Verses on Dhamma 26.7: 7. Sāriputtattheravatthu

26.7.p1

Na brāhmaṇassāti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā jetavane viharanto sāriputtattheraṃ ārabbha kathesi.

No one should strike at a Brahman. This religious instruction was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to Elder Sāriputta.

26.7.p2

Ekasmiṃ kira ṭhāne sambahulā manussā ‘‘aho amhākaṃ, ayyo, khantibalena samannāgato, aññesu akkosantesu vā paharantesu vā kopamattampi natthī’’ti therassa guṇe kathayiṃsu. Atheko micchādiṭṭhiko brāhmaṇo ‘‘ko esa na kujjhatī’’ti pucchi. ‘‘Amhākaṃ thero’’ti. ‘‘Naṃ kujjhāpento na bhavissatī’’ti? ‘‘Natthetaṃ, brāhmaṇā’’ti. ‘‘Tena hi ahaṃ naṃ kujjhāpessāmī’’ti? ‘‘Sace sakkosi, kujjhāpehī’’ti. So ‘‘hotu, jānissāmissa kattabba’’nti theraṃ bhikkhāya paviṭṭhaṃ disvā pacchābhāgena gantvā piṭṭhimajjhe mahantaṃ pāṇippahāramadāsi. Thero ‘‘kiṃ nāmeta’’nti anoloketvāva gato. Brāhmaṇassa sakalasarīre ḍāho uppajji. So ‘‘aho guṇasampanno, ayyo’’ti therassa pādamūle nipajjitvā ‘‘khamatha me, bhante’’ti vatvā ‘‘kiṃ eta’’nti ca vutte ‘‘ahaṃ vīmaṃsanatthāya tumhe pahari’’nti āha. ‘‘Hotu khamāmi te’’ti. ‘‘Sace me, bhante, khamatha, mama geheyeva nisīditvā bhikkhaṃ gaṇhathā’’ti therassa pattaṃ gaṇhi, theropi pattaṃ adāsi. Brāhmaṇo theraṃ gehaṃ netvā parivisi.

The story goes that once upon a time several men gathered together at a certain place and rehearsed the noble qualities of the Elder, saying, "Oh, our noble master is endowed with patience to such a degree that even when men abuse him and strike him, he never gets the least bit angry!" Thereupon a certain Brahman who held false views asked, "Who is this that never gets angry?" "Our Elder." "It must be that nobody ever provoked him to anger." "That is not the case, Brahman." "Well then, I will provoke him to anger." "Provoke him to anger if you can!" "Trust me!" said the Brahman; "I know just what to do to him."

Just then the Elder entered the city for alms. When the Brahman

saw him, he stepped up behind him and struck him a tremendous blow with his fist in the back. “What was that?” said the Elder, and without so much as turning around to look, continued on his way. The fire of remorse sprang up within every part of the Brahman’s body. “Oh, how noble are the qualities with which the Elder is endowed!” exclaimed the Brahman. And prostrating himself at the Elder’s feet, he said, “Pardon me, Reverend Sir.” “What do you mean?” asked the Elder. “I wanted to try your patience and struck you.” “Very well, I pardon you.” “If, Reverend Sir, you are willing to pardon me, hereafter sit and receive your food only in my house.” So saying, the Brahman took the Elder’s bowl, the Elder yielding it willingly, and conducting him to his house, served him with food.

26.7.p3

Manussā kujjhitvā ‘‘iminā amhākaṃ niraparādho ayyo pahaṭo, daṇḍenapissa mokkho natthi, ettheva naṃ māressāmā’’ti leḍḍudaṇḍādihatthā brāhmaṇassa gehadvāre aṭṭhaṃsu. Thero uṭṭhāya gacchanto brāhmaṇassa hatthe pattaṃ adāsi. Manussā taṃ therena saddhiṃ gacchantaṃ disvā, ‘‘bhante, tumhākaṃ pattaṃ gahetvā brāhmaṇaṃ nivattethā’’ti āhaṃsu. Kiṃ etaṃ upāsakāti? Brāhmaṇena tumhe pahaṭā, mayamassa kattabbaṃ jānissāmāti. Kiṃ pana tumhe iminā pahaṭā, udāhu ahanti? Tumhe, bhanteti. ‘‘Maṃ esa paharitvā khamāpesi, gacchatha tumhe’’ti manusse uyyojetvā brāhmaṇaṃ nivattāpetvā thero vihārameva gato. Bhikkhū ujjhāyiṃsu ‘‘kiṃ nāmetaṃ sāriputtatthero yena brāhmaṇena pahaṭo, tasseva gehe nisīditvā bhikkhaṃ gahetvā āgato. Therassa pahaṭakālato paṭṭhāya idāni so kassa lajjissati, avasese pothento vicarissatī’’ti. Satthā āgantvā ‘‘kāya nuttha, bhikkhave, etarahi kathāya sannisinnā’’ti pucchitvā ‘‘imāya nāmā’’ti vutte, ‘‘bhikkhave, brāhmaṇo brāhmaṇaṃ paharanto nāma natthi, gihibrāhmaṇena pana samaṇabrāhmaṇo pahaṭo bhavissati, kodho nāmesa anāgāmimaggena samugghātaṃ gacchatī’’ti vatvā dhammaṃ desento imā gāthā abhāsi –

