I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Then a certain devata, in the far extreme of the night, her extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Jeta's Grove, went to the Blessed One. On arrival, having bowed down to him, she stood to one side. As she was standing there, she said to him, "Tell me, dear sir, how you crossed over the flood."
"I crossed over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place."1
"But how, dear sir, did you cross over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place?"
"When I pushed forward, I was whirled about. When I stayed in place, I sank. And so I crossed over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place."
[The devata:]
At long last I see
a brahman, totally unbound,
who without pushing forward,
without staying in place,
has crossed over
the entanglements
of the world.
That is what the devata said. The Teacher approved. Realizing that "The Teacher has approved of me," she bowed down to him, circumambulated him — keeping him to her right — and then vanished right there.
Beginilah yang saya dengar,pada suatu ketika Sang Bhagava menetap di dekat Savatthi di Hutan Jeta, Anathapindika Arama. Terdapat seorang devata, pada saat malam yang begitu gelap, cahayanya menerangi seluruh Hutan Jeta, menampakkan diri kepada Sang Bhagava. Menghormat Sang Bhagava dan berdiri di satu sisi. Sebagaimana ia berdiri disatu sisi, ia berkata kepada Sang Bhagava, " Beritahukan kepadaku, Yang Mulia, Bagaimanakah Anda menyebrangi Sungai?"
Lalu, Sang Bhagava menjawab
"Aku menyeberangi sungai tanpa memaksakan diri maju ke depan dan tanpa diam di tempat"
"Tapi bagaimana, Oh Yang Mulia, Anda menyeberangi sungai tanpa memaksakan diri maju ke depan dan tanpa diam di tempat?"
"Ketika Aku memaksakan diri maju ke depan, arus sungai menerjangku. Ketika Aku diam di tempat, Aku ditenggelamkan. Maka aku menyebrangi sungai tanpa memaksakan diri maju ke depan dan tanpa diam di tempat."
Lalu Devata itu berkata.
"Pada waktu yang telah lama sekali, saya melihat
Seorang Brahman, terlepas seutuhnya(tidak terikat lagi)
Yang tidak memaksakan diri maju ke depan
Dan juga tidak diam di tempat.
Ia telah menyeberangi belenggu duniawi.
Begitulah Syair Devata, Sang Bhagava menyetujui, Mengetahui bahwa Sang Bhagava telah menyetujui syairnya, Devata itu menghormat Sang Bhagava, mengelilingi Sang Bhagava dari sisi kanan, lalu menghilang."