Thus have I heard. At one time the Lord was staying at Pava, at the Ajakalapaka Shrine, the dwelling place of the yakkha Ajakalapaka.
It happened that the Lord was seated in the open air on a pitch-black night while it was gently raining. Then the yakkha Ajakalapaka, desiring to cause fear and consternation in the Lord and to make his hair stand on end, approached the Lord and close to him emitted three times a terrifying cry, saying: ¡°That is a goblin for you, recluse!¡±
Then, on realizing its significance, the Lord uttered on that occasion this inspired utterance: