SN 5.2 With Somā

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthī.

Atha kho somā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.

Then the nun Somā 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 somāya bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena somā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā somaṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the nun Somā feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make her fall away from immersion, went up to her and addressed her in verse:

“Yaṁ taṁ isīhi pattabbaṁ,

“That state’s very challenging;

ṭhānaṁ durabhisambhavaṁ;

it’s for the sages to attain.

Na taṁ dvaṅgulapaññāya,

With her two-inch wisdom,

sakkā pappotumitthiyā”ti.

it’s not possible for a woman.”

Atha kho somāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:

Then the nun Somā thought,

“ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti?

“Who’s speaking this verse, a human or a non-human?”

Atha kho somāya 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 somā bhikkhunī “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:

Then Somā, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:

“Itthibhāvo kiṁ kayirā,

“What difference does womanhood make

cittamhi susamāhite;

when the mind is serene,

Ñāṇamhi vattamānamhi,

and knowledge is present

sammā dhammaṁ vipassato.

as you rightly discern the Dhamma.

Yassa nūna siyā evaṁ,

Surely someone who might think:

Itthāhaṁ purisoti vā;

‘I am woman’, or ‘I am man’,

Kiñci vā pana aññasmi,

or ‘I am’ anything at all,

Taṁ māro vattumarahatī”ti.

is fit for Māra to address.”

Atha kho māro pāpimā “jānāti maṁ somā bhikkhunī”ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The nun Somā knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.