620. I was born in a low-class family, poor, having little food. My job was very lowly: I was a disposer of people’s feces.
621. People shunned me, disgraced me and insulted me. So, making my mind humble, I paid homage to many people.
622. But I was extraordinarily fortunate. One day I saw the great hero, the Buddha, entering the famous city of Rājagaha, surrounded by a large community of monks.
623. I put down my rack of buckets of feces. I approached the Buddha to worship the sacred feet of the Blessed One. At that time, out of sympathy for me, the best of beings, the Supreme Buddha, stood still.
624. I worshiped my great teacher’s sacred feet. Then I stood up to one side. I begged to become a monk, the best life of all.
625. Then the merciful great teacher, compassionate towards the whole world, said to me, “Come, monk.” That was my higher ordination.
626. I live in the forest alone. I’m not lazy. I fully followed the instruction exactly as the Buddha advised me.
627. In the first watch of the night, I gained the knowledge to recollect my previous lives. In the middle watch of the night, I purified my divine eye. In the last watch of the night, I tore apart the thick darkness of ignorance.
628. Then at the end of the night, towards sunrise, the God Sakka and the Great Brahma came and worshiped me with hands together.
629. “Homage to you, thoroughbred of men! Homage to you, best of men! Great sage, your mind is fully freed from all taints. You are worthy of the offerings of the world.”
630. My great teacher saw the assembly of gods surrounding me and smiled. Then the great teacher said this:
631. “By austerity, by living the holy life, by self-restraint and self-taming, one becomes a Brāhmin. Here there is a Supreme Brāhmin.”
These verses were said by Arahant Sunīta.
