15.2 The Story about Māra

Dhp 200

Burlingame: Māra Possesses Villagers

Compare: SN 4.2.8 This story is derived from SN 4.2.8. Cf. E. Windisch, Māra und Buddha, pp. 102-104.

One festival day the Buddha went to the village for alms, but due to Māra taking possession of the people in the village he received nothing; Māra then taunted the Buddha, who rebuked him with a verse.

Keywords: Almsrounds, Devas

“We can live happily,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence in the Brahmin village Pañcasālā with reference to Māra. {3.257}

For one day the Teacher perceived that five hundred maidens possessed the supporting conditions for attaining the path of Stream-entry, and therefore went and took up his residence near this village. Now on a certain festival day those maidens went to the river and bathed, and having so done, adorned themselves with rich apparel and jewels and set out in the direction of the village.

Accordingly the Teacher also entered that village and went about the village receiving alms. Now Māra took possession of the bodies of all the inhabitants of that village, {3.258} with the result that the Teacher received not so much as a spoonful of boiled rice. As the Teacher departed from that village with bowl clean as it had been washed, Māra took his stand at the gate of that village and said to him: “Ascetic, you received no alms?” – “Wicked One, why have you so wrought that I should receive no alms?” – “Very well, venerable Sir, enter the village again.” This thought, we are told, was in Māra’s mind: “If he enters the village again, I will take possession of the bodies of all the villagers and will cause them to clap their hands before his face, laugh in his face, and make all manner of fun of him.”

At that moment those maidens reached the gate of the village, and seeing the Teacher, saluted him and stood respectfully on one side. Then said Māra to the Teacher: “Venerable Sir, seeing that you received not a morsel of food, you must be oppressed with the pangs of hunger.”

The Teacher replied: “Wicked One, though today we received nothing, yet shall we spend the day in the bliss [30.73] of joy, like Great Brahma amongst the Devas of Streaming Light.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:

200. Susukhaṁ vata jīvāma yesaṁ no natthi kiñcanaṁ,
pītibhakkhā bhavissāma devā Ābhassarā yathā.

We can live happily enough
having no possessions ourselves,
we will feed on joy like
the gods of Streaming Light.

At the end of the teaching those 500 maidens were established in the fruition of Stream-entry.