Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was staying in |Pāvā::name of a city, presently Pawapuri|, at the Ajakalāpaka shrine, the |burial site::grave, burial mound [cetiya]| of the |native spirit::a spirit that may be protective or malevolent, a daemon, or a supernatural being [yakkha]| 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::evil spirit [pisāca]|, ascetic!”
Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:
When a |sage::Brāhmaṇa, a title used by the Buddha for an Arahant, an awakened being [brāhmaṇa]| has gone beyond,
his |own attachments::identification with thoughts, emotions, intentions, habits, opinions, beliefs, or things the person interacts with in life, e.g. sensations, relationships, or concepts [sakesu + dhammesu]|;
Then the brahmin transcends,
both this demon and the mayhem.