1.1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.At Sāvatthī.

1.2Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā pañcannaṁ upādānakkhandhānaṁ upādāya bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandasseti samādapeti samuttejeti sampahaṁseti.Now at that time the Buddha was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk on the topic of the five grasping aggregates.1.3Te ca bhikkhū aṭṭhiṁ katvā manasi katvā sabbacetasā samannāharitvā ohitasotā dhammaṁ suṇanti.And those mendicants were paying attention, applying the mind, concentrating wholeheartedly, and actively listening.

2.1Atha kho mārassa pāpimato etadahosi:Then Māra thought,2.2“ayaṁ kho samaṇo gotamo pañcannaṁ upādānakkhandhānaṁ upādāya bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandasseti samādapeti samuttejeti sampahaṁseti.“This ascetic Gotama is educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk on the topic of the five grasping aggregates.2.3Te ca bhikkhū aṭṭhiṁ katvā manasi katvā sabbacetasā samannāharitvā ohitasotā dhammaṁ suṇanti.And the mendicants are paying attention, applying the mind, concentrating wholeheartedly, and actively listening.2.4Yannūnāhaṁ yena samaṇo gotamo tenupasaṅkameyyaṁ vicakkhukammāyā”ti.Why don’t I go and pull the wool over their eyes?”¹

3.1Tena kho pana samayena sambahulā pattā abbhokāse nikkhittā honti.At that time several alms bowls were placed in the open air.3.2Atha kho māro pāpimā balībaddavaṇṇaṁ abhinimminitvā yena te pattā tenupasaṅkami.Then Māra the Wicked manifested in the form of an ox and approached those bowls.²

3.3Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu aññataraṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:One of the mendicants said to another,3.4“bhikkhu bhikkhu, eso balībaddo patte bhindeyyā”ti.“Mendicant, mendicant, that ox will break the bowls.”³

3.5Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:When this was said, the Buddha said to that mendicant,3.6“na so, bhikkhu, balībaddo.“Mendicant, that’s no ox.3.7Māro eso pāpimā tumhākaṁ vicakkhukammāya āgato”ti.That’s Māra the Wicked come to pull the wool over your eyes!”

3.8Atha kho bhagavā “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:Then the Buddha, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, addressed him in verse:

4.1“Rūpaṁ vedayitaṁ saññā,“Form, what is felt, and perception,4.2viññāṇaṁ yañca saṅkhataṁ;consciousness, and what is chosen:⁴4.3Nesohamasmi netaṁ me,‘I am not this’ and ‘this is not mine’;4.4evaṁ tattha virajjati.that’s how they become free of desire for them.

5.1Evaṁ virattaṁ khemattaṁ,When you’re detached, secure,5.2sabbasaṁyojanātigaṁ;all fetters transcended,5.3Anvesaṁ sabbaṭṭhānesu,though Māra and his army chase everywhere5.4mārasenāpi nājjhagā”ti.they never find you.”

6.1Atha kho māro pāpimā …pe… tatthevantaradhāyīti.Then Māra … vanished right there.