Dhammapada 408

One who speaks without harshness, clearly and truthfully, and assails no one with that speech: that…

One who speaks without harshness, clearly and truthfully, and assails no one with that speech: that one I call a brahmin.

Translated from the Pāli by Banya

In plain words

The speech praised here is truthful, understandable, and without harsh attack. Brahmin names the speaker's spiritual attainment; the focus is how they speak, not a promise that no listener will feel offended.

Key words

viññāpani

intelligible, communicating meaning — Speech conveys its meaning clearly rather than merely sounding impressive.

brāhmaṇa

brahmin — Here it names spiritual attainment rather than inherited caste.

The story behind the verse

The force of habit

In the commentary, Pilindavaccha was a monk who addressed people with a derogatory term. He used it with laypeople and monks alike, and Several monks complained to the Buddha. The Buddha summoned him, and he acknowledged his way of speaking, and the Buddha considered his former lives. He explained that the monk had been born in brahmin households repeatedly and had acquired the phrase as a habit, and he said it did not come from hatred and gave this verse about speech without harsh attack.

Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).

Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.