1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary. Now on that occasion the Venerable Godhika was dwelling on the Black Rock on the Isigili Slope. Then, while the Venerable Godhika was dwelling diligent, ardent, and resolute, he reached temporary liberation of mind, but he fell away from that temporary liberation of mind. [n.308] The story of Godhika is told at Dhp-a I 431–33; see BL 2:90–91. Spk explains samayika cetovimutti, "temporary liberation of mind," as the mundane meditative attainments (lokiya-samāpatti), i.e., the jhānas and formless attainments, so called because at the moments of absorption the mind is liberated from the opposing states and is resolved upon its object. He fell away from this liberation of mind on account of illness. Being disposed to chronic illness due to winds, bile, and phlegm (the "three humours" of traditional Indian medicine), he could not fulfil the states conducive to concentration. Each time he entered upon an attainment, he soon fell away from it. A second time, while the Venerable Godhika was dwelling diligent, ardent, and resolute, he reached temporary liberation of mind, but he fell away from that temporary liberation of mind. A third time … A fourth time … sn.i.121 A fifth time … A sixth time, while the Venerable Godhika was dwelling diligent, ardent, and resolute, he reached temporary liberation of mind, but he fell away from that temporary liberation of mind. A seventh time, while the Venerable Godhika was dwelling diligent, ardent, and resolute, he reached temporary liberation of mind.

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2Then it occurred to the Venerable Godhika: "Six times already I have fallen away from temporary liberation of mind. Let me use the knife." [n.309] Sattham ahareyyam. A euphemistic expression for suicide; see SN22.87 (III 123,10,26), SN35.87 (IV 57,6), and SN54.9 (V 320,24–25). Spk: He reflected thus: "Since the destination after death of one who has fallen away from jhāna is uncertain, while one who has not fallen away is certain of rebirth in the brahma world, let me use the knife." On the Buddha’s own attitude towards suicide, see SN35.87 (IV 60,1–5).

Then Māra the Evil One, having known with his own mind the reflection in the Venerable Godhika's mind, approached the Blessed One and addressed him with these verses: [n.310] Spk: Māra thought: “This ascetic desires to use the knife. This indicates that he is unconcerned with body and life, and such a one is capable of attaining arahantship. If I try to forbid him he will not desist, but if the Teacher forbids him he will.” Therefore, pretending to be concerned for the elder’s welfare, he approached the Blessed One.

3v.490 "O great hero, great in wisdom,
Blazing forth with power and glory!
I worship your feet, One with Vision,
Who has overcome all enmity and fear.

4v.491 "O great hero who has vanquished death,
Your disciple is longing for death.
He intends to take his own life:
Restrain him from this, O luminous one!

5v.492 "How, O Blessed One, can your disciple—
One delighting in the Teaching,
A trainee seeking his mind's ideal—
Take his own life, O widely famed?" [n.311] Spk: Jane suta ti jane vissuta; lit. "heard among the people = famed among the people," i.e., widely famed. There is a delicious irony, in the above three verses, in the way Māra—who usually addresses the Buddha discourteously as "ascetic"—here showers him with glowing epithets.

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6Now on that occasion the Venerable Godhika had just used the knife. [n.312] Spk: The elder, thinking, "What is the use of living?" lay down and slit his jugular vein with a knife. Painful feelings arose. He suppressed them, comprehended the pains (with insight), set up mindfulness, explored his meditation subject, and attained arahantship as a "same-header" (samasisi; see Pp 13,25–27, commented on at Pp-a 186–87). He was a jīvitasamasisi, one who attains the destruction of defilements and the end of life simultaneously. (Another kind of samasisi recovers from a grave illness at the same time that he attains arahantship.) Then the Blessed One, having understood, "This is Māra the Evil One," addressed him in verse:

7v.493 "Such indeed is how the steadfast act:
They are not attached to life.
Having drawn out craving with its root,
Godhika has attained final Nibbāna."

8Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Come, bhikkhus, let us go to the Black Rock on the Isigili Slope, where the clansman Godhika has used the knife."
"Yes, venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied.

