1.4. The Farmer Bhāradvaja

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:

“Kassako paṭijānāsi,

na ca passāma te kasiṁ;

Kasiṁ no pucchito brūhi,

yathā jānemu te kasiṁ”.

“Saddhā bījaṁ tapo vuṭṭhi,

paññā me yuganaṅgalaṁ;

Hirī īsā mano yottaṁ,

sati me phālapācanaṁ.

Kāyagutto vacīgutto,

āhāre udare yato;

Saccaṁ karomi niddānaṁ,

soraccaṁ me pamocanaṁ.

Vīriyaṁ me dhuradhorayhaṁ,

yogakkhemādhivāhanaṁ;

Gacchati anivattantaṁ,

yattha gantvā na socati.

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.

“Gāthābhigītaṁ me abhojaneyyaṁ,

Sampassataṁ brāhmaṇa nesa dhammo;

Gāthābhigītaṁ panudanti buddhā,

Dhamme satī brāhmaṇa vuttiresā.

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.

SC 1Thus have I heard:

SC 2At one time the Radiant One was dwelling among the Magadhans at South Mountain near the brahmin village of Ekanāḷā. Now at that time the brahmin Kasī-Bhāradvāja had five hundred ploughs fastened to their yokes at the time of “planting”. Then in the morning the Radiant One dressed and, taking bowl and robe, went to the place where the brahmin Kasī-Bhāradvāja was working.

SC 3At that time the brahmin Kasī-Bhāradvāja’s food distribution was happening. Then the Radiant One approached the place for the distribution of food and stood to one side. The brahmin Kasī-Bhāradvāja saw the Radiant One standing for alms and said to him:

SC 4“Samaṇa, I plough and plant, and when I have ploughed and planted, I eat. You too, samaṇa, ought to plough and plant; then when you have ploughed and planted, you will eat.”

SC 5“But I too, brahmin, plough and plant, and when I have ploughed and planted, I eat.”

SC 6“But we do not see Master Gotama’s yoke or plough or ploughshare or goad or oxen; yet Master Gotama says, “I too brahmin, plough and plant, and when I have ploughed and planted, I eat.”

SC 7Then the brahmin Kasī-Bhāradvāja addressed the Radiant One in verse:

SC 8SC Verse 76Kasī-Bhāradvāja
A ploughman, so you claim to be
but we see not your ploughmanship.
If you’re a ploughman, answer me,
make clear your ploughmanship!

SC 9SC Verse 77Buddha
“With faith as seed and practice,
rain and learning as my yoke and plough;
my plough-pole, conscientiousness,
memory, goad and ploughshare both.

SC 10SC Verse 78My body’s guarded, so is my speech,
Restrained is my belly’s food,
The act of Truth is my cutting-off,
Gentleness is my release.

SC 11SC Verse 79My harnessed ox is energy—
draws safe for yoking’s end,
goes to where no sorrow is
and turns not back again.

SC 12SC Verse 80In this way is my ploughing ploughed
towards the crop of Deathlessness—
who finishes this ploughing’s work
from all dukkha will be free.

SC 13Then Kasī-Bhāradvāja had a large bronze bowl filled with milk-rice and brought to the Radiant One. “May it please Master Gotama to eat the milk-rice, Master Gotama is a ploughman, since he does the ploughing that has the Deathless as its crop.”

SC 14SC Verse 81Buddha
Chanting sacred verses for comestibles
is not done by me;
for those who rightly See, Brahmin,
it accords not with Dharma.
Chanting sacred verses thus
is rejected by the Buddhas,
such is the Dharma, Brahmin,
such is their practice.

SC 15SC Verse 82A great seer with Final Knowledge, conflicts stilled.
one who has exhausted taints, is wholly free—
make offerings of food and drink to such a one:
the certain field for one who merit seeks.

SC 16When this was said the brahmin Kasī-Bhāradvāja exclaimed to the Radiant One: “Magnificent, Master Gotama! The Dharma has been clarified by Master Gotama in many ways, as though he was righting what had been overturned, revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms. I go for refuge to Master Gotama, to the Dharma and to the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. May Master Gotama remember me as an upāsaka who from today has gone for Refuge for life.”