At one time Venerable Vaṅgīsa was staying near Āḷavī, at Āḷavī’s premier shrine, together with his mentor, Venerable Nigrodhakappa. Now at that time Venerable Vaṅgīsa looked down upon other good-hearted mendicants because of his own eloquence. Then he thought, “It’s my loss, my misfortune, that I look down on other good-hearted mendicants because of my own eloquence.” Then, on the occasion of arousing remorse in himself, he recited these verses:

“Give up conceit, Gotama! Completely abandon the different kinds of conceit! Besotted with the different kinds of conceit, you’ve had regrets for a long time.

Smeared by smears and slain by conceit, people fall into hell. When people slain by conceit are reborn in hell, they grieve for a long time.

But a mendicant who practices rightly, a path-victor, never grieves. They enjoy happiness and a good reputation, and they rightly call him a ‘Seer of Truth’.

So being not hard-hearted, but energetic, with hindrances given up, pure; and having completely given up conceit, the one who makes an end with knowledge is assuaged.”