9Then the Blessed One, together with a number of bhikkhus, went to the Black Rock on the Isigili Slope. The Blessed One saw in the distance the Venerable Godhika lying on the bed with his shoulder turned. [n.313] Spk: Vivattakkhandhan ti parivattakkhandham; "with his shoulder turned" means with twisted shoulder. He had been lying on his back when he took the knife, but because he was accustomed to lying on his right side, he had turned his head towards the right and had so remained. sn.i.122
Now on that occasion a cloud of smoke, a swirl of darkness, was moving to the east, then to the west, to the north, to the south, upwards, downwards, and to the intermediate quarters.

10The Blessed One then addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Do you see, bhikkhus, that cloud of smoke, that swirl of darkness, moving to the east, then to the west, to the north, to the south, upwards, downwards, and to the intermediate quarters?"

"Yes, venerable sir."

"That, bhikkhus, is Māra the Evil One searching for the consciousness of the clansman Godhika, wondering: ‘Where now has the consciousness of the clansman Godhika been established?’ However, bhikkhus, with consciousness unestablished, the clansman Godhika has attained final Nibbāna." [n.314] Appatiṭṭhena ca bhikkhave viññāṇena Godhiko kulaputto parinibbuto. Spk: Māra was searching for his rebirth-consciousness (paṭisandhicitta), but Godhika had passed away with rebirth-consciousness unestablished; the meaning is: because it was unestablished (appatiṭṭhitakaraṇa: or, with unestablished cause).
Spk-pṭ: Appatiṭṭhena is an instrumental used as an indication of modality (itthambhūtalakkhaṇa). The meaning is: with (consciousness) not subject to arising (anuppattidhammena); for if there were an arising, consciousness would be called "established." But when the commentator says, "because it was unestablished," what is meant is that the cause for the nonestablishment of consciousness was precisely the cause for his parinibbāna (yadeva tassa viññāṇassa appatiṭṭhanakaraṇam tadeva parinibbānakaraṇam).
A similar case of suicide is reported of the bhikkhu Vakkali at SN22.87. When the monk is said to attain final Nibbāna with consciousness unestablished, this should not be understood to mean that after death consciousness survives in an "unestablished" condition (a thesis argued by Harvey, The Selfless Mind, pp. 208–210); for enough texts make it plain that with the passing away of the arahant consciousness too ceases and no longer exists (see, e.g., SN12.51).
Then Māra the Evil One, taking a lute of yellow vilva-wood, approached the Blessed One and addressed him in verse:

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11v.494 "Above, below, and across,
In the four quarters and in between,
I have been searching but do not find
Where Godhika has gone."

The Blessed One:

12v.495 "That steadfast man was resolute,
A meditator always rejoicing in meditation,
Applying himself day and night
Without attachment even to life.

3v.496 "Having conquered the army of Death,
Not returning to renewed existence,
Having drawn out craving with its root,
Godhika has attained final Nibbāna."

14v.497 So much was he stricken with sorrow
That his lute dropped from his armpit.
Thereupon that disappointed spirit
Disappeared right on the spot. [n.315] The verse (which must have been added by the redactors) occurs at Sn 449, where, however, it follows the verses that correspond to vv. 504–5. In the verse Māra is spoken of as yakkha.

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā godhiko isigilipasse vihārati kāḷasilāyaṁ. Atha kho āyasmā godhiko appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihāranto sāmayikaṁ cetovimuttiṁ phusi. Atha kho āyasmā godhiko tamhā sāmayikāya cetovimuttiyā parihāyi. Dutiyampi kho āyasmā godhiko appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihāranto sāmayikaṁ cetovimuttiṁ phusi. Dutiyampi kho āyasmā godhiko tamhā sāmayikāya cetovimuttiyā parihāyi. Tatiyampi kho āyasmā godhiko appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihāranto sāmayikaṁ cetovimuttiṁ phusi. Tatiyampi kho āyasmā godhiko tamhā … pe … parihāyi. Catutthampi kho āyasmā godhiko appamatto … pe … vimuttiṁ phusi. Catutthampi kho āyasmā godhiko tamhā … pe … parihāyi. Pañcamampi kho āyasmā godhiko … pe … cetovimuttiṁ phusi. Pañcamampi kho āyasmā … pe … vimuttiyā parihāyi. Chaṭṭhampi kho āyasmā godhiko appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihāranto sāmayikaṁ cetovimuttiṁ phusi. Chaṭṭhampi kho āyasmā godhiko tamhā sāmayikāya cetovimuttiyā parihāyi. Sattamampi kho āyasmā godhiko appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihāranto sāmayikaṁ cetovimuttiṁ phusi.

