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# Thig 8 · Sīsūpacālā
- URL: https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/thig-8/
- Published: 2026-06-01T23:26:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-13T16:57:41.000Z
- Description: Therīgāthā · Thig 8. Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.
- Author: Ninth Heaven Literature & Arts Association (NHLAA)
- Tags: Buddhism, Sutta Piṭaka, Text, Indian, The Elder Nuns, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Therīgāthā, Verse, Pali, Early Buddhist, Library, #Import 2026-07-06 05:47

*In [SN 5:7](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-5-7/), verses similar to these are attributed to the nun Upacālā.*

Sīsūpacālā:

A nun, consummate in virtue,

her faculties well-restrained,

will reach the state of peace,

a nourishment

that never cloys.[1](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Thig/thig8.html?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co)

Māra:

The Devas of the Thirty-three,

the Hours, the Contented,

devas who delight in creation,

& devas in control:

Direct your mind there

where you lived before.[2](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Thig/thig8.html?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co)

Sīsūpacālā:

The Devas of the Thirty-three,

the Hours, the Contented,

devas who delight in creation,

& devas in control:

Time & again,

from becoming to becoming,

surrounded by self-identity,

not having gone beyond self-identity,

they flow to birth & death.[3](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Thig/thig8.html?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co)

The whole world is burning.

The whole world is aflame.

The whole world is blazing.

The whole world is shaken.[4](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Thig/thig8.html?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co)

The unshaken, incomparable

—the Dhamma the Buddha taught to me,

of which people run-of-the-mill

don’t partake—

that’s where my heart

truly delights.

Having heard his words,

I dwell, delighting

in his bidding.

The three knowledges

are attained;

the Buddha’s bidding,

done.

Everywhere enjoyment

is defeated;

the mass of darkness,

burst.

So know, Evil One,

that you have been,

End-maker,

struck down.

Notes

1\. This stanza does not occur in [SN 5:7](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-5-7/).

2\. The parallel stanza in [SN 5:7](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-5-7/) reads:

The Devas of the Thirty-three,

the Hours, the Contented,

devas who delight in creation,

& devas in control:

Direct your mind there

and it will enjoy

delight.

3\. The parallel stanza in [SN 5:7](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-5-7/) reads:

The Devas of the Thirty-three,

the Hours, the Contented,

devas who delight in creation,

& devas in control:

They are bound

with the bonds of sensuality;

they come again

under Māra’s sway.

4\. This is the last line that this poem has in common with [SN 5:7](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-5-7/). The remainder of [SN 5:7](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-5-7/) reads:

The unshaken, untrembling

—of which people run-of-the-mill

don’t partake,

where Māra’s

never been—

that’s where my heart

truly delights.

---

*Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co) licence, for free distribution only. Source: [dhammatalks.org](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Thig/thig8.html?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co) (Metta Forest Monastery).*