1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesālī in the Great Wood in the Hall with the Peaked Roof. sn.i.113 Now on that occasion the Blessed One was instructing, exhorting, inspiring, and gladdening the bhikkhus with a Dhamma talk concerning the six bases for contact. And those bhikkhus were listening to the Dhamma with eager ears, attending to it as a matter of vital concern, applying their whole minds to it.

2Then it occurred to Māra the Evil One: "This ascetic Gotama is instructing, exhorting, inspiring, and gladdening the bhikkhus … who are applying their whole minds to it. Let me approach the ascetic Gotama in order to confound them."

Then Māra the Evil One approached the Blessed One and, not far from him, made a loud noise, frightful and terrifying, as though the earth were splitting open. [n.291] Se and Ee1 & 2: udriyati; Be: undriyati. PED explains as a passive form from ud + dṛṇoti. See MW, s.v. dṛi > pass. diryate. Spk: Ayaṁ mahapaṭhavi paṭapaṭasaddaṁ kurumana viya ahosi; "This great earth seemed to be making a crackling sound." Spk-pṭ: Undriyati ti viparivattati; "‘Is splitting open’ means: is turning over." The word recurs at SN4.22 (I 119,17 foll.). On the evolution of the word in Pali, see von Hinüber, "Remarks on the Critical Pali Dictionary (ii)," in Selected Papers, pp. 152–55. Then one bhikkhu said to another: "Bhikkhu, bhikkhu! It seems as though the earth is splitting open." When this was said, the Blessed One said to that bhikkhu: "The earth is not splitting open, bhikkhu. That is Māra the Evil One, who has come here in order to confound you."

Then the Blessed One, having understood, "This is Māra the Evil One," addressed Māra the Evil One in verses:

5Then Māra the Evil One … disappeared right there.

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ vihārati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ upādāya bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandasseti samādapeti samuttejeti sampahaṁseti. Te ca bhikkhū aṭṭhiṁ katvā manasi katvā sabbacetasā samannāharitvā ohitasotā dhammaṁ suṇanti.

2Atha kho mārassa pāpimato etadahosi: "Ayaṁ kho samaṇo gotamo channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ upādāya bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandasseti samādapeti samuttejeti sappahaṁseti. Te ca bhikkhū aṭṭhiṁ katvā manasi katvā sabbacetasā samannāharitvā ohitasotā dhammaṁ suṇanti.

Yannūnāhaṁ yena samaṇo gotamo tenupasaṅkameyyaṁ vicakkhukammāyā"ti. Atha kho māro pāpimā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato avidūre mahantaṁ bhayabheravaṁ saddamakāsi, apissudaṁ pathavī maññe undrīyati. Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu aññataraṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: "bhikkhu bhikkhu, esā pathavī maññe undrīyatī"ti. Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: "nesā, bhikkhu, pathavī undrīyati. Māro eso pāpimā tumhākaṁ vicakkhukammāya āgato"ti.

Atha kho bhagavā "māro ayaṁ pāpimā" iti viditvā māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

5Atha kho māro pāpimā … pe … tatthevantaradhāyīti.