1At Sāvatthī. Now on that occasion the bhikkhu Kokalika was sick, afflicted, gravely ill Then, when the night had advanced, the independent brahma Tudu, of stunning beauty, advanced, the independent brahma Tudu, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta's Grove, approached the bhikkhu Kokalika. [n.402] In Be the deity's name is Turu. Spk explains that in his previous birth he had been Kokalika's preceptor; he passed away as a nonreturner and had been reborn in the brahma world. He heard about Kokalika's attempt to malign Sāriputta and Moggallana and came to advise him to abandon this misguided behaviour. Having approached, he stood in the air and said to the bhikkhu Kokalika : "Place confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallana, Kokalika. Sāriputta and Moggallana are well behaved."

"Who are you, friend?"

"I am the independent brahma Tudu."

"Didn’t the Blessed One declare you to be a nonreturner, friend? Then why have you come back here? See how far you have transgressed." [n.403] Since the Buddha had declared Tudu a nonreturner, Kokalika reproves him for reappearing in the human world. A nonreturning brahma does not, of course, take rebirth into the human world, but he may manifest himself to humans. Spk paraphrases: "He does not see the boil on his own forehead, yet he thinks he should reproach me for a pimple the size of a mustard seed." Tudu then realized the wretch was incorrigible and spoke the following verses.

Brahma Tudu:

2v.588 "When a person has taken birth
An axe is born inside his mouth
With which the fool cuts himself
Uttering defamatory speech.

3v.589 "He who praises one deserving blame,
Or blames one deserving praise,
Casts with his mouth an unlucky throw
By which he finds no happiness. [n.404] In v. 589 I have translated pāda c a little freely in order to make more apparent the connection with v. 590. Literally it should be rendered: "The fool collects a disaster with his mouth." Kali means both the losing throw at dice and a disaster.

4v.590 "Trifling is the unlucky throw
That brings the loss of wealth at dice,
The loss of all, oneself included;
Worse by far—this unlucky throw
Of harbouring hate against the fortunate ones. [n.405] Spk paraphrases pādas a-c: "This misfortune is trifling, that is, the loss of wealth at dice along with all that one owns too, including oneself." Spk glosses sugatesu, "fortunate ones," in pāda e as sammaggatesu puggalesu, "persons who have rightly attained"; thus here the term refers more widely to all arahants, not only to the Buddha. The verse is also at Uv 8:4, minus pāda c (which Norman considers a later addition), and at P-Dhp 301, which includes pāda c but with saddhammam pi in place of SN's sabbassa pi. For a theory regarding the historical evolution of the verse, see GD, p. 268, n. to 659.

5v.591 "For a hundred thousand nirabbudas
And thirty-six more, and five abbudas,
The maligner of noble ones goes to hell,
Having set evil speech and mind against them."

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Tena kho pana samayena kokāliko bhikkhu ābādhiko hoti dukkhito bāḷhagilāno. Atha kho turū paccekabrahmā abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena kokāliko bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā vehāsaṁ ṭhito kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: "pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā"ti.

"Kosi tvaṁ, āvuso"ti?

"Ahaṁ turū paccekabrahmā"ti.

"Nanu tvaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā anāgāmī byākato, atha kiñcarahi idhāgato? Passa, yāvañca te idaṁ aparaddhan"ti.

2"Purisassa hi jātassa,
kuṭhārī jāyate mukhe;
Yāya chindati attānaṁ,
bālo dubbhāsitaṁ bhaṇaṁ.

3Yo nindiyaṁ pasaṁsati,
Taṁ vā nindati yo pasaṁsiyo;
Vicināti mukhena so kaliṁ,
Kalinā tena sukhaṁ na vindati.

4Appamattako ayaṁ kali,
Yo akkhesu dhanaparājayo;
Sabbassāpi sahāpi attanā,
Ayameva mahantataro kali;
Yo sugatesu manaṁ padosaye.

5Sataṁ sahassānaṁ nirabbudānaṁ,
Chattiṁsati pañca ca abbudāni;
Yamariyagarahī nirayaṁ upeti,
Vācaṁ manañca paṇidhāya pāpakan"ti.