1At Sāvatthī. Then, in the morning, the bhikkhuni Vajira dressed and, taking bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms. [n.360] Spk provides no personal identification, and no verses in her name have come down in Thī. When she had walked for alms in Sāvatthī sn.i.135 and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Blind Men's Grove for the day's abiding. Having plunged into the Blind Men's Grove, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.

Then Māra the Evil One, desiring to arouse fear, trepidation, and terror in the bhikkhuni Vajira, desiring to make her fall away from concentration, approached her and addressed her in verse:

3Then it occurred to the bhikkhuni Vajira: "Now who is this that recited the verse—a human being or a nonhuman being?" Then it occurred to her: "This is Māra the Evil One, who has recited the verse desiring to arouse fear, trepidation, and terror in me, desiring to make me fall away from concentration."

Then the bhikkhuni Vajira, having understood, "This is Māra the Evil One," replied to him in verses:

4v.553 "Why now do you assume ‘a being’?
Māra, is that your speculative view?
This is a heap of sheer formations:
Here no being is found.

5v.554 "Just as, with an assemblage of parts,
The word ‘chariot’ is used,
So, when the aggregates exist,
There is the convention ‘a being.’

6v.555 "It's only suffering that comes to be,
Suffering that stands and falls away.
Nothing but suffering comes to be,
Nothing but suffering ceases." [n.361] The simile of the chariot is elaborated at Mil 27–28, which quotes the previous verse. Vism 593,18–19 (Ppn 18:28) also quotes these two verses to confirm that "there is no being apart from name-and-form." Vv. 553–54 are quoted at Abhidh-k-bh pp. 465–66, ascribed to the arahant nun Śaila (= Sela); see Enomoto, CSCS, p. 42. In v. 555 suffering signifies the inherent unsatisfactoriness of the five aggregates (pañcakkhandhadukkha), which is identical with the heap of sheer formations (suddhasaṅkhārapuñja) in v. 553c. See too SN12.15: "What arises is only suffering arising, what ceases is only suffering ceasing."

7Then Māra the Evil One, realizing, "The bhikkhuni Vajira knows me," sad and disappointed, disappeared right there.

sn.i.136

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi. Sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena andhavanaṁ tenupasaṅkami divāvihārāya. Andhavanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi.

Atha kho māro pāpimā vajirāya bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena vajirā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā vajiraṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

2"Kenāyaṁ pakato satto,
kuvaṁ sattassa kārako;
Kuvaṁ satto samuppanno,
kuvaṁ satto nirujjhatī"ti.

3Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi: "ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī"ti? Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi: "māro kho ayaṁ pāpimā mama bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo gāthaṁ bhāsatī"ti.

Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī "māro ayaṁ pāpimā" iti viditvā, māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:

4"Kiṁ nu sattoti paccesi,
māra diṭṭhigataṁ nu te;
Suddhasaṅkhārapuñjoyaṁ,
nayidha sattupalabbhati.

5Yathā hi aṅgasambhārā,
hoti saddo ratho iti;
Evaṁ khandhesu santesu,
hoti sattoti sammuti.

6Dukkhameva hi sambhoti,
dukkhaṁ tiṭṭhati veti ca;
Nāññatra dukkhā sambhoti,
nāññaṁ dukkhā nirujjhatī"ti.

7Atha kho māro pāpimā "jānāti maṁ vajirā bhikkhunī"ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.

Bhikkhunīvaggo paṭhamo.

Bhikkhunīsaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.