(4) Kasi Bharadvaja Sutta

(4) The next sutta is Kasi Bharadvaja sutta.^[1] In this part we get an encounter between Gautama and Brahmana Kasi-Bharadvaja who comes to meet the sages trying to influence and have discussion about work idealness.

Best on this theme it commences show that once upon a time in Magadha at dakhinagiri Bhagava resided in Ekanala a Brahman village. He was at that time quite affluent with five hundred plough acompanied by oxens at the time of sowing season. Being a Buddha as was his ritual he moved out for his alms with bowl in his hand and robe on his body. He reached the place of Brahmana Kasi-Bharadvaja where distribution of food was being held. Brahmana kasi-bharadvaja seeing Bhagavat standing for alms could not resist his self from saying that he and Bhagavat stood on the same footing both earning by ploughing and sowing seeds. Both of them being from the same source. In both their mind arose a question that when all of them earn their bread by the plough, yoke and by sowing seed where was Gautama’s ploughing apparatuses. In answer to this question Bhagavat comes up with an Enlightening reply that apparatuses which he bore might not be visible to the mortal eyes but his apparatuses had a spiritual quality as he sees was represented by his penance rain and his yoke and plough is encumbered with modesty and all his wisdom discipline and thought fills the mind.

Henceforth he comes up with more enlightened lesson to be imparted as he says that is speech temtation for food is manicured by the truth and its discipline of delivery, to reach the nibbana one can over came grief and that he can do by bearing his exertion as the beast of burden.

To be realized from pain one has to carry on his ploughing because it is this ploughing that bears the fruit in mortality, with this external speeches Brahmana the Kasi-Bharadvaja poured rice milk into golden bowl, a ploughman offering to yet another ploughman the fruit of immortality.

Bhagavat revealed yet another truth that Buddha was less belivant in the recitation or the so called bookish knowledge but he was a stern believer in dharma and action.

One who has successfully overcome the various evil of ones charecter as passion or misbehaviour his the one who to be considered to have quite a great Enlightened one and that person’s alone kowledge dawning kasibharadvaja come-up with an inqusitiveness to Gautama Buddha that then to whom shall this rice milk could be given or to be more precious who shall be more worthy to recieve besides Tathagata or disciple of his. He comes-up with a suggetion that it would be right to cast this rice-milk away in little trass into the water devoid of worms.

Thus the rice-milk was thrown into a water that hit and splashed realising smoke in volume due to hiting of throwing.

With this eternal knowledge downing down Brahmana kasi-bharadvaja took learning as refuge under Lord Buddha and craving for his mercy for the throwing of eternal knowledge and teaching, which can be illustrated as an oil-lamp to be held out to lead the dark a way. He agreed to join the assembly of Bhikkhus and recieve prabajja, upasampada from the great Gautama.

On receiving the prabajja, Upasampada he retorted to lead solitary ardent retired strenuous and energetic life to get the hightest perfection in a religious life away from family or household life.

The Kashibharadvaja Sutta is yet again an exchange of questions and answers between Buddha and a Brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan living in Ekanala Dakkhinagiri. The brahmin belonging to the profession of agriculture was encountered with Buddha on his eleventh year of his Enlightenment. The Brahmin was distributing large amounts of his festive sowing (mangala -vappa) when Buddha met him alone to beg for alms and the Brahmin suggested Buddha to sow to earn his own living but when Buddha explained to him about his sowing and his manifestation the Brahmin was immensely impressed and offered him a large bowl of milk rice which was refused by Buddha as he made it clear to him that Buddhists never charged wages for their sermons.

Buddha orders the Brahmin to throw away the rice in the water which on touching the water cackled and smoked because an offering made to a Tathagata cannot be accepted by anyone else. This incident however awes the Brahmin enough to fall at Buddha’s feet and he and his follower by devoting his life in Buddha’s enlightened path.

The fourth Sutta is thus formed which can also be said as the parable at the sower. Thus the Sutta at the usaga Vagga at the Sutta Nipata contains the story at Kasi Bharadvaja, enlightening the Brahmin and the others with the lesson at the duties of a farmer to have faith in seed and insight at the plough and the energy to bear a team. This sutta leads to the sowing of Nibbana which gives food free at suffering and sorrow.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Brahmana kasibharadvaja reproaches Gorama with idelness, but the latter convinces him that he (Buddha) also worles, and so the Brahmana is converted, and finally be canes a saint. Comparesp. Nardy A manual of Buddhism, p. 2 ksjbospetos st. John v.17.