1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sakyans near Silāvatī.

Now at that time several mendicants were meditating not far from the Buddha, diligent, keen, and resolute.

Then Māra the Wicked manifested in the form of a brahmin with a large matted dreadlock, wearing an antelope hide. He was old, bent double, wheezing, and held a staff made of cluster fig tree wood. He went up to those mendicants and said: “You’ve gone forth while young, reverends. You’re black-haired, blessed with youth, in the prime of life, and you’ve never flirted with sensual pleasures. Enjoy human sensual pleasures. Don’t give up what is visible in the present to chase after what takes effect over time.”

“Brahmin, that’s not what we’re doing. We’re giving up what takes effect over time to chase after what is visible in the present. For the Buddha says that sensual pleasures take effect over time; they give much suffering and distress, and they are all the more full of drawbacks. But this teaching is visible in this very life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.”

When they had spoken, Māra the Wicked shook his head, waggled his tongue, raised his eyebrows until his brow puckered in three furrows, and departed leaning on his staff.

2Then those senior mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what had happened.

3The Buddha said: “Mendicants, that was no brahmin. That was Māra the Wicked who came to pull the wool over your eyes!”

Then, knowing the meaning of this, on that occasion the Buddha recited this verse:

4“When a person has seen where suffering comes from
how could they incline towards sensual pleasures?
Realizing that attachment is a tie in the world,
a person would train to remove it.”

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ — ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sakkesu vihārati silāvatiyaṁ.

Tena kho pana samayena sambahulā bhikkhū bhagavato avidūre appamattā ātāpino pahitattā vihāranti.

Atha kho māro pāpimā brāhmaṇavaṇṇaṁ abhinimminitvā mahantena jaṭaṇḍuvena ajinakkhipanivattho jiṇṇo gopānasivaṅko ghurughurupassāsī udumbaradaṇḍaṁ gahetvā yena te bhikkhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā te bhikkhū etadavoca: "daharā bhavanto pabbajitā susū kāḷakesā bhadrena yobbanena samannāgatā paṭhamena vayasā anikkīḷitāvino kāmesu. Bhuñjantu bhavanto mānusake kāme. Mā sandiṭṭhikaṁ hitvā kālikaṁ anudhāvitthā"ti.

"Na kho mayaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sandiṭṭhikaṁ hitvā kālikaṁ anudhāvāma. Kālikañca kho mayaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hitvā sandiṭṭhikaṁ anudhāvāma. Kālikā hi, brāhmaṇa, kāmā vuttā bhagavatā bahudukkhā bahupāyāsā, ādīnavo ettha bhiyyo. Sandiṭṭhiko ayaṁ dhammo akāliko ehipassiko opaneyyiko paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī"ti.

Evaṁ vutte, māro pāpimā sīsaṁ okampetvā jivhaṁ nillāletvā tivisākhaṁ nalāṭe nalāṭikaṁ vuṭṭhāpetvā daṇḍamolubbha pakkāmi.

2Atha kho te bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: "idha mayaṁ, bhante, bhagavato avidūre appamattā ātāpino pahitattā viharāma. Atha kho, bhante, aññataro brāhmaṇo mahantena jaṭaṇḍuvena ajinakkhipanivattho jiṇṇo gopānasivaṅko ghurughurupassāsī udumbaradaṇḍaṁ gahetvā yena mayaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā amhe etadavoca: ‘daharā bhavanto pabbajitā susū kāḷakesā bhadrena yobbanena samannāgatā paṭhamena vayasā anikkīḷitāvino kāmesu. Bhuñjantu bhavanto mānusake kāme. Mā sandiṭṭhikaṁ hitvā kālikaṁ anudhāvitthā’ti. Evaṁ vutte, mayaṁ, bhante, taṁ brāhmaṇaṁ etadavocumha: ‘Na kho mayaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sandiṭṭhikaṁ hitvā kālikaṁ anudhāvāma. Kālikañca kho mayaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hitvā sandiṭṭhikaṁ anudhāvāma. Kālikā hi, brāhmaṇa, kāmā vuttā bhagavatā bahudukkhā bahupāyāsā, ādīnavo ettha bhiyyo. Sandiṭṭhiko ayaṁ dhammo akāliko ehipassiko opaneyyiko paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī’ti. Evaṁ vutte, bhante, so brāhmaṇo sīsaṁ okampetvā jivhaṁ nillāletvā tivisākhaṁ nalāṭe nalāṭikaṁ vuṭṭhāpetvā daṇḍamolubbha pakkanto"ti.

3"Neso, bhikkhave, brāhmaṇo. Māro eso pāpimā tumhākaṁ vicakkhukammāya āgato"ti.

Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi: 

4"Yo dukkhamaddakkhi yatonidānaṁ,
Kāmesu so jantu kathaṁ nameyya;
Upadhiṁ viditvā saṅgoti loke,
Tasseva jantu vinayāya sikkhe"ti.