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SN 6.3PTS (1st ed) SN 1.1402 min read

With Brahmadeva

Brahmadevasutta

Brahmā Sahampati appears before a woman who is a devotee of his, and tells her to offer food instead to her son, a Buddhist monk, as Brahmās don’t eat the food she offers.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 6.3Linked Discourses 6.3
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0.3BrahmadevasuttaWith Brahmadeva

1.1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—So I have heard.1.2ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

1.3Tena kho pana samayena aññatarissā brāhmaṇiyā brahmadevo nāma putto bhagavato santike agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito hoti.Now at that time a certain brahmin lady had a son named Brahmadeva, who had gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in the presence of the Buddha.1

2.1Atha kho āyasmā brahmadevo eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto nacirasseva—yassatthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti, tadanuttaraṁ—brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāsi.Then Venerable Brahmadeva, living alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute, soon realized the supreme culmination of the spiritual path in this very life. He lived having achieved with his own insight the goal for which gentlemen rightly go forth from the lay life to homelessness.

2.2“Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā”ti abbhaññāsi.He understood: “Rebirth is ended; the spiritual journey has been completed; what had to be done has been done; there is nothing further for this place.”2.3Aññataro ca panāyasmā brahmadevo arahataṁ ahosi.And Venerable Brahmadeva became one of the perfected.

3.1Atha kho āyasmā brahmadevo pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.Then Brahmadeva robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms.3.2Sāvatthiyaṁ sapadānaṁ piṇḍāya caramāno yena sakamātu nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkami.Wandering indiscriminately for almsfood in Sāvatthī, he approached his own mother’s home.

3.3Tena kho pana samayena āyasmato brahmadevassa mātā brāhmaṇī brahmuno āhutiṁ niccaṁ paggaṇhāti.Now at that time Brahmadeva’s mother, the brahmin lady, was presenting a regular oblation to the Divinity.2

3.4Atha kho brahmuno sahampatissa etadahosi:Then the divinity Sahampati thought,3.5“ayaṁ kho āyasmato brahmadevassa mātā brāhmaṇī brahmuno āhutiṁ niccaṁ paggaṇhāti.“This Venerable Brahmadeva’s mother, the brahmin lady, offers up a regular oblation to the Divinity.3.6Yannūnāhaṁ taṁ upasaṅkamitvā saṁvejeyyan”ti.Why don’t I go and stir up a sense of urgency in her?”

3.7Atha kho brahmā sahampati—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evameva—brahmaloke antarahito āyasmato brahmadevassa mātu nivesane pāturahosi.Then, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, he vanished from the realm of divinity and reappeared in the home of Brahmadeva’s mother.3.8Atha kho brahmā sahampati vehāsaṁ ṭhito āyasmato brahmadevassa mātaraṁ brāhmaṇiṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:Then the divinity Sahampati, while standing in the air, addressed Brahmadeva’s mother in verse:

4.1“Dūre ito brāhmaṇi brahmaloko,“Far from here is the realm of divinity, madam,4.2Yassāhutiṁ paggaṇhāsi niccaṁ;to which you present a regular oblation.4.3Netādiso brāhmaṇi brahmabhakkho,But the Divinity doesn’t eat that kind of food.34.4Kiṁ jappasi brahmapathaṁ ajānaṁ.Why pray, <j>when you don’t know the path to divinity?4

5.1Eso hi te brāhmaṇi brahmadevo,This Brahmadeva, madam,5.2Nirūpadhiko atidevapatto;free of attachments, has surpassed the gods.5.3Akiñcano bhikkhu anaññaposī,Owning nothing, providing for no other, <j>a mendicant5.4Yo te so piṇḍāya gharaṁ paviṭṭho.has entered your house for alms.

6.1Āhuneyyo vedagu bhāvitatto,He’s worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, <j>a knowledge master, evolved.56.2Narānaṁ devānañca dakkhiṇeyyo;He’s worthy of a religious donation <j>from gods and men.66.3Bāhitvā pāpāni anūpalitto,Having banished all evils, he’s unsullied.6.4Ghāsesanaṁ iriyati sītibhūto.Cool at heart, he wanders searching for food.

7.1Na tassa pacchā na puratthamatthi,He has no before and after,7.2Santo vidhūmo anigho nirāso;peaceful, unclouded, untroubled, <j>with no need for hope,7.3Nikkhittadaṇḍo tasathāvaresu,he has laid down the rod <j>for all creatures firm and frail.77.4So tyāhutiṁ bhuñjatu aggapiṇḍaṁ.So let him enjoy your offering of alms for the highest.8

8.1Visenibhūto upasantacitto,With peaceful mind, he has left the crowd,8.2Nāgova danto carati anejo;he wanders like a tamed elephant, unperturbed.8.3Bhikkhu susīlo suvimuttacitto,He’s a mendicant fair in ethics, with heart well freed.8.4So tyāhutiṁ bhuñjatu aggapiṇḍaṁ.So let him enjoy your offering <j>of alms for the highest.

9.1Tasmiṁ pasannā avikampamānā,With unwavering confidence in him,9.2Patiṭṭhapehi dakkhiṇaṁ dakkhiṇeyye;present your religious donation <j>to one who is worthy of it.9.3Karohi puññaṁ sukhamāyatikaṁ,Now that you’ve seen the sage who has crossed over, <j>madam,9.4Disvā muniṁ brāhmaṇi oghatiṇṇanti.make merit for the sake of future happiness!”

10.1Tasmiṁ pasannā avikampamānā,With unwavering confidence in him,910.2Patiṭṭhapesi dakkhiṇaṁ dakkhiṇeyye;she presented her religious donation <j>to one who is worthy of it.10.3Akāsi puññaṁ sukhamāyatikaṁ,After seeing the sage who had crossed over, <j>the brahmin lady10.4Disvā muniṁ brāhmaṇī oghatiṇṇan”ti.made merit for the sake of future happiness.

Translator’s notes

  1. This pair is found only here.

    ↩ sn6.3:1.3

  2. For “presenting a regular oblation” (āhutiṁ niccaṁ paggaṇhāti) compare Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 1.9.2.19, where the sacrificer “seizes” (sampragṛhṇāti) the cup and spoon to make an oblation (āhuti). This is a householder “sacrifice with wife” (patnīsaṁyāja), where an oblation of ghee is offered to four pairs of gods with their wives for the sake of offspring. The lady of the house sits to the south-west of the fire. Here, however, she appears to be the chief sponsor.

    ↩ sn6.3:3.3

  3. See Chāndogya Upaniṣad 4.3.7, where Brahmā is said to be the most magnificent because he eats what is not food.

    ↩ sn6.3:4.3

  4. The “path to divinity” (brahmapatha) is said to be for one who sees the Self in the eye as the immortal Divinity. One such, even should they have no proper funeral service, travels after death along the path of light where they are received by a non-human who leads them to Divinity, from which there is no return (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 4.15).

    ↩ sn6.3:4.4

  5. The familiar terms for recollection of the Saṅgha were repurposed from the Vedic meanings.

    Āhuneyyo (Sanskrit āhavanīya) refers to oblations offered to Agni; specifically the consecrated fire lit from the householder’s perpetual fire. Hence the Pali sense, “worthy of offerings (āhuti) dedicated to the gods”.

    ↩ sn6.3:6.1

  6. Dakkhiṇeyyo means “worthy of a religious donation”, the regular fee payable to priests for their services.

    ↩ sn6.3:6.2

  7. Creatures “firm and frail” (tasathāvare) is a common Jain idiom (eg. Uttarādhyayana 5.8: tasesu thāvaresu ya, Sūyagaḍa 3.4.20: je keī tasathāvarā, Dasaveyāliya 4.1.42: tasaṁ vā thāvaraṁ vā, Ācāraṅgasūtra 9.1.14tasa-jīvā ya thāvarattāe).

    ↩ sn6.3:7.3

  8. Commentary explains aggapiṇḍa as “alms for the senior Saṅgha”, in line with AN 4.34:7.1.

    ↩ sn6.3:7.4

  9. According to the commentary, this verse was added by redactors.

    ↩ sn6.3:10.1