Mṅraâs Daughters Mṅradhītu Sutta (SN 4:25)

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(SN 4:25) Then Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—went to Mṅra the Evil One and, on arrival, addressed him in verse: "Why are you depressed, Daddy? For which man do you grieve? We—having bound him like a wilderness elephant with a snare of passion— will bring him to you. Under your power heâll be." Mṅra: "An arahant, well-gone in the world, isnât easily brought in by passion. Heâs gone beyond Mṅraâs sway: Thatâs why Iâm so violently sad." Then Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, said to him, "We serve you at your feet, contemplative." But the Blessed One paid them no attention, as he was released in the unexcelled ending of acquisitions. Then Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—went off to one side and considered, "Various are the appetites of men. Why donât we each assume the form of a hundred girls?" So Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—having each assumed the form of a hundred girls, went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, said to him, "We serve you at your feet, contemplative." Again, the Blessed One paid them no attention, as he was released in the unexcelled ending of acquisitions. So Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—went off to one side and considered, "Many & varied are the appetites of men. Why donât we each assume the form of a hundred women who have never given birth?" So Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—having each assumed the form of a hundred women who had never given birth, went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, said to him, "We serve you at your feet, contemplative." Again, the Blessed One paid them no attention, as he was released in the unexcelled ending of acquisitions. Then Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—went off to one side and considered, "Many & varied are the appetites of men. Why donât we each assume the form of a hundred women who have borne one child ⦠a hundred women who have borne two children ⦠a hundred middle-aged women ⦠a hundred older women?" So Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—having each assumed the form of a hundred older women, went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, said to him, "We serve you at your feet, contemplative." Again, the Blessed One paid them no attention, as he was released in the unexcelled ending of acquisitions. Then Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—went off to one side and said, "Wow, itâs true what our father said: ),

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('â', An arahant, well-gone in the world, isnât easily brought in by passion. Heâs gone beyond Mṅraâs sway: Thatâs why Iâm so violently sad.â "Any contemplative or brahman who hadnât gone beyond passion, if we were to approach him with this approach: His heart would split or he would cough up hot blood or he would go mad, out of his mind. Just as a green reed cut down would dry out, wither, & fade, in the same way, he would dry out, wither, & fade." Then Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, stood to one side. As she was standing there, Mṅraâs daughter Craving addressed the Blessed One with verses: "Practicing jhṅna in the forest— are you overcome with grief? Have you lost, or do you desire, wealth? Have you done something blameworthy in the village? Is it because you become intimate people, but intimacy doesnât prosper for you with anyone at all?" The Buddha: "Having attained the goal— peace of the heart— having defeated the army of forms endearing & alluring, practicing jhṅna alone, I awakened to bliss. Thatâs why I donât become intimate with people, why intimacy doesnât prosper with me when made by anyone at all."1 Then Mṅraâs daughter Discontent addressed the Blessed One in verse: "How does a monk here often dwell, who has crossed the five floods and also the sixth?2 How, while cultivating jhṅna, does he keep perceptions of sensuality far away?" The Buddha: "Calmed in body, well released in mind, without fabrications, mindful, homeless, having known the Dhamma, practicing jhṅna without directed thought, heâs not provoked, doesnât flow, isnât slothful: Like this a monk here often dwells, who has crossed the five floods and also the sixth. Cultivating jhṅna like this, he keeps perceptions of sensuality far

away." Then Mṅraâs daughter Passion addressed the Blessed One in verse: "Cutting off craving, practicing with a group: Yes, many & faithful theyâll fare. O, how this homeless one, having snatched them from the King of Death, will lead a great crowd away." The Buddha: "The Tathṅgatas, great heroes, do lead with the true Dhamma. For those who know, leading by Dhamma, whatâs the jealousy?" Then Mṅraâs daughters—Craving, Discontent, & Passion—went to Mṅra the Evil One. He saw them coming from afar and, on seeing them, addressed them with verses: "Fools! Cleave a mountain with a lily-stalk. Dig up a crag with your fingernails. Chew on iron with your teeth. Raising a rock above your head, go over a cliff, into a pit. Like striking your chest on a stump— you weary yourselves with Gotama." Blazing they came— Craving, Discontent, & Passion— but the Teacher blew them off, like the wind, a fallen tuft of cotton. Notes 1. This phrase—sakkhī na sampajjati kenaci te/me—appears to admit two meanings. 1) Oneâs attempts at intimacy with others donât succeed. 2) Othersâ attempts at intimacy with one donât succeed. Mṅraâs daughter—following their father in SN 4:24, mean it in the first sense. The Buddha here means it in the second. 2. The six floods are the defilements associated with each of the six senses. See also: AN 5:75; Ud 3:2; Sn 4:9; Thag 7:1 - --> - - - -