An observed imbalance, corrected with a single compact verse
Length
~1.5 minutes to read
Northern parallel
A rough counterpart may exist in the Chinese Saṃyukta-āgama (T99), though this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — brief, with a pointed closing question
Why this discourse
Ānanda appears here not battling an obvious temptation like SN 9.1's monk, but caught in something subtler: spending too much time persuading lay people, an imbalance toward social engagement rather than the seclusion he'd originally sought out. The forest deity's single verse doesn't scold him for wrongdoing exactly; it simply reminds him of his own original intention — the jungle, the root of a tree, extinguishment laid in his heart — and asks a pointed, almost dismissive question about the busywork currently occupying him: what use is this hullabaloo to you?
Reading guide
A subtler imbalance than obvious temptation
Unlike SN 9.1's lust or SN 9.2's sleep, Ānanda's issue here isn't a conventional lapse at all; spending time persuading lay people sounds like productive, even admirable activity, making the deity's intervention a correction of excess rather than of obvious wrongdoing.
A reminder of original intention, not a new instruction
The verse doesn't introduce anything Ānanda hasn't already committed to; it simply restates what he ‘used to’ do — seek the jungle, lay extinguishment in his heart — holding up his own earlier commitment as the standard he's currently drifting from.
The vocative "Gotama" recurring once more
This is at least the third time in this collection the term ‘Gotama’ is used as direct address, here for Ānanda; since Ānanda was genuinely of the Buddha's own Sākiya-Gotama clan, this instance continues to support reading it as a family-name vocative rather than confusion with the Buddha himself.
A dismissive closing image for well-intentioned busyness
‘Hullabaloo’ (biḷibiḷikā) is a strikingly unflattering word for what might otherwise be described as valuable lay outreach; the deity's word choice itself carries the judgment, without needing further explanation of what's wrong with it.
Urgency as the only recorded response
As in SN 9.1 and SN 9.3, the discourse ends simply with Ānanda struck by a sense of urgency — no defense, no argument, no further verse in reply, closing the exchange as quickly as it began.
Key terms
ativelaṁ gihisaññattibahulo viharati — “spending too much time persuading lay people” — Ānanda's specific imbalance, an excess rather than an obvious fault.
rukkhamūlagahanaṁ pasakkiya — “you've left for the jungle, the root of a tree” — recalling Ānanda's own original commitment.
nibbānaṁ hadayasmiṁ opiya — “having laid extinguishment in your heart” — naming what that original commitment was actually aimed at.
jhāya gotama mā pamādo — “meditate, don't be negligent!” — the direct imperative at the verse's center.
kiṁ te biḷibiḷikā karissati — “what use is this hullabaloo to you?” — the pointed, dismissive closing question.
The text
The discourse in full. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At one time Venerable Ānanda was staying in the land of the Kosalans in a certain forest grove. Now at that time Ānanda was spending too much time persuading lay people. Then the deity haunting that forest had sympathy for Ānanda, wanting what’s best for him. So they approached him wanting to stir him up, and recited these verses:
§2“You’ve left for the jungle, the root of a tree, having laid extinguishment in your heart. Meditate, Gotama, don’t be negligent! What use is this hullabaloo to you?”
§3Impelled by that deity, Venerable Ānanda was struck with a sense of urgency.
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
What imbalance does the forest deity notice in Ānanda?
Correct: A. An excess of otherwise valuable activity, not an obvious lapse.
Question 2 of 10
How does this discourse's issue compare to SN 9.1's or SN 9.2's?
Correct: A. Social engagement, not lust or sleep, drawing the deity's correction.
Question 3 of 10
What does the deity's verse remind Ānanda of?
Correct: A. Restating his own earlier intention as the standard he's drifting from.
Question 4 of 10
What vocative does the deity use to address Ānanda?
Correct: A. Recurring from SN 8.3/8.4, consistent with Ānanda's actual clan membership.
Question 5 of 10
What word does the verse use to describe Ānanda's lay-persuading activity?
Correct: A. The word choice itself carrying the judgment without further explanation.
Question 6 of 10
How does Ānanda respond to the deity's verse?
Correct: A. The same closing formula as SN 9.1 and SN 9.3.
Question 7 of 10
What was Ānanda's original stated intention, according to the verse?
Correct: A. The commitment the deity holds up against his current drift.
Question 8 of 10
How long is this discourse compared to SN 9.6?
Correct: A. A brief, pointed intervention rather than an extended exchange.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this discourse take place?
Correct: A. The same general setting as the preceding discourses in this saṃyutta.
Question 10 of 10
What motivates the deity's intervention, according to the text?
Correct: A. The same sympathetic framing used elsewhere in this saṃyutta.
