Deep Commentary

This verse was spoken at Vulture's Peak regarding Puṇṇā, a maidservant. Seeing the monks traveling at night under the light provided by the deity Dabba, she mistakenly assumed they were suffering from illness or snakebites. After offering food to the Buddha, he accepted it and, recognizing her misunderstanding, clarified that his disciples do not sleep because they are ever-vigilant. The verse serves as a teaching on the vital importance of mindfulness (sati) in spiritual life. The Buddha emphasizes that true happiness and liberation are found not in external status or material accumulation, but in the constant practice of wakefulness, which protects the practitioner from the restlessness and suffering of the world.