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2Atha kho āyasmato godhikassa etadahosi: "yāva chaṭṭhaṁ khvāhaṁ sāmayikāya cetovimuttiyā parihīno. Yannūnāhaṁ satthaṁ āhareyyan"ti.
Atha kho māro pāpimā āyasmato godhikassa cetasā cetoparivitakkamaññāya yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ gāthāhi ajjhabhāsi:

3"Mahāvīra mahāpañña,
iddhiyā yasasā jala;
Sabbaverabhayātīta,
pāde vandāmi cakkhumā.

4Sāvako te mahāvīra,
maraṇaṁ maraṇābhibhū;
Ākaṅkhati cetayati,
taṁ nisedha jutindhara.

5Kathañhi bhagavā tuyhaṁ,
Sāvako sāsane rato;
Appattamānaso sekkho,
Kālaṁ kayirā janesutā"ti.

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6Tena kho pana samayena āyasmatā godhikena satthaṁ āharitaṁ hoti. Atha kho bhagavā "māro ayaṁ pāpimā" iti viditvā māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

7"Evañhi dhīrā kubbanti,
nāvakaṅkhanti jīvitaṁ;
Samūlaṁ taṇhamabbuyha,
godhiko parinibbuto"ti.

8Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "āyāma, bhikkhave, yena isigilipassaṁ kāḷasilā tenupasaṅkamissāma yattha godhikena kulaputtena satthaṁ āharitan"ti.
"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.

9Atha kho bhagavā sambahulehi bhikkhūhi saddhiṁ yena isigilipassaṁ kāḷasilā tenupasaṅkami. Addasā kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ godhikaṁ dūratova mañcake vivattakkhandhaṁ semānaṁ.
Tena kho pana samayena dhūmāyitattaṁ timirāyitattaṁ gacchateva purimaṁ disaṁ, gacchati pacchimaṁ disaṁ, gacchati uttaraṁ disaṁ, gacchati dakkhiṇaṁ disaṁ, gacchati uddhaṁ, gacchati adho, gacchati anudisaṁ.

10Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, etaṁ dhūmāyitattaṁ timirāyitattaṁ gacchateva purimaṁ disaṁ, gacchati pacchimaṁ disaṁ, gacchati uttaraṁ disaṁ, gacchati dakkhiṇaṁ disaṁ, gacchati uddhaṁ, gacchati adho, gacchati anudisan"ti?
"Evaṁ, bhante".
"Eso kho, bhikkhave, māro pāpimā godhikassa kulaputtassa viññāṇaṁ samanvesati: ‘kattha godhikassa kulaputtassa viññāṇaṁ patiṭṭhitan’ti? Appatiṭṭhitena ca, bhikkhave, viññāṇena godhiko kulaputto parinibbuto"ti.
Atha kho māro pāpimā beluvapaṇḍuvīṇaṁ ādāya yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

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11"Uddhaṁ adho ca tiriyaṁ,
disā anudisā svahaṁ;
Anvesaṁ nādhigacchāmi,
godhiko so kuhiṁ gato"ti.

12"Yo dhīro dhitisampanno,
jhāyī jhanarato sadā;
Ahorattaṁ anuyuñjaṁ,
jīvitaṁ anikāmayaṁ.

13Jetvāna maccuno senaṁ,
anāgantvā punabbhavaṁ;
Samūlaṁ taṇhamabbuyha,
godhiko parinibbuto"ti.

14Tassa sokaparetassa,
vīṇā kacchā abhassatha;
Tato so dummano yakkho,
tatthevantaradhāyathāti.