Thus have I heard - At one time, the Blessed One was staying in Pāvā, at the Ajakalāpaka shrine, the burial site of the native spirit Ajakalāpaka. At that time, the Blessed One was sitting in the open air during the pitch black darkness of night, while a gentle rain drizzled down. Then the native spirit Ajakalāpaka, wishing to arouse fear, trepidation, and hair-raising awe in the Blessed One, approached him. Drawing near, the spirit stood not far from the Blessed One and made strange, unsettling sounds three times: "Akkulo! Pakkulo!" He then said, "This is your demon, ascetic!"

Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:

When a brahmin has gone beyond, his own attachments; Then the brahmin transcends, both this demon and the mayhem.