The Spirit’s Blow · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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⚠ Glossing did not finish. The original text is shown below.
Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahāmoggallāno kapotakandarāyaṁ viharanti. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā sāriputto juṇhāya rattiyā navoropitehi kesehi abbhokāse nisinno hoti aññataraṁ samādhiṁ samāpajjitvā.
So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. At that time the venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna were staying near the pigeons’ alcove. Now at that time Venerable Sāriputta was sitting outdoors in the moonlight, his head freshly shaven, having entered a certain state of immersion.
Tena kho pana samayena dve yakkhā sahāyakā uttarāya disāya dakkhiṇaṁ disaṁ gacchanti kenacideva karaṇīyena. Addasaṁsu kho te yakkhā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ juṇhāya rattiyā navoropitehi kesehi abbhokāse nisinnaṁ. Disvāna eko yakkho dutiyaṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “paṭibhāti maṁ, samma, imassa samaṇassa sīse pahāraṁ dātun”ti. Evaṁ vutte, so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “alaṁ, samma, mā samaṇaṁ āsādesi. Uḷāro so, samma, samaṇo mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo”ti.
Now at that time two native spirits who were friends were on their way from the north to the south on some business. They saw Sāriputta meditating there. One of the spirits said to the other, “I feel inspired, my dear, to give this ascetic a blow on the head!” The other spirit replied, “Enough, my dear, don’t hit the ascetic! That is an eminent ascetic, powerful and mighty!”
Dutiyampi kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “paṭibhāti maṁ, samma, imassa samaṇassa sīse pahāraṁ dātun”ti. Dutiyampi kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “alaṁ, samma, mā samaṇaṁ āsādesi. Uḷāro so, samma, samaṇo mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo”ti. Tatiyampi kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “paṭibhāti maṁ, samma, imassa samaṇassa sīse pahāraṁ dātun”ti. Tatiyampi kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: “alaṁ, samma, mā samaṇaṁ āsādesi. Uḷāro so, samma, samaṇo mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo”ti.
For a second time the first spirit said to the other, “I feel inspired to give this ascetic a blow on the head!” For a second time, the other spirit replied, “Enough, don’t hit the ascetic! That is an eminent ascetic, powerful and mighty!” For a third time the first spirit said to the other, “I feel inspired to give this ascetic a blow on the head!” For a third time, the other spirit replied, “Enough, don’t hit the ascetic! That is an eminent ascetic, powerful and mighty!”
Atha kho so yakkho taṁ yakkhaṁ anādiyitvā āyasmato sāriputtattherassa sīse pahāraṁ adāsi. Tāva mahā pahāro ahosi, api tena pahārena sattaratanaṁ vā aḍḍhaṭṭhamaratanaṁ vā nāgaṁ osādeyya, mahantaṁ vā pabbatakūṭaṁ padāleyya. Atha ca pana so yakkho “ḍayhāmi ḍayhāmī”ti vatvā tattheva mahānirayaṁ apatāsi.
Ignoring his friend, the first spirit struck Sāriputta. The blow was so strong it would have felled a bull elephant seven or seven and a half cubits tall, or split apart a great mountain peak. But then the spirit, crying out, “I burn, I burn!” fell into the Great Hell right there.
Addasā kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena tena yakkhena āyasmato sāriputtattherassa sīse pahāraṁ dīyamānaṁ. Disvā yena āyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca: “kacci te, āvuso, khamanīyaṁ, kacci yāpanīyaṁ, kacci na kiñci dukkhan”ti? “Khamanīyaṁ me, āvuso moggallāna, yāpanīyaṁ me, āvuso moggallāna; api ca me sīsaṁ thokaṁ dukkhan”ti.
With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, Venerable Moggallāna saw that spirit striking Venerable Sāriputta. He approached him and said, “I hope you’re keeping well, reverend, I hope you’re all right. I hope you are not in pain.” “I am keeping well, Reverend Moggallāna; but my head does hurt a little.”
“Acchariyaṁ, āvuso sāriputta, abbhutaṁ, āvuso sāriputta. Yāva mahiddhiko āyasmā sāriputto mahānubhāvo. Idha te, āvuso sāriputta, aññataro yakkho sīse pahāraṁ adāsi. Tāva mahā pahāro ahosi, api tena pahārena sattaratanaṁ vā aḍḍhaṭṭhamaratanaṁ vā nāgaṁ osādeyya, mahantaṁ vā pabbatakūṭaṁ padāleyya, atha ca panāyasmā sāriputto evamāha: ‘khamanīyaṁ me, āvuso moggallāna, yāpanīyaṁ me, āvuso moggallāna; api ca me sīsaṁ thokaṁ dukkhan’”ti.
“It’s incredible, Reverend Sāriputta, it’s amazing! How mighty and powerful is Venerable Sāriputta! Just now, a native spirit struck you on the head. The blow was so strong it would have felled a bull elephant seven or seven and a half cubits tall, or split apart a great mountain peak. Yet you say, ‘I am keeping well, Reverend Moggallāna; but my head does hurt a little.’”
“Acchariyaṁ, āvuso moggallāna, abbhutaṁ, āvuso moggallāna. Yāva mahiddhiko āyasmā mahāmoggallāno mahānubhāvo yatra hi nāma yakkhampi passissati. Mayaṁ panetarahi paṁsupisācakampi na passāmā”ti.
“It’s incredible, Reverend Moggallāna, it’s amazing! How mighty and powerful is Venerable Moggallāna, in that he can even see a native spirit! Whereas I can’t even see a mud-goblin right now.”
Assosi kho bhagavā dibbāya sotadhātuyā visuddhāya atikkantamānusikāya tesaṁ ubhinnaṁ mahānāgānaṁ imaṁ evarūpaṁ kathāsallāpaṁ.
With clairaudience that is purified and superhuman, the Buddha heard that discussion between those two spiritual giants.
Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:
“Yassa selūpamaṁ cittaṁ, ṭhitaṁ nānupakampati; Virattaṁ rajanīyesu, kopaneyye na kuppati; Yassevaṁ bhāvitaṁ cittaṁ, kuto taṁ dukkhamessatī”ti. Catutthaṁ.
“One whose mind is like a rock, steady, never shaking, free of desire for desirable things, not getting annoyed when things are annoying: from where will suffering strike one whose mind is developed like this?”
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