The bystanders were filled with anger. “This fellow,” said they, “struck with his staff our noble Elder, who is free from all offense; he must not be allowed to get away; we will kill him right here and now.” And taking clods of earth and sticks and stones into their hands, they stood waiting at the door of the Brahman’s house. As the Elder rose from his seat to go, he placed his bowl in the hand of the Brahman. When the bystanders saw the Brahman going out with the Elder, they said, “Reverend Sir, order this Brahman who has taken your bowl to turn back.” “What do you mean, lay disciples?” “That Brahman struck you and we are going to do for him after his deserts.” “What do you mean? Did he strike you or me?” “You, Reverend Sir.” “If he struck me, he begged my pardon; go your way.” So saying, he dismissed the bystanders, and permitting the Brahman to turn back, the Elder went back again to the monastery.

The monks were highly offended. “What sort of thing is this!” they exclaimed; “a Brahman struck the Elder Sāriputta a blow, and the Elder straightway went back to the house of the very Brahman who struck him and accepted food at his hands! From the moment he struck the Elder, for whom will he any longer have any respect? He will go about pounding everybody right and left.” At that moment the Teacher drew near. “Monks,” said he, “what is the subject that engages your attention now as you sit here all gathered together?” “This was the subject we were discussing.” Said the Teacher, “Monks, no Brahman ever strikes another Brahman; it must have been a householder-Brahman who struck a monk-Brahman; for when a man attains the Fruit of the Third Path, all anger is utterly destroyed in him.” So saying, he expounded the Law, pronouncing the following Stanzas, 389. No one should strike at a Brahman, nor should a Brahman let fly at his assailant. Woe be to him that strikes a Brahman! Woe be to that Brahman who lets fly at his assailant!

26.7.389

‘‘Na brāhmaṇassa pahareyya, nāssa muñcetha brāhmaṇo;
Dhī brāhmaṇassa hantāraṃ, tato dhī yassa muñcati.

26.7.390

‘‘Na brāhmaṇassetadakiñci seyyo, yadā nisedho manaso piyehi;
Yato yato hiṃsamano nivattati, tato tato sammatimeva dukkha’’nti.

390. It is no small advantage to a Brahman if he restrain his mind from things that
are dear to him;
As fast as the intent to injure declines, so fast indeed does suffering subside.

26.7.390_2

Tattha pahareyyāti ‘‘khīṇāsavabrāhmaṇohamasmī’’ti jānanto khīṇāsavassa vā aññatarassa vā jātibrāhmaṇassa na pahareyya. Nāssa muñcethāti sopi pahaṭo khīṇāsavabrāhmaṇo assa paharitvā ṭhitassa veraṃ na muñcetha, tasmiṃ kopaṃ na kareyyāti attho. Dhī brāhmaṇassāti khīṇāsavabrāhmaṇassa hantāraṃ garahāmi. Tato dhīti yo pana taṃ paharantaṃ paṭipaharanto tassa upari veraṃ muñcati, taṃ tatopi garahāmiyeva.

26.7.390_3

Etadakiñci seyyoti yaṃ khīṇāsavassa akkosantaṃ vā apaccakkosanaṃ, paharantaṃ vā appaṭipaharaṇaṃ, etaṃ tassa khīṇāsavabrāhmaṇassa na kiñci seyyo, appamattakaṃ seyyo na hoti, adhimattameva seyyoti attho. Yadā nisedho manaso piyehīti kodhanassa hi kodhuppādova manaso piyo nāma. Kodho hi panesa mātāpitūsupi buddhādīsupi aparajjhati. Tasmā yo assa tehi manaso nisedho kodhavasena uppajjamānassa cittassa niggaho, etaṃ na kiñci seyyoti attho. Hiṃsamanoti kodhamano. So tassa yato yato vatthuto anāgāmimaggena samugghātaṃ gacchanto nivattati. Tato tatoti tato tato vatthuto sakalampi vaṭṭadukkhaṃ nivattatiyevāti attho.

26.7.390_4

Desanāvasāne bahū sotāpattiphalādīni pāpuṇiṃsūti.

26.7.390_5

Sāriputtattheravatthu sattamaṃ.