It was uttered by the Buddha's disciple Assaji. (Assaji, meaning "Victory of Horse", was one of the first five Bhikkhus.) One day, when Bhikkhu Assaji was begging with his alms-bowl, he ran into Sāriputta, the great Brahmanic scholar. The latter was attracted by his venerable countenance which was out of the common run, so he inquired of Assaji who was his teacher and what doctrine he was professing. Thereupon, Bhikkhu Assaji uttered this Gāthā. Sāriputta was delighted to hear this and went to tell Moggallāna on his return. Then both of them became followers of the Buddha. There are several Chinese translations of this Gāthā. "My teacher, the great Sama?a" refers to Sākyamuni. In general, Sama?a may be simply rendered as ascetics (or mendicant friars) who renounced the family life. At that time, all ascetics regardless of religious sects (except in Brahmanism) were called sama?as.
是佛的弟子阿說示(Assaji,最初五比丘之一,意譯是“馬勝”)說出的。有一天馬勝比丘在托缽行乞的時候,遇見了婆羅門大學(xué)者舍利弗。舍利弗看見他容貌威儀,不同常人,便問他向誰學(xué)道,教義如何。馬勝比丘便說出了這首偈,舍利弗聽了很歡喜,回去向目犍連說了,兩個人便一起歸依了佛。這首偈我國有幾種譯文,偈中“吾師大沙門”,是指釋迦牟尼,沙門(Sama?a),簡單地意譯就是出家修道者。當(dāng)時婆羅門教之外各教派的出家修道者都稱為沙門。