1On one occasion a certain bhikkhu was dwelling among the Kosalans in a certain woodland thicket. Now on that occasion that bhikkhu had been excessively engrossed in recitation, but on a later occasion he passed the time living at ease and keeping silent. [n.551] Appossukko tuṇhibhūto saṅkasayati. The expression occurs also at SN21.4 and SN35.240; see above n. 54. Spk: He attained arahantship and reflected, "I have attained the goal for the sake of which I did the recitation, so why continue with it?" Then he passed the time in the bliss of fruition attainment. Then the devata that inhabited that woodland thicket, no longer hearing that bhikkhu recite the Dhamma, approached him and addressed him in verse:

2v.785 "Bhikkhu, why don’t you recite Dhamma-stanzas,
Living in communion with other bhikkhus?
Hearing the Dhamma, one gains confidence;
In this very life the reciter gains praise."

The bhikkhu:

3v.786 "In the past I was fond of Dhamma-stanzas
So long as I had not achieved dispassion. sn.i.203
But from the time I achieved dispassion
I dwell in what the good men call
‘The laying down by final knowledge
Of whatever is seen, heard, or sensed."’ [n.552] The five-pada verse is unusual. The sense requires that in pāda b we read na samagamimha; though the printed eds. do not include na, the suggested reading is found in Burmese mss referred to in the notes of Ee1 & 2. Spk explains virāgena, dispassion, as the noble path. In pāda d, aññāyanikkhepanaṁ is a syntactical compound; see n. 68. Spk takes aññāya as absolutive (= jānitvā), but it could also be instrumental.

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ aññataro bhikkhu kosalesu vihārati aññatarasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe. Tena kho pana samayena so bhikkhu yaṁ sudaṁ pubbe ativelaṁ sajjhāyabahulo vihārati so aparena samayena appossukko tuṇhībhūto saṅkasāyati. Atha kho yā tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe adhivatthā devatā tassa bhikkhuno dhammaṁ asuṇantī yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

2"Kasmā tuvaṁ dhammapadāni bhikkhu,
Nādhīyasi bhikkhuhi saṁvasanto;
Sutvāna dhammaṁ labhatippasādaṁ,
Diṭṭheva dhamme labhatippasaṁsan"ti.

3"Ahu pure dhammapadesu chando,
Yāva virāgena samāgamimha;
Yato virāgena samāgamimha,
Yaṁ kiñci diṭṭhaṁva sutaṁ mutaṁ vā;
Aññāya nikkhepanamāhu santo"ti.