Vijayā Sutta (SN 5.4) – The Discourse on Vijayā

4. The Discourse on Vijayā

165. More Details At Sāvatthī. Then the nun Vijayā, having dressed in the earlier period of the day, etc. sat down for the day residence at the foot of a certain tree. Then Māra the Evil One, wishing to arouse fear, trepidation, and terror in the nun Vijayā, wishing to make her fall away from concentration, approached the nun Vijayā; having approached, he addressed the nun Vijayā in verse -

"You are young and beautiful, and I am a young youth;

Come, lady, let us delight with the five-part music."

Then this occurred to the nun Vijayā - "Who indeed is this, a human being or a nonhuman being, speaking a verse?" Then this occurred to the nun Vijayā - "This is Māra the Evil One, wishing to arouse fear, trepidation, and terror in me, wishing to make me fall away from concentration, speaking a verse." Then the nun Vijayā, having understood "this is Māra the Evil One", replied to Māra the Evil One in verses -

"Visible forms, sounds, flavours, odours, tangibles and delightful things;

I hand them over to you alone, Māra, I have no need of them.

"With this foul body, breaking up and brittle;

I am troubled and ashamed, sensual craving has been uprooted.

"As to those beings who have gone to the fine-material realm, and those who abide in the immaterial one;

And as those peaceful attainments too: everywhere darkness has been destroyed."

Then Māra the Evil One, thinking "the nun Vijayā knows me", afflicted and unhappy, disappeared right there.