The young brahmins, Vāseṭṭha and Bhāradvāja, fell to discussing one day, at Icchānaṅgala, as to what makes a true brahmin. Bhāradvāja maintained that it was pure descent from seven generations of ancestors, with neither break nor blemish in the lineage, whereas Vāseṭṭha contended that virtue and moral behaviour made a true brahmin. As neither could convince the other, they agreed to refer the matter to the Buddha, who said it was not birth but deeds that made the true brahmin. M.ii.196 ff. It also occurs as the ninth sutta of the Mahā Vagga of the Suttanipāta. Many of the verses are included in the Brāhmaṇa Vagga of the Dhammapada.