Two people (b)

Translated from the Pali by
F.L. Woodward, M.A.

[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:

On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.

Now two broken-down old brahmins,
aged,
far gone in years,
who had reached life's end,
one hundred and twenty years of age,
came to see the Exalted One.

On coming to him they saluted him and sat down at one side.

As they sat at one side those brahmins said this to the Exalted One:

"We are brahmins, master Gotama,
old brahmins,
aged,
far gone in years,
who have reached life's end,
one hundred and twenty years of age,
but we have done no noble deeds,
no meritorious deeds,
no deeds that can bring assurance to our fears.

Let the worthy Gotama cheer us!

Let the worthy Gotama comfort us,
so that it may be a profit
and a blessing to us
for a long time!"

■

"Indeed you brahmins are old,
aged,
far gone in years,
who have reached life's end,
one hundred and twenty years of age,
but you have done no noble deeds,
no meritorious deeds,
no deeds that can bring assurance to your fears.

All ablaze, brahmins, is this world
with old age,
sickness
and death.

Since this is so,
self-restraint in body,
speech
and thought
(practised) in this life: -
let this be refuge,
cave of shelter,
island of defence,
resting-place
and support
one's comfort in the life to come.^[ed1]

When a house is burning, goods removed therefrom,
Not what are burned, will be of use to him
Who doth remove them. So the world is burned
By eld and death. Then save thyself by giving.
What's given is well saved.^[1]

The self-restraint of body, speech and thought
In this life practised, meritorious deeds,
These make for happiness when one is dead.'

^[1] The gāthās are at JA. iii, 471 = S. i, 31 (K.S. i, 42). Text and Comy. read sunīhataṃ, JA. and Comy. nībhataṃ.

^[ed1] Woodward ends this paragraph this way, but the Pali is identical to the previous sutta.

Aṇguttara-Nikāya III. Tika Nipāta VI. Brāhmaṇa Vagga

The Book of the Gradual Sayings or More-Numbered Suttas III. The Book of the Threes VI. The Brāhmins

Sutta 52

Dutiya Dve Brāhmaṇa (Dvejana) Suttaṃ

Two people (b)

Aṇguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
VI. Brāhmaṇa Vagga

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
or
More-Numbered Suttas
III. The Book of the Threes
VI. The Brāhmins