15.4 The Story about a Certain Maiden of Family
Aññatarakuladārikāvatthu

“There is no bonfire like passion,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to a certain maiden of respectable family.

It seems that the mother and father of this maiden arranged a marriage for her and invited the Teacher to be present on the [30.74] wedding-day. So the Teacher, accompanied by the Saṅgha of bhikkhus, went there and sat down. The bride passed to and fro, straining water for the Saṅgha of bhikkhus and performing the other duties. As the bride passed to and fro, the husband stood and gazed at her. As he gazed at her, he was overpowered by desire and lust arose within him. Overcome by ignorance, he ministered neither to the Buddha nor to the eighty great elders, but made up his mind: “I will stretch forth my arms and embrace that woman.”

The Teacher perceived what was passing through his mind and so wrought that he no longer saw that woman. Seeing her no longer, he stood and gazed at the Teacher. As he stood there gazing at the Teacher, the Teacher said to him: “Youth, there is no fire like the fire of passion. {3.261} There is no wrong like the wrong of hatred. There is no suffering like the suffering involved in the
aggregates of mind and body. There is no happiness like the happiness of Nibbāna.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:

202. Natthi rāgasamo aggi, natthi dosasamo kali,
natthi khandhasamā dukkhā, natthi santiparaṁ sukhaṁ.

There is no bonfire like passion,
there is no offence like hatred,
there is no suffering like the
aggregates of mind and body,
no happiness other than peace.

At the end of the teaching the maiden and the youth were established in the fruition of Stream-entry. At that moment the Fortunate One permitted them to see each other once more.