Dighanikaya 20.342_4

20.342_4

Yathā pāvussako megho, thanayanto savijjukoti savijjuko pāvussakamegho viya mahāgajjitaṃ gajjanto. Tadā so paccudāvattīti tasmiṃ samaye so māro taṃ vibhiṃsanakaṃ dassetvā paṭinivatto. Saṅkuddho asayaṃ vaseti suṭṭhu kuddho kupito kañci vase vattetuṃ asakkonto asayaṃvase asayaṃvasī attano vasena akāmako hutvā nivatto. Bhagavā kira ‘‘ayaṃ māro imaṃ mahāsamāgamaṃ disvā ‘abhisamayantarāyaṃ karissāmī’ti antarantare mārasenaṃ pesetvā māraṃ vibhiṃsakaṃ dassetī’’ti aññāsi. Pakati cesā bhagavato, yattha abhisamayo na bhavissati, tattha māraṃ vibhiṃsakaṃ dassentaṃ na nivāreti. Yattha pana abhisamayo hoti, tattha yathā parisā neva mārassa rūpaṃ passati, na saddaṃ suṇāti, evaṃ adhiṭṭhātīti. Imasmiñca samāgame mahābhisamayo bhavissati, tasmā yathā devatā neva tassa rūpaṃ passanti, na saddaṃ suṇanti, evaṃ adhiṭṭhāsi. Tena vuttaṃ –‘‘tadā so paccudāvatti, saṅkuddho asayaṃvase’’ti.

“Like a rain-cloud thundering with lightning”: like a rain-cloud with lightning roaring a great roar. “Then he retreated”: at that time, having shown that terror, Māra turned back. “Furious, not controlling [them]”: very angry and enraged, unable to bring anyone under his control, powerless, not controlling [them], he turned back involuntarily, [unable to act] by his own power. For the Blessed One knew: “Seeing this great gathering, this Māra thinks, ‘I will cause an obstacle to the breakthrough,’ and sending Māra’s army now and then, he displays the terror of Māra.” And this is the nature of the Blessed One: where there will be no breakthrough, he does not prevent Māra from displaying terror. But where there is a breakthrough, he resolves that the assembly neither sees Māra’s form nor hears his sound. And at this gathering there was to be a great breakthrough; therefore, he resolved that the devatās would neither see his form nor hear his sound. Hence it was said: “Then he retreated, furious, not controlling [them].”