Disvāna sakkaṁ devānamindaṁ etadavoca:

and said to him,

‘tikiccha maṁ, devānamindā’ti.

‘Heal me, lord of gods!’

‘Vācehi maṁ, vepacitti, sambarimāyan’ti.

‘Teach me, Vepacitti, the Sambari sorcery.’

‘Na tāvāhaṁ vācemi, yāvāhaṁ, mārisa, asure paṭipucchāmī’ti.

‘I can’t do that, good fellow, until I have consulted with the titans.’

Atha kho, bhikkhave, vepacitti asurindo asure paṭipucchi:

Then Vepacitti, lord of titans, asked the titans,

‘vācemahaṁ, mārisā, sakkaṁ devānamindaṁ sambarimāyan’ti?

‘Good fellows, may I teach the Sambari sorcery to Sakka, lord of gods?’

‘Mā kho tvaṁ, mārisa, vācesi sakkaṁ devānamindaṁ sambarimāyan’ti.

‘Do not, good fellow, teach the Sambari sorcery to Sakka!’

Atha kho, bhikkhave, vepacitti asurindo sakkaṁ devānamindaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

So Vepacitti addressed Sakka in verse:

‘Māyāvī maghavā sakka,

‘O Maghavā, O Sakka,

devarāja sujampati;

king of gods, Sujā’s husband:

Upeti nirayaṁ ghoraṁ,

a sorceror like Sambara falls

sambarova sataṁ saman’”ti.

into the terrible hell for a full century.’”