1 At one time Venerable Kassapagotta was staying in the land of the Kosalans in a certain forest grove.
Now at that time Venerable Kassapagotta, having withdrawn for his day’s meditation, tried to advise a nimrod. Then the deity haunting that forest approached Kassapagotta wanting to stir him up, and recited these verses:
2 “A nimrod wandering the rugged hills
is unintelligent, unthinking.
It’s a waste of time to advise him, mendicant;
he strikes me as a dullard.
3 He listens without understanding,
looks without seeing.
Though the teaching is spoken,
the fool doesn’t get it.
4 Even if you lit ten lamps
and brought them to him, Kassapa,
he wouldn’t see anything,
for he has no eyes to see.”
5 Impelled by that deity, Venerable Kassapagotta was struck with a sense of urgency.