sutta » sn » sn5 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 5.2

Somāsutta

Somā With Somā

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.
At Sāvatthī.
At Sāvatthī.

Atha kho somā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.
Then, in the morning, the bhikkhunī Somā dressed and, taking bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms.
Then the nun Somā robed up in the morning and, taking her bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms.

Sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena andhavanaṁ tenupasaṅkami divāvihārāya.
When she had walked for alms in Sāvatthī and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Blind Men’s Grove for the day’s abiding.
She wandered for alms in Sāvatthī. After the meal, on her return from almsround, she went to the Dark Forest,

Andhavanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi.
Having plunged into the Blind Men’s Grove, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day’s abiding.
plunged deep into it, and sat at the root of a tree for the day’s meditation.

Atha kho māro pāpimā somāya bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena somā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā somaṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
Then Māra the Evil One, desiring to arouse fear, trepidation,and terror in the bhikkhunī Somā, desiring to make her fall away from concentration, approached her and addressed her in verse:
Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the nun Somā feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make her fall away from immersion, went up to her and addressed her in verse:

“Yaṁ taṁ isīhi pattabbaṁ,
“To be attained by the seers,
“That state’s very challenging;

ṭhānaṁ durabhisambhavaṁ;
is that state so hard to achieve.
it’s for the sages to attain.

Na taṁ dvaṅgulapaññāya,
With her two-fingered wisdom,
It’s not possible for a woman,

sakkā pappotumitthiyā”ti.
it can’t be attained by a woman.”
with her two-fingered wisdom.”

Atha kho somāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:
Then it occurred to the bhikkhunī Somā:
Then the nun Somā thought,

“ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti?
“Now who is this that recited the verse—a human being or a nonhuman being?”
“Who’s speaking this verse, a human or a non-human?”

Atha kho somāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:
Then it occurred to her:
Then she thought,

“māro kho ayaṁ pāpimā mama bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti.
“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. ”
“This is Māra the Wicked, wanting to make me feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make me fall away from immersion!”

Atha kho somā bhikkhunī “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:
Then the bhikkhunī Somā, having understood, “This is Māra the Evil One, ” replied to him in verses:
Then Somā, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:

“Itthibhāvo kiṁ kayirā,
“What does womanhood matter at all
“What difference does womanhood make

cittamhi susamāhite;
When the mind is concentrated well,
when the mind is serene,

Ñāṇamhi vattamānamhi,
When knowledge flows on steadily
and knowledge is present

sammā dhammaṁ vipassato.
As one sees correctly into Dhamma.
as you rightly discern the Dhamma.

Yassa nūna siyā evaṁ,
“One to whom it might occur,
Surely someone who might think:

Itthāhaṁ purisoti vā;
‘I’m a woman’ or ‘I’m a manʹ
‘I am woman’, or ‘I am man’,

Kiñci vā pana aññasmi,
Or ‘I’m anything at all’—
or ‘I am’ anything at all,

Taṁ māro vattumarahatī”ti.
Is fit for Māra to address. ”
is fit for Māra to address.”

Atha kho māro pāpimā “jānāti maṁ somā bhikkhunī”ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.
Then Māra the Evil One, realizing, “The bhikkhunī Somā knows me, ” sad and disappointed, disappeared right there.
Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The nun Somā knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.