Itaro kassapassa bhagavato kāle upāsako hutvā māsassa aṭṭha divase vihāraṃ gantvā dhammaṃ suṇāti, so ekadivasaṃ dhammassavane ghosite saṃghārāmadvāre attano khettaṃ keḷāyanto ugghosanaṃ sutvā "sace nhāyāmi, ciraṃ bhavissatī"ti kiliṭṭhagattova uposathāgāraṃ pavisitvā mahagghe bhummattharaṇe anādarena nipajjitvā supi. Bhikkhu evāyaṃ, na upāsakoti saṃyuttabhāṇakā. So tena ca aññena kammena ca niraye paccitvā gayāpokkharaṇiyā tīre yakkhayoniyaṃ nibbatto, so tassa kammassa vipākāvasesena duddasiko ahosi, sarīre cassa sūcisadisāni lomāni ahesuṃ. So hi bhiṃsāpetabbake satte sūcīhi vijjhanto viya bhiṃsāpeti. Evaṃ so sūcisadisalomattā sūcilomo yakkhotveva nāmaṃ labhati te attano gocaratthāya bhavanato nikkhamitvā muhuttaṃ gantvā gatamaggeneva nivattitvā itaraṃ disābhāgaṃ gacchantā bhagavato avidūre atikkamanti.

Atha kho kharoti kasmā te evamāhaṃsu? kharo samaṇākappaṃ disvā āha. Sūcilomo pana "yo bhāyati na so samaṇo, samaṇapaṭirūpakattā pana samaṇako hotī"ti evaṃladdhiko. Tasmā tādisaṃ bhagavantaṃ maññamāno "neso samaṇo, samaṇako eso"ti sahasāva vatvāpi puna vīmaṃsitukāmo āha "yāva jānāmī"ti. "atha kho"ti evaṃ vatvā tato. Sūcilomo yakkhoti ito pabhuti yāva apica kho te samphasso pāpakoti, tāva uttānatthameva. Kevalañhi tattha bhagavato kāyanti attano kāyaṃ bhagavato upanāmesīti evaṃ sambandho veditabbo.

Tato abhāyantaṃ bhagavantaṃ disvā "pañhantaṃ samaṇā"tiādimāha. Kiṃkāraṇā? so hi cintesi "imināpi nāma me evaṃ kharena amanussasamphassena Manusso samāno ayaṃ na bhāyati, handāhamenaṃ buddhavisaye pañhe pucchāmi,