Assalāyanasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 93

With Assalāyana · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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bhasmā, vasala, hohīti bhasmāva bhavati ekacco.
Imaṁ pana mayaṁ yathā yathā abhisapāma tathā tathā abhirūpataro ceva hoti dassanīyataro ca pāsādikataro cā’ti.
‘Na bhavantānaṁ moghaṁ tapo, nāphalaṁ brahmacariyaṁ.
Iṅgha bhavanto, yo mayi manopadoso taṁ pajahathā’ti.
‘Yo bhavati manopadoso taṁ pajahāma.
Ko nu bhavaṁ hotī’ti?
‘Suto nu bhavataṁ—
asito devalo isī’ti?
‘Evaṁ, bho’.
‘So khvāhaṁ, bho, homī’ti.
Atha kho, assalāyana, satta brāhmaṇisayo asitaṁ devalaṁ isiṁ abhivādetuṁ upakkamiṁsu.
Atha kho, assalāyana, asito devalo isi satta brāhmaṇisayo etadavoca:
‘sutaṁ metaṁ, bho, sattannaṁ kira brāhmaṇisīnaṁ araññāyatane paṇṇakuṭīsu sammantānaṁ evarūpaṁ pāpakaṁ diṭṭhigataṁ uppannaṁ—
brāhmaṇova seṭṭho vaṇṇo, hīno añño vaṇṇo;
brāhmaṇova sukko vaṇṇo, kaṇho añño vaṇṇo;

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.

brāhmaṇāva sujjhanti, no abrāhmaṇā;
brāhmaṇāva brahmuno puttā orasā mukhato jātā brahmajā brahmanimmitā brahmadāyādā’ti.
‘Evaṁ, bho’.
‘Jānanti pana bhonto—
yā janikā mātā brāhmaṇaṁyeva agamāsi, no abrāhmaṇan’ti?
‘No hidaṁ, bho’.
‘Jānanti pana bhonto—
yā janikāmātu mātā yāva sattamā mātumātāmahayugā brāhmaṇaṁyeva agamāsi, no abrāhmaṇan’ti?
‘No hidaṁ, bho’.
‘Jānanti pana bhonto—
yo janako pitā brāhmaṇiṁyeva agamāsi, no abrāhmaṇin’ti?
‘No hidaṁ, bho’.
‘Jānanti pana bhonto—
yo janakapitu pitā yāva sattamā pitupitāmahayugā brāhmaṇiṁyeva agamāsi, no abrāhmaṇin’ti?
‘No hidaṁ, bho’.
‘Jānanti pana bhonto—
yathā gabbhassa avakkanti hotī’ti?
‘Jānāma mayaṁ, bho—
yathā gabbhassa avakkanti hoti.

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.

Idha mātāpitaro ca sannipatitā honti, mātā ca utunī hoti, gandhabbo ca paccupaṭṭhito hoti; evaṁ tiṇṇaṁ sannipātā gabbhassa avakkanti hotī’ti.
‘Jānanti pana bhonto—
taggha, so gandhabbo khattiyo vā brāhmaṇo vā vesso vā suddo vā’ti?
‘Na mayaṁ, bho, jānāma—
taggha so gandhabbo khattiyo vā brāhmaṇo vā vesso vā suddo vā’ti.
‘Evaṁ sante, bho, jānātha—
ke tumhe hothā’ti?
‘Evaṁ sante, bho, na mayaṁ jānāma—
ke mayaṁ homā’ti.
Te hi nāma, assalāyana, satta brāhmaṇisayo asitena devalena isinā sake jātivāde samanuyuñjīyamānā samanuggāhīyamānā samanubhāsīyamānā na sampāyissanti;
kiṁ pana tvaṁ etarahi mayā sakasmiṁ jātivāde samanuyuñjīyamāno samanuggāhīyamāno samanubhāsīyamāno sampāyissasi, yesaṁ tvaṁ sācariyako na puṇṇo dabbigāho”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?”

Evaṁ vutte, assalāyano māṇavo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama …pe…
upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ gotamo dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.
Assalāyanasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ tatiyaṁ.

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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