[762] Then the deity (devatā) dwelling in that forest thicket, having compassion for that bhikkhu and desiring his good, wishing to stir that bhikkhu to a sense of urgency (saṃvega), approached that bhikkhu; and having approached, addressed that bhikkhu with verses:
"Desiring seclusion (viveka), you have entered the forest,
yet your mind strays outward.
You, a person, dispel desire for people;
then you will be happy, free of lust.
Abandon discontent; be mindful —
let us remind you of that [way] of the good.
For the dust of the abyss (pātāla) is hard to cross;
let not the dust of sensuality carry you down.
Just as a bird sprinkled with dust
shakes itself and sheds the dust that clings,
so a bhikkhu, endowed with striving, mindful,
sheds the dust that clings."
Then that bhikkhu, stirred by that deity, acquired a sense of urgency.
The Upaṭṭhāna Sutta, second.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.