Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary.
Tena kho pana samayena aññatarassa bhāradvājagottassa brāhmaṇassa dhanañjānī nāma brāhmaṇī abhippasannā hoti buddhe ca dhamme ca saṅghe ca. Atha kho dhanañjānī brāhmaṇī bhāradvājagottassa brāhmaṇassa bhattaṁ upasaṁharantī upakkhalitvā tikkhattuṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
At that time, a brahmin woman named Dhanañjānī, the wife of a certain brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan, had |complete confidence::total faith [abhippasanna]| in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha. Once, while the brahmin woman Dhanañjānī was bringing the brahmin his meal, she stumbled, whereupon she uttered three times this inspired utterance:
“Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa.
“Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, the perfectly Awakened One.
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, the perfectly Awakened One.
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassā”ti.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, the perfectly Awakened One.”
Evaṁ vutte, bhāradvājagotto brāhmaṇo dhanañjāniṁ brāhmaṇiṁ etadavoca:
When this was said, the brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan said to the brahmin woman Dhanañjānī:
“evamevaṁ panāyaṁ vasalī yasmiṁ vā tasmiṁ vā tassa muṇḍakassa samaṇassa vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. Idāni tyāhaṁ, vasali, tassa satthuno vādaṁ āropessāmī”ti.
“This |outcast woman::low-caste person [vasalī]| is always speaking praise for that bald-headed ascetic, no matter where or when. Outcast woman, I will now go and dispute the doctrine of that teacher of yours.”
“Na khvāhaṁ taṁ, brāhmaṇa, passāmi sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya, yo tassa bhagavato vādaṁ āropeyya arahato sammāsambuddhassa. Api ca tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa, gaccha, gantvā vijānissasī”ti.
“I do not see anyone, brahmin, in this world with its |deities::gods [devas]|, |Māras::demons, tempters, beings of delusion; lit. causing death [mārake]|, |Brahmas::Gods; celestial beings residing in the Brahmā realms, often considered to be highly refined and long-lived deities. [brahmā]|, among this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, kings and commoners, who could dispute the doctrine of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the perfectly Awakened One. But still, brahmin, go. Having gone, you will find out for yourself.”
Atha kho bhāradvājagotto brāhmaṇo kupito anattamano yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho bhāradvājagotto brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
Then the brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan, angry and displeased, went to the Blessed One. Having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. After the exchange of courteous and pleasant conversation, he sat down to one side. While seated to one side, the brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan addressed the Blessed One in verse:
“Kiṁsu chetvā sukhaṁ seti,
kiṁsu chetvā na socati;
Kissassu ekadhammassa,
vadhaṁ rocesi gotamā”ti.
“What should one cut off to sleep with ease?
having slain what one does not |sorrow::grieve [socati]|?
Is there any single thing, |Gotama::family name of the Buddha [gotamā]|,
whose killing you approve of?”
“Kodhaṁ chetvā sukhaṁ seti,
kodhaṁ chetvā na socati;
Kodhassa visamūlassa,
madhuraggassa brāhmaṇa;
Vadhaṁ ariyā pasaṁsanti,
tañhi chetvā na socatī”ti.
[The Blessed One:] “Cutting off |anger::rage, wrath, fury, indignation [kodha]|, one sleeps with ease,
having slain anger, one sorrows no more;
For anger, with its poisonous root,
and honeyed tip, brahmin;
The Noble Ones praise its slaying—
for having cut it off, one grieves no more.”
Evaṁ vutte, bhāradvājagotto brāhmaṇo 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, bhante, bhagavantaṁ gotamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. Labheyyāhaṁ bhoto gotamassa santike pabbajjaṁ, labheyyaṁ upasampadan”ti.
When this was said, the brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan said to the Blessed One: “Excellent, venerable Gotama! Excellent, venerable Gotama! Just as if one might set upright what had been overturned, |reveal::uncover [vivarati]| what had been concealed, point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way, venerable Gotama, the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| has been |explained::illustrated [pakāsita]| by you in many ways. I go for refuge to the Blessed One Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the |Saṅgha::The community of monks and nuns practicing in line with the Buddha’s teachings. In the broader sense, this is the community of disciples who have realized the noble path and fruition through the Buddha’s teachings [saṅgha]| of bhikkhus. May I receive the going forth in the presence of the Blessed One Gotama, may I receive the full ordination.”
Alattha kho bhāradvājagotto 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.
Then the brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan received the going forth in the presence of the Blessed One, he received the full ordination. Having recently received full ordination, the venerable Bhāradvāja, dwelling alone, secluded, diligent, resolute, and with continuous effort, soon realized with direct knowledge, in this very life, the unsurpassed culmination of the spiritual life, for the purpose of which sons of good families rightly go forth from the household life to the homeless life, and having personally attained it, he dwelled in it.
“Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā”ti abbhaññāsi. Aññataro ca panāyasmā bhāradvājo arahataṁ ahosīti.
He understood: “Birth is ended, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of existence.” And the venerable Bhāradvāja became one among the |arahants::fully awakened ones, free from all mental defilements; worthy of offerings and veneration; also an epithet of the Buddha [arahant]|.