0.3SappasuttaA Cobra
1.1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—So I have heard.1.2ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.
1.3Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā rattandhakāratimisāyaṁ abbhokāse nisinno hoti, devo ca ekamekaṁ phusāyati.Now at that time the Buddha was meditating in the open during the dark of night, while a gentle rain drizzled down.
2.1Atha kho māro pāpimā bhagavato bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo mahantaṁ sapparājavaṇṇaṁ abhinimminitvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami.Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the Buddha feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, manifested in the form of a big cobra king and approached him.12.2Seyyathāpi nāma mahatī ekarukkhikā nāvā;Its body was like a big canoe carved from a single tree.2.3evamassa kāyo hoti.2.4Seyyathāpi nāma mahantaṁ soṇḍikākiḷañjaṁ;Its hood was like a large brewer’s sieve.2.5evamassa phaṇo hoti.2.6Seyyathāpi nāma mahatī kosalikā kaṁsapāti;Its eyes were like big bronze cups from Kosala.2.7evamassa akkhīni bhavanti.2.8Seyyathāpi nāma deve gaḷagaḷāyante vijjullatā niccharanti;Its tongue flickered from its mouth like lightning flashes in a thunderstorm.2.9evamassa mukhato jivhā niccharati.2.10Seyyathāpi nāma kammāragaggariyā dhamamānāya saddo hoti;The sound of its breathing was like the puffing of a blacksmith’s bellows.2.11evamassa assāsapassāsānaṁ saddo hoti.
3.1Atha kho bhagavā “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi ajjhabhāsi:Then the Buddha, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:
4.1“Yo suññagehāni sevati,“One who frequents empty buildings4.2Seyyā so muni attasaññato;for lodging—that sage is self-restrained.24.3Vossajja careyya tattha so,It’s appropriate for that sort4.4Patirūpañhi tathāvidhassa taṁ.to live there after relinquishing.
5.1Carakā bahū bheravā bahū,Though there are lots of creepy crawlies,5.2Atho ḍaṁsasarīsapā bahū;and lots of flies and reptiles,5.3Lomampi na tattha iñjaye,they wouldn’t stir a hair5.4Suññāgāragato mahāmuni.of a great sage in that empty hut.
6.1Nabhaṁ phaleyya pathavī caleyya,Though the firmament may split <j>and the earth may quake,6.2Sabbepi pāṇā uda santaseyyuṁ;and all creatures be stricken with fear;6.3Sallampi ce urasi pakappayeyyuṁ,and even if an arrow’s aimed at their breast,6.4Upadhīsu tāṇaṁ na karonti buddhā”ti.the Buddhas take no shelter in attachments.”
7.1Atha kho māro pāpimā “jānāti maṁ bhagavā, jānāti maṁ sugato”ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.