1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, that devata recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2v.51 "As if smitten by a sword,
As if his head were on fire,
A bhikkhu should wander mindfully
To abandon sensual lust."

The Blessed One:

3v.52 "As if smitten by a sword,
As if his head were on fire,
A bhikkhu should wander mindfully
To abandon identity view." [n.40] in pāda b, I read ḍayhamane va, with Ee1 and SS, as against ḍayhamano va in Be, Se, and Ee2. With bhavaraga in pāda c, these verses also appear as Th 39–40 and 1162–63. In the present form the pair of verses sets a problem in interpretation, for kamaraga, sensual lust, is abandoned by the third path, while sakkāyadiṭṭhi, identity view, is abandoned by the first path, so the devata appears to be advocating a higher attainment than the Buddha. This problem does not arise in the Th version, since bhavaraga, lust for existence, is abandoned by the fourth path, that of arahantship. Spk gives an ingenious solution: The deva spoke his verse with reference to the abandoning of sensual lust by way of suppression only (vikkhambhanappahanam eva), i.e., temporarily through the attainment of jhāna, while the Buddha recommended the attainment of stream-entry, which eliminates identity view by way of eradication (samuccheda) so that not even the subtle underlying tendency (anusaya) remains, thus ensuring full liberation in a maximum of seven more lives.

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Ekamantaṁ ṭhitā kho sā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

2"Sattiyā viya omaṭṭho,
ḍayhamānova matthake;
Kāmarāgappahānāya,
sato bhikkhu paribbaje"ti.

3"Sattiyā viya omaṭṭho,
ḍayhamānova matthake;
Sakkāyadiṭṭhippahānāya,
sato bhikkhu paribbaje"ti.