26.15 The Story about Two Brahmins
Dviṇṇaṁ Brāhmaṇānaṁ Vatthu
Dhp 398
CST4: Dvebrāhmaṇavatthu
Burlingame: A Tug of War
Two Brahmins were trying to find out who had the strongest ox by making them carry heavy loads, but their thongs broke as they tried; the bhikkhus reported the matter to the Buddha, who said that thongs breaking was natural, but they should strive to cut the thongs of anger and the strap of craving, and taught them with a verse.
Keywords: Brahmins, Similes, Animals
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“Whoever has cut off the thong,”
It seems that one of these two Brahmins had an ox named Culla Rohita (Little Tawny), and the other had an ox named Mahā Rohita (Big Tawny). One day they fell to arguing about the comparative strength of their respective oxen, saying: “My ox is the stronger one! My ox is the stronger one!” When they were tired of arguing, they said: “What is the use of our arguing about it? We can find out by driving the two oxen.” Accordingly they went to the bank of the river Aciravatī, loaded their cart with sand, and yoked up their oxen.
At that moment some bhikkhus came to the bank of the river for the purpose of bathing. The Brahmins whipped up their oxen, but the cart stirred not an inch. Suddenly the straps and the thongs broke. The bhikkhus AJ: Burlingame mistakenly wrote Brahmans here. saw the whole proceeding, and when they returned to the monastery, told the Teacher all about it. The Teacher said: “Bhikkhus, those are the external straps and thongs, which anyone may cut. But a bhikkhu must cut the internal strap of anger and the thong of craving.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:
398. Chetvā naddhiṁ varattañ-ca, sandānaṁ sahanukkamaṁ,
ukkhittapalighaṁ buddhaṁ, tam-ahaṁ brūmi brāhmaṇaṁ.
Whoever has cut off the thong,
the strap, the rope, together with
the bridle, who has thrown off the
obstacle and is awakened,
that one I say is a Brahmin. AJ: the commentarial interpretation of this verse: Whoever has cut off hatred, craving and the sixty-two views together with the tendencies, and also thrown off ignorance, that one I call a Brahmin.
At the end of the teaching those 500 bhikkhus were established in Arahatship, and those who had assembled also had benefit from the Dhamma teaching.