1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary. Now on that occasion the wife of a certain brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan, a brahmin lady named Dhanañjani, had full confidence in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha. [n.428] The story related here is also at Dhp-a IV,161–63; see BL 3:288–89. The opening is similar to that of MN No. 100 (II 209,21 foll.), which concerns a brahmin lady of the same name, there spelt Dhanañjanī. Spk: The Dhanañjani clan was reputed to be the highest clan of brahmins. They believed that while other brahmins had been born from Brahma's mouth, they themselves had issued from the top of his head. This woman was a noble disciple, a stream-enterer, but her husband was staunchly opposed to the Buddha’s dispensation and would block his ears whenever she spoke in praise of the Triple Gem. Once, while the brahmin lady Dhanañjani was bringing the brahmin his meal, she stumbled, whereupon she uttered three times this inspired utterance:

2"Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One!

3Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One!

4Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One!" [n.429] Spk: The brahmin had invited five hundred fellow brahmins to a banquet. The previous day he had pleaded with his wife not to disgrace him by praising the Buddha before his peers. When she stumbled over a stack of fire-wood while serving food to the brahmins, she knelt down and paid homage to the Buddha. Scandalized by this, the brahmins reviled her husband and walked out without even finishing their meal.

5When this was said, the brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan said to her: "For the slightest thing this wretched woman spouts out praise of that shaveling ascetic! Now, wretched woman, I am going to refute the doctrine of that teacher of yours.ʺ [n.430] Vasali, here rendered "wretched woman," is a term of severe contempt, used by the brahmins to address outcasts.

"I do not see anyone, brahmin, in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahma, in this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, who could refute the doctrine of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One. But go, brahmin. When you have gone, you will understand."

6Then the brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan, angry and displeased, approached the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side sn.i.161 and addressed the Blessed One in verse: [n.431] The verses have already appeared at 1:71 and 2:3, with different narrative settings. This illustrates once again how the “floating mass” of didactic verses could be freely drawn upon to suit different pedagogical requirements.
Spk: He formulated his question with the following intent: “If he says, ‘I approve of the killing of such and such,’ then I’ll call him a killer and challenge his claim to be an ascetic; but if he says he doesn’t approve of any killing, I’ll say, ‘Then you don’t desire the killing of lust, etc., so why do you wander about as an ascetic?’ Thus the ascetic Gotama will be caught on the horns of this dilemma, unable either to swallow it or to cough it up.” He greeted the Buddha cordially in order to hide his anger.

The Blessed One:

9When this was said, the brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama! The Dhamma has been made clear in many ways by Master Gotama, as though he were turning upright what had been turned upside down, revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the dark for those with eyesight to see forms. I go for refuge to Master Gotama, and to the Dhamma, and to the Bhikkhu Saṅgha. May I receive the going forth under Master Gotama, may I receive the higher ordination?"

10Then the brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan received the going forth under the Blessed One, he received the higher ordination. And soon, not long after his higher ordination, dwelling alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent, and resolute, the Venerable Bharadvaja, by realizing it for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life entered and dwelt in that unsurpassed goal of the holy life for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the household life into homelessness. He directly knew: "Destroyed is birth, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being." [n.432] See n. 376. And the Venerable Bharadvaja became one of the arahants.

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. 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:

2"Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa.

3Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa.

4Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassā"ti.

5Evaṁ vutte, bhāradvājagotto brāhmaṇo dhanañjāniṁ brāhmaṇiṁ etadavoca: "evamevaṁ panāyaṁ vasalī yasmiṁ vā tasmiṁ vā tassa muṇḍakassa samaṇassa vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. Idāni tyāhaṁ, vasali, tassa satthuno vādaṁ āropessāmī"ti.

"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.

6Atha 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:

9Evaṁ 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.

10Alattha kho bhāradvājagotto brāhmaṇo bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, alattha upasampadaṁ. Acirūpasampanno kho panāyasmā bhāradvājo eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihāranto 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.