1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Kosalans on the bank of the river Sundarika. Now on that occasion the brahmin Sundarika Bharadvaja was offering a fire sacrifice and performing the fire oblation on the bank of the river Sundarika. Then the brahmin Sundarika Bharadvaja, having offered the fire sacrifice and performed the fire oblation, rose from his seat and surveyed the four quarters all around, wondering: "Who now might eat this sacrificial cake?" [n.447] Spk: This was his thought: "The portion of milk-rice placed in the fire has been eaten by Mahābrahmā. If this remainder is given to a brahmin, one born from the mouth of Brahma, my father and son would be pleased and I will clear the path to the brahma world." See Deussen, Sixty Upaniṣads of the Veda, SN1.148: "The residue (ucchiṣṭaṁ) of the offering, i.e., what remains in the ladle, in the saucepan, or vessel, is to be eaten only by a brahmaṇa, not in his own house; no kṣatriya or vaiśya is to eat it." This explains why the brahmin, just below, is so concerned about the Buddha’s caste.

The brahmin Sundarika Bharadvaja saw the Blessed One sitting at the foot of a tree with his head covered. Having seen him, he took the sacrificial cake in his left hand and the waterpot in his right hand and approached the Blessed One. When the Blessed One heard the sound of the brahmin's footsteps, he uncovered his head. Then the brahmin Sundarika Bharadvaja, thinking, "This worthy is shaven-headed, sn.i.168 this worthy is a shaveling," wanted to turn back; but it occurred to him: "Some brahmins here are also shaven-headed. Let me approach him and inquire about his birth."

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2Then the brahmin Sundarika Bharadvaja approached the Blessed One and said to him: "What is the worthy one's birth?"

The Blessed One:

3v.638 "Ask not of birth but ask of conduct:
Fire is indeed produced from any wood.
A resolute sage, though from low family,
Is a thoroughbred restrained by a sense of shame. [n.448] Fire is indeed produced from any wood (kaṭṭhā have jāyati jātavedo). Spk: This is the purport: "It is not the case that only fire produced from a pure type of wood, such as sal-tree logs, can perform the work of fire, but not fire produced from the wood of a dog's trough, etc. Rather, by reason of its flame, etc., fire produced from any kind of wood can do the work of fire. So you should not think that only one born in a brahmin family is worthy of offerings, but not one born in a caṇḍala family, etc. Whether from a low family or a high family, an arahant sage is a thoroughbred—resolute, restrained by a sense of shame." See in this connection the arguments at MN II 129–30, 151–53.

4v.639 "The sacrificer should invoke this one:
One tamed by truth, perfect by taming,
Who has reached the end of knowledge,
A fulfiller of the holy life.
Then he makes a timely oblation
To one worthy of offerings." [n.449] Spk explains one who has reached the end of knowledge (vedantagū) in pāda b thus: "one gone to the end of the four path knowledges, or one gone to the end of defilements by the four path knowledges" (catunnaṁ maggavedanaṁ antaṁ, catūhi va maggavedehi kilesanaṁ antaṁ gato). Evidently, the Buddha is here deliberately using brahmanical terminology in order to adjust the Dhamma to the mental disposition of the brahmin.

The brahmin Sundarika Bharadvaja:

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5v.640 "Surely my sacrifice is well performed
As I have seen such a knowledge-master.
Because I had not seen those like yourself
Other people ate the sacrificial cake.

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6"Let Master Gotama eat. The worthy is a brahmin."

The Blessed One:

7v.641 "Food over which verses have been sung
Is not fit to be eaten by me.
This, brahmin, is not the principle
Observed by those who see.
The Enlightened Ones reject such food
Over which verses have been sung.
As such a principle exists, O brahmin,
This is their rule of conduct.

8v.642 "Serve with other food and drink
The consummate one, the great seer
With taints destroyed and remorse stilled,
For he is the field for one seeking merit.""

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9"Then, Master Gotama, should I give this sacrificial cake to someone else?"

"I do not see anyone, brahmin, in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahma, in this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, who could eat and properly digest this sacrificial cake sn.i.169 except the Tathāgata or a disciple of the Tathāgata. [n.450] Spk: Why does he say this? It is said that when the brahmin presented the food to the Buddha, the devas from the four world-regions, etc., suffused the food with nutritive essence (oja) produced by their celestial power. Thus it became extremely subtle. It was too subtle for the coarse digestive systems of ordinary human beings to digest properly; yet, because the food had a base of coarse material food, it was too coarse for the devas to digest. Even dry-insight arahants could not digest it. Only arahants who obtain the eight meditative attainments could digest it by the power of their attainment, while the Blessed One could digest it by his own natural digestive power. Therefore, brahmin, throw away the sacrificial cake in a place where there is sparse vegetation or dispose of it in water where there are no living beings."

