Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā gayāyaṁ viharati ṭaṅkitamañce sūcilomassa yakkhassa bhavane. Tena kho pana samayena kharo ca yakkho sūcilomo ca yakkho bhagavato avidūre atikkamanti. Atha kho kharo yakkho sūcilomaṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “eso samaṇo”ti.
Thus have I heard—At one time the Blessed One was dwelling near Gaya at Taṅkitamañca, the haunt of the |native spirit::a spirit that may be protective or malevolent, a daemon, or a supernatural being [yakkha]| |Sūciloma::name of a daemon; lit. with needle-like hair [sūciloma]::Soo-chi-loh-muh|. Now at that time the spirit Khara and the spirit |Sūciloma::::Soo-chi-loh-muh| were passing by not far from the Blessed One. Then the spirit Khara said to the spirit |Sūciloma::::Soo-chi-loh-muh|: “That is an ascetic.”
“Neso samaṇo, samaṇako eso. Yāvāhaṁ jānāmi yadi vā so samaṇo, yadi vā so samaṇako”ti.
“He is no ascetic, he is a fake ascetic. I will find out whether he is an ascetic or a fake ascetic.”
Atha kho sūcilomo yakkho yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato kāyaṁ upanāmesi. Atha kho bhagavā kāyaṁ apanāmesi. Atha kho sūcilomo yakkho bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “bhāyasi maṁ, samaṇā”ti?
Then the spirit |Sūciloma::::Soo-chi-loh-muh| approached the Blessed One and leaned his body against him. Then the Blessed One pulled his body away. Then the spirit |Sūciloma::::Soo-chi-loh-muh| said to the Blessed One: “Are you afraid of me, ascetic?”
“Na khvāhaṁ taṁ, āvuso, bhāyāmi; api ca te samphasso pāpako”ti.
“I am not afraid of you, friend; but your touch is foul.”
“Pañhaṁ taṁ, samaṇa, pucchissāmi. Sace me na byākarissasi, cittaṁ vā te khipissāmi, hadayaṁ vā te phālessāmi, pādesu vā gahetvā pāragaṅgāya khipissāmī”ti.
“I will ask you a question, ascetic. If you do not answer me, I will drive you mad, or split your heart, or grab you by the feet and fling you across the Ganges.”
“Na khvāhaṁ taṁ, āvuso, passāmi sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya yo me cittaṁ vā khipeyya hadayaṁ vā phāleyya pādesu vā gahetvā pāragaṅgāya khipeyya. Api ca tvaṁ, āvuso, puccha yadākaṅkhasī”ti.
“I do not see anyone in this world with its |deities::gods [devas]|, |Māras::demons, tempters, beings of delusion; lit. causing death [mārake]|, |Brahmas::Gods; celestial beings residing in the Brahmā realms, often considered to be highly refined and long-lived deities. [brahmā]|, among this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, its kings and commoners, who could drive me mad, or split my heart, or grab me by the feet and fling me across the Ganges. But ask, friend, whatever you wish.”
Atha kho sūcilomo yakkho bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
Then the spirit |Sūciloma::::Soo-chi-loh-muh| addressed the Blessed One in verse:
“Rāgo ca doso ca kutonidānā,
Aratī ratī lomahaṁso kutojā;
Kuto samuṭṭhāya manovitakkā,
Kumārakā dhaṅkamivossajanti”.
“What is the source of |passion::intense desire, strong emotion, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāga]| and |hatred::aversion, hatred, hostility, mental attitude of rejection, fault-finding, resentful disapproval [dosa]|?
Where are born |discontent::dislike, dissatisfaction, aversion, boredom [arati]|, |delight::relish, liking, pleasure [rati]|, and hair-raising terror?
Having originated from what do the mind’s thoughts
toss one around as boys toss up a crow?” [1]
“Rāgo ca doso ca itonidānā,
Aratī ratī lomahaṁso itojā;
Ito samuṭṭhāya manovitakkā,
Kumārakā dhaṅkamivossajanti.
“Passion and hatred have their source here;
from this are born discontent, delight, and hair-raising terror;
having originated from this, the mind’s thoughts
toss one around as boys toss up a crow.
Snehajā attasambhūtā,
Nigrodhasseva khandhajā;
Puthū visattā kāmesu,
Māluvāva vitatāvane.
Born of |fondness::affection [sneha]|, arisen from oneself,
like the trunk-born shoots of a banyan tree;
widespread and |entangled in::ensnared in, attached to [visatta]| sensual pleasures,
like a |māluvā::a fast-growing, parasitic vine that climbs onto trees. As it grows, it tightens its grip, restricting the host tree’s growth and often strangling it to death. [māluvā]| creeper spread through the woods.
Ye naṁ pajānanti yatonidānaṁ,
Te naṁ vinodenti suṇohi yakkha;
Te duttaraṁ oghamimaṁ taranti,
Atiṇṇapubbaṁ apunabbhavāyā”ti.
Those who understand their source,
they dispel it—listen, O spirit!
They cross this flood so hard to cross,
never crossed before, to no more |renewed existence::renewal of being, reappearance, rebirth, future life [punabbhava]|.”
In ancient times, village children would sometimes catch a crow, tie a string to its leg, and relentlessly toss it into the air just to watch it flap and struggle.