SN 11.5 · Pali Canon (Tipiṭaka) – English & Pāli · Verses Across
Buddhism · Sutta Pitaka · Linked Discourses (Saṁyutta)
SN 11.5
Victory by Good Speech · Subhāsitajayasutta
EnglishEnglish
PāliPali
At Sāvatthī. “Once upon a time, mendicants, a battle was fought between the gods and the titans. Then Vepacitti, lord of titans, said to Sakka, lord of gods, ‘Lord of gods, let there be victory by fine words!’ ‘Vepacitti, let there be victory by fine words!’ Then the gods and the titans appointed a panel of judges, saying, ‘These will understand our good and bad statements.’ Then Vepacitti, lord of titans, said to Sakka, lord of gods, ‘Lord of gods, recite a verse!’ When he said this, Sakka said to him, ‘Vepacitti, you are the elder gods here. Recite a verse.’ So Vepacitti spoke this verse:
The titans applauded Vepacitti’s verse, while the gods kept silent. Then Vepacitti said to Sakka, ‘Lord of gods, recite a verse!’ So Sakka spoke this verse:
‘I think that this is the only way to put a stop to a fool, when you know that the other is upset, be mindful and stay calm.’
‘Etadeva ahaṁ maññe, bālassa paṭisedhanaṁ; Paraṁ saṅkupitaṁ ñatvā, yo sato upasammatī’ti.
The gods applauded Sakka’s verse, while the titans kept silent. Then Sakka said to Vepacitti, ‘Vepacitti, recite a verse!’ So Vepacitti spoke this verse:
‘In this mere endurance, Vāsava, I see a flaw. When a fool thinks, “He endures me out of fear,” the simpleton will go after you even harder, like a cow chasing someone who runs away.’
The titans applauded Vepacitti’s verse, while the gods kept silent. Then Vepacitti said to Sakka, ‘Lord of gods, recite a verse!’ So Sakka spoke this verse:
When you get angry at an angry person you just make things worse for yourself. When you don’t get angry at an angry person you win a battle hard to win.
Tasseva tena pāpiyo, yo kuddhaṁ paṭikujjhati; Kuddhaṁ appaṭikujjhanto, saṅgāmaṁ jeti dujjayaṁ.
When you know that the other is angry, you act for the good of both yourself and the other if you’re mindful and stay calm.
Ubhinnamatthaṁ carati, attano ca parassa ca; Paraṁ saṅkupitaṁ ñatvā, yo sato upasammati.
People inexpert in the teaching consider one who heals both oneself and the other to be a fool.’
Ubhinnaṁ tikicchantānaṁ, attano ca parassa ca; Janā maññanti bāloti, ye dhammassa akovidā’ti.
The gods applauded Sakka’s verses, while the titans kept silent. Then the panel of judges consisting of both gods and titans said this, ‘The verses spoken by Vepacitti evoke punishment and violence. That’s how you get fights, arguments, and quarrels. The verses spoken by Sakka don’t evoke punishment and violence. That’s how you stay free of fights, arguments, and quarrels. Sakka, lord of gods, wins victory by fine words!’ And that’s how Sakka came to win victory by fine words.”
