Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahāmoggallāno kapotakandarāyaṁ viharanti. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā sāriputto juṇhāya rattiyā navoropitehi kesehi abbhokāse nisinno hoti aññataraṁ samādhiṁ samāpajjitvā.
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at |Rājagaha::name of a city; capital of Magadha; lit. king’s house [rājagaha]|, in the Bamboo grove, the Squirrels’ feeding ground. Now, at that time, the venerable |Sāriputta::foremost disciple of the Buddha in great wisdom [sāriputta]| and the venerable |Mahāmoggallāna::foremost disciple of the Buddha in psychic power; lit. Moggallāna the great [mahāmoggallāna]| were staying at the Pigeon’s Cave. Now at that time venerable Sāriputta was sitting in the open air on a moonlit night, his head freshly shaven, having entered a certain state of |collectedness::stability of mind, stillness of mind, mental composure [samādhi]|.
Tena kho pana samayena dve yakkhā sahāyakā uttarāya disāya dakkhiṇaṁ disaṁ gacchanti kenacideva karaṇīyena. Addasaṁsu kho te yakkhā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ juṇhāya rattiyā navoropitehi kesehi abbhokāse nisinnaṁ. Disvāna eko yakkho dutiyaṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “paṭibhāti maṁ, samma, imassa samaṇassa sīse pahāraṁ dātun”ti. Evaṁ vutte, so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “alaṁ, samma, mā samaṇaṁ āsādesi. Uḷāro so, samma, samaṇo mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo”ti.
At that time, two |native spirits::spirits that may be protective or malevolent, daemons, or supernatural beings [yakkhā]| who were companions were traveling from the north to the south on some business. Those spirits saw the venerable Sāriputta sitting in the open air on the moonlit night, his hair newly shaven. Upon seeing him, one spirit said to the second spirit: “It occurs to me, friend, to give a blow to this ascetic’s head.” When this was said, the other spirit said to him: “Enough, friend! Do not strike the ascetic. That ascetic, friend, is |lofty::eminent, noble [uḷāra]|, |of great psychic power::of great spiritual power [mahiddhika]| and great might.”
Dutiyampi kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “paṭibhāti maṁ, samma, imassa samaṇassa sīse pahāraṁ dātun”ti. Dutiyampi kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “alaṁ, samma, mā samaṇaṁ āsādesi. Uḷāro so, samma, samaṇo mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo”ti.
For a second time, that spirit said to the second spirit: “It occurs to me, friend, to give a blow to this ascetic’s head.” When this was said, the other spirit said to him: “Enough, friend! Do not strike the ascetic. That ascetic, friend, is lofty, of great psychic power and great might.”
Tatiyampi kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “paṭibhāti maṁ, samma, imassa samaṇassa sīse pahāraṁ dātun”ti. Tatiyampi kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “alaṁ, samma, mā samaṇaṁ āsādesi. Uḷāro so, samma, samaṇo mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo”ti.
For a third time, that spirit said to the second spirit: “It occurs to me, friend, to give a blow to this ascetic’s head.” When this was said, the other spirit said to him: “Enough, friend! Do not strike the ascetic. That ascetic, friend, is lofty, of great psychic power and great might.”
Atha kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ anādiyitvā āyasmato sāriputtattherassa sīse pahāraṁ adāsi. Tāva mahā pahāro ahosi, api tena pahārena sattaratanaṁ vā aḍḍhaṭṭhamaratanaṁ vā nāgaṁ osādeyya, mahantaṁ vā pabbatakūṭaṁ padāleyya. Atha ca pana so yakkho “ḍayhāmi ḍayhāmī”ti vatvā tattheva mahānirayaṁ apatāsi.
Then, that spirit, disregarding the other spirit, gave the venerable Sāriputta a blow to the head. It was such a great blow that it might have felled an elephant seven or seven-and-a-half cubits tall, or split a great mountain peak. Then that spirit, crying out, “I am burning! I am burning!” right there and then fell into the great hell.
