A forest deity approaches a mendicant in verse on application, encouraging seclusion, mindfulness, and freedom from sensual desire.

SN 9.2 Application

Ekaṁ samayaṁ aññataro bhikkhu kosalesu viharati aññatarasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe.

Tena kho pana samayena so bhikkhu divāvihāragato supati. Atha kho tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe adhivatthā devatā tassa bhikkhuno anukampikā atthakāmā taṁ bhikkhuṁ saṁvejetukāmā yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ gāthāhi ajjhabhāsi:

“Uṭṭhehi bhikkhu kiṁ sesi,
ko attho supitena te;
Āturassa hi niddā,
sallaviddhassa ruppato.

Yāya saddhāya pabbajito,
agārasmānagāriyaṁ;
Tameva saddhaṁ brūhehi,
niddāya vasaṁ gamī”ti.

“Aniccā addhuvā kāmā,
yesu mandova mucchito;
Baddhesu muttaṁ asitaṁ,
kasmā pabbajitaṁ tape.

Chandarāgassa vinayā,
avijjāsamatikkamā;
Taṁ ñāṇaṁ paramodānaṁ,
kasmā pabbajitaṁ tape.

Chetvā avijjaṁ vijjāya,
āsavānaṁ parikkhayā;
Asokaṁ anupāyāsaṁ,
kasmā pabbajitaṁ tape.

Āraddhavīriyaṁ pahitattaṁ,
Niccaṁ daḷhaparakkamaṁ;
Nibbānaṁ abhikaṅkhantaṁ,
Kasmā pabbajitaṁ tape”ti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Ekaṁ samayaṁ aññataro bhikkhu kosalesu viharati aññatarasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe.

At one time one of the mendicants was staying in the land of the Kosalans in a certain forest grove.

Tena kho pana samayena so bhikkhu divāvihāragato supati.

Now at that time that mendicant went for the day’s meditation, but fell asleep.

Atha kho tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe adhivatthā devatā tassa bhikkhuno anukampikā atthakāmā taṁ bhikkhuṁ saṁvejetukāmā yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ gāthāhi ajjhabhāsi:

The deity haunting that forest had sympathy for that mendicant, and wanted what’s best for them. So they approached that mendicant wanting to stir them up, and addressed them in verse:

“Uṭṭhehi bhikkhu kiṁ sesi,

“Get up, mendicant! Why lie down?

ko attho supitena te;

What’s the point in sleeping?

Āturassa hi niddā,

How can the afflicted slumber,

sallaviddhassa ruppato.

inflicted by an arrow strike?

Yāya saddhāya pabbajito,

You should amplify the faith

agārasmānagāriyaṁ;

that led you to go forth

Tameva saddhaṁ brūhehi,

from the home life to homelessness.

niddāya vasaṁ gamī”ti.

Don’t fall under the sway of slumber.”

“Aniccā addhuvā kāmā,

“Sensual pleasures are impermanent and unstable,

yesu mandova mucchito;

but dullards still fall for them.

Baddhesu muttaṁ asitaṁ,

Among those who are bound, they’re free and unattached:

kasmā pabbajitaṁ tape.

why bother a renunciate?

Chandarāgassa vinayā,

By removing desire and greed,

avijjāsamatikkamā;

by going beyond ignorance,

Taṁ ñāṇaṁ paramodānaṁ,

that knowledge has been perfectly cleansed:

kasmā pabbajitaṁ tape.

why bother a renunciate?

Chetvā avijjaṁ vijjāya,

By breaking ignorance with knowledge,

āsavānaṁ parikkhayā;

by the ending of defilements,

Asokaṁ anupāyāsaṁ,

they’re sorrowless, unstressed:

kasmā pabbajitaṁ tape.

why bother a renunciate?

Āraddhavīriyaṁ pahitattaṁ,

Energetic, resolute,

Niccaṁ daḷhaparakkamaṁ;

always staunchly vigorous,

Nibbānaṁ abhikaṅkhantaṁ,

aspiring to extinguishment:

Kasmā pabbajitaṁ tape”ti.

why bother a renunciate?”

Topics & Qualities:

Attachment

Attachment

A mental fastening onto people, things, views, or states as “me” or “mine,” unwilling to release them. This clinging can give a sense of security and sweetness.

Also known as: acquisition, bond, clinging, grasping, holding on, possession, entanglement, bound, connected, taking as mine
Pāli: upadhi, upādāna, sakiñcana, mamatta
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Desire

Desire

A wholesome motivation, interest, or objective that acts as the starting point for effort and application of will.

Also known as: aspiration, interest, wish, having an objective, intention, impulse
Pāli: chanda
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Ending

Ending

The complete exhaustion and ending of craving, aversion, and delusion—the three roots of suffering. It refers to both the gradual wearing away of defilements through practice and the final cessation that constitutes Nibbāna.

Also known as: cessation, exhaustion, gradual ending, wearing away
Pāli: khaya, khīṇa, nirodha
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Faith

Faith

Confidence in the Buddha's awakening and the efficacy of the path. It brightens and steadies the mind, removing doubt and inspiring energy toward wholesome practice. True faith rests on clarity and direct experience rather than mere belief.

Also known as: confidence, trust, belief, conviction, self-assurance
Pāli: saddha, pasanna
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Greed

Greed

A grasping mental quality of craving, possessiveness, or lustful wanting that clings to objects or experiences; it fuels attachment and obstructs renunciation and contentment

Also known as: acquisitiveness, avarice, covetousness, rapacity, money grabbing, grabbiness
Pāli: lobha, gedha
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Ignorance

Ignorance

A fundamental blindness to the true nature of reality. It is not merely a lack of information, but an active misperception that views the transient as permanent and the unsatisfactory as a source of happiness, thereby fueling the cycle of suffering.

Also known as: illusion of knowing, fundamental unawareness of the true nature of reality, misunderstanding of how things have come to be, not knowing the four noble truths
Pāli: avijjā
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Last updated on July 27, 2026