Atha kho devadatto senāsanaṁ saṁsāmetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena rājagahaṁ tena pakkāmi. Anupubbena yena rājagahaṁ tadavasari. Atha kho devadatto sakavaṇṇaṁ paṭisaṁharitvā kumārakavaṇṇaṁ abhinimminitvā ahimekhalikāya ajātasattussa kumārassa ucchaṅge pāturahosi. Atha kho ajātasattu kumāro bhīto ahosi, ubbiggo ussaṅkī utrasto. Atha kho devadatto ajātasattuṁ kumāraṁ etadavoca— “bhāyasi maṁ tvaṁ, kumārā”ti? “Āma bhāyāmi. Kosi tvan”ti? “Ahaṁ devadatto”ti. “Sace kho tvaṁ, bhante, ayyo devadatto, iṅgha sakeneva vaṇṇena pātubhavassū”ti. Atha kho devadatto kumārakavaṇṇaṁ paṭisaṁharitvā saṅghāṭipattacīvaradharo ajātasattussa kumārassa purato aṭṭhāsi. Atha kho ajātasattu kumāro devadattassa iminā iddhipāṭihāriyena abhippasanno pañcahi rathasatehi sāyaṁ pātaṁ upaṭṭhānaṁ gacchati, pañca ca thālipākasatāni bhattābhihāro abhiharīyati. Atha kho devadattassa lābhasakkārasilokena abhibhūtassa pariyādinnacittassa evarūpaṁ icchāgataṁ uppajji— “ahaṁ bhikkhusaṅghaṁ pariharissāmī”ti. Saha cittuppādāva devadatto tassā iddhiyā parihāyi. Tena kho pana samayena kakudho nāma koḷiyaputto, āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa upaṭṭhāko, adhunā kālaṅkato aññataraṁ manomayaṁ kāyaṁ upapanno. Tassa evarūpo attabhāvappaṭilābho hoti— seyyathāpi nāma dve vā tīṇi vā māgadhakāni gāmakkhettāni. So tena attabhāvappaṭilābhena neva attānaṁ na paraṁ byābādheti. Atha kho kakudho devaputto yenāyasmā mahāmoggallāno tenupasaṅkami, upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho kakudho devaputto āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca— “devadattassa, bhante, lābhasakkārasilokena abhibhūtassa pariyādinnacittassa evarūpaṁ icchāgataṁ uppajji— ‘ahaṁ bhikkhusaṅghaṁ pariharissāmī’ti. Saha cittuppādāva, bhante, devadatto tassā iddhiyā parihīno”ti. Idamavoca kakudho devaputto. Idaṁ vatvā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tattheva antaradhāyi.