As a renowned poet, Vaṅgīsa looked down on less skilled mendicants. Ashamed of his conceit, he exhorted himself in verse to be humble and at peace.At one time Venerable Vaṅgīsa was staying near Āḷavī, at the Aggāḷava Tree-shrine, together with his mentor, Venerable Nigrodhakappa. Now at that time Venerable Vaṅgīsa looked down on other good-hearted mendicants because of his own poetic virtuosity. Then he thought, “It’s my loss, my misfortune, that I look down on other good-hearted mendicants because of my own poetic virtuosity.” 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, owning the path, never grieves. They enjoy happiness and a good reputation, and they rightly call him a ‘Seer of Truth’. So don’t be hard-hearted, be energetic, with hindrances given up, be pure. Then with conceit given up completely, use knowledge to make an end, and be at peace.”