SN 9:5 · Ānanda (Ānanda Sutta)

On one occasion Ven. Ānanda was staying among the Kosalans in a forest grove. Now at that time, he was spending too much time devoted to instructing laypeople.

Then the devatā inhabiting the forest grove, feeling sympathy for Ven. Ānanda, desiring his benefit, desiring to bring him to his senses, approached him and recited a verse:

“Going to the bower
at the root of a tree,
placing
		unbinding
in your heart,
do jhāna, Gotama,
& don’t be heedless.
	What use is this
	chitter-chatter
	to you?”

Then Ven. Ānanda, chastened by the devatā, came to his senses.

See also: Thag 1:119

Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 licence, for free distribution only. Source: dhammatalks.org (Metta Forest Monastery).