SN 5.5 With Uppalavaṇṇā

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthī.

Atha kho uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā …pe…

Then the nun Uppalavaṇṇā robed up in the morning …

aññatarasmiṁ supupphitasālarukkhamūle aṭṭhāsi.

and stood at the root of a sal tree in full flower.

Atha kho māro pāpimā uppalavaṇṇāya bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā uppalavaṇṇaṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

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

“Supupphitaggaṁ upagamma bhikkhuni,

“You’ve come to this sal tree all crowned with flowers,

Ekā tuvaṁ tiṭṭhasi sālamūle;

and stand at its root all alone, O nun.

Na catthi te dutiyā vaṇṇadhātu,

Your beauty is second to none—

Bāle na tvaṁ bhāyasi dhuttakānan”ti.

silly girl, aren’t you afraid of rascals?”

Atha kho uppalavaṇṇāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:

Then the nun Uppalavaṇṇā thought,

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

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

Atha kho uppalavaṇṇāya 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 uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:

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

“Sataṁ sahassānipi dhuttakānaṁ,

“Even if 100,000 rascals like you

Idhāgatā tādisakā bhaveyyuṁ;

were to come here,

Lomaṁ na iñjāmi na santasāmi,

I’d stir not a hair nor panic.

Na māra bhāyāmi tamekikāpi.

I’m not scared of you, Māra, even alone.

Esā antaradhāyāmi,

I’ll vanish,

kucchiṁ vā pavisāmi te;

or I’ll enter your belly;

Pakhumantarikāyampi,

I could stand between your eyebrows

tiṭṭhantiṁ maṁ na dakkhasi.

and you still wouldn’t see me.

Cittasmiṁ vasībhūtāmhi,

I’m the master of my own mind,

iddhipādā subhāvitā;

I’ve developed the bases of psychic power well.

Sabbabandhanamuttāmhi,

I’m free from all bonds,

na taṁ bhāyāmi āvuso”ti.

and I’m not afraid of you, sir!”

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

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