1At one time several mendicants were staying in the land of the Kosalans in a certain forest grove.

Then after completing the three months of the rainy season residence, those mendicants set out wandering. Not seeing those mendicants, the deity haunting that forest cried. And on that occasion they recited this verse:

2“Seeing so many vacated seats today,
it seems to me that they must have become dissatisfied.
They were so learned, such brilliant speakers!
Where have these disciples of Gotama gone?”

3When they had spoken, another deity replied with this verse:

4“They’ve gone to Magadha, they’ve gone to Kosala,
and some are in the Vajjian lands.
Like deer that wander free of ties,
the mendicants live with no abode.”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ sambahulā bhikkhū kosalesu vihāranti aññatarasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe.

Atha kho te bhikkhū vassaṁvuṭṭhā temāsaccayena cārikaṁ pakkamiṁsu. Atha kho yā tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe adhivatthā devatā te bhikkhū apassantī paridevamānā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi: 

2"Arati viya mejja khāyati,
Bahuke disvāna vivitte āsane;
Te cittakathā bahussutā,
Kome gotamasāvakā gatā"ti.

3Evaṁ vutte, aññatarā devatā taṁ devataṁ gāthāya paccabhāsi: 

4"Māgadhaṁ gatā kosalaṁ gatā,
Ekacciyā pana vajjibhūmiyā;
Magā viya asaṅgacārino,
Aniketā vihāranti bhikkhavo"ti.