Assalāyanasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 93

With Assalāyana · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, assalāyana,
idha brāhmaṇakumāro khattiyakaññāya saddhiṁ saṁvāsaṁ kappeyya, tesaṁ saṁvāsamanvāya putto jāyetha;
yo so brāhmaṇakumārena khattiyakaññāya putto uppanno, siyā so mātupi sadiso pitupi sadiso, ‘khattiyo’tipi vattabbo ‘brāhmaṇo’tipi vattabbo”ti?
“Yo so, bho gotama, brāhmaṇakumārena khattiyakaññāya putto uppanno, siyā so mātupi sadiso pitupi sadiso, ‘khattiyo’tipi vattabbo ‘brāhmaṇo’tipi vattabbo”ti.

“What do you think, Assalāyana? Suppose a brahmin boy was to sleep with an aristocrat girl, and they had a child. Would that child be called an aristocrat after the mother or a brahmin after the father?” “They could be called either.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, assalāyana,
idha vaḷavaṁ gadrabhena sampayojeyyuṁ, tesaṁ sampayogamanvāya kisoro jāyetha;
yo so vaḷavāya gadrabhena kisoro uppanno, siyā so mātupi sadiso pitupi sadiso, ‘asso’tipi vattabbo ‘gadrabho’tipi vattabbo”ti?
“Kuṇḍañhi so, bho gotama, assataro hoti.
Idaṁ hissa, bho gotama, nānākaraṇaṁ passāmi;
amutra ca panesānaṁ na kiñci nānākaraṇaṁ passāmī”ti.

“What do you think, Assalāyana? Suppose a mare were to couple with a donkey, and she gave birth to a mule. Would that mule be called a horse after the mother or a donkey after the father?” “It’s a mule, as it is a crossbreed. I see the difference in this case, but not in the previous cases.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, assalāyana,
idhāssu dve māṇavakā bhātaro sodariyā, eko ajjhāyako upanīto eko anajjhāyako anupanīto.
Kamettha brāhmaṇā paṭhamaṁ bhojeyyuṁ saddhe vā thālipāke vā yaññe vā pāhune vā”ti?
“Yo so, bho gotama, māṇavako ajjhāyako upanīto tamettha brāhmaṇā paṭhamaṁ bhojeyyuṁ saddhe vā thālipāke vā yaññe vā pāhune vā.
Kiñhi, bho gotama, anajjhāyake anupanīte dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ bhavissatī”ti?

“What do you think, Assalāyana? Suppose there were two young students who were brothers who had shared a womb. One was an educated reciter, while the other was not an educated reciter. Who would the brahmins feed first at an offering of food for ancestors, an offering of a dish of milk-rice, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?” “They’d first feed the young student who was an educated reciter. For how could an offering to someone who is not an educated reciter be very fruitful?”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, assalāyana,
idhāssu dve māṇavakā bhātaro sodariyā, eko ajjhāyako upanīto dussīlo pāpadhammo, eko anajjhāyako anupanīto sīlavā kalyāṇadhammo.
Kamettha brāhmaṇā paṭhamaṁ bhojeyyuṁ saddhe vā thālipāke vā yaññe vā pāhune vā”ti?
“Yo so, bho gotama, māṇavako anajjhāyako anupanīto sīlavā kalyāṇadhammo tamettha brāhmaṇā paṭhamaṁ bhojeyyuṁ saddhe vā thālipāke vā yaññe vā pāhune vā.
Kiñhi, bho gotama, dussīle pāpadhamme dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ bhavissatī”ti?

“What do you think, Assalāyana? Suppose there were two young students who were brothers who had shared a womb. One was an educated reciter, but was unethical, of bad character, while the other was not an educated reciter, but was ethical and of good character. Who would the brahmins feed first?” “They’d first feed the young student who was not an educated reciter, but was ethical and of good character. For how could an offering to someone who is unethical and of bad character be very fruitful?”

“Pubbe kho tvaṁ, assalāyana, jātiṁ agamāsi;
jātiṁ gantvā mante agamāsi;
mante gantvā tape agamāsi;
tape gantvā cātuvaṇṇiṁ suddhiṁ paccāgato, yamahaṁ paññapemī”ti.
Evaṁ vutte, assalāyano māṇavo tuṇhībhūto maṅkubhūto pattakkhandho adhomukho pajjhāyanto appaṭibhāno nisīdi.

“Firstly you relied on birth, Assalāyana, then you switched to education, then you switched to abstemious behavior. Now you’ve come around to believing in purification for the four classes, just as I advocate.” When he said this, Assalāyana sat silent, dismayed, shoulders drooping, downcast, depressed, with nothing to say.

Atha kho bhagavā assalāyanaṁ māṇavaṁ tuṇhībhūtaṁ maṅkubhūtaṁ pattakkhandhaṁ adhomukhaṁ pajjhāyantaṁ appaṭibhānaṁ viditvā assalāyanaṁ māṇavaṁ etadavoca:
“bhūtapubbaṁ, assalāyana, sattannaṁ brāhmaṇisīnaṁ araññāyatane paṇṇakuṭīsu sammantānaṁ evarūpaṁ pāpakaṁ diṭṭhigataṁ uppannaṁ hoti:
‘brāhmaṇova seṭṭho vaṇṇo, hīno añño vaṇṇo …
pe…
brahmadāyādā’ti.
Assosi kho, assalāyana, asito devalo isi:
‘sattannaṁ kira brāhmaṇisīnaṁ araññāyatane paṇṇakuṭīsu sammantānaṁ evarūpaṁ pāpakaṁ diṭṭhigataṁ uppannaṁ—
brāhmaṇova seṭṭho vaṇṇo …pe…
brahmadāyādā’ti.
Atha kho, assalāyana, asito devalo isi kesamassuṁ kappetvā mañjiṭṭhavaṇṇāni dussāni nivāsetvā paṭaliyo upāhanā āruhitvā jātarūpamayaṁ daṇḍaṁ gahetvā sattannaṁ brāhmaṇisīnaṁ patthaṇḍile pāturahosi.
Atha kho, assalāyana, asito devalo isi sattannaṁ brāhmaṇisīnaṁ patthaṇḍile caṅkamamāno evamāha:
‘handa ko nu kho ime bhavanto brāhmaṇisayo gatā;

Knowing this, the Buddha said to him: “Once upon a time, Assalāyana, seven brahmin seers 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. 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.’ The seer Devala the Dark heard about this. So he did up his hair and beard, dressed in magenta robes, put on his lined sandals, grasped a golden staff, and appeared in the courtyard of the seven brahmin seers. Then he wandered about the yard saying, ‘Where, oh where have those brahmin seers gone?

handa ko nu kho ime bhavanto brāhmaṇisayo gatā’ti?
Atha kho, assalāyana, sattannaṁ brāhmaṇisīnaṁ etadahosi:
‘ko nāyaṁ gāmaṇḍalarūpo viya sattannaṁ brāhmaṇisīnaṁ patthaṇḍile caṅkamamāno evamāha:
“handa ko nu kho ime bhavanto brāhmaṇisayo gatā;
handa ko nu kho ime bhavanto brāhmaṇisayo gatāti?
Handa naṁ abhisapāmā”’ti.
Atha kho, assalāyana, satta brāhmaṇisayo asitaṁ devalaṁ isiṁ abhisapiṁsu:
‘bhasmā, vasala, hohi;
bhasmā, vasala, hohī’ti.
Yathā yathā kho, assalāyana, satta brāhmaṇisayo asitaṁ devalaṁ isiṁ abhisapiṁsu tathā tathā asito devalo isi abhirūpataro ceva hoti dassanīyataro ca pāsādikataro ca.
Atha kho, assalāyana, sattannaṁ brāhmaṇisīnaṁ etadahosi:
‘moghaṁ vata no tapo, aphalaṁ brahmacariyaṁ.
Mayañhi pubbe yaṁ abhisapāma—
bhasmā, vasala, hohi;

Where, oh where have those brahmin seers gone?’ Then those brahmin seers said, ‘Who’s this wandering about our courtyard like a village lout? Let’s curse him!’ So they cursed Devala the Dark, ‘Be ashes, lowlife! Be ashes, lowlife!’ But the more the seers cursed him, the more attractive, good-looking, and lovely Devala the Dark became. Then those brahmin seers said, ‘Our fervor is in vain! Our spiritual path is fruitless! For when we used to curse someone to become ashes,

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