Sutta Nipata Chapter 1: The Serpent Chapter - Uragavagga
1:4 With Bharadvaja the Farmer
1:4 With Bharadvaja the Farmer
Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Magadhans [13] at Dakkhiṇāgiri near the brahmin village Ekanālā. Now on that occasion five hundred plows had been yoked for the brahmin Kasibhāradvāja at the time of sowing.
Then in the morning the Blessed One dressed, took his bowl and robe, and went to the place where the brahmin Kasibhāradvāja was working.
Now on that occasion the brahmin Kasibhāradvāja’s food distribution was taking place. The Blessed One then approached the food distribution and stood to one side.
The brahmin Kasibhāradvāja saw the Blessed One standing for alms and said to him:
“I plow and sow, ascetic, and having plowed and sown, I eat. You too, ascetic, must plow and sow, and having plowed and sown, you can eat.”
“I too, brahmin, plow and sow, and having plowed and sown, I eat.”
“But we do not see Master Gotama’s yoke or plow or plowshare or goad or oxen, yet Master Gotama says this: ‘I too, brahmin, plow and sow, and having plowed and sown, I eat.’”
Then the brahmin Kasibhāradvāja addressed the Blessed One in verse:
76“You claim to be a plowman,
but we do not see your plowing.
When asked, tell us about your plowing,
so that we can understand your plowing.” (1)
77“Faith is the seed, austerity the rain;
wisdom is my yoke and plow.
Moral shame is the pole, mind the yoke strap,
mindfulness my plowshare and goad.For the most part I adopt from Norman (at GD 9) the renderings of terms related to plowing. (2) [14]
78“Guarded in body, guarded in speech,
controlled in food and belly,
I use truth for weeding,
and gentleness is my release. (3)
79“Energy is my beast of burden
carrying one toward security from bondage;
it goes ahead without turning back
to the place where one does not sorrow. (4)
80“In such a way this plowing is done
which bears the deathless as its fruit.
Having plowed with this kind of plowing,
one is released from all suffering.” (5)
Then the brahmin Kasibhāradvāja had milk rice poured into a large bronze dish and presented it to the Blessed One, saying: “Let Master Gotama eat the milk rice! You are a plowman, since you plow with a plowing that bears the deathless as its fruit.”
[The Blessed One:]
82“Food over which verses have been recited is not to be eaten by me;
this, brahmin, is not the principle of those who see.
The buddhas reject food over which verses have been recited;
there being such a principle, brahmin, this is their conduct. (6)
83“Serve with other food and drink
the consummate one, the great rishi,
one with influxes destroyed, with regret stilled,
for he is the field for one seeking merit.” (7) [15]
“Then, Master Gotama, should I give this milk rice to someone else?”
“I do not see anyone in this world, brahmin, with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, in this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, who could eat and properly digest this milk rice except the Tathāgata or a disciple of the Tathāgata. Therefore, brahmin, discard the milk rice where there is little vegetation or dispose of it in water where there are no living beings.”
Then the brahmin Kasibhāradvāja disposed of that milk rice in water where there were no living beings.
When the milk rice was thrown into the water, it sizzled and hissed and gave off steam and smoke. Just as a plowshare, heated all day and then placed in water, sizzles and hisses and gives off steam and smoke, so too that milk rice, when thrown into the water, sizzled and hissed and gave off steam and smoke.
Then the brahmin Kasibhāradvāja, agitated, with hair bristling, approached the Blessed One, prostrated himself with his head at the Blessed One’s feet, and said to the Blessed One: “Excellent, Master Gotama! Excellent, Master Gotama! Master Gotama has made the Dhamma clear in many ways, as though he were turning upright what had been overturned, revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the darkness so those with good eyesight can see forms. I go for refuge to Master Gotama, [16] to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of bhikkhus. May I receive the going forth under Master Gotama, may I receive full ordination.”
Then the brahmin Kasibhāradvāja received the going forth under the Blessed One, he received full ordination. And not long after his full ordination, dwelling alone, withdrawn, heedful, ardent, and resolute, the Venerable Bhāradvāja soon realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, that unsurpassed consummation of the spiritual life for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the household life into homelessness, and having entered upon it, he dwelled in it. He directly knew: “Finished is birth, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being.” And the Venerable Bhāradvāja became one of the arahants.
Kasibhāradvājasutta
Evaṁ me sutaṁ — Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā magadhesu viharati dakkhiṇāgirismiṁ ekanāḷāyaṁ brāhmaṇagāme. Tena kho pana samayena kasibhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa pañcamattāni naṅgalasatāni payuttāni honti vappakāle.
Atha kho bhagavā pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena kasibhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa kammanto tenupasaṅkami.
Tena kho pana samayena kasibhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa parivesanā vattati. Atha kho bhagavā yena parivesanā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi.
Addasā kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ piṇḍāya ṭhitaṁ. Disvāna bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
"Ahaṁ kho, samaṇa, kasāmi ca vapāmi ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjāmi. Tvampi, samaṇa, kasassu ca vapassu ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjassū"ti.
"Ahampi kho, brāhmaṇa, kasāmi ca vapāmi ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjāmī"ti.
"Na kho pana mayaṁ passāma bhoto gotamassa yugaṁ vā naṅgalaṁ vā phālaṁ vā pācanaṁ vā balībadde vā. Atha ca pana bhavaṁ gotamo evamāha: ‘ahampi kho, brāhmaṇa, kasāmi ca vapāmi ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjāmī’"ti.
Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
76"Kassako paṭijānāsi,
na ca passāma te kasiṁ;
Kasiṁ no pucchito brūhi,
yathā jānemu te kasiṁ".
77
"Saddhā bījaṁ tapo vuṭṭhi,
paññā me yuganaṅgalaṁ;
Hirī īsā mano yottaṁ,
sati me phālapācanaṁ.
78
Kāyagutto vacīgutto,
āhāre udare yato;
Saccaṁ karomi niddānaṁ,
soraccaṁ me pamocanaṁ.
79
Vīriyaṁ me dhuradhorayhaṁ,
yogakkhemādhivāhanaṁ;
Gacchati anivattantaṁ,
yattha gantvā na socati.
80
Evamesā kasī kaṭṭhā,
Sā hoti amatapphalā;
Etaṁ kasiṁ kasitvāna,
Sabbadukkhā pamuccatī"ti.
Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo mahatiyā kaṁsapātiyā pāyasaṁ vaḍḍhetvā bhagavato upanāmesi: "bhuñjatu bhavaṁ gotamo pāyasaṁ. Kassako bhavaṁ; yañhi bhavaṁ gotamo amatapphalaṁ kasiṁ kasatī"ti.
82
"Gāthābhigītaṁ me abhojaneyyaṁ,
Sampassataṁ brāhmaṇa nesa dhammo;
Gāthābhigītaṁ panudanti buddhā,
Dhamme satī brāhmaṇa vuttiresā.
83
Aññena ca kevalinaṁ mahesiṁ,
Khīṇāsavaṁ kukkuccavūpasantaṁ;
Annena pānena upaṭṭhahassu,
Khettaṁ hi taṁ puññapekkhassa hotī"ti.
"Atha kassa cāhaṁ, bho gotama, imaṁ pāyasaṁ dammī"ti? "Na khvāhaṁ taṁ, brāhmaṇa, passāmi sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya, yassa so pāyaso bhutto sammā pariṇāmaṁ gaccheyya, aññatra tathāgatassa vā tathāgatasāvakassa vā. Tena hi tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa, taṁ pāyasaṁ appaharite vā chaḍḍehi appāṇake vā udake opilāpehī"ti.
Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo taṁ pāyasaṁ appāṇake udake opilāpesi.
Atha kho so pāyaso udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati. Seyyathāpi nāma phālo divasaṁ santatto udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati; evamevaṁ so pāyaso udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati.
Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo saṁviggo lomahaṭṭhajāto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama, abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama. Seyyathāpi, bho gotama, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya, ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhotā gotamena anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito. Esāhaṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca, labheyyāhaṁ bhoto gotamassa santike pabbajjaṁ, labheyyaṁ upasampadan"ti.
Alattha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, alattha upasampadaṁ. Acirūpasampanno kho panāyasmā bhāradvājo eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto nacirasseva – yassatthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti, tadanuttaraṁ – brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāsi. "Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā"ti abbhaññāsi. Aññataro ca panāyasmā bhāradvājo arahataṁ ahosīti.
Kasibhāradvājasuttaṁ catutthaṁ.