The Discourse about the Banyan (Tree)

ekaṁ samayaṁ Bhagavā Uruvelāyaṁ viharati,
at one time the Gracious One was dwelling near Uruvelā,

najjā Nerañjarāya tīre Ajapālanigrodhamūle paṭhamābhisambuddho.
on the bank of the river Nerañjarā, at the root of the Goatherds' Banyan tree, in the first (period) after attaining Awakening.

sattāhaṁ ekapallaṅkena nisinno hoti vimuttisukhapaṭisaṁvedī.
was sitting in one cross-legged posture for seven days experiencing the happiness of freedom.

Atha kho Bhagavā tassa sattāhassa accayena
Then with the passing of those seven days, the Gracious One

Atha kho aññataro huhuṅkajātiko brāhmaṇo
Then a certain brāhmaṇa who was by nature a grumbler

yena Bhagavā tenupasaṅkami, This construction yena <person (or place)> tenupasaṅkami is an idiom, meaning literally: by where the < person (or place)> was, by there he approached.
For a study of these approach formulas (based on Dīghanikāya) see Mark Allon, Style and Function (Tokyo, 1997).⁰¹
went to the Gracious One,

upasaṅkamitvā, Bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi.
and after going, he exchanged greetings with the Gracious One.

Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sārāṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi.
After exchanging courteous talk and greetings, he stood on one side.

Ekamantaṁ ṭhito Notice the complex repetition of the cognates in the last three sentences: first the finite followed by the absolutive ... upasaṅkami, upasaṅkamitvā... ; then the finite followed by the future passive participle ... sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ... ; and lastly the adverb and finite verb followed by adverb and past participle ... ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito... This complex internal repetition is a characteristic of the prose sections of the texts, and goes a long way to define the rhythm of the prose.⁰² kho so brāhmaṇo Bhagavantaṁ etad-avoca:
While stood on one side that brāhmaṇa said this to the Gracious One:

“Kittāvatā nu kho bho Gotama brāhmaṇo hoti?
“To what extent, dear Gotama, is one a brāhmaṇa?

Katame ca pana brāhmaṇakaraṇā dhammā?” ti
And again what things make one a brāhmaṇa?”

Atha kho Bhagavā, etam-atthaṁ viditvā,
Then the Gracious One, having understood the significance of it,

tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:

“Yo brāhmaṇo bāhitapāpadhammo, There is a word play here between brāhmaṇo & bāhita-, which is almost lost with the Sanskritisation of brāhmaṇo, which re-introduces the - r - element, which must have been missing in the original dialect. The word play is even more obscured in the Udānavarga version (33-13), where bāhita - has become vāhita -. The same word play occurs in the udāna in the following discourse also.⁰³
“That brāhmaṇa who has removed bad things,

Nihuhuṅko nikkasāvo yatatto,
Not grumbling, free from blemish, self-restrained,

Vedantagū vusitabrahmacariyo,
With perfect understanding, (and) the spiritual life accomplished,

Dhammena so Brahmavādaṁ vadeyya, Another word play, this time having reference to the Brāhmaṇical doctrine of the impersonal Brahman, as found in the Upaniṣads.⁰⁴
Righteously he might speak a word about the Brahman,

Yassussadā Ussada is from ussīdati, to raise oneself up. It seems preferable to take the word as being used in an ethical sense.⁰⁵ natthi kuhiñci loke” ti.
For him there is no arrogance anywhere in the world.”