With Bhāradvāja the FarmerKasibhāradvājasutta

So I have heard.Evaṁ me sutaṁ— At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Magadhans in the Southern Hills near the brahmin village of Ekanāḷa.ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā magadhesu viharati dakkhiṇāgirismiṁ ekanāḷāyaṁ brāhmaṇagāme. Now at that time the brahmin Bhāradvāja the Farmer had harnessed around five hundred plows, it being the season for sowing.Tena kho pana samayena kasibhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa pañcamattāni naṅgalasatāni payuttāni honti vappakāle. Then the Buddha robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, went to where Bhāradvāja the Farmer was working.Atha kho bhagavā pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena kasibhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa kammanto tenupasaṅkami. Now at that time Bhāradvāja the Farmer was distributing food.Tena kho pana samayena kasibhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa parivesanā vattati. Then the Buddha went to where the distribution was taking place and stood to one side.Atha kho bhagavā yena parivesanā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi.

Bhāradvāja the Farmer saw him standing for almsAddasā kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ piṇḍāya ṭhitaṁ. and said to him,Disvāna bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “I plough and sow, ascetic, and then I eat.“ahaṁ kho, samaṇa, kasāmi ca vapāmi ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjāmi. You too should plough and sow, then you may eat.”Tvampi, samaṇa, kasassu ca vapassu ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjassū”ti.

“I too plough and sow, brahmin, and then I eat.”“Ahampi kho, brāhmaṇa, kasāmi ca vapāmi ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjāmī”ti. “I don’t see the worthy Gotama with a yoke or plow or plowshare or goad or oxen, yet he says:“Na kho pana mayaṁ passāma bhoto gotamassa yugaṁ vā naṅgalaṁ vā phālaṁ vā pācanaṁ vā balībadde vā. ‘I too plough and sow, brahmin, and then I eat.’”‘ahampi kho, brāhmaṇa, kasāmi ca vapāmi ca; kasitvā ca vapitvā ca bhuñjāmī’”ti.

Then Bhāradvāja the Farmer addressed the Buddha in verse:Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

“You claim to be a farmer,“Kassako paṭijānāsi, but I don’t see you farming.na ca passāma te kasiṁ; Tell me your farming when asked,Kasiṁ no pucchito brūhi, so I can recognize your farming.”yathā jānemu te kasiṁ”.

“Faith is my seed, fervor my rain,“Saddhā bījaṁ tapo vuṭṭhi, and wisdom is my yoke and plough.paññā me yuganaṅgalaṁ; Conscience is my draft-pole, mind my strap,Hirī īsā mano yottaṁ, mindfulness my plowshare and goad.sati me phālapācanaṁ.

Guarded in body and speech,Kāyagutto vacīgutto, I restrict my intake of food.āhāre udare yato; I use truth as my scythe,Saccaṁ karomi niddānaṁ, and gentleness is my release.soraccaṁ me pamocanaṁ.

Energy is my harnessed beast,Vīriyaṁ me dhuradhorayhaṁ, transporting me to sanctuary from the yoke.yogakkhemādhivāhanaṁ; Without turning back, it goesGacchati anivattantaṁ, to where there is no sorrow.yattha gantvā na socati.

That’s how to do the farmingEvamesā kasī kaṭṭhā, that has freedom from death as its fruit.Sā hoti amatapphalā; When you finish this farmingEtaṁ kasiṁ kasitvāna, you’re released from all suffering.”Sabbadukkhā pamuccatī”ti.

Then Bhāradvāja the Farmer poured milk-rice in a large bronze cup and presented it to the Buddha:Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo mahatiyā kaṁsapātiyā pāyasaṁ vaḍḍhetvā bhagavato upanāmesi: “May the worthy Gotama eat the milk-rice!“bhuñjatu bhavaṁ gotamo pāyasaṁ. The worthy one is a farmer.Kassako bhavaṁ; For the worthy Gotama does the farming that has freedom from death as its fruit.”yañhi bhavaṁ gotamo amatapphalaṁ kasiṁ kasatī”ti.

“Food enchanted by a verse isn’t fit for me to eat.“Gāthābhigītaṁ me abhojaneyyaṁ, That’s not the principle of those who see, brahmin.Sampassataṁ brāhmaṇa nesa dhammo; The Buddhas cast aside things enchanted with verses.Gāthābhigītaṁ panudanti buddhā, Since there is such a principle, brahmin, <j>that’s how they live.Dhamme satī brāhmaṇa vuttiresā.

Serve with other food and drinkAññena ca kevalinaṁ mahesiṁ, the consummate one, the great seer,Khīṇāsavaṁ kukkuccavūpasantaṁ; with defilements ended and remorse stilled.Annena pānena upaṭṭhahassu, For he is the field for the seeker of merit.”Khettaṁ hi taṁ puññapekkhassa hotī”ti.

“Then, worthy Gotama, to whom should I give the milk-rice?”“Atha kassa cāhaṁ, bho gotama, imaṁ pāyasaṁ dammī”ti? “Brahmin, I don’t see anyone in this world—with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans—who can properly digest this milk-rice, except the Realized One or one of his disciples.“Na khvāhaṁ taṁ, brāhmaṇa, passāmi sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya, yassa so pāyaso bhutto sammā pariṇāmaṁ gaccheyya, aññatra tathāgatassa vā tathāgatasāvakassa vā. Well then, brahmin, throw out the milk-rice where there is little that grows, or drop it into water that has no living creatures.”Tena hi tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa, taṁ pāyasaṁ appaharite vā chaḍḍehi appāṇake vā udake opilāpehī”ti.

So Bhāradvāja the Farmer dropped the milk-rice in water that had no living creatures.Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo taṁ pāyasaṁ appāṇake udake opilāpesi. And when the milk-rice was placed in the water, it sizzled and hissed, steaming and fuming.Atha kho so pāyaso udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati. 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.Seyyathāpi nāma phālo divasaṁ santatto udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati; In the same way, when the milk-rice was placed in the water, it sizzled and hissed, steaming and fuming.evamevaṁ so pāyaso udake pakkhitto cicciṭāyati ciṭiciṭāyati sandhūpāyati sampadhūpāyati.

Then Bhāradvāja the Farmer, shocked and awestruck, went up to the Buddha, bowed down with his head to the Buddha’s feet, and said,Atha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo saṁviggo lomahaṭṭhajāto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “Excellent, worthy Gotama! Excellent!“abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama, abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama. 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 clear eyes can see what’s there, worthy Gotama has made the teaching clear in many ways.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. I go for refuge to the worthy Gotama, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha.Esāhaṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca, May I receive the going forth, the ordination in the worthy Gotama’s presence?”labheyyāhaṁ bhoto gotamassa santike pabbajjaṁ, labheyyaṁ upasampadan”ti.

And Bhāradvāja the Farmer received the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence.Alattha kho kasibhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, alattha upasampadaṁ. Not long after his ordination, Venerable Bhāradvāja, living alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute, soon realized the supreme culmination 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.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. He understood: “Rebirth is ended; the spiritual journey has been completed; what had to be done has been done; there is nothing further for this place.”“Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā”ti abbhaññāsi. And Venerable Bhāradvāja became one of the perfected.Aññataro ca panāyasmā bhāradvājo arahataṁ ahosīti.