This is as I heard from the Blessed One. Those days, the Blessed One was living in the province of Rājagaha, at the Bamboo Forest, the Squirrels’ Sanctuary. One day, when Venerable Upasena Vaṅgantaputta was alone in seclusion, these thoughts came to his mind, “What a gain, what a true gain it is for me that my great teacher is the Blessed One, liberated and fully enlightened; that I have become a monk in a well-taught Dhamma and Vinaya; that fellow monks are virtuous and endowed with wholesome qualities; that I am practicing the precepts well; that my mind is unified and well-concentrated; that I am an enlightened monk, with defilements ended; that I have great power and great might. My life has been truly fortunate; my passing away will be truly fortunate.”
Then the Blessed One, reading with his own mind the mind of Venerable Upasena Vaṅgantaputta, spoke the following inspired verses:
“If he is not tortured by life and does not grieve at death, he is someone who has achieved Nibbāna. He is truly a wise one. He does not sorrow in the midst of sorrowing people.
“He has crushed craving for existence. He has a peaceful mind. His cycle of rebirth has been completely ended. There is no more rebirth for him.”
