1"Bhikkhus, on one occasion I was dwelling at Uruvelā, by the goatherds’ banyan tree on the bank of the Neranjarā River, just after I had attained full enlightenment. Then a number of brahmins, old, aged, burdened with years, advanced in life, come to the last stage, approached me and exchanged greetings with me. When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, they sat down to one side and said to me:

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"‘We have heard, Master Gotama: "The ascetic Gotama does not pay homage to brahmins who are old, aged, burdened with years, advanced in life, come to the last stage; nor does he stand up for them or offer them a seat." This is indeed true, for Master Gotama does not pay homage to brahmins who are old, aged, burdened with years, advanced in life, come to the last stage; nor does he stand up for them or offer them a seat. This is not proper, Master Gotama.’ [n.651] The placement of this sutta in the period just after the Buddha’s enlightenment seems strange. The words of the brahmins suggest that the Buddha, from a position of authority, participated in regular discussions with brahmins; yet he surely would not have done so before he began his career as a teacher. See AN8.11, where a brahmin makes the same charge against the Buddha at a later time when he had already become a successful teacher.

2"It then occurred to me: These venerable ones do not know what an elder is or what the qualities that make one an elder are. Even though someone is old—eighty, ninety, or a hundred years from birth—if he speaks at an improper time, speaks falsely, speaks what is unbeneficial, speaks contrary to the Dhamma and the discipline, if at an improper time he speaks words that are worthless, unreasonable, rambling, and unbeneficial, then he is reckoned as a foolish childish elder.

3"But even though someone is young, a youth with black hair, endowed with the blessing of youth, in the prime of life, if he speaks at a proper time, speaks what is truthful, speaks what is beneficial, speaks on the Dhamma and the discipline, and if at a proper time he speaks words that are worth recording, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial, then he is reckoned as a wise elder.

4"There are, bhikkhus, these four qualities that make one an elder. What four.

(1) "Here, a bhikkhu is virtuous; he dwells restrained by the Pāṭimokkha, possessed of good conduct and resort, seeing danger in minute faults. Having undertaken the training rules, he trains in them.

(2) "He has learned much, remembers what he has learned, and accumulates what he has learned. Those teachings that are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing, which proclaim the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life—such teachings as these he has learned much of, retained in mind, recited verbally, investigated with the mind, and penetrated well by view.

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(3) "He is one who gains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhānas that constitute the higher mind and are pleasant dwellings in this very life.

(4) "With the destruction of the taints, he has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, he dwells in it.

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"These are the four qualities that make one an elder."

5The dullard with a restless mind [n.652] I follow Ce in taking the poem to consist of three stanzas of six pādas each. Be divides it into four stanzas, the first with six pādas, the other three with four pādas.
who speaks much chatter,
his thoughts unsettled,
delighting in a bad teaching,
holding bad views, disrespectful,
is far from an elder's stature.

6But one accomplished in virtue,
learned and discerning,
self-controlled in the factors of firmness,
who clearly sees the meaning with wisdom;

7gone beyond all phenomena,
not barren, discerning; [n.653] In pāda c, I read with Ce saññato thiradhammesu, as against Be and Ee saññato dhīro dhammesu, "self-controlled and steadfast among phenomena." In this, I follow Vanarata's suggestion in a personal communication that the Ce reading "has the merit of both fitting the meter better and supplying a pun (between thira and thera, firm and elder)." This clause corresponds to the jhānas, "factors of firmness" referring to samādhi. Mp glosses "who clearly sees the meaning with wisdom" (paññāyatthaṁ vipassati) as seeing the meaning of the four noble truths with the wisdom of the path along with insight. It explains "gone beyond all phenomena" (pāragū sabbadhammānaṁ) as "gone beyond all such phenomena as the five aggregates" and "gone to the consummation of all good qualities" by the sixfold going beyond (chabbidhena pāragamanena): with respect to direct knowledge, full understanding, abandoning, development, realization, and meditative attainments. Mp does not explain the repetition of paṭibhānavā "discerning" in the verse, which seems peculiar.
who has abandoned birth and death,
consummate in the spiritual life,

8in whom there are no taints—
he is the one I call an elder.
With the destruction of the taints
a bhikkhu is called an elder.

1"Ekamidāhaṁ, bhikkhave, samayaṁ uruvelāyaṁ viharāmi najjā nerañjarāya tīre ajapālanigrodhe paṭhamābhisambuddho. Atha kho, bhikkhave, sambahulā brāhmaṇā jiṇṇā vuddhā mahallakā addhagatā vayoanuppattā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā mayā saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho, bhikkhave, te brāhmaṇā maṁ etadavocuṁ:

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‘sutaṁ netaṁ, bho gotama: "na samaṇo gotamo brāhmaṇe jiṇṇe vuddhe mahallake addhagate vayoanuppatte abhivādeti vā paccuṭṭheti vā āsanena vā nimantetī"ti. Tayidaṁ, bho gotama, tatheva. Na hi bhavaṁ gotamo brāhmaṇe jiṇṇe vuddhe mahallake addhagate vayoanuppatte abhivādeti vā paccuṭṭheti vā āsanena vā nimanteti. Tayidaṁ, bho gotama, na sampannamevā’ti.

2Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi: ‘nayime āyasmanto jānanti theraṁ vā therakaraṇe vā dhamme’ti. Vuddho cepi, bhikkhave, hoti āsītiko vā nāvutiko vā vassasatiko vā jātiyā. So ca hoti akālavādī abhūtavādī anatthavādī adhammavādī avinayavādī, anidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā akālena anapadesaṁ apariyantavatiṁ anatthasaṁhitaṁ. Atha kho so ‘bālo thero’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

3Daharo cepi, bhikkhave, hoti yuvā susukāḷakeso bhadrena yobbanena samannāgato paṭhamena vayasā. So ca hoti kālavādī bhūtavādī atthavādī dhammavādī vinayavādī nidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā kālena sāpadesaṁ pariyantavatiṁ atthasaṁhitaṁ. Atha kho so ‘paṇḍito thero’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

4Cattārome, bhikkhave, therakaraṇā dhammā. Katame cattāro.

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharati ācāragocarasampanno aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu.

bahussuto hoti sutadharo sutasannicayo, ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā majjhekalyāṇā pariyosānakalyāṇā sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti, tathārūpāssa dhammā bahussutā honti dhātā vacasā paricitā manasānupekkhitā, diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā,

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catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī.

āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.

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Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro therakaraṇā dhammāti.

5Yo uddhatena cittena,
samphañca bahu bhāsati;
Asamāhitasaṅkappo,
asaddhammarato mago;
Ārā so thāvareyyamhā,
pāpadiṭṭhi anādaro.

6Yo ca sīlena sampanno,
sutavā paṭibhānavā;
Saññato dhīro dhammesu,
paññāyatthaṁ vipassati.

7Pāragū sabbadhammānaṁ,
akhilo paṭibhānavā;
Pahīnajātimaraṇo,
brahmacariyassa kevalī.

8Tamahaṁ vadāmi theroti,
yassa no santi āsavā;
Āsavānaṁ khayā bhikkhu,
so theroti pavuccatī"ti.

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Dutiyaṁ.