1.1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā vaṅgīso āḷaviyaṁ viharati aggāḷave cetiye āyasmatā nigrodhakappena upajjhāyena saddhiṁ.At one time Venerable Vaṅgīsa was staying near Āḷavī, at Āḷavī’s premier shrine, together with his mentor, Venerable Nigrodhakappa.

1.2Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā vaṅgīso attano paṭibhānena aññe pesale bhikkhū atimaññati.Now at that time Venerable Vaṅgīsa looked down upon other good-hearted mendicants because of his own eloquence.

1.3Atha kho āyasmato vaṅgīsassa etadahosi:Then he thought,1.4“alābhā vata me, na vata me lābhā; dulladdhaṁ vata me, na vata me suladdhaṁ;“It’s my loss, my misfortune,1.5yvāhaṁ attano paṭibhānena aññe pesale bhikkhū atimaññāmī”ti.that I look down on other good-hearted mendicants because of my own eloquence.”

1.6Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso attanāva attano vippaṭisāraṁ uppādetvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imā gāthāyo abhāsi:Then, on the occasion of arousing remorse in himself, he recited these verses:

2.1“Mānaṁ pajahassu gotama,“Give up conceit, Gotama!¹2.2Mānapathañca pajahassu;Completely abandon the different kinds of conceit!2.3Asesaṁ mānapathasmiṁ,Besotted with the different kinds of conceit,2.4Samucchito vippaṭisārīhuvā cirarattaṁ.you’ve had regrets for a long time.

3.1Makkhena makkhitā pajā,Smeared by smears and slain by conceit,3.2Mānahatā nirayaṁ papatanti;people fall into hell.3.3Socanti janā cirarattaṁ,When people slain by conceit are reborn in hell,3.4Mānahatā nirayaṁ upapannā.they grieve for a long time.

4.1Na hi socati bhikkhu kadāci,But a mendicant who practices rightly,4.2Maggajino sammāpaṭipanno;a path-victor, never grieves.²4.3Kittiñca sukhañca anubhoti,They enjoy happiness and a good reputation,4.4Dhammadasoti tamāhu pahitattaṁ.and they rightly call him a ‘Seer of Truth’.

5.1Tasmā akhilodha padhānavā,So being not hard-hearted, but energetic,5.2Nīvaraṇāni pahāya visuddho;with hindrances given up, pure;5.3Mānañca pahāya asesaṁ,and having completely given up conceit,5.4Vijjāyantakaro samitāvī”ti.the one who makes an end with knowledge is assuaged.”³