At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. The brahmin Bharadvāja the Fiend heard a rumor to the effect that a brahmin of the Bharadvāja clan had gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in the presence of the ascetic Gotama. Angry and displeased he went to the Buddha and abused and insulted him with rude, harsh words.

But when he said this, the Buddha kept silent.

Then Bharadvāja the Fiend said to the Buddha, “You’re beaten, ascetic, you’re beaten!”

“‘Ha! I won!’ thinks the fool,
when speaking with harsh words.
Patience is the true victory
for those who understand.

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.

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.

People unskilled in Dhamma
consider one who heals both
oneself and the other
to be a fool.”

When he had spoken, Bharadvāja the Fiend said to the Buddha, “Excellent, Master Gotama! …” … And Venerable Bhāradvāja became one of the perfected.