Victory Through What is Well Spoken Subhṅsita-jaya Sutta (SN 11:5)
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('â', Let there be victory through what is well spoken.â "),
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('â', Yes, Vepacitti, let there be victory through what is well spoken.â "So the devas & asuras appointed a panel of judges, (thinking,) ),
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('â', These will decide for us what is well spoken & poorly spoken.â "Then Vepacitti the asura-king said to Sakka the deva-king, ),
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('â', Say a verse, deva-king!â "When this was said, Sakka the deva-king said to Vepacitti the asura-king, ),
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('â', But you are the senior deity here, Vepacitti. You say a verse.â "When this was said, Vepacitti recited this verse: ),
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('â', Fools would flare up even more if there were no constraints. Thus an enlightened one should restrain the fool with a heavy stick.â "When Vepacitti had said this verse, the asuras applauded but the devas were silent. So Vepacitti said to Sakka, ),
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('â', Say a verse, deva-king!â "When this was said, Sakka recited this verse: ),
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('â', This, I think, is the only constraint for a fool: When, knowing the otherâs provoked, you mindfully grow calm.â "When Sakka had said this verse, the devas applauded but the asuras were silent. So Sakka said to Vepacitti, ),
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('â', Say a verse, Vepacitti!â "When this was said, Vepacitti recited this verse: ),
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('â', Vṅsava 2, I see a fault in this very forbearance: When the fool thinks, "Heâs forbearing out of fear of me," the idiot pursues you even more— as a bull, someone who runs away.â "When Vepacitti had said this verse, the asuras applauded but the devas were silent. So Vepacitti said to Sakka, ),
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('â', Say a verse, deva-king!â "When this was said, Sakka recited this verse: ),
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('â', It doesnât matter whether he thinks, "Heâs forbearing out of fear of me." Oneâs own true good is the foremost good. Nothing better than patience is found. Whoever, when strong, is forbearing to one who is weak: thatâs the foremost patience. The weak must constantly endure. They call that strength no strength at all: whoeverâs strength is the strength of a fool. Thereâs no reproach for one who is strong, guarding—guarded by—Dhamma. You make things worse when you flare up at someone whoâs angry. Whoever doesnât flare up at someone whoâs angry wins a battle hard to win. You live for the good of both —your own, the otherâs— when, knowing the otherâs provoked, you mindfully grow calm. When you work the cure of both —your own, the otherâs— those who think you a fool know nothing of Dhamma.â "When Sakka had said this verse, the devas applauded but the asuras were silent. Then the deva & asura panel of judges said, ),
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('â', The verses said by Vepacitti the asura-king lie in the sphere of swords & weapons—thence arguments, quarrels, & strife. Whereas the verses said by Sakka the deva-king lie outside the sphere of swords & weapons—thence no arguments, no quarrels, no strife. The victory through what is well spoken goes to Sakka the deva-king.â "And that, monks, is how the victory through what was well spoken went to Sakka the deva-king." Notes 1. The devas & asuras were two groups of deities who fought for control of heaven (like the gods & titans in Greek mythology). The devas eventually won. The asuras, known for their fierce anger, later became classed as angry demons and, in some Buddhist cosmologies, are regarded as a class of being lower than human. 2. Vṅsavant (vocative, Vṅsava)—"Powerful"—is one of Sakkaâs epithets. See also: DN 21; SN 1:71; SN 7:2; SN 35:207; AN 7:60; Dhp 129–134; Sn 3:3; Sn 4:15 - --> - - - -