The Discourse about the Elders

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahāmoggallāno āyasmā ca mahākassapo āyasmā ca mahākaccāno āyasmā ca mahākoṭṭhiko āyasmā ca mahākappino āyasmā ca mahācundo āyasmā ca anuruddho āyasmā ca revato āyasmā ca nando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu.

Addasā kho bhagavā te āyasmante dūratova āgacchante;

disvāna bhikkhū āmantesi:

“ete, bhikkhave, brāhmaṇā āgacchanti;

ete, bhikkhave, brāhmaṇā āgacchantī”ti.

Evaṁ vutte, aññataro brāhmaṇajātiko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, brāhmaṇo hoti, katame ca pana brāhmaṇakaraṇā dhammā”ti?

Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:

“Bāhitvā pāpake dhamme,

ye caranti sadā satā;

Khīṇasaṁyojanā buddhā,

te ve lokasmi brāhmaṇā”ti.

Pañcamaṁ.

SC 1Thus I heard: At one time the Gracious One was dwelling near Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Wood, at Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then at that time venerable Sāriputta, venerable Mahāmoggallāna, venerable Mahākassapa, venerable Mahākaccāyana, venerable Mahākoṭṭhita, venerable Mahākappina, venerable Mahācunda, venerable Anuruddha, venerable Revata, and venerable Nanda went to the Gracious One.

SC 2The Gracious One saw those venerable ones coming while still far away, and having seen them, he addressed the monks saying: “These brāhmaṇas are coming, monks; these brāhmaṇas are coming, monks.”

SC 3After that was said, a certain monk who was a brāhmaṇa by birth, said to the Gracious One: “To what extent, dear Gotama, is one a brāhmaṇa? And again what things make one a brāhmaṇa?”

SC 4Then the Gracious One, having understood the significance of it, on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:

SC 5“Those who, having removed bad things, live always mindful,
The Buddhas who have destroyed the fetters,
truly they are brāhmaṇas in the world.”