Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Therigatha · 7.3

Upacālā

Upacālā — The Book of the Sevens · Poem 3 of 3

Setting
No narrative setting beyond what the verses state; the addressee is named only as Māra, the Wicked One
Speaker
Two voices: Māra, arguing for the pleasures rebirth allows, then Upacālā's reply
Form
Seven four-line verses, closing the Book of the Sevens
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this poem in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★★★★☆ — answers a case for rebirth with an unusually graphic catalog of its dangers

Why this text

This poem closes the Book of the Sevens with a third variation on Māra's confrontations in this book: here he argues directly for rebirth itself, since ‘when you're born, you get to enjoy sensual pleasures’. Upacālā's reply does not dispute this claim abstractly; it answers with a specific, vivid catalog of what birth actually exposes a being to.

Reading guide

A case made for rebirth, not against renunciation generally

‘Why don't you approve of rebirth? When you're born, you get to enjoy sensual pleasures. Enjoy erotic delights; don't regret it later’ is a more specific argument than Māra's usual appeal — rebirth itself as the gateway to pleasure worth wanting.

A catalog of birth's dangers, unusually graphic

‘Death comes to those who are born... the chopping off of hands and feet, killing, caging, misery’ answers Māra's case with specific, bodily images of harm — among the most graphic catalogs of suffering anywhere in this collection.

The Dhamma framed as transcending rebirth itself

‘He taught me the Dhamma for transcending rebirth’ gives this poem's own characterization of the teaching's purpose — distinct from Thig 7.2's ‘going beyond views’, though the two poems otherwise share nearly identical structure.

A book closed, in the source text itself

This poem's closing quatrain repeats the same victory-over-Māra formula as Thig 3.7, 3.8, 6.3, and 7.2, and bilara-data's underlying source marks the line immediately after with ‘Sattakanipāto niṭṭhito’, ‘the Book of the Sevens is finished’.

Key terms

Upacālā — this poem's speaker, whose reply to Māra catalogs birth's dangers in unusually specific, bodily terms.
jāti — “birth” or rebirth — what Māra argues she should not disapprove of, in his opening question.
hatthapādāna chedanaṅ — “the chopping off of hands and feet” — one of the specific dangers Upacālā names as following from birth.
jātiyā samatikkamaṅ — “transcending rebirth” — this poem's own characterization of the Buddha's teaching, distinct from Thig 7.2's ‘going beyond views’.
antaka — “terminator” or death itself — the word closing this poem, addressed to Māra, shared with several earlier confrontations.

The text

The text in full: Māra's argument, and Upacālā's reply, closing the Book of the Sevens. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“A nun with faculties developed, mindful, seeing clearly, I penetrated that peaceful state, which reprobates do not cultivate.”

§2“Why don’t you approve of rebirth? When you’re born, you get to enjoy sensual pleasures. Enjoy erotic delights; don’t regret it later.”

§3“Death comes to those who are born; and when born they fall into suffering: the chopping off of hands and feet, killing, caging, misery.

§4But there is one born in the Sakyan clan, an awakened champion. He taught me the Dhamma for transcending rebirth:

§5suffering, suffering’s origin, suffering’s transcendence, and the noble eightfold path that leads to the stilling of suffering.

§6After hearing his words, I happily did his bidding. I’ve attained the three knowledges and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.

§7Relishing is banished in every respect, and the mass of darkness is shattered. So know this, Wicked One: you’re beaten, terminator!”

· · ·

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 case does Māra make for rebirth, in this poem's opening?
Correct: A. A specific argument for pleasure as the gateway rebirth opens.
Question 2 of 10
How does Upacālā's reply answer this argument?
Correct: B. One of the most graphic catalogs of suffering in this collection.
Question 3 of 10
How does this poem characterize the purpose of the Buddha's teaching?
Correct: C. Distinct from Thig 7.2's framing, though the poems otherwise share structure.
Question 4 of 10
What structural marker does bilara-data's underlying source place immediately after this poem?
Correct: C. The same kind of bibliographic close seen at the end of earlier books.
Question 5 of 10
What quatrain closes this poem, shared with Thig 3.7, 3.8, 6.3, and 7.2?
Correct: B. A fifth appearance of this collection's recurring victory formula.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'jāti' mean?
Correct: A. The central topic of Māra's argument in this poem.
Question 7 of 10
How does this poem's structure compare to Thig 7.2's?
Correct: D. Two poems sharing a template, with distinct specific content.
Question 8 of 10
What position does this poem hold in the Book of the Sevens?
Correct: B. The final poem of three in the Book of the Sevens.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'hatthapādāna chedanaṁ' name?
Correct: A. Part of her specific, graphic catalog of suffering.
Question 10 of 10
What does 'antaka' mean, as this poem's closing word?
Correct: D. Shared with several earlier confrontations with Māra in this collection.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousThig 7.2 · Cālā