1At one time Venerable Kassapagotta was staying in the land of the Kosalans in a certain forest grove.

Now at that time Venerable Kassapagotta, having withdrawn for his day’s meditation, tried to advise a tribal hunter. Then the deity haunting that forest approached Kassapagotta wanting to stir him up, and recited these verses:

2“A tribal hunter wandering the rugged hills
is unintelligent, unthinking.
It’s a waste of time to advise him;
this mendicant seems to me like an idiot.

3The tribal hunter listens without understanding,
he looks without seeing.
Though the teaching is spoken,
the fool doesn’t get it.

4Even if you lit ten lamps
and brought them to him, Kassapa,
he wouldn’t see anything,
for he has no eyes to see.”

5Impelled by that deity, Venerable Kassapagotta was struck with a sense of urgency.

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā kassapagotto kosalesu vihārati aññatarasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā kassapagotto divāvihāragato aññataraṁ chetaṁ ovadati. Atha kho yā tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe adhivatthā devatā āyasmantaṁ kassapagottaṁ saṁvejetukāmā yenāyasmā kassapagotto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ kassapagottaṁ gāthāhi ajjhabhāsi: 

2"Giriduggacaraṁ chetaṁ,
appapaññaṁ acetasaṁ;
Akāle ovadaṁ bhikkhu,
mandova paṭibhāti maṁ.

3Suṇāti na vijānāti,
Āloketi na passati;
Dhammasmiṁ bhaññamānasmiṁ,
Atthaṁ bālo na bujjhati.

4Sacepi dasa pajjote,
dhārayissasi kassapa;
Neva dakkhati rūpāni,
cakkhu hissa na vijjatī"ti.

5Atha kho āyasmā kassapagotto tāya devatāya saṁvejito saṁvegamāpādīti.