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Majjhima Nikāya 93

Assalāyanasutta

With Assalāyana · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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ashesbhasmā, outcastvasala, be + quotationhohīti ash·onlybhasmāva becomesbhavati someoneekacco.
this oneImaṁ butpana wemayaṁ asyathā asyathā upon·curseabhisapāma sotathā sotathā very·form·moreabhirūpataro and justceva becomeshoti good-looking·moredassanīyataro andca lovely·morepāsādikataro andcā’ti.
not‘Na of the worthy sirsbhavantānaṁ vainmoghaṁ fervortapo, not·not·fruitnāphalaṁ spiritual·pathbrahmacariyaṁ.
pleaseIṅgha worthy sirsbhavanto, whateveryo toward memayi mind·malevolencemanopadoso thattaṁ let go ofpajahathā’ti.
whatever‘Yo there isbhavati mind·malevolencemanopadoso thattaṁ let go·abandonpajahāma.
whoKo thennu worthy sirbhavaṁ are youhotī’ti?
have you heard‘Suto thennu by you worthy sirsbhavataṁ—
the darkasito Devaladevalo seerisī’ti?
yes‘Evaṁ, worthy sirbho’.
he‘So indeed + Ikhvāhaṁ, worthy sirbho, I amhomī’ti.
thenAtha nowkho, Assalāyanaassalāyana, sevensatta brahmin·seerbrāhmaṇisayo the darkasitaṁ Devaladevalaṁ seerisiṁ toward·greetabhivādetuṁ they approachedupakkamiṁsu.
thenAtha nowkho, Assalāyanaassalāyana, the darkasito Devaladevalo seerisi sevensatta brahmin·seerbrāhmaṇisayo this·saidetadavoca:
it was heard‘sutaṁ by memetaṁ, worthy sirbho, of the sevensattannaṁ indeedkira brahmin·seerbrāhmaṇisīnaṁ wilderness·regionaraññāyatane leaf·hutpaṇṇakuṭīsu having settledsammantānaṁ such·formevarūpaṁ harmfulpāpakaṁ view·gone todiṭṭhigataṁ had arisenuppannaṁ—
brahmin + onlybrāhmaṇova bestseṭṭho classvaṇṇo, inferiorhīno otherañño classesvaṇṇo;
brahmin + onlybrāhmaṇova lightsukko classvaṇṇo, darkkaṇho otherañño classesvaṇṇo;

ashes they became. But the more we curse this one, the more attractive, good-looking, and lovely he becomes.’ ‘Worthy sirs, your fervor is not in vain; your spiritual path is not fruitless. Please let go of your malevolence toward me.’ ‘We let go of our malevolence toward you. But who are you, worthy sir?’ ‘Have you heard of the seer Devala the Dark?’ ‘Yes, worthy sir.’ ‘I am he, worthy sir.’ Then they approached Devala and bowed to him. Devala said to them, ‘I heard that when the seven brahmin seers had settled in leaf huts in a wilderness region, they had the following harmful misconception: “Only brahmins are the best class; other classes are inferior. Only brahmins are the light class; other classes are dark.

brahmin + indeedbrāhmaṇāva are purifiedsujjhanti, notno non-·brahminabrāhmaṇā;
brahmin + indeedbrāhmaṇāva of Brahmābrahmuno sonsputtā bosomorasā from the mouthmukhato bornjātā Brahmā·bornbrahmajā Brahmā·createdbrahmanimmitā Brahmā·heirsbrahmadāyādā’ti.
yes‘Evaṁ, worthy sirbho’.
do you know‘Jānanti butpana worthy sirsbhonto—
whetheryā birthjanikā mothermātā brahmin + onlybrāhmaṇaṁyeva had relations withagamāsi, notno non-·brahminabrāhmaṇan’ti?
no‘No thathidaṁ, worthy sirbho’.
do you know‘Jānanti butpana worthy sirsbhonto—
whetheryā birth·mother'sjanikāmātu mothermātā backyāva seventhsattamā mother and grandmother generationmātumātāmahayugā brahmin + onlybrāhmaṇaṁyeva had relations withagamāsi, notno non-·brahminabrāhmaṇan’ti?
no‘No thathidaṁ, worthy sirbho’.
do you know‘Jānanti butpana worthy sirsbhonto—
whetheryo birthjanako fatherpitā brahmin woman + onlybrāhmaṇiṁyeva had relations withagamāsi, notno non-·brahmin womanabrāhmaṇin’ti?
no‘No thathidaṁ, worthy sirbho’.
do you know‘Jānanti butpana worthy sirsbhonto—
whetheryo birth·father'sjanakapitu fatherpitā backyāva seventhsattamā father and grandfather generationpitupitāmahayugā brahmin woman + onlybrāhmaṇiṁyeva had relations withagamāsi, notno non-·brahmin womanabrāhmaṇin’ti?
no‘No thathidaṁ, worthy sirbho’.
do you know‘Jānanti butpana worthy sirsbhonto—
howyathā of an embryogabbhassa conceptionavakkanti ishotī’ti?
we know‘Jānāma wemayaṁ, worthy sirbho—
howyathā of an embryogabbhassa conceptionavakkanti ishoti.

Only brahmins are purified, not others. Only brahmins are the Divinity’s bosom sons, born from his mouth, born of the Divinity, created by the Divinity, heirs of the Divinity.”’ ‘That’s right, worthy sir.’ ‘But do you know whether your birth mother only had relations with a brahmin and not with a non-brahmin?’ ‘We don’t know that.’ ‘But do you know whether your birth mother’s mothers back to the seventh generation only had relations with brahmins and not with non-brahmins?’ ‘We don’t know that.’ ‘But do you know whether your birth father only had relations with a brahmin woman and not with a non-brahmin?’ ‘We don’t know that.’ ‘But do you know whether your birth father’s fathers back to the seventh generation only had relations with brahmins and not with non-brahmins?’ ‘We don’t know that.’ ‘But do you know how an embryo is conceived?’ ‘We do know that, worthy sir.

hereIdha mother·fathermātāpitaro andca come togethersannipatitā arehonti, mothermātā andca in fertile phaseutunī ishoti, virile spiritgandhabbo andca readypaccupaṭṭhito ishoti; thusevaṁ of threetiṇṇaṁ coming togethersannipātā of an embryogabbhassa conceptionavakkanti ishotī’ti.
do know‘Jānanti butpana worthy sirsbhonto—
for suretaggha, thatso virile spiritgandhabbo aristocratkhattiyo orvā brahminbrāhmaṇo orvā peasantvesso orvā menialsuddo or?vā’ti?
not‘Na wemayaṁ, worthy sirbho, knowjānāma—
for suretaggha thatso virile spiritgandhabbo aristocratkhattiyo orvā brahminbrāhmaṇo orvā peasantvesso orvā menialsuddo or.vā’ti.
this‘Evaṁ being sosante, worthy sirbho, do knowjānātha—
whatke youtumhe are?hothā’ti?
this‘Evaṁ being sosante, worthy sirbho, notna wemayaṁ knowjānāma—
whatke wemayaṁ are.homā’ti.
thoseTe indeedhi trulynāma, Assalāyanaassalāyana, sevensatta brahmin seersbrāhmaṇisayo by Asitaasitena by Devaladevalena by the seerisinā ownsake in genealogyjātivāde being pursuedsamanuyuñjīyamānā being pressedsamanuggāhīyamānā being grilledsamanubhāsīyamānā notna will prevailsampāyissanti;
howkiṁ thenpana youtvaṁ nowetarahi by memayā ownsakasmiṁ in genealogyjātivāde being pursuedsamanuyuñjīyamāno being pressedsamanuggāhīyamāno being grilledsamanubhāsīyamāno will prevailsampāyissasi, of whomyesaṁ youtvaṁ with your denominationsācariyako notna fullpuṇṇo spoonful-takingdabbigāho”ti.

An embryo is conceived when these three things come together—the mother and father come together, the mother is in the fertile phase of her menstrual cycle, and the virile spirit is ready.’ ‘But do you know for sure whether that virile spirit is an aristocrat, a brahmin, a peasant, or a menial?’ ‘We don’t know that.’ ‘In that case, worthy sir, don’t you know what you are?’ ‘In that case, worthy sir, we don’t know what we are.’ Given that even those seven brahmin seers could not prevail when pursued, pressed, and grilled by the seer Devala on their own genealogy, how could you prevail now being grilled by me on your own genealogy when you and your denomination do not so much as pick up the last spoonful?”

thusEvaṁ when saidvutte, Assalāyanaassalāyano brahmin studentmāṇavo to the Blessed Onebhagavantaṁ this·sayetadavoca:
excellent“abhikkantaṁ, worthybho Gotamagotama …pe……pe…
lay followerupāsakaṁ memaṁ worthybhavaṁ Gotamagotamo may he rememberdhāretu today + beginningajjatagge life + endowedpāṇupetaṁ refugesaraṇaṁ gonegatan”ti.
Assalāyana·discourseAssalāyanasuttaṁ is finishedniṭṭhitaṁ thirdtatiyaṁ.

When he had spoken, Assalāyana said to him, “Excellent, worthy Gotama! … From this day forth, may the worthy Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

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