With Brahmāyu · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā videhesu cārikaṁ carati mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi.
So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was wandering in the land of the Videhans together with a large Saṅgha of five hundred mendicants.
Tena kho pana samayena brahmāyu brāhmaṇo mithilāyaṁ paṭivasati jiṇṇo vuḍḍho mahallako addhagato vayoanuppatto, vīsavassasatiko jātiyā, tiṇṇaṁ vedānaṁ pāragū sanighaṇḍukeṭubhānaṁ sākkharappabhedānaṁ itihāsapañcamānaṁ, padako, veyyākaraṇo, lokāyatamahāpurisalakkhaṇesu anavayo.
Now at that time the brahmin Brahmāyu was residing in Mithilā. He was old, elderly, and senior, advanced in years, having reached the final stage of life; he was a hundred and twenty years old. He had mastered the three Vedas, together with their vocabularies and ritual performance, their phonology and word classification, and the testaments as fifth. He knew them word-by-word, and their grammar. He was well versed in cosmology and the marks of a great man.
Assosi kho brahmāyu brāhmaṇo: “samaṇo khalu bho, gotamo sakyaputto sakyakulā pabbajito videhesu cārikaṁ carati mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi. Taṁ kho pana bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ evaṁ kalyāṇo kittisaddo abbhuggato: ‘itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā’ti. So imaṁ lokaṁ sadevakaṁ samārakaṁ sabrahmakaṁ sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiṁ pajaṁ sadevamanussaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedeti. So dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti. Sādhu kho pana tathārūpānaṁ arahataṁ dassanaṁ hotī”ti.
He heard: “It seems the ascetic Gotama—a Sakyan, gone forth from a Sakyan family—is wandering in the land of the Videhans, together with a large Saṅgha of five hundred mendicants. He has this good reputation: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those fit for training, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ He has realized with his own insight this world—with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, gods and humans—and he makes it known to others. He teaches Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And he reveals a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure. It’s good to see such perfected ones.”
Tena kho pana samayena brahmāyussa brāhmaṇassa uttaro nāma māṇavo antevāsī hoti tiṇṇaṁ vedānaṁ pāragū sanighaṇḍukeṭubhānaṁ sākkharappabhedānaṁ itihāsapañcamānaṁ, padako, veyyākaraṇo, lokāyatamahāpurisalakkhaṇesu anavayo. Atha kho brahmāyu brāhmaṇo uttaraṁ māṇavaṁ āmantesi: “ayaṁ, tāta uttara, samaṇo gotamo sakyaputto sakyakulā pabbajito videhesu cārikaṁ carati mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi. Taṁ kho pana bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ evaṁ kalyāṇo kittisaddo abbhuggato: ‘itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho …pe… sādhu kho pana tathārūpānaṁ arahataṁ dassanaṁ hotī’ti. Ehi tvaṁ, tāta uttara, yena samaṇo gotamo tenupasaṅkama; upasaṅkamitvā samaṇaṁ gotamaṁ jānāhi, yadi vā taṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ tathā santaṁyeva saddo abbhuggato, yadi vā no tathā;
Now at that time the brahmin Brahmāyu had a pupil named Uttara. He too had mastered the Vedic curriculum. Brahmāyu told Uttara of the Buddha’s presence in the land of the Videhans, and added: “Please, dear Uttara, go to the ascetic Gotama and find out whether or not he lives up to his reputation.
yadi vā so bhavaṁ gotamo tādiso, yadi vā na tādiso. Tathā mayaṁ taṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ vedissāmā”ti.
Through you I shall learn about the worthy Gotama.”
“Yathā kathaṁ panāhaṁ, bho, taṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ jānissāmi yadi vā taṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ tathā santaṁyeva saddo abbhuggato, yadi vā no tathā; yadi vā so bhavaṁ gotamo tādiso, yadi vā na tādiso”ti. “Āgatāni kho, tāta uttara, amhākaṁ mantesu dvattiṁsamahāpurisalakkhaṇāni, yehi samannāgatassa mahāpurisassa dveyeva gatiyo bhavanti anaññā. Sace agāraṁ ajjhāvasati, rājā hoti cakkavattī dhammiko dhammarājā cāturanto vijitāvī janapadatthāvariyappatto sattaratanasamannāgato. Tassimāni satta ratanāni bhavanti, seyyathidaṁ— cakkaratanaṁ, hatthiratanaṁ, assaratanaṁ, maṇiratanaṁ, itthiratanaṁ, gahapatiratanaṁ, pariṇāyakaratanameva sattamaṁ. Parosahassaṁ kho panassa puttā bhavanti sūrā vīraṅgarūpā parasenappamaddanā. So imaṁ pathaviṁ sāgarapariyantaṁ adaṇḍena asatthena dhammena abhivijiya ajjhāvasati. Sace kho pana agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajati, arahaṁ hoti sammāsambuddho loke vivaṭṭacchado.
“But sir, how shall I find out whether or not the ascetic Gotama lives up to his reputation?” “Dear Uttara, the thirty-two marks of a great man have been handed down in our hymns. A great man who possesses these has only two possible destinies, no other. If he stays at home he becomes a king, a wheel-turning monarch, a just and principled king. His dominion extends to all four sides, he achieves stability in the country, and he possesses the seven treasures. He has the following seven treasures: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the jewel, the woman, the householder, and the commander as the seventh treasure. He has over a thousand sons who are valiant and heroic, crushing the armies of his enemies. After conquering this land girt by sea, he reigns by principle, without rod or sword. But if he goes forth from the lay life to homelessness, he becomes a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha, who has cast off the world’s veil.
Ahaṁ kho pana, tāta uttara, mantānaṁ dātā; tvaṁ mantānaṁ paṭiggahetā”ti.
But, dear Uttara, I am the one who gives the hymns, and you are the one who receives them.”
“Evaṁ, bho”ti kho uttaro māṇavo brahmāyussa brāhmaṇassa paṭissutvā uṭṭhāyāsanā brahmāyuṁ brāhmaṇaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā videhesu yena bhagavā tena cārikaṁ pakkāmi. Anupubbena cārikaṁ caramāno yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho uttaro māṇavo bhagavato kāye dvattiṁsamahāpurisalakkhaṇāni samannesi. Addasā kho uttaro māṇavo bhagavato kāye dvattiṁsamahāpurisalakkhaṇāni, yebhuyyena thapetvā dve. Dvīsu mahāpurisalakkhaṇesu kaṅkhati vicikicchati nādhimuccati na sampasīdati— kosohite ca vatthaguyhe pahūtajivhatāya ca. Atha kho bhagavato etadahosi: “passati kho me ayaṁ uttaro māṇavo dvattiṁsamahāpurisalakkhaṇāni, yebhuyyena thapetvā dve. Dvīsu mahāpurisalakkhaṇesu kaṅkhati vicikicchati nādhimuccati na sampasīdati— kosohite ca vatthaguyhe pahūtajivhatāya cā”ti.
“Yes, worthy sir,” replied Uttara. He got up from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled Brahmāyu, keeping him on his right, before setting out for the land of the Videhans where the Buddha was wandering. Traveling stage by stage, he came to the Buddha and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side, and scrutinized his body for the thirty-two marks of a great man. He saw all of them except two, which he had doubts about: whether the private parts are sheathed in a foreskin, and the largeness of the tongue. Then it occurred to the Buddha, “This student Uttara sees all the marks except two, which he has doubts about: whether the private parts are sheathed in a foreskin, and the largeness of the tongue.”
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