1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Uruvela on the bank of the river Nerañjara at the foot of the Goatherd's Banyan Tree. Now on that occasion Māra the Evil One had been following the Blessed One for seven years, seeking to gain access to him but without success. [n.316] Spk explains the seven years of pursuit as the Buddha’s six years (of striving) before the enlightenment and the first year after. However, the next sutta, which apparently follows in immediate temporal sequence, is the temptation by Māra's daughters, which other sources clearly place right after the enlightenment (see n. 322). The present sutta seems to confirm this by locating the dialogue with Māra at the foot of the Goatherd's Banyan Tree, in the vicinity of the Bodhi Tree. The commentaries generally assign the Buddha’s stay under this tree to the fifth week after the enlightenment (see Ja I 78,9–11). Seeking to gain access (otarapekkho). Spk: He thought: "If I see anything improper (ananucchavikam) in the ascetic Gotama's conduct through the body door, etc., I will reprove him." But he could not find even a dust mote (of misconduct) to be washed away. On otara (= vivara, Spk) see SN35.240 (IV 178,13–16, 33), SN35.243 (IV 185,11–15; 186,27–30), SN47.6 (V 147,17–18, 27–28), SN47.7 (V 149,7, 16). Then Māra the Evil One approached the Blessed One and addressed him in verse: sn.i.123

2v.498 "Is it because you are sunk in sorrow
That you meditate in the woods?
Because you’ve lost wealth or pine for it,
Or committed some crime in the village?
Why don’t you make friends with people?
Why don’t you form any intimate ties?"

The Blessed One:

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3v.499 "Having dug up entirely the root of sorrow,
Guiltless, I meditate free from sorrow.
Having cut off all greedy urge for existence, [n.317] Spk: Bhavalobhajappan ti bhavalobhasaṅkhatam taṇham; "The greedy urge for existence is craving consisting in greed for existence."
I meditate taintless, O kinsman of the negligent!"

Māra:

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4v.500 "That of which they say ‘It's mine,’
And those who speak in terms of ‘mine’—
If your mind exists among these,
You won’t escape me, ascetic."

The Blessed One:

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5v.501 "That which they speak of is not mine,
I’m not one of those who speak of mine.
You should know thus, O Evil One:
Even my path you will not see."

Māra:

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6v.502 "If you have discovered the path,
The secure way leading to the Deathless,
Be off and walk that path alone;
What's the point of instructing others?"

The Blessed One:

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7v.503 "Those people going to the far shore
Ask what lies beyond Death's realm.
When asked, I explain to them
The truth without acquisitions." [n.318] I read pāda d with Be, Se, and Ee2: yam saccam tam nirūpadhim (Ee1: yam sabbantam nirūpadhim). Nibbāna, the supreme truth (paramasacca), is often described as sabbupadhipaṭinissagga, "the relinquishing of all acquisitions," and here as nirūpadhi. See n. 21.

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8Māra: "Suppose, venerable sir, not far from a village or a town there was a lotus pond in which a crab was living. [n.319] The same simile occurs in a very different context at MN I 234,7–18. Then a group of boys and girls would leave the village or town and go to the pond. They would pull the crab out from the water and set it down on high ground. Then, whenever that crab would extend one of its claws, those boys and girls would cut it off, break it, and smash it to bits with sticks and stones. Thus, when all its claws have been cut off, broken, and smashed to bits, that crab would be unable to return to that pond. So too, venerable sir, all those distortions, manoeuvres, and contortions of mine have been cut off, sn.i.124 broken, and smashed to bits by the Blessed One. Now, venerable sir, I am unable to approach the Blessed One again seeking to gain access to him."

Then Māra the Evil One, in the presence of the Blessed One, recited these verses of disappointment: [n.320] Nibbejanīyā gāthā. Spk glosses nibbejanīyā as ukkaṇṭhanīyā (dissatisfaction) but does not explain the derivation. It is likely the word is related to nibbidā̄, though employed in a different sense; see MW, s.v. nirvid.

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9v.504 "There was a crow that walked around
A stone that looked like a lump of fat.
‘Let's find something tender here,’ he thought,
‘Perhaps there's something nice and tasty.’

10v.505 But because he found nothing tasty there,
The crow departed from that spot.
Just like the crow that attacked the stone,
We leave Gotama disappointed."

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā uruvelāyaṁ vihārati najjā nerañjarāya tīre ajapālanigrodhe. Tena kho pana samayena māro pāpimā sattavassāni bhagavantaṁ anubandho hoti otārāpekkho otāraṁ alabhamāno. Atha kho māro pāpimā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

2"Sokāvatiṇṇo nu vanamhi jhāyasi,
Vittaṁ nu jīno uda patthayāno;
Āguṁ nu gāmasmimakāsi kiñci,
Kasmā janena na karosi sakkhiṁ;
Sakkhī na sampajjati kenaci te"ti.

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3"Sokassa mūlaṁ palikhāya sabbaṁ,
Anāgu jhāyāmi asocamāno;
Chetvāna sabbaṁ bhavalobhajappaṁ,
Anāsavo jhāyāmi pamattabandhū"ti.

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4"Yaṁ vadanti mama yidanti,
ye vadanti mamanti ca;
Ettha ce te mano atthi,
na me samaṇa mokkhasī"ti.

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5"Yaṁ vadanti na taṁ mayhaṁ,
ye vadanti na te ahaṁ;
Evaṁ pāpima jānāhi,
na me maggampi dakkhasī"ti.

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6"Sace maggaṁ anubuddhaṁ,
khemaṁ amatagāminaṁ;
Apehi gaccha tvameveko,
kimaññamanusāsasī"ti.

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7"Amaccudheyyaṁ pucchanti,
ye janā pāragāmino;
Tesāhaṁ puṭṭho akkhāmi,
yaṁ saccaṁ taṁ nirūpadhin"ti.

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8"Seyyathāpi, bhante, gāmassa vā nigamassa vā avidūre pokkharaṇī. Tatrassa kakkaṭako. Atha kho, bhante, sambahulā kumārakā vā kumārikāyo vā tamhā gāmā vā nigamā vā nikkhamitvā yena sā pokkharaṇī tenupasaṅkameyyuṁ; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ kakkaṭakaṁ udakā uddharitvā thale patiṭṭhapeyyuṁ. Yaṁ yadeva hi so, bhante, kakkaṭako aḷaṁ abhininnāmeyya taṁ tadeva te kumārakā vā kumārikāyo vā kaṭṭhena vā kathalāya vā sañchindeyyuṁ sambhañjeyyuṁ sampalibhañjeyyuṁ. Evañhi so, bhante, kakkaṭako sabbehi aḷehi sañchinnehi sambhaggehi sampalibhaggehi abhabbo taṁ pokkharaṇiṁ otarituṁ. Evameva kho, bhante, yāni kānici visūkāyikāni visevitāni vipphanditāni, sabbāni tāni bhagavatā sañchinnāni sambhaggāni sampalibhaggāni. Abhabbo dānāhaṁ, bhante, puna bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamituṁ yadidaṁ otārāpekkho"ti.

Atha kho māro pāpimā bhagavato santike imā nibbejanīyā gāthāyo abhāsi:

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9"Medavaṇṇañca pāsāṇaṁ,
vāyaso anupariyagā;
Apettha muduṁ vindema,
api assādanā siyā.

10Aladdhā tattha assādaṁ,
vāyasetto apakkame;
Kākova selamāsajja,
nibbijjāpema gotamā"ti.