At Madhurā · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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“Addhā kho, bho kaccāna, evaṁ sante, ime cattāro vaṇṇā samasamā honti. Nesaṁ ettha kiñci nānākaraṇaṁ samanupassāmī”ti. “Imināpi kho etaṁ, mahārāja, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā ghosoyeveso lokasmiṁ: ‘brāhmaṇova seṭṭho vaṇṇo, hīno añño vaṇṇo …pe… brahmadāyādā’”ti.
“Certainly, worthy Kaccāna, in this case these four classes are equal. I can’t see any difference between them.” “And here’s another way to understand that the claims of the brahmins are just hearsay in the world.
“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, idha khattiyo sandhiṁ vā chindeyya, nillopaṁ vā hareyya, ekāgārikaṁ vā kareyya, paripanthe vā tiṭṭheyya, paradāraṁ vā gaccheyya, tañce te purisā gahetvā dasseyyuṁ: ‘ayaṁ te, deva, coro āgucārī. Imassa yaṁ icchasi taṁ daṇḍaṁ paṇehī’ti. Kinti naṁ kareyyāsī”ti? “Ghāteyyāma vā, bho kaccāna, jāpeyyāma vā pabbājeyyāma vā yathāpaccayaṁ vā kareyyāma. Taṁ kissa hetu? Yā hissa, bho kaccāna, pubbe ‘khattiyo’ti samaññā sāssa antarahitā; corotveva saṅkhyaṁ gacchatī”ti. “Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, idha brāhmaṇo, idha vesso, idha suddo sandhiṁ vā chindeyya, nillopaṁ vā hareyya, ekāgārikaṁ vā kareyya, paripanthe vā tiṭṭheyya, paradāraṁ vā gaccheyya, tañce te purisā gahetvā dasseyyuṁ:
What do you think, Great King? Take an aristocrat who breaks into houses, plunders wealth, steals from isolated buildings, commits highway robbery, and commits adultery. Suppose your men arrest him and present him to you, saying: ‘Your Majesty, this man is a bandit, a criminal. Punish him as you will.’ What would you do to him?” “I would have him executed, fined, or banished, or dealt with as befits the crime. Why is that? Because he’s lost his former status as an aristocrat, and is just reckoned as a bandit.” “What do you think, Great King? Take a brahmin, peasant, or menial who breaks into houses, plunders wealth, steals from isolated buildings, commits highway robbery, and commits adultery. Suppose your men arrest him and present him to you, saying:
‘ayaṁ te, deva, coro āgucārī. Imassa yaṁ icchasi taṁ daṇḍaṁ paṇehī’ti. Kinti naṁ kareyyāsī”ti? “Ghāteyyāma vā, bho kaccāna, jāpeyyāma vā pabbājeyyāma vā yathāpaccayaṁ vā kareyyāma. Taṁ kissa hetu? Yā hissa, bho kaccāna, pubbe ‘suddo’ti samaññā sāssa antarahitā; corotveva saṅkhyaṁ gacchatī”ti. “Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, yadi evaṁ sante, ime cattāro vaṇṇā samasamā honti no vā? Kathaṁ vā te ettha hotī”ti? “Addhā kho, bho kaccāna, evaṁ sante, ime cattāro vaṇṇā samasamā honti. Nesaṁ ettha kiñci nānākaraṇaṁ samanupassāmī”ti. “Imināpi kho etaṁ, mahārāja, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā ghosoyeveso lokasmiṁ: ‘brāhmaṇova seṭṭho vaṇṇo, hīno añño vaṇṇo …pe… brahmadāyādā’”ti.
‘Your Majesty, this man is a bandit, a criminal. Punish him as you will.’ What would you do to him?” “I would have him executed, fined, or banished, or dealt with as befits the crime. Why is that? Because he’s lost his former status as a brahmin, peasant, or menial, and is just reckoned as a bandit.” “What do you think, Great King? If this is so, are the four classes equal or not? Or how do you see this?” “Certainly, worthy Kaccāna, in this case these four classes are equal. I can’t see any difference between them.” “And here’s another way to understand that the claims of the brahmins are just hearsay in the world.
“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, idha khattiyo kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito assa virato pāṇātipātā, virato adinnādānā, virato musāvādā, rattūparato, ekabhattiko, brahmacārī, sīlavā, kalyāṇadhammo. Kinti naṁ kareyyāsī”ti? “Abhivādeyyāma vā, bho kaccāna, paccuṭṭheyyāma vā āsanena vā nimanteyyāma abhinimanteyyāma vā naṁ cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārehi dhammikaṁ vā assa rakkhāvaraṇaguttiṁ saṁvidaheyyāma. Taṁ kissa hetu? Yā hissa, bho kaccāna, pubbe ‘khattiyo’ti samaññā sāssa antarahitā; samaṇotveva saṅkhyaṁ gacchatī”ti. “Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, idha brāhmaṇo, idha vesso, idha suddo kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito assa virato pāṇātipātā, virato adinnādānā virato musāvādā, rattūparato, ekabhattiko, brahmacārī, sīlavā, kalyāṇadhammo. Kinti naṁ kareyyāsī”ti?
What do you think, Great King? Take an aristocrat who shaves off their hair and beard, dresses in ocher robes, and goes forth from the lay life to homelessness. They abstain from killing living creatures, stealing, and lying. They abstain from eating at night, eat in one part of the day, and are chaste, ethical, and of good character. How would you treat them?” “I would bow to them, rise in their presence, or offer them a seat. I’d invite them to accept robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. And I’d organize their lawful guarding and protection. Why is that? Because they’ve lost their former status as an aristocrat, and are just reckoned as an ascetic.” “What do you think, Great King? Take a brahmin, peasant, or menial who shaves off their hair and beard, dresses in ocher robes, and goes forth from the lay life to homelessness. They abstain from killing living creatures, stealing, and lying. They abstain from eating at night, eat in one part of the day, and are chaste, ethical, and of good character. How would you treat them?”
“Abhivādeyyāma vā, bho kaccāna, paccuṭṭheyyāma vā āsanena vā nimanteyyāma abhinimanteyyāma vā naṁ cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārehi dhammikaṁ vā assa rakkhāvaraṇaguttiṁ saṁvidaheyyāma. Taṁ kissa hetu? Yā hissa, bho kaccāna, pubbe ‘suddo’ti samaññā sāssa antarahitā; samaṇotveva saṅkhyaṁ gacchatī”ti. “Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, yadi evaṁ sante, ime cattāro vaṇṇā samasamā honti no vā? Kathaṁ vā te ettha hotī”ti? “Addhā kho, bho kaccāna, evaṁ sante, ime cattāro vaṇṇā samasamā honti. Nesaṁ ettha kiñci nānākaraṇaṁ samanupassāmī”ti. “Imināpi kho etaṁ, mahārāja, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā ghosoyeveso lokasmiṁ: ‘brāhmaṇova seṭṭho vaṇṇo, hīno añño vaṇṇo; brāhmaṇova sukko vaṇṇo, kaṇho añño vaṇṇo; brāhmaṇāva sujjhanti, no abrāhmaṇā;
“I would bow to them, rise in their presence, or offer them a seat. I’d invite them to accept robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. And I’d organize their lawful guarding and protection. Why is that? Because they’ve lost their former status as a brahmin, peasant, or menial, and are just reckoned as an ascetic.” “What do you think, Great King? If this is so, are the four classes equal or not? Or how do you see this?” “Certainly, worthy Kaccāna, in this case these four classes are equal. I can’t see any difference between them.” “This is another way to understand that this is just hearsay in the world: ‘Only brahmins are the best class; other classes are inferior. Only brahmins are the light class; other classes are dark. Only brahmins are purified, not others.
brāhmaṇāva brahmuno puttā orasā mukhato jātā brahmajā brahmanimmitā brahmadāyādā’”ti.
Only brahmins are the Divinity’s bosom sons, born from his mouth, born of the Divinity, created by the Divinity, heirs of the Divinity.’”
Evaṁ vutte, rājā mādhuro avantiputto āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etadavoca: “abhikkantaṁ, bho kaccāna, abhikkantaṁ, bho kaccāna. Seyyathāpi, bho kaccāna, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhotā kaccānena anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito. Esāhaṁ bhavantaṁ kaccānaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ kaccāno dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti. “Mā kho maṁ tvaṁ, mahārāja, saraṇaṁ agamāsi. Tameva tvaṁ bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gaccha yamahaṁ saraṇaṁ gato”ti. “Kahaṁ pana, bho kaccāna, etarahi so bhagavā viharati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho”ti? “Parinibbuto kho, mahārāja, etarahi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho”ti.
When he had spoken, King Avantiputta of Madhurā said to Mahākaccāna, “Excellent, worthy Kaccāna! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what’s there, the worthy Kaccāna has made the teaching clear in many ways. I go for refuge to the worthy Kaccāna, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. From this day forth, may the worthy Kaccāna remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.” “Great king, don’t go for refuge to me. You should go for refuge to that same Blessed One to whom I have gone for refuge.” “But where is that Blessed One at present, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha?” “Great king, the Buddha has already become fully quenched.”
“Sacepi mayaṁ, bho kaccāna, suṇeyyāma taṁ bhagavantaṁ dasasu yojanesu, dasapi mayaṁ yojanāni gaccheyyāma taṁ bhagavantaṁ dassanāya arahantaṁ sammāsambuddhaṁ. Sacepi mayaṁ, bho kaccāna, suṇeyyāma taṁ bhagavantaṁ vīsatiyā yojanesu, tiṁsāya yojanesu, cattārīsāya yojanesu, paññāsāya yojanesu, paññāsampi mayaṁ yojanāni gaccheyyāma taṁ bhagavantaṁ dassanāya arahantaṁ sammāsambuddhaṁ. Yojanasate cepi mayaṁ bho kaccāna, suṇeyyāma taṁ bhagavantaṁ, yojanasatampi mayaṁ gaccheyyāma taṁ bhagavantaṁ dassanāya arahantaṁ sammāsambuddhaṁ. Yato ca, bho kaccāna, parinibbuto so bhagavā, parinibbutampi mayaṁ bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāma dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ kaccāno dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti. Madhurasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ catutthaṁ.
“Worthy Kaccāna, if I heard that the Buddha was within ten leagues, or twenty, or even up to a hundred leagues away, I’d go a hundred leagues to see him. But since the Buddha has become fully quenched, I go for refuge to that fully quenched Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. From this day forth, may the worthy Kaccāna remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”
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