Addasā kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena tena yakkhena āyasmato sāriputtattherassa sīse pahāraṁ dīyamānaṁ. Disvā yena āyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca: “kacci te, āvuso, khamanīyaṁ, kacci yāpanīyaṁ, kacci na kiñci dukkhan”ti? “Khamanīyaṁ me, āvuso moggallāna, yāpanīyaṁ me, āvuso moggallāna; api ca me sīsaṁ thokaṁ dukkhan”ti.
The venerable Mahāmoggallāna—with the |divine eye::the faculty of clairvoyance, the ability to see beyond the ordinary human range [dibbacakkhu]|, purified and surpassing human vision—saw the spirit giving the venerable Sāriputta a blow to the head. Seeing this, he approached the venerable Sāriputta. Having drawn near, he said to the venerable Sāriputta: “I hope you are well, friend; I hope you are managing; I hope you are not feeling any pain.” “I am well, friend Moggallāna, I am managing, friend Moggallāna. But I have a little pain in my head.”
“Acchariyaṁ, āvuso sāriputta, abbhutaṁ, āvuso sāriputta. Yāva mahiddhiko āyasmā sāriputto mahānubhāvo. Idha te, āvuso sāriputta, aññataro yakkho sīse pahāraṁ adāsi. Tāva mahā pahāro ahosi, api tena pahārena sattaratanaṁ vā aḍḍhaṭṭhamaratanaṁ vā nāgaṁ osādeyya, mahantaṁ vā pabbatakūṭaṁ padāleyya, atha ca panāyasmā sāriputto evamāha: ‘khamanīyaṁ me, āvuso moggallāna, yāpanīyaṁ me, āvuso moggallāna; api ca me sīsaṁ thokaṁ dukkhan’”ti.
“It is wonderful, friend Sāriputta! It is marvelous, friend Sāriputta! How great is the venerable Sāriputta’s psychic power and might! Just now, friend Sāriputta, a certain native spirit gave you a blow to the head. It was such a great blow that it might have felled an elephant seven or seven-and-a-half cubits tall, or split a great mountain peak. Yet the venerable Sāriputta says: ‘I am well, friend Moggallāna, I am managing, friend Moggallāna. But I have a little pain in my head.’”
“Acchariyaṁ, āvuso moggallāna, abbhutaṁ, āvuso moggallāna. Yāva mahiddhiko āyasmā mahāmoggallāno mahānubhāvo yatra hi nāma yakkhampi passissati. Mayaṁ panetarahi paṁsupisācakampi na passāmā”ti.
“It is wonderful, friend Moggallāna! It is marvelous, friend Moggallāna! How great is the venerable Mahāmoggallāna’s psychic power and might, that he could even see a spirit! Whereas I can’t even see a dirt goblin right now!”
Assosi kho bhagavā dibbāya sotadhātuyā visuddhāya atikkantamānusikāya tesaṁ ubhinnaṁ mahānāgānaṁ imaṁ evarūpaṁ kathāsallāpaṁ.
The Blessed One, with the |divine ear element::clairaudience, the divine auditory faculty [dibba + sotadhātu]|, purified and surpassing the human range, heard this conversation between these two great beings.
Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:
“Yassa selūpamaṁ cittaṁ,
ṭhitaṁ nānupakampati;
Virattaṁ rajanīyesu,
kopaneyye na kuppati;
Yassevaṁ bhāvitaṁ cittaṁ,
kuto taṁ dukkhamessatī”ti.
“Whose mind is like a rock,
steady, and not wavering;
Unmoved by things that |spark desire::are enticing, are tantalizing [rajanīya]|,
not |shaken::agitated, disturbed [kuppati]| by things that provoke anger;
For one whose mind is |cultivated::developed [bhāvita]| in this way,
from where can |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]| come?”