While residing at the Jetavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke these verses with reference to the lay disciple Chattapani and the two queens of King Pasenadi of Kosala.

Chattapani was a lay disciple of Savatthi, versed in the Tripitaka and enjoying the fruit of the second path. Those who have attained this fruition, by virtue of the path itself, lead the holy life and eat only one meal a day, without needing to formally observe the fast day.

One morning, while observing the fast, Chattapani went to pay his respects to the Buddha, and while he sat listening to the Dhamma, King Pasenadi of Kosala also arrived to pay his respects.

Chattapani reasoned that since he was seated in the presence of the Buddha, he was not obliged to rise for the king of one of the Buddha's provinces, for doing so would honour the king rather than the Buddha, so he remained seated even at the risk of angering the king.

King Pasenadi, seeing Chattapani remain seated, was filled with anger, though he still paid his respects to the Buddha. The Buddha, sensing his anger, praised Chattapani as a wise man well versed in the Dhamma, contented in both prosperity and adversity, and the king's anger softened as he listened.

Some time later, the king saw Chattapani passing through the palace courtyard carrying a parasol and wearing sandals, and summoned him. Chattapani set aside his parasol and sandals before approaching, and when the king asked why, he explained he always did so before coming into the king's presence, since he had always known him to be king.

Puzzled, the king asked why then he had not risen the other day in the Buddha's presence. Chattapani explained that to rise for a provincial king while seated before the Buddha would have shown disrespect to the Buddha himself.

Satisfied, the king asked Chattapani, who was known to be learned in the Tipitaka, to come recite the Dhamma to the women of his household, but Chattapani declined, explaining that it would be improper for a householder to perform the functions of a monk, and suggested the king send for an actual monk instead.

The king then sent word to the Buddha that his consorts Mallika and Vasabhakhattiya wished to learn the Dhamma, and asked him to come regularly with five hundred monks. The Buddha replied that he could not visit any one place so regularly, and assigned the duty instead to the Venerable Ananda, who came and taught the two queens.

Of the two, Mallika learned thoroughly and rehearsed faithfully, while Vasabhakhattiya neither learned nor rehearsed well, nor could she fully grasp the instruction she received.

When the Buddha later asked Ananda which of his students learned well, Ananda reported that Mallika mastered her lessons while the king's kinswoman did not. The Buddha then explained that the Dhamma he preached is profitless to one who does not hear, learn, rehearse, and practice it faithfully, like a flower with colour but no fragrance, but to one who is faithful in all these things, it bears abundant fruit and manifold blessings.