10Then the brahmin Sundarika Bharadvaja disposed of that sacrificial cake in water where there were no living beings. When it was disposed of in the water, that sacrificial cake sizzled and hissed and gave off steam and smoke. [n.451] Spk: This did not occur through the power of the food itself but through the Buddha’s power. The Buddha had made such a determination so that the brahmin would be favourably disposed to hear the Dhamma. Just as a ploughshare, heated all day, sizzles and hisses and gives off steam and smoke if placed in water, so too that sacrificial cake, when disposed of in the water, sizzled and hissed and gave off steam and smoke.

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11Then the brahmin Sundarika Bharadvaja, shocked and terrified, approached the Blessed One and stood to one side. The Blessed One then addressed him with verses:

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12v.643 "When kindling wood, brahmin, do not imagine
This external deed brings purity;
For experts say no purity is gained
By one who seeks it outwardly.

13v.644 "Having given up the fire made from wood,
I kindle, O brahmin, the inner light alone.
Always ablaze, my mind always concentrated,
I am an arahant living the holy life.

14v.645 "Conceit, O brahmin, is your shoulder-load,
Anger the smoke, false speech the ashes;
The tongue is the ladle, the heart the altar,
A well-tamed self is the light of a man. [n.452] Khāribhāra, "shoulder-load," is a carrying device commonly used in South Asia, consisting of two trays at each end of a pole borne across the shoulder.
Spk: "Conceit, O brahmin, is your shoulder-load: When a shoulder-load is being carried, with each step the weight of the load brings the trays into contact with the ground; similarly, though conceit props one up on account of birth, clan, family, etc., it causes envy to arise and thereby pulls one down to the four realms of misery. Anger the smoke: because the fire of knowledge does not shine when defiled by the smoke of anger. False speech the ashes: because the fire of knowledge does not burn when covered by false speech. The tongue is the ladle: my (the Buddha’s) tongue is a ladle offering the Dhamma sacrifice. The heart the altar: the hearts of beings are the altar, the fireplace, for my offering of the Dhamma sacrifice. The self (atta) is the mind."

15v.646 "The Dhamma is a lake with fords of virtue—
Limpid, praised by the good to the good—
Where the knowledge-masters go to bathe,
And, dry-limbed, cross to the far shore. [n.453] Spk: "Just as, after you have worshipped the fire, you enter the Sundarika River and wash the ashes, soot, and sweat from your body, so for me the Dhamma of the eightfold path is the lake where I bathe thousands of living beings. The lake is limpid (anāvila) because, unlike your river which becomes muddy when four or five bathe in it at the same time, the lake of the Dhamma remains limpid and clear even when hundreds of thousands enter it to bathe." On "the bath without water," see v. 198ef and n. 119.

16v.647 "Truth, Dhamma, restraint, the holy life,
Attainment of Brahma based on the middle: sn.i.170
Pay homage, O brahmin, to the upright ones;
I call that person one impelled by Dhamma." [n.454] Spk suggests several alternative schemes by which the three terms in pāda a—sacca, dhamma, and saṁyama—can be correlated with the eightfold path: e.g., sacca = right speech; saṁyama = right action and right livelihood; dhamma = the other five factors. Spk explains brahmacariya as if it were equivalent to the entire eightfold path (magga-brahmacariya), but it seems more likely that here the term was originally intended in the specific sense of celibacy, to be understood as a fourth item alongside the preceding three and not as an umbrella term comprising them.
In pāda b, the attainment of BrahmāS (brahmapatti): the attainment of the best (seṭṭhapatti). Based on the middle (majjhesita): avoiding the extremes of eternalism and annihilationism. (Spk-pṭ: That is, based on the development of the middle way by avoiding all extremes such as sluggishness and restlessness, of which the pair eternalism and annihilationism is merely one instance.)
in pāda c, the upright ones (ujjubhūtesu): the arahants. Spk explains that the sat here represents tvaṁ, the -t- being a mere conjunct consonant (padasandhi). Though not as common as its use to convey a first person meaning, the third person demonstrative pronoun is occasionally used with a second person sense.

17When this was said, the brahmin Sundarika Bharadvaja said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, Master Gotama!" … And the Venerable Sundarika Bharadvaja became one of the arahants.

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā kosalesu vihārati sundarikāya nadiyā tīre. Tena kho pana samayena sundarikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo sundarikāya nadiyā tīre aggiṁ juhati, aggihuttaṁ paricarati. Atha kho sundarikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo aggiṁ juhitvā aggihuttaṁ paricaritvā uṭṭhāyāsanā samantā catuddisā anuvilokesi: "ko nu kho imaṁ habyasesaṁ bhuñjeyyā"ti?

Addasā kho sundarikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle sasīsaṁ pārutaṁ nisinnaṁ. Disvāna vāmena hatthena habyasesaṁ gahetvā dakkhiṇena hatthena kamaṇḍaluṁ gahetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami. Atha kho bhagavā sundarikabhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa padasaddena sīsaṁ vivari. Atha kho sundarikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo "muṇḍo ayaṁ bhavaṁ, muṇḍako ayaṁ bhavan"ti tatova puna nivattitukāmo ahosi. Atha kho sundarikabhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa etadahosi: "muṇḍāpi hi idhekacce brāhmaṇā bhavanti; yannūnāhaṁ taṁ upasaṅkamitvā jātiṁ puccheyyan"ti.

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2Atha kho sundarikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "kiṁjacco bhavan"ti?

3"Mā jātiṁ puccha caraṇañca puccha,
Kaṭṭhā have jāyati jātavedo;
Nīcākulīnopi muni dhitimā,
Ājānīyo hoti hirīnisedho.

4Saccena danto damasā upeto,
Vedantagū vusitabrahmacariyo;
Yaññopanīto tamupavhayetha,
Kālena so juhati dakkhiṇeyye"ti.

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5"Addhā suyiṭṭhaṁ suhutaṁ mama yidaṁ,
Yaṁ tādisaṁ vedagumaddasāmi;
Tumhādisānañhi adassanena,
Añño jano bhuñjati habyasesan"ti.

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6"Bhuñjatu bhavaṁ gotamo. Brāhmaṇo bhavan"ti.

7"Gāthābhigītaṁ me abhojaneyyaṁ,
Sampassataṁ brāhmaṇa nesa dhammo;
Gāthābhigītaṁ panudanti buddhā,
Dhamme sati brāhmaṇa vuttiresā.

8Aññena ca kevalinaṁ mahesiṁ,
Khīṇāsavaṁ kukkuccavūpasantaṁ;
Annena pānena upaṭṭhahassu,
Khettañhi taṁ puññapekkhassa hotī"ti.

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9"Atha kassa cāhaṁ, bho gotama, imaṁ habyasesaṁ dammī"ti?

"Na khvāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, passāmi sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya yasseso habyaseso bhutto sammā pariṇāmaṁ gaccheyya aññatra, brāhmaṇa, tathāgatassa vā tathāgatāsāvakassa vā. Tena hi tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa, taṁ habyasesaṁ appaharite vā chaḍḍehi appāṇake vā udake opilāpehī"ti.

10Atha kho sundarikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo taṁ habyasesaṁ appāṇake udake opilāpesi. Atha kho so habyaseso udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati. Seyyathāpi nāma phālo divasaṁsantatto udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati; evameva so habyaseso udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati.

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11Atha kho sundarikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo saṁviggo lomahaṭṭhajāto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhitaṁ kho sundarikabhāradvājaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ bhagavā gāthāhi ajjhabhāsi:

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12"Mā brāhmaṇa dāru samādahāno,
Suddhiṁ amaññi bahiddhā hi etaṁ;
Na hi tena suddhiṁ kusalā vadanti,
Yo bāhirena parisuddhimicche.

13Hitvā ahaṁ brāhmaṇa dārudāhaṁ,
Ajjhattamevujjalayāmi jotiṁ;
Niccagginī niccasamāhitatto,
Arahaṁ ahaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carāmi.

14Māno hi te brāhmaṇa khāribhāro,
Kodho dhumo bhasmani mosavajjaṁ;
Jivhā sujā hadayaṁ jotiṭhānaṁ,
Attā sudanto purisassa joti.

15Dhammo rahado brāhmaṇa sīlatittho,
Anāvilo sabbhi sataṁ pasattho;
Yattha have vedaguno sinātā,
Anallagattāva taranti pāraṁ.

16Saccaṁ dhammo saṁyamo brahmacariyaṁ,
Majjhe sitā brāhmaṇa brahmapatti;
Sa tujjubhūtesu namo karohi,
Tamahaṁ naraṁ dhammasārīti brūmī"ti.

17Evaṁ vutte, sundarikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama … pe … aññataro ca panāyasmā bhāradvājo arahataṁ ahosīti.