1:4 With Bharadvaja the Farmer

So I have heard:

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Magadhans in the Southern Hills near the brahmin village of Ekanāḷa. Now at that time the brahmin Bhāradvāja the Farmer had harnessed around five hundred plows, it being the season for sowing. Then the Buddha robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, went to where Bhāradvāja the Farmer was working.

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Now at that time Bhāradvāja the Farmer was distributing food. Then the Buddha went to where the distribution was taking place and stood to one side.

Bhāradvāja the Farmer saw him standing for alms and said to him:

“I plough and sow, ascetic, and then I eat. You too should plough and sow, then you may eat.”

“I too plough and sow, brahmin, and then I eat.”

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“I don’t see Master Gotama with a yoke or plow or plowshare or goad or oxen, yet he says: ‘I too plough and sow, brahmin, and then I eat.’”

Then Bhāradvāja the Farmer addressed the Buddha in verse:

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Then Bhāradvāja the Farmer filled a large bronze dish with milk-rice and presented it to the Buddha: “Eat the milk-rice, Master Gotama, you are truly a farmer. For Master Gotama does the farming that has the Deathless as its fruit.”

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“Then, Master Gotama, to whom should I give the milk-rice?” “Brahmin, I don’t see anyone in this world—with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans—who can properly digest this milk-rice, except for the Realized One or one of his disciples. Well then, brahmin, throw out the milk-rice where there is little that grows, or drop it into water that has no living creatures.”

So Bhāradvāja the Farmer dropped the milk-rice in water that had no living creatures.

And when the milk-rice was placed in the water, it sizzled and hissed, steaming and fuming. Suppose there was an iron cauldron that had been heated all day. If you placed it in the water, it would sizzle and hiss, steaming and fuming. In the same way, when the milk-rice was placed in the water, it sizzled and hissed, steaming and fuming.

Then Bhāradvāja the Farmer, shocked and awestruck, went up to the Buddha, bowed down with his head at the Buddha’s feet, and said: “Excellent, Master Gotama! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with good eyes can see what’s there, Master Gotama has made the teaching clear in many ways. 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?” And Bhāradvāja the Farmer received the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence.

Not long after his ordination, Venerable Bhāradvāja, 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.

Kasibhāradvājasutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā magadhesu viharati dakkhiṇāgirismiṁ ekanāḷāyaṁ brāhmaṇagāme. Tena kho pana samayena kasibhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa pañcamattāni naṅgalasatāni payuttāni honti vappakāle. Atha kho bhagavā pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena kasibhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa kammanto tenupasaṅkami.

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Tena kho pana samayena kasibhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa parivesanā vattati. Atha kho bhagavā yena parivesanā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi.

Addasā kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ piṇḍāya ṭhitaṁ. Disvāna bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: 

" ahaṁ kho, samaṇa, kasāmi ca vapāmi ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjāmi. Tvampi, samaṇa, kasassu ca vapassu ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjassū"ti.

"Ahampi kho, brāhmaṇa, kasāmi ca vapāmi ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjāmī"ti.

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" Na kho pana mayaṁ passāma bhoto gotamassa yugaṁ vā naṅgalaṁ vā phālaṁ vā pācanaṁ vā balībadde vā. Atha ca pana bhavaṁ gotamo evamāha:  ‘ahampi kho, brāhmaṇa, kasāmi ca vapāmi ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjāmī’"ti.

Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi: 

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Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo mahatiyā kaṁsapātiyā pāyasaṁ vaḍḍhetvā bhagavato upanāmesi:  "bhuñjatu bhavaṁ gotamo pāyasaṁ. Kassako bhavaṁ; yañhi bhavaṁ gotamo amatapphalaṁ kasiṁ kasatī"ti.

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"Atha kassa cāhaṁ, bho gotama, imaṁ pāyasaṁ dammī"ti? "Na khvāhaṁ taṁ, brāhmaṇa, passāmi sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya, yassa so pāyaso bhutto sammā pariṇāmaṁ gaccheyya, aññatra tathāgatassa vā tathāgatasāvakassa vā. Tena hi tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa, taṁ pāyasaṁ appaharite vā chaḍḍehi appāṇake vā udake opilāpehī"ti.

Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo taṁ pāyasaṁ appāṇake udake opilāpesi.

Atha kho so pāyaso udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati. Seyyathāpi nāma phālo divasaṁ santatto udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati; evamevaṁ so pāyaso udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati.

Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo saṁviggo lomahaṭṭhajāto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā 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 bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca, labheyyāhaṁ bhoto gotamassa santike pabbajjaṁ, labheyyaṁ upasampadan"ti.

Alattha kho kasibhāradvājo 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. "Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā"ti abbhaññāsi. Aññataro ca panāyasmā bhāradvājo arahataṁ ahosīti.

Kasibhāradvājasuttaṁ catutthaṁ.