1At Sāvatthī. Then, in the morning, the bhikkhuni Kisagotami dressed and, taking bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms. [n.339] Spk recapitulates the popular story of her search for the mustard seeds to bring her dead son back to life, told in greater detail at Dhp-a II 270–75; see BL 2:257–60 and Commentary on the Verses, pp. 222–24. Her verses at Thī 213–23 do not correspond to the verses here. When she had walked for alms in Sāvatthī and had returned from her alms round, sn.i.130 after her meal she went to the Blind Men's Grove for the day's abiding. Having plunged into the Blind Men's Grove, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.

Then Māra the Evil One, desiring to arouse fear, trepidation, and terror in the bhikkhuni Kisagotami, desiring to make her fall away from concentration, approached her and addressed her in verse:

2v.525 "Why now, when your son is dead,
Do you sit alone with tearful face?
Having entered the woods all alone,
Are you on the lookout for a man?"

3Then it occurred to the bhikkhuni Kisagotami: "Now who is this that recited the verse—a human being or a nonhuman being?" Then it occurred to her: "This is Māra the Evil One, who has recited the verse desiring to arouse fear, trepidation, and terror in me, desiring to make me fall away from concentration."

4Then the bhikkhuni Kisagotami, having understood, "This is Māra the Evil One," replied to him in verses:

5v.526 "I’ve gotten past the death of sons;
With this, the search for men has ended.
I do not sorrow, I do not weep,
Nor do I fear you, friend . [n.340] Pādas ab read: Accantam mataputtamhi/Purisa etadantika. A pun seems to be intended between two senses of being "past the death of sons." I translate in accordance with the paraphrase of Spk: "I have ‘gotten past the death of sons’ as one for whom the death of a son is over and done with. Now I will never again undergo the death of a son … . The ending of the death of sons is itself the ending of men. Now it is impossible for me to seek a man." Etadantika occurs too at Thī 138b.

6v.527 "Delight everywhere has been destroyed,
The mass of darkness has been sundered.
Having conquered the army of Death,
I dwell without defiling taints." [n.341] The first couplet is common in Thī, found at vv. 59, 142, 195, 203, 235, etc. Spk elaborates: "The delight of craving has been destroyed for me in regard to all the aggregates, sense bases, elements, kinds of existence, modes of origin, destinations, stations, and abodes. The mass of ignorance has been broken up by knowledge."

7Then Māra the Evil One, realizing, "The bhikkhuni Kisagotami knows me," sad and disappointed, disappeared right there.

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Atha kho kisāgotamī bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi. Sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena andhavanaṁ tenupasaṅkami, upasaṅkamitvā divāvihārāya. Andhavanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi.

Atha kho māro pāpimā kisāgotamiyā bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena kisāgotamī bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā kisāgotamiṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

2"Kiṁ nu tvaṁ mataputtāva,
ekamāsi rudammukhī;
Vanamajjhagatā ekā,
purisaṁ nu gavesasī"ti.

3Atha kho kisāgotamiyā bhikkhuniyā etadahosi: "ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī"ti? Atha kho kisāgotamiyā bhikkhuniyā etadahosi: "māro kho ayaṁ pāpimā mama bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo gāthaṁ bhāsatī"ti.

4Atha kho kisāgotamī bhikkhunī "māro ayaṁ pāpimā" iti viditvā māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:

5"Accantaṁ mataputtāmhi,
purisā etadantikā;
Na socāmi na rodāmi,
na taṁ bhāyāmi āvuso.

6Sabbattha vihatā nandī,
tamokkhandho padālito;
Jetvāna maccuno senaṁ,
viharāmi anāsavā"ti.

7Atha kho māro pāpimā "jānāti maṁ kisāgotamī bhikkhunī"ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.