26.19 The Story about a Certain Brahmin
Aññatarabrāhmaṇavatthu
Dhp 402
Burlingame: A Slave Lays Down His Burden
Before the rule against ordaining runaway slaves was promulgated one slave ran away from his Brahmin master, ordained and soon became an Arahat; when the Brahmin came looking for him the Buddha explained he had already put down the burden, and then spoke a verse.
Keywords: Brahmins, Slaves
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“Whoever knows here and now,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to a certain Brahmin.
It seems that at a time previous to the promulgation of the precept forbidding the admission of slaves to the Saṅgha, a certain slave of this Brahmin, went forth, and attained Arahatship. The Brahmin searched everywhere, but failed to find his slave. One day, as the former slave was entering the city with the Teacher, the Brahmin saw him in the gateway, and took firm hold of his robe.
The Teacher turned around and asked: “What do you mean by this, Brahmin?” – “This is my slave, good
402. Yo dukkhassa pajānāti idheva khayam-attano,
pannabhāraṁ visaṁyuttaṁ, tam-ahaṁ brūmi brāhmaṇaṁ.
Whoever knows here and now the
destruction of his suffering,
putting down the burden, detached,
that one I say is a Brahmin.
At the end of the teaching that Brahmin was established in the fruition of Stream-entry, and those who had assembled also had benefit from the Dhamma teaching.