Seeking purity the wrong way, 
I served the sacred fire in a grove. 
Not knowing the path to purity, 
I practiced endless mortification. 

I’ve gained this happiness by means of happiness: 
see the excellence of the teaching! 
I’ve attained the three knowledges 
and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions. 

I used to be brahmin only by kin, 
but now I really am a brahmin! 
I am master of the three knowledges, I’m a bathed initiate, 
I’m a scholar and a knowledge master.