Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).
Sāvatthinidānaṁ.
At Sāvatthī.
Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.
Then the nun Vajirā robed up in the morning and, taking her bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms.
Sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena andhavanaṁ tenupasaṅkami divāvihārāya.
She wandered for alms in Sāvatthī. After the meal, on her return from almsround, she went to the Dark Forest for the day’s meditation,
Andhavanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi.
plunged deep into it, and sat at the root of a tree to meditate.
Atha kho māro pāpimā vajirāya bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena vajirā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā vajiraṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the nun Vajirā feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make her fall away from immersion, went up to her and addressed her in verse:
“Kenāyaṁ pakato satto,
“Who created this sentient being?
kuvaṁ sattassa kārako;
Where is its maker?
Kuvaṁ satto samuppanno,
Where has the being arisen?
kuvaṁ satto nirujjhatī”ti.
And where does it cease?”
Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:
Then the nun Vajirā thought,
“ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti?
“Who’s speaking this verse, a human or a non-human?”
Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:
Then she thought,
“māro kho ayaṁ pāpimā mama bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti.
“This is Māra the Wicked, wanting to make me feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make me fall away from immersion!”
Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā, māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:
Then Vajirā, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:
“Kiṁ nu sattoti paccesi,
“Why do you believe there’s such a thing as a ‘sentient being’?
māra diṭṭhigataṁ nu te;
Māra, is this your theory?
Suddhasaṅkhārapuñjoyaṁ,
This is just a pile of conditions,
nayidha sattupalabbhati.
you won’t find a sentient being here.
Yathā hi aṅgasambhārā,
When the parts are assembled
hoti saddo ratho iti;
we use the word ‘chariot’.
Evaṁ khandhesu santesu,
So too, when the aggregates are present
hoti sattoti sammuti.
‘sentient being’ is the convention we use.
Dukkhameva hi sambhoti,
But it’s only suffering that comes to be,
dukkhaṁ tiṭṭhati veti ca;
lasts a while, then expires.
Nāññatra dukkhā sambhoti,
Naught but suffering comes to be,
nāññaṁ dukkhā nirujjhatī”ti.
naught but suffering ceases.”
Atha kho māro pāpimā “jānāti maṁ vajirā bhikkhunī”ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.
Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The nun Vajirā knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.
Bhikkhunīvaggo paṭhamo.
Tassuddānaṁ
Āḷavikā ca somā ca,
Gotamī vijayā saha;
Uppalavaṇṇā ca cālā,
Upacālā sīsupacālā ca;
Selā vajirāya te dasāti.
Bhikkhunīsaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.
The Linked Discourses on Nuns are complete.
Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).
At Sāvatthī.
Then the nun Vajirā robed up in the morning and, taking her bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms.
She wandered for alms in Sāvatthī. After the meal, on her return from almsround, she went to the Dark Forest for the day’s meditation,
plunged deep into it, and sat at the root of a tree to meditate.
Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the nun Vajirā feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make her fall away from immersion, went up to her and addressed her in verse:
“Who created this sentient being?
Where is its maker?
Where has the being arisen?
And where does it cease?”
Then the nun Vajirā thought,
“Who’s speaking this verse, a human or a non-human?”
Then she thought,
“This is Māra the Wicked, wanting to make me feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make me fall away from immersion!”
Then Vajirā, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:
“Why do you believe there’s such a thing as a ‘sentient being’?
Māra, is this your theory?
This is just a pile of conditions,
you won’t find a sentient being here.
When the parts are assembled
we use the word ‘chariot’.
So too, when the aggregates are present
‘sentient being’ is the convention we use.
But it’s only suffering that comes to be,
lasts a while, then expires.
Naught but suffering comes to be,
naught but suffering ceases.”
Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The nun Vajirā knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.
The Linked Discourses on Nuns are complete.
Sāvatthinidānaṁ.
Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.
Sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena andhavanaṁ tenupasaṅkami divāvihārāya.
Andhavanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi.
Atha kho māro pāpimā vajirāya bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena vajirā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā vajiraṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
“Kenāyaṁ pakato satto,
kuvaṁ sattassa kārako;
Kuvaṁ satto samuppanno,
kuvaṁ satto nirujjhatī”ti.
Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:
“ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti?
Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:
“māro kho ayaṁ pāpimā mama bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti.
Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā, māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:
“Kiṁ nu sattoti paccesi,
māra diṭṭhigataṁ nu te;
Suddhasaṅkhārapuñjoyaṁ,
nayidha sattupalabbhati.
Yathā hi aṅgasambhārā,
hoti saddo ratho iti;
Evaṁ khandhesu santesu,
hoti sattoti sammuti.
Dukkhameva hi sambhoti,
dukkhaṁ tiṭṭhati veti ca;
Nāññatra dukkhā sambhoti,
nāññaṁ dukkhā nirujjhatī”ti.
Atha kho māro pāpimā “jānāti maṁ vajirā bhikkhunī”ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.
Bhikkhunīvaggo paṭhamo.
Tassuddānaṁ
Āḷavikā ca somā ca,
Gotamī vijayā saha;
Uppalavaṇṇā ca cālā,
Upacālā sīsupacālā ca;
Selā vajirāya te dasāti.
Bhikkhunīsaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.