1At Sāvatthī.

Then the nun Vajirā robed up in the morning and, taking her bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms. She wandered for alms in Sāvatthī. After the meal, on her return from alms-round, she went to the Dark Forest, plunged deep into it, and sat at the root of a tree for the day’s meditation.

Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the nun Vajirā feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make her fall away from immersion, went up to her and addressed her in verse:

2“Who created this sentient being?
Where is its maker?
Where has the being arisen?
And where does it cease?”

3Then the nun Vajirā thought: “Who’s speaking this verse, a human or a non-human?”

Then she thought: “This is Māra the Wicked, wanting to make me feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make me fall away from immersion!”

Then Vajirā, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:

4“Why do you believe there’s such a thing as a ‘sentient being’?
Māra, is this your theory?
This is just a pile of conditions,
you won’t find a sentient being here.

5When the parts are assembled
we use the word ‘chariot’.
So too, when the aggregates are present
‘sentient being’ is the convention we use.

6But it’s only suffering that comes to be,
lasts a while, then disappears.
Naught but suffering comes to be,
naught but suffering ceases.”

7Then Māra the Wicked, thinking: “The nun Vajirā knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

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.

8Āḷavikā ca somā ca,
Gotamī vijayā saha;
Uppalavaṇṇā ca cālā,
Upacālā sīsupacālā ca;
Selā vajirāya te dasāti.

Bhikkhunīsaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.