1At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.

The brahmin Bharadvāja the Rude heard a rumor that a brahmin of the Bharadvāja clan had gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in the presence of the ascetic Gotama. Angry and displeased he went to the Buddha and abused and insulted him with rude, harsh words. When he had spoken, the Buddha said to him:

2“What do you think, brahmin? Do friends and colleagues, relatives and family members, and guests still come to visit you?”

“Sometimes they do, Master Gotama.”

“Do you then serve them with a variety of foods and savories?”

“Sometimes I do.”

“But if they don’t accept it, brahmin, who does it belong to?”

“In that case it still belongs to me.”

“In the same way, brahmin, when you abuse, harass, and attack us who do not abuse, harass, and attack, we don’t accept it. It still belongs to you, brahmin, it still belongs to you!

3Someone who, when abused, harassed, and attacked, abuses, harasses, and attacks in return is said to eat the food and have a reaction to it. But we neither eat your food nor do we have a reaction to it. It still belongs to you, brahmin, it still belongs to you!”

“The king and his retinue believe that Master Gotama is a perfected one. And yet he still gets angry.”

4“For one free of anger, tamed, living in balance,
freed by right knowledge,
at peace, poised:
where would anger come from?

5When you get angry at an angry person
you just make things worse for yourself.
When you don’t get angry at an angry person
you win a battle hard to win.

6When you know that the other is angry,
you act for the good of both
yourself and the other
if you’re mindful and stay calm.

7People unfamiliar with the teaching
consider one who heals both
oneself and the other
to be a fool.”

8When he had spoken, Bhāradvāja the Rude said to the Buddha: “Excellent, Master Gotama! … I go for refuge to Master Gotama, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. Sir, may I receive the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence?”

9And the brahmin Bhāradvāja the Rude received the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence. Not long after his ordination, Venerable Bhāradvāja the Rude, living alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute, soon realized the supreme end of the spiritual path in this very life. He lived having achieved with his own insight the goal for which gentlemen rightly go forth from the lay life to homelessness.

He understood: “Rebirth is ended; the spiritual journey has been completed; what had to be done has been done; there is no return to any state of existence.” And Venerable Bhāradvāja became one of the perfected.

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.

Assosi kho akkosakabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo: "bhāradvājagotto kira brāhmaṇo samaṇassa gotamassa santike agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito"ti kupito anattamano yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ asabbhāhi pharusāhi vācāhi akkosati paribhāsati.

2Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā akkosakabhāradvājaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ etadavoca: "taṁ kiṁ maññasi, brāhmaṇa, api nu kho te āgacchanti mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā atithiyo"ti?

"Appekadā me, bho gotama, āgacchanti mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā atithiyo"ti.

"Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, brāhmaṇa, api nu tesaṁ anuppadesi khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā sāyanīyaṁ vā"ti?

"Appekadā nesāhaṁ, bho gotama, anuppademi khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā sāyanīyaṁ vā"ti.

"Sace kho pana te, brāhmaṇa, nappaṭiggaṇhanti, kassa taṁ hotī"ti?

"Sace te, bho gotama, nappaṭiggaṇhanti, amhākameva taṁ hotī"ti.

"Evameva kho, brāhmaṇa, yaṁ tvaṁ amhe anakkosante akkosasi, arosente rosesi, abhaṇḍante bhaṇḍasi, taṁ te mayaṁ nappaṭiggaṇhāma. Tavevetaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hoti; tavevetaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hoti.

3Yo kho, brāhmaṇa, akkosantaṁ paccakkosati, rosentaṁ paṭiroseti, bhaṇḍantaṁ paṭibhaṇḍati, ayaṁ vuccati, brāhmaṇa, sambhuñjati vītiharatīti. Te mayaṁ tayā neva sambhuñjāma na vītiharāma. Tavevetaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hoti; tavevetaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hotī"ti.

"Bhavantaṁ kho gotamaṁ sarājikā parisā evaṁ jānāti: ‘arahaṁ samaṇo gotamo’ti. Atha ca pana bhavaṁ gotamo kujjhatī"ti.

4"Akkodhassa kuto kodho,
dantassa samajīvino;
Sammadaññā vimuttassa,
upasantassa tādino.

5Tasseva tena pāpiyo,
yo kuddhaṁ paṭikujjhati;
Kuddhaṁ appaṭikujjhanto,
saṅgāmaṁ jeti dujjayaṁ.

6Ubhinnamatthaṁ carati,
attano ca parassa ca;
Paraṁ saṅkupitaṁ ñatvā,
yo sato upasammati.

7Ubhinnaṁ tikicchantānaṁ,
attano ca parassa ca;
Janā maññanti bāloti,
ye dhammassa akovidā"ti.

8Evaṁ vutte, akkosakabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama … pe … esāhaṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. Labheyyāhaṁ, bhante, bhoto gotamassa santike pabbajjaṁ, labheyyaṁ upasampadan"ti.

9Alattha kho akkosakabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, alattha upasampadaṁ. Acirūpasampanno kho panāyasmā akkosakabhāradvājo 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.