English
Chapter on the Brāhmaṇa Cut off the stream with effort, drive away desires, Brāhmaṇa; Having known the destruction of formations, you are a knower of the unmade, Brāhmaṇa. When in the two states, a Brāhmaṇa becomes one who has gone beyond; Then all his fetters, disappear for one who knows. For whom there is no 'this shore' or 'that shore', nor 'this and that shore'; Free from anxiety, unbound, him I call a Brāhmaṇa. One who meditates, is dustless, seated, has done his duty, is taintless; Who has attained the highest goal, him I call a Brāhmaṇa. By day the sun shines, by night the moon glows; A warrior shines when armed, a Brāhmaṇa shines when meditating; But all day and night, the Buddha shines with splendor. Because he has put aside evil, he is called a Brāhmaṇa; Because he lives in equanimity, he is called a recluse; Because he has expelled his own defilements, therefore he is called a renunciant. One should not strike a Brāhmaṇa, nor should a Brāhmaṇa release (anger); Shame on him who strikes a Brāhmaṇa, and more shame on him who releases (anger). Nothing is better for a Brāhmaṇa than this, when the mind is restrained from dear things; From wherever the mind turns away from harm, from there suffering is indeed calmed. For whom by body, by speech, and by mind there is no evil deed; Restrained in these three ways, him I call a Brāhmaṇa. From whom one learns the Dhamma, taught by the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One; One should respectfully revere him, as a Brāhmaṇa reveres the sacrificial fire. Not by matted hair, nor by lineage, nor by birth is one a Brāhmaṇa; In whom there is truth and Dhamma, he is pure, he is a Brāhmaṇa. What is the use of matted hair, foolish one, what is the use of a deerskin garment? Your interior is a thicket, while you polish the exterior. A being wearing rags from a dust-heap, lean, with veins spread out; Meditating alone in the forest, him I call a Brāhmaṇa. I do not call him a Brāhmaṇa, born from a womb, from a mother; He is merely a 'bhovādi', if he has possessions. Having nothing, without grasping, him I call a brahmin. 397. Having cut all fetters, who truly does not tremble; Gone beyond attachment, disjoined, him I call a brahmin. 398. Having cut the strap and the thong, and the rope with its bolt; Having lifted the bar, awakened, him I call a brahmin. 399. Abuse, assault, and imprisonment, who, unangered, endures; Whose strength is patience, whose army is strength, him I call a brahmin. 400. Non-angered, dutiful, virtuous, without pride; Tamed, having the final body, him I call a brahmin. 401. Like water on a lotus leaf, or a mustard seed on an awl's point; Who does not cling to sensual pleasures, him I call a brahmin. 402. Who knows the end of suffering, for himself, right here; Having laid down the burden, disjoined, him I call a brahmin. 403. Deep in wisdom, intelligent, skilled in the path and non-path; Having attained the highest goal, him I call a brahmin. 404. Unhostile to householders, and to the homeless, both; Wandering without a home, with few desires, him I call a brahmin. 405. Having laid down the rod towards beings, both trembling and firm; Who neither kills nor causes to kill, him I call a brahmin. 406. Unhostile among the hostile, peaceful among the violent; Ungrasping among the grasping, him I call a brahmin. 407. Whose lust and hatred, and pride and scorn are fallen; Like a mustard seed from an awl's point, him I call a brahmin. 408. A word not harsh, but instructive, a truthful speech he utters; By which he offends no one, him I call a brahmin. 409. Who here, long or short, small or large, fair or foul; Takes nothing not given in the world, him I call a brahmin. 410. Whose hopes do not exist, in this world or the next; Without hopes, disjoined. rightly, him I call a brahmin. 411. He who has no attachments, knowing, is free from doubt; who has reached the Deathless Depth, him I call a brahmin. 412. He who here has gone beyond both merit and demerit; sorrowless, dustless, pure, him I call a brahmin. 413. Like the moon, spotless, pure, serene, unclouded; whose delight in existence is exhausted, him I call a brahmin. 414. He who has crossed this bog, this difficult path, this samsara, this delusion; crossed over, gone to the other shore, meditative, unshaken, free from doubt; unattached, extinguished, him I call a brahmin. 415. He who here has abandoned sensual pleasures, and wanders homeless; whose existence in sensual pleasures is exhausted, him I call a brahmin. 416. He who here has abandoned craving, and wanders homeless; whose existence in craving is exhausted, him I call a brahmin. 417. Having abandoned human bonds, and transcended divine bonds; completely unbound from all bonds, him I call a brahmin. 418. Having abandoned delight and non-delight, cooled, without substratum; victorious over all worlds, a hero, him I call a brahmin. 419. He who knows the passing away of beings, and their reappearance in every way; unattached, well-gone, awakened, him I call a brahmin. 420. Whose destination is not known by gods, gandhabbas, or humans; whose defilements are destroyed, an Arahant, him I call a brahmin. 421. He who has nothing before, behind, or in the middle; unpossessed, ungrasping, him I call a brahmin. 422. A bull, excellent, a hero, a great sage, victorious; unshaken, bathed, awakened, him I call a brahmin. 423. He who knows his former abodes, and sees heaven and hell, and has attained the destruction of birth, a sage perfected in direct knowledge; perfected in all perfections, him I call a brahmin. aṃ. The Chapter on Brahmins, the twenty-sixth, is finished. (Thus, in the very first Chapter on Pairs, there were fourteen stories; in the Chapter on Heedfulness, nine; in the Chapter on Mind, nine; in the Chapter on Flowers, twelve; in the Chapter on Fools, fifteen; in the Chapter on the Wise, eleven; in the Chapter on Arahants, ten; in the Chapter on Thousands, fourteen; in the Chapter on Evil, twelve; in the Chapter on Punishment, eleven; in the Chapter on Old Age, nine; in the Chapter on Self, ten; in the Chapter on the World, eleven; in the Chapter on the Buddha, nine [eight (ka.)]; in the Chapter on Happiness, eight; in the Chapter on Affection, nine; in the Chapter on Anger, eight; in the Chapter on Impurities, twelve; in the Chapter on the Righteous, ten; in the Chapter on the Path, twelve; in the Miscellaneous Chapter, nine; in the Chapter on Hell, nine; in the Chapter on Nāgas, eight; in the Chapter on Craving, twelve; in the Chapter on Monks, twelve; and in the Chapter on Brahmins, forty—making a total of three hundred and five stories. Four hundred and twenty-seven, by the one who discerned the Four Noble Truths; Three hundred and five stories, have thus arisen.) [( ) The text within this bracket is not found in foreign manuscripts, but only in the commentaries.] [Summary of the Chapters of the Dhammapada: Pairs, Heedfulness, Mind, Flowers, Fools, and the Wise. Arahants, Thousands, Evil, Punishment, Old Age, Self, World. Buddha, Happiness, Affection, Anger, Impurities, the Righteous, and the Path. Miscellaneous, Hell, Nāgas, Craving, Monks, and Brahmins. Summary of the Verses: In Pairs, twenty verses; In Heedfulness and the World, also. In Affection, twelve verses; In Mind and Old Age, eleven. In Flowers, Fools, Thousands, Buddha, Path, Miscellaneous, sixteen. In the Wise and Anger, In Hell and Nāgas, fourteen. In Arahants, ten verses; In Evil and Happiness, thirteen. Seventeen in Punishment and the Righteous; In Impurities, twenty-one. In the Chapter on Craving, twenty-seven; In the Chapter on Monks, twenty-three. In Brahmins, forty-one; Four hundred and twenty-seven. (ka.)] Summary of the Chapters in the Dhammapada – Pairs, Heedfulness, Mind, Flowers, with Fools, the Wise; Arahants, and Thousands, Evil, with Punishment, these ten. Old Age, Self, and the World, Buddha, Happiness, and Affection; Anger, Impurities, and the Righteous, Ma twenty in the Bhikkhu Chapter. Miscellaneous, Hell, Elephant, Craving, Monk, and Brahmana; These twenty-six chapters were taught by the Kinsman of the Sun. Summary of Verses – Twenty verses in the Twin Verses, twelve in Heedfulness; Eleven in the Mind Chapter, sixteen in the Flowers Chapter. Sixteen verses in the Fool, fourteen in the Wise; Ten verses in the Arahant, sixteen are in the Thousands. Thirteen in the Evil Chapter, seventeen in Punishment; Eleven in the Old Age Chapter, those ten in the Self Chapter. Twelve in the World Chapter, eighteen in the Buddha Chapter; In Happiness and in the Affection Chapter, there are twelve verses. Fourteen in the Anger Chapter, twenty-one in the Impurity Chapter; Seventeen in the Righteous, seventeen in the Path Chapter. Sixteen verses in Miscellaneous, fourteen in Hell and the Elephant; Twenty-six in the Craving Chapter, twenty-three of the Monk Chapter. Forty-one verses in the Brahmana, the supreme chapter; Four hundred verses, and twenty-three more; In this collection of the Dhammapada, taught by the Kinsman of the Sun. The Pāli Dhammapada is finished.