Art. XIV.—The Madhura Sutta concerning Caste

Robert Chalmers

doi:10.1017/S0035869X00143953

Art. XIV.—The Madhura Sutta concerning Caste

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011

Robert Chalmers

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The Sutta of which the Pāli text and commentary, together with a translation, are here given, is No. 84 of the Majjhima Nikāya. In addition to the interest which attends every addition to our knowledge of the great canonical books of primitive Buddhism, this Sutta may claim a twofold interest of its own, derived (i.) from the form in which the dialogue is cast, and (ii.) from its subject.

Type: Original Communications
Information: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , April 1894 , pp. 341 - 366

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00143953 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1894

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^{page 341 note 1} Analysed in Miss Foley's article in this year's J.R.A.S.

^{page 342 note 1} As the Sutta has not yet been edited, I give an extract from the Pāli text—

“Cattāro 'me, mahārāja, vaṇṇā—khattiyā brāhmaṇā vessā suddā. Imesam kho, mahārāja, catunnaṁ vaṇṇānaṁ dve vaṇṇā aggam akkhāyanti,—khattiyā ca brāhmaṇā ca—yadidaṁ abhivādana-paccupaṭṭhān-ajalikamma-sāmīcikammanti.”

“Nāhaṁ, bhante, Bhagavantaṁ diṭṭhadhammikaṁ pucchāmi; samparāyikāhaṁ, bhante, Bhagavantam pucchāmi.”

^{page 343 note 1} This conflicts with Prof. Rhys Davids' statement (Hibbert Lectures, 1881, p. 24) that at the rise of Buddhism “no kshatriya could any longer become a, brāhman.”

^{page 344 note 1} It occurs in the Majjhima and Saṁyutta Nikāyas, as well as in the above passage in the Dīgha.

^{page 344 note 2} At page 239 of his Buddhism, Bishop Copleston strangely mistakes Brahmuno for brāhmaṇena, and translates “It was a brahman”!

^{page 344 note 3} In note 14 to page 38 of his Vishńu Puráńa (London, 1840)Google Scholar, H. H. Wilson says:—“The Kaumāra creation is the creation of Rudra or Nílalohita, a form of S'iva, by Brahmá, which is subsequently described in our text, and of certain other mind-born sons of Brahmá, of whose birth the Vishńu Puráńa gives no further account: they are elsewhere termed Sanat-kumára, Sananda, Sanaka, and Sanátana, with sometimes a fifth, Ribhu, added. These declining to create progeny, remained, as the name of the first implies ever boys, Kumáras: that is, ever pure and innocent; whence their creation is called the Kaumára… And the Linga has … ‘Being ever as he was born, he is here called a youth; and hence his name is well known as Sanat-kumára.’ This authority makes Sanatkumára and Ribhu the two first born of all; whilst the text of the Hari Vansalimits the primogeniture to Sanat-kumára. … Sanat-kumára and his brethren are always described in the Saiva Puráńas as Yogis: as the Kúrma, after enumerating them, adds: ‘These five, oh Brahmans, were Yogis, who acquired entire exemption from passion’ and the Hari Vansa, although rather Vaishnava than Saiva, observes that the Yogis celebrate these six, along with Kapila, in Yoga works.”

In Pāli, Sanat-kumāra becomes Sanaṃ-kumāra, still retaining the meaning of ς ᾰει πάρθενος Buddhaghosa, in his commentary on the above Pāli text as it occurs in the 53rd Sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya, says:—“Sanaṁ-Kcumārenāti porāṇaka-kumārena. Cirakālato paṭṭhāya ‘kumāro’ ti paññāto. So kira manussapathe pañca-cūḷaka-kumāra-kāle jhānam nibbattetvā aparihīnajjhāno brahmaloke nibbatti. Tassa so attabhāvo piyo ahosi manāpo; tasmā tādisena va attabhāvena carati. Tena taṁ ‘Sanaṁ-kumāro’ ti sañānanti.” (“Sanamkumāra means ‘The maid of yore.’ From very ancient days he has been known as ‘the Maid.’ Tradition says that, when among men in the epoch of the Five Little Maids (?=the five mind-born sons of Brahmā above), he grew to Insight, and, dying with Insight full and undimmed, was re-born in the Brahmā Realm. His old existence was so sweet and dear to him that it was always in such semblance that he went about. Therefore, he was known as Sanaṃ-kumāra.”)

^{page 346 note 1} See also the same legend in the ṣatapatha Brāhma็a.

^{page 348 note 1} Bishop Copleston (p. 234) states that “in Madhura Sutta (Mai. Nik. v. sic.) Gotama explains that all castes are ultimately equal, as the good, of whatever caste, will enjoy the like reward of their deeds in heaven, and the bad suffer alike in hell.”

^{page 349 note 1} S^ctinsert Bhagavā.

^{page 349 note 2} S^ct Gunadavane throughout.

^{page 349 note 3} S^ct bhagavantaṁ.

^{page 349 note 4} B^mp kalyāṇapaṭibhāṇo.

^{page 349 note 5} S^c va.

^{page 349 note 6} S^ct hoti.

^{page 350 note 1} B^mp bhadrāni bhadrāni yānāni abhirūhitvā S^c abhiruhitvā.

^{page 350 note 2} B^mp nāyyasi.

^{page 350 note 3} B^mp mahaccar°; S^t mahār°. Cf. Dīgha Nikāya, vol. i. p. 49, and Sumaṅgala-Vilāsinī, vol. i. p. 148.

^{page 350 note 4} B^mp samṃodaniyaṁ.

^{page 350 note 5} B^mp sāraṇīyaṁ.

^{page 350 note 6} B^mp vitisāretvā.

^{page 350 note 7} So Bu. and B^mp; S^ct hīṇo throughout.

^{page 350 note 8} B^mpinsert va.

^{page 350 note 9} S^ct putto orasa here, elsewhere putto orasā; S^tomits Brahmuno, here only.

^{page 350 note 10} S^ct iti.

^{page 350 note 11} B^mp akkhāyīti.

^{page 350 note 12} B^mp kiṁ here and subsequently.

^{page 350 note 13} B^mp Bu. and (here) S^cwhich subsequently reads iccheyya; S^t iccheyya, corrected here from ij(jheyya).

^{page 350 note 14} B^mp pisassa throughout.

^{page 350 note 15} S^c pacchānīpātī; S^t B^P pubbuṭṭhāyi—pacchanīpāti—K°.

^{page 350 note 16} B^p k—āvi.

^{page 351 note 1} B^p manāpacāri- throughout; S^thas the i short here only.

^{page 352 note 1} S^ct tattha here only.

^{page 352 note 2} S^ct sammā honti, here only.

^{page 352 note 3} B^m nesaṁ, B^P nāham corrected to nesaṁ, S^cthere nāsaṁ, elsewhere na 'sam, Bu. na 'saṁ.

^{page 352 note 4} S^c B^m pāṇātipātī; S^t pānātipāti here, elsewhere pāṇātipāti, but pānātipātā infra.

^{page 352 note 5} B^mp adinnādāyī.

^{page 352 note 6} S^t Bp micchācāri.

^{page 352 note 7} S^t Bp musāvādi throughout, B^m -di here only.

^{page 352 note 8} B^p pisunavāco; so S^tusually.

^{page 352 note 9} S^ct pharūsāvāco, B^P pharusavāco.

^{page 352 note 10} B^mp abhijjhālu.

^{page 352 note 11} S^t B^P micchādiṭṭhi.

^{page 352 note 12} B^mp upapajjeyya throughout.

^{page 352 note 13} B^mpinsert hi throughout.

^{page 353 note 1} S^chere idh' assa; S^there idhā[ssa brāhmaṇo], idh' assa vesso, idh' assa suddo; elsewhere idhāssa generally.

^{page 353 note 2} B^mpinsert la.

^{page 353 note 3} B^mpinsert micchādiṭṭhī.

^{page 353 note 4} S^comits hi.

^{page 353 note 5} S^treads sādhu kho, mahārāja, arahataṁ sutaṁ.

^{page 353 note 6} S^chas a lacuna between cattā(ro) and hotīti; S^thas a similar lacuna, but reads cattāro in full.

^{page 353 note 7} S^cthave a lacuna here after 'saṁ down to Iminā.

^{page 353 note 8} S^c yemeso; S^t yeyemeso.

^{page 353 note 9} S^c pāṇātāpatī.

^{page 353 note 10} B^mp pisunāya.

^{page 353 note 11} B^mp pharusāya; S^ct pharūsāvācāya.

^{page 353 note 12} S^ct samphappalāpāya.

^{page 354 note 1} B^mp anabhijjhālu.

^{page 354 note 2} S^ct sammādiṭṭthi.

^{page 354 note 3} S^ct sādhuñ ca, and omit sutaṁ at the end of the sentence.

^{page 354 note 4} S^ct yevameso.

^{page 355 note 1} S^ct āgucāriṁ here.

^{page 355 note 2} B^mp panehīti; S^ctinfra pāṇehīti.

^{page 355 note 3} S^c ghateyyāma; B^mp ghāteyyāma.

^{page 355 note 4} So all MSS. for jhāpeyyāma (?).

^{page 355 note 5} So B^mp; S^cthere khattiyā ti maññā sāssā, infra samañña sassa.

^{page 355 note 6} B^mp tveva throughout.

^{page 355 note 7} B^mp saṇkhyaṃ throughout.

^{page 355 note 8} B^mp gacchati.

^{page 355 note 9} S^ct yeso.

^{page 355 note 10} S^ct vohāretvā.

^{page 355 note 11} S^t paṭivirato.

^{page 356 note 1} B^mpinsert rattuparato.

^{page 356 note 2} S^cinserts vā.

^{page 356 note 3} So B^mp and Bu.; S^ct vā.

^{page 356 note 4} B^mp gacchati.

^{page 356 note 5} S^ctomit Madhuro Avantiputto.

^{page 357 note 1} B^mp nikujjitaṁ.

^{page 357 note 2} B^mp ukuijeyya.

^{page 357 note 3} B^mp muịhassa.

^{page 357 note 4} S^ct rūpaṁ, and omit dakkhantīti.

^{page 357 note 5} S^ct bho.

^{page 357 note 6} B^mp bhavantaṁ.

^{page 357 note 7} S^t pān°.

^{page 357 note 8} B^mp tam etaṁ.

^{page 357 note 9} B^mpomit.

^{page 357 note 10} So S^ctthroughout both here and in Sutta 94; B^mp pi.

^{page 357 note 11} S^ct dassu.

^{page 357 note 12} B^mp tiṁsāya.

^{page 357 note 13} B^mp cattārisāya.

^{page 357 note 14} So B^mp; S^cthere paññāsā pi, but in Sutta No. 94 S^creads paññāsam pi.

^{page 357 note 15} S^ctomit here and in Sutta No. 94.

^{page 357 note 16} So all MSS., instead of hi (?), as read by B^P. in No. 94.

^{page 357 note 17} So S^chere and in No. 94; B^mpomit here, but in No. 94 B^Pinserts kho after parinibbuto.

^{page 358 note 1} B^mp parinibbutaṁ.

^{page 358 note 2} B^mpomit. [In No. 94 S^creads (ma-)yan taṁ].

^{page 358 note 3} So S^chere and in No. 94; B^mp S^t Supāsakaṁ.

^{page 358 note 4} So B^mpand S^cin No. 94; here S^creads saraṇagatan.

^{page 358 note 5} So Bu. and B^P, as also Hardy's Manual; S^ctand B^mread Madhuriya.

^{page 358 note 6} S^c B^mp suttantaṁ; Bu. suttaṁ; S^t suttamntaṁ.

^{page 358 note 7} B^mpomit.

^{page 359 note 1} S* māno-.

^{page 359 note 2} S* ṇa.

^{page 359 note 3} S* ahaṁ. The reading adopted is from the parallel passage in the Sumangala-Vilāsinī, I. 169.

^{page 359 note 1} S^* guttī here and gutti subsequently; Sum. Vil. reads guttin.

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Art. XIV.—The Madhura Sutta concerning Caste

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