Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at |Uruvelā::name of a town in Magadha, lit. broad banks [uruvelā]| on the bank of the river Nerañjarā at the root of the goatherd’s banyan tree, having just attained full awakening. Then, for seven days, the Blessed One sat in one posture experiencing the ease of liberation.
At that time, a great unseasonal rain cloud arose—a weeklong deluge marked by cold winds and bad weather. Then, the serpent king Mucalinda, came forth from his abode; he then encircled the body of the Blessed One seven times with his coils and, spreading his great hood over the head of the Blessed One, stood guard, thinking: “May the Blessed One not be affected by cold, heat, or come in contact with gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, or creeping things.”
At the end of those seven days, the Blessed One emerged from that |perfect peace of mind::stability of mind, stillness of mind [samādhi]|. The serpent king Mucalinda, seeing that the sky was now clear and cloudless, uncoiled his coils from the body of the Blessed One. He withdrew his serpentine form, and manifesting the appearance of a young lad, stood in front of the Blessed One honoring him with a reverential salutation.
Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:
“Pleasant is |seclusion::solitude, detachment [viveka]| for the content one,
who has heard the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| and who sees;
|Harmlessness::benevolence, kindness [abyāpajja]| is happiness in the world—
restraint towards living beings.
Pleasant is |dispassion::fading of desire, absence of lust [virāga]| towards the world,
the surpassing of |sensual desire::sensual pleasure [kāma]|;
But for he who has given up the |conceit ‘I am’::egotism, self-conceit, self comparison [asmimāna]|,
this is the highest happiness.”