Cunda

83“I ask the sage abounding in wisdom,”
said Cunda the smith,
“the Buddha, master of the teaching, free of craving,
best of men, excellent charioteer, please tell me this:
how many ascetics are there in the world?”

Buddha

84“There are four ascetics, not a fifth.”
said the Buddha to Cunda,
“Being asked to bear witness, I will explain them to you:
the path-victor, the path-teacher,
the path-liver, and the path-wrecker.”

Cunda

85“Who is a path-victor according to the Buddhas?”
said Cunda the smith,
“and how is one an unequaled path-explainer?
Tell me when asked about one who lives the path,
then declare the path-wrecker.”

Buddha

86“Rid of doubt, free of thorns,
delighting in quenching, not fawning,
a guide for the world with its gods.
The Buddhas say one such is victor of the path.

87 Knowing the ultimate as ultimate,
they explain and analyze the teaching right here.
That sage unstirred, with doubt cut off,
is the second mendicant, I say, the path-teacher.

88 Living restrained and mindful on the path
of the well-taught passages of teaching,
cultivating blameless states,
is the third mendicant, I say, the path-liver.

89Dressed like one true to their vows,
pushy, rude, a corrupter of families,
devious, unrestrained, chaff,
the path-wrecker’s life is a sham.

90A layperson who gets this,
a learned, wise noble disciple,
knows that ‘They are not all like that one’.
So when they see them they don’t lose their faith.
For how could one equate them—
the corrupt with the uncorrupt, the pure with the impure?”

(iti cundo kammāraputto):

83"Pucchāmi muniṁ pahūtapaññaṁ,
Buddhaṁ dhammassāmiṁ vītataṇhaṁ;
Dvipaduttamaṁ sārathīnaṁ pavaraṁ,
Kati loke samaṇā tadiṅgha brūhi".

84 "Caturo samaṇā na pañcamatthi,
Te te āvikaromi sakkhipuṭṭho;
Maggajino maggadesako ca,
Magge jīvati yo ca maggadūsī".

(iti cundo kammāraputto):

85 "Kaṁ maggajinaṁ vadanti buddhā,
Maggakkhāyī kathaṁ atulyo hoti;
Magge jīvati me brūhi puṭṭho,
Atha me āvikarohi maggadūsiṁ".

86 "Yo tiṇṇakathaṅkatho visallo,
Nibbānābhirato anānugiddho;
Lokassa sadevakassa netā,
Tādiṁ maggajinaṁ vadanti buddhā.

87 Paramaṁ paramanti yodha ñatvā,
Akkhāti vibhajate idheva dhammaṁ;
Taṁ kaṅkhachidaṁ muniṁ anejaṁ,
Dutiyaṁ bhikkhunamāhu maggadesiṁ.

88 Yo dhammapade sudesite,
Magge jīvati saññato satīmā;
Anavajjapadāni sevamāno,
Tatiyaṁ bhikkhunamāhu maggajīviṁ.

89 Chadanaṁ katvāna subbatānaṁ,
Pakkhandī kuladūsako pagabbho;
Māyāvī asaññato palāpo,
Patirūpena caraṁ sa maggadūsī.

90 Ete ca paṭivijjhi yo gahaṭṭho,
Sutavā ariyasāvako sapañño;
Sabbe netādisāti ñatvā,
Iti disvā na hāpeti tassa saddhā;
Kathaṁ hi duṭṭhena asampaduṭṭhaṁ,
Suddhaṁ asuddhena samaṁ kareyyā"ti.