Standing to one side, the godling Vāsudatta spoke this verse in the Buddha’s presence:Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho vāsudatto devaputto bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:
“Like they’re struck by a sword,“Sattiyā viya omaṭṭho,like their head was on fire,ḍayhamānova matthake;a mendicant should wander mindful,Kāmarāgappahānāya,to give up sensual desire.”sato bhikkhu paribbaje”ti.
“Like they’re struck by a sword,“Sattiyā viya omaṭṭho,like their head was on fire,ḍayhamānova matthake;a mendicant should wander mindful,Sakkāyadiṭṭhippahānāya,to give up substantialist view.”sato bhikkhu paribbaje”ti.
Similar passages elsewhere
Found by meaning, not by citation: the passages in other texts whose wording sits closest to a passage here.
SN 1.21 A Sword0.63near 0.1Linked Discourses 1.21 3. A Sword A Sword At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, that deity spoke this verse in the Buddha’s presence: “Like they’re struck by a sword, like their head was on fire, a mendicant, mindful, shoul…
Thag 1.40 Vaḍḍhamāna0.51near 0.1Verses of the Senior Monks 1.40 The Book of the Ones Chapter Four Vaḍḍhamāna Like they’re struck by a sword, like their head was on fire, a mendicant should wander mindful, to give up desire for rebirth.…