The Story of a Certain Thera

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (409) of this book, with reference to a certain thera.

One day, a brahmin from Savatthi put his upper garment outside his house to air it. A thera found that garment as he was going back to the monastery. Thinking that it was a piece of cloth thrown away by someone and therefore ownerless, the thera picked it up. The brahmin looking out of his window saw the thera picking up the piece of clothing and came after the thera, abusing and accusing him. "You shaven head! You are stealing my clothing", he said; the thera promptly returned the piece of clothing to the brahmin.

Back at the monastery, the thera related the above Incident to other bhikkhus, and they made fun of him and jokingly asked him whether the cloth was long or short, coarse or fine. To this question the thera answered, "Whether the clothing is long or short, coarse or fine matters not to me; I am not at all attached to it." Other bhikkhus then reported to the Buddha that the thera was falsely claiming himself to be an arahat. To them the Buddha replied, "Bhikkhus! The thera speaks the truth; an arahat does not take anything that is not given him."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

Verse 409: Him I call a Brahmana, who, in this world takes nothing that is not given him, be it long or short, big or small, good or bad.