Mātaṅga Sutra (摩登伽經)

Chapter 2: The Past Conditions of Matanga

At that time, in the city, all the Brahmins, elders, and householders heard that the Buddha had accepted the Candala woman as a nun and allowed her to leave home to pursue the path. They were filled with resentment and said: "How can this low-born woman practice the holy life together with the fourfold assembly? How can she enter the homes of the wealthy and noble to receive offerings?" Thus they discussed this matter among themselves, and the news eventually reached King Prasenajit.

When the king heard this, he was greatly astonished. He immediately prepared his carriage and, surrounded by his retinue and attendants, set out for the Jetavana grove. Dismounting from the carriage and setting aside his canopy, he walked forward slowly. He bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, then withdrew and sat to one side.

The Buddha, knowing what was in the minds of the assembly and wishing to resolve their doubts, said to the bhikkhus: "Do you wish to hear of the past causes and conditions of Bhikkhuni Prakriti?"

The bhikkhus replied: "Yes, we wish to hear."

"Listen carefully now, and I shall explain for your sake. Bhikkhus, in the distant past, an incalculable eon ago, there was a garden by the banks of the Ganges River, named Atimukta. It was lush with flowers and fruits, and had abundant ponds and streams. In this garden there was a king named Teṣṭigā, who was of the Candala-Mātaṅga lineage. He dwelt in this garden together with hundreds of thousands of Candalas.

"Bhikkhus, that Teṣṭigā possessed great wisdom, lofty talent, and courage. He could recollect his past lives, and there was nothing in the affairs of the world that he did not understand. I shall briefly describe his five virtues:

"First, he was broadly versed in the four Vedas and thoroughly understood all their secret essentials.

"Second, he was skilled in poetry, literature, hymns, and the lengths of phrases and verses.

"Third, he knew all treatises, scriptures, and the means to cross to the far shore of sound.

"Fourth, he understood worldly sacrifices, incantations, and medicine.

"Fifth, he excelled in distinguishing the marks of a great man.

Such wisdom was inexhaustible.

"That king had a son named Siṅha-karṇa, whose countenance was dignified and handsome, whose moral conduct was pure, whose mind was gentle, compassionate, and agreeable. Possessing all virtues, he delighted all who saw him. King Mātaṅga extensively taught his son scriptures and incantations, passing on everything he knew, so that Siṅha-karṇa's knowledge and insight were profound and far-reaching, no different from his father's.

"One night, King Teṣṭigā had a thought while lying in bed: 'My son's appearance is most excellent, endowed with all virtues, and looked up to by all. As he grows older, it is fitting for me to seek a wife for him. I must choose a proper and good match, one whose talent and virtue are exceptional, equal to my son's, and only then shall I seek her on his behalf.'

"At that time, there was a Brahmin named Padma-garbha. His family was noble and eminent. His father and mother were of true lineage, and for seven generations they had been pure and unmixed. He was versed in the four Vedas, and his talents were unmatched.

"At that time, there was a king named Mahendra, who ruled over the entire realm with great power and authority. He bestowed a village upon Padma-garbha, allowing him to govern it. That land was prosperous and its people wealthy.

"That Padma-garbha had a daughter named Prakriti, whose virtue and beauty were extraordinary, equal to Siṅha-karṇa.

"King Teṣṭigā thought: 'Only Padma-garbha's daughter is exquisite and wonderful. I should seek her for my son.'

"Having had this thought, early the next morning, he rode a great jeweled carriage drawn by four white horses, surrounded by the Candala assembly before and behind, and traveled north, heading for that country.

"To the south of where Padma-garbha dwelt there was a garden, named Nandana, with flourishing flowers and fruits, trees full of foliage, springs, streams, and bathing pools filled with clear water. Various birds of different kinds played upon it, their melodious cries harmonizing with one another, delighting all who heard them. The garden was vast and most lovely, like the Nandana garden of the gods.

"King Mātaṅga went to that garden and awaited Padma-garbha.

"At that same time in the morning, the Brahmin also rode with four white horses, together with five hundred Brahmins, with attendants surrounding him, and came to the garden for recreation. Along the way, the Brahmin taught his disciples various arts and skills, reciting as he traveled, and thus arrived at the garden.

"When King Teṣṭigā saw Padma-garbha arriving peacefully, with extraordinary majesty and virtue, his heart was filled with joy, and he praised him with a verse:

[Listing of the verse follows]

After speaking these verses, he immediately rose and went forward to greet him. They exchanged greetings and then took their seats. Padma-svara then said: "You, an outcast Candāla, are extremely base and lowly. Why have you come here? What do you want?"

The visitor replied: "Venerable sir! There are four things in this world that one should cultivate. What are these four? First, one should remember and not forget one's original purpose. Second, one should seek one's own welfare and benefit. Third, one should benefit all living beings. Fourth, one should properly attend to the matter of marriage. It is for this reason that I have come to see you. I have a son named Simha-karṇa, whose appearance is strikingly handsome and whose wisdom is refined and subtle. I wish to arrange a marriage for him with your worthy daughter, who is called Bhadra. I have taken a great liking to her and wish to forge a marital bond between our families. I hope you will be so kind as to consent."

When Padma-svara heard these words, he burned with blazing anger and became intensely furious. His face darkened with rage, his features twisted in a frown, and he said: "The Mātaṅga caste is despised by all—utterly vile and loathsome, like poison, like fire. I myself am of the Brāhmaṇa lineage—noble, superior, and unsurpassed. I am versed in the Vedas and unmatched in wisdom. How dare you come here seeking to insult and disgrace me? Like a firefly trying to compete with the moon in the sky, anyone with eyes can see the difference. The difference between the Candāla caste and the Brāhmaṇa caste—in terms of nobility and baseness—is exactly the same. You are foolish and ignorant, unable to discern the noble from the lowly, and you harbor hopes in places where none should be sought. You are a Candāla—you have your own kind! Why do you seek to defile one who is pure and superior? Even among Brāhmaṇas, those who do not fully uphold the precepts and cannot master the sacred Vedic scriptures are not socialized with by other Brāhmaṇas—how much less should someone as common and base as you entertain such an idea! Leave at once! Do not remain here long! Do not let outsiders hear such strange talk."

When Deva-ṣeṣa heard this, he said: "Venerable sir! Gold and jade are precious, while earth and wood are humble and ugly. Everyone knows these things differ in worth. But I do not see any difference between Brāhmaṇas and Candālas. Why? Your Brāhmaṇas did not fall from the sky, and the Candāla caste did not spring from the earth alone. Brāhmaṇas are born from the womb, and so are Candālas; yet you claim superiority—that is inadmissible. When a Brāhmaṇa dