Sutta Nipata 3.9: Vasetthasutta

So it was heard by me:

At one time Bhagavat dwelt at Icchanankala, in the Icchanankala forest. At that time many distinguished, wealthy Brahmanas lived at Icchanankala, as the Brahmana Cankin, the Brahmana Tarukkha, the Brahmana Pokkharasati, the Brahmana Janussoni, the Brahmana Todeyya, and other distinguished, wealthy Brahmanas.

Then this dialogue arose between the young men Vasettha and Bharadvaja while walking about:

‘How does one become a Brahmana?’

The young man Bharadvaja said: ‘When one is noble by birth on both sides, on the mother’s and on the father’s side, of pure conception up to the seventh generation of ancestors, not discarded and not reproached in point of birth, in this way one is a Brahmana.’

The young man Vasettha said: ‘When one is virtuous and endowed with (holy) works, in this way he is a Brahmana.’

Neither could the young man Bharadvaja convince the young man Vasettha, nor could the young man Vasettha convince the young man Bharadvaja. Then the young man Vasettha addressed the young man Bharadvaja: ‘O Bharadvaja, this Samana Gotama, the Sakya son, gone out from the Sakya family, dwells at Icchanankala, in the forest of Icchanankala, and the following good praising words met the venerable Gotama: “And so he is Bhagavat, the venerable, the enlightened, the glorious, let us go, O venerable Bharadvaja, let us go (to the place) where the Samana Gotama is, and having gone there let us ask the Samana Gotama about this matter, and as the Samana Gotama replies so will we understand it.”’

‘Very well, O venerable one,’ so the young man Bharadvaja answered the young man Vasettha.

Then the young men Vasettha and Bharadvaja went (to the place) where Bhagavat was, and having gone, they talked pleasantly with Bhagavat, and after having had some pleasant and remarkable conversation (with him) they sat down apart. Sitting down apart the young man Vasettha addressed Bhagavat in stanzas:

‘We are accepted and acknowledged masters of the three Vedas, I am (a pupil) of Pokkharasati, and this young man is (the pupil) of Tarukkha.

‘We are accomplished in all the knowledge propounded by those who are acquainted with the three Vedas, we are padakas (versed in the metre), veyyakaranas (grammarians?), and equal to our teachers in recitation (jappa).

‘We have a controversy regarding (the distinctions of) birth, O Gotama! Bharadvaja says, one is a Brahmana by birth, and I say, by deeds; know this, O thou clearly-seeing!

‘We are both unable to convince each other, (therefore) we have come to ask thee (who art) celebrated as perfectly enlightened.

‘As people adoring the full moon worship (her) with uplifted clasped hands, so (they worship) Gotama in the world.

‘We ask Gotama who has come as an eye to the world: Is a man a Brahmana by birth, or is he so by deeds? Tell us who do not know, that we may know a Brahmana.’

‘I will explain to you,—O Vasettha,’ so said Bhagavat,—‘in due order the exact distinction of living beings according to species, for their species are manifold.

‘Know ye the grass and the trees, although they do not exhibit (it), the marks that constitute species are for them, and (their) species are manifold.

‘Then (know ye) the worms, and the moths, and the different sorts of ants, the marks, that constitute species are for them, and (their) species are manifold.

‘Know ye also the four-footed (animals), small and great, the marks that constitute species are for them, and (their) species are manifold.

‘Know ye also the serpents, the long-backed snakes, the marks that constitute species are for them, and (their) species are manifold.

‘Then know ye also the fish which range in the water, the marks that constitute species are for them, and (their) species are manifold.

‘Then know ye also the birds that are borne along on wings and move through the air, the marks that constitute species are for them, and (their) species are manifold.

‘As in these species the marks that constitute species are abundant, so in men the marks that constitute species are not abundant.

‘Not as regards their hair, head, ears, eyes, mouth, nose, lips, or brows,

‘Nor as regards their neck, shoulders, belly, back, hip, breast, female organ, sexual intercourse,

‘Nor as regards their hands, feet, palms, nails, calves, thighs, colour, or voice are there marks that constitute species as in other species.

‘Difference there is in beings endowed with bodies, but amongst men this is not the case, the difference amongst men is nominal (only).

‘For whoever amongst men lives by cow-keeping,—know this, O Vasettha,—he is a husbandman, not a Brahmana.

‘And whoever amongst men lives by different mechanical arts,—know this, O Vasettha,—he is an artisan, not a Brahmana.

‘And whoever amongst men lives by trade,—know this, O Vasettha,—he is a merchant, not a Brahmana.

‘And whoever amongst men lives by serving others,—know this, O Vasettha,—he is a servant, not a Brahmana.

‘And whoever amongst men lives by theft,—know this, O Vasettha,—he is a thief, not a Brahmana.

‘And whoever amongst men lives by archery,—know this, O Vasettha,—he is a soldier, not a Brahmana.

‘And whoever amongst men lives by performing household ceremonials,—know this, O Vasettha,—he is a sacrificer, not a Brahmana.

‘And whoever amongst men possesses villages and countries,—know this, O Vasettha,—he is a king, not a Brahmana.

‘And I do not call one a Brahmana on account of his birth or of his origin from (a particular) mother; he may be called bhovadi, and he may be wealthy, (but) the one who is possessed of nothing and seizes upon nothing, him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever, after cutting all bonds, does not tremble, has shaken off (all) ties and is liberated, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who, after cutting the strap (i.e. enmity), the thong (i.e. attachment), and the rope (i.e. scepticism) with all that pertains to it, has destroyed (all) obstacles (i.e. ignorance), the enlightened (buddha), him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever, being innocent, endures reproach, blows, and bonds, the man who is strong in (his) endurance and has for his army this strength, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who is free from anger, endowed with (holy) works, virtuous, without desire, subdued, and wearing the last body, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who, like water on a lotus leaf, or a mustard seed on the point of a needle, does not cling to sensual pleasures, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who knows in this world the destruction of his pain, who has laid aside (his) burden, and is liberated, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who has a profound understanding, who is wise, who knows the true way and the wrong way, who has attained the highest good, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who does not mix with householders nor with the houseless, who wanders about without a house, and who has few wants, him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever, after refraining from hurting (living) creatures, (both) those that tremble and those that are strong, does not kill or cause to be killed, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who is not hostile amongst the hostile, who is peaceful amongst the violent, not seizing (upon anything) amongst those that seize (upon everything), him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man whose passion and hatred, arrogance and hypocrisy have dropt like a mustard seed from the point of a needle, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man that utters true speech, instructive and free from harshness, by which he does not offend any one, him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever in the world does not take what has not been given (to him), be it long or short, small or large, good or bad, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who has no desire for this world or the next, who is desireless and liberated, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who has no desire, who knowingly is free from doubt, and has attained the depth of immortality, him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever in this world has overcome good and evil, both ties, who is free from grief and defilement, and is pure, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man that is stainless like the moon, pure, serene, and undisturbed, who has destroyed joy, him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever has passed over this quagmire difficult to pass, (who has passed over) revolution (samsara) and folly, who has crossed over, who has reached the other shore, who is meditative, free from desire and doubt, calm without seizing (upon anything), him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever in this world, after abandoning sensual pleasures, wanders about houseless, and has destroyed the existence of sensual pleasures (kamabhava), him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever in this world, after abandoning desire, wanders about houseless, and has destroyed the existence of desire (tanhabhava), him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever, after leaving human attachment (yoga), has overcome divine attachment, and is liberated from all attachment, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man that, after leaving pleasure and disgust, is calm and free from the elements of existence (nirupadhi), who is a hero, and has conquered all the world, him I call a Brahmana.

‘Whosoever knows wholly the vanishing and reappearance of beings, does not cling to (anything), is happy (sugata), and enlightened, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man whose way neither gods nor Gandhabbas nor men know, and whose passions are destroyed, who is a saint, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man for whom there is nothing, neither before nor after nor in the middle, who possesses nothing, and does not seize (upon anything), him I call a Brahmana.

‘The (man that is undaunted like a) bull, who is eminent, a hero, a great sage (mahesi), victorious, free from desire, purified, enlightened, him I call a Brahmana.

‘The man who knows his former dwellings, who sees both heaven and hell, and has reached the destruction of births, him I call a Brahmana.

‘For what has been designated as “name” and “family” in the world is only a term, what has been designated here and there is understood by common consent.

‘Adhered to for a long time are the views of the ignorant, the ignorant tell us, one is a Brahmana by birth.

‘Not by birth is one a Brahmana, nor is one by birth no Brahmana; by work (kammana) one is a Brahmana, by work one is no Brahmana.

‘By work one is a husbandman, by work one is an artisan, by work one is a merchant, by work one is a servant.

‘By work one is a thief, by work one is a soldier, by work one is a sacrificer, by work one is a king.

‘So the wise, who see the cause of things and understand the result of work, know this work as it really is.

‘By work the world exists, by work mankind exists, beings are bound by work as the linch-pin of the rolling cart (keeps the wheel on).

‘By penance, by a religious life, by self-restraint, and by temperance, by this one is a Brahmana, such a one (they call) the best Brahmana.

‘He who is endowed with the threefold knowledge, is calm, and has destroyed regeneration,—know this, O Vasettha,—he is to the wise Brahman and Sakka.’

This having been said, the young men Vasettha and Bharadvaja spoke to Bhagavat as follows:

‘It is excellent, O venerable Gotama! It is excellent, O venerable Gotama! As one raises what has been overthrown, or reveals what has been hidden, or tells the way to him who has gone astray, or holds out an oil lamp in the dark that those who have eyes may see the objects, even so by the venerable Gotama in manifold ways the Dhamma has been illustrated; we take refuge in the venerable Gotama, in the Dhamma, and in the Assembly of Bhikkhus; may the venerable Gotama receive us as followers (upasaka), who from this day for life have taken refuge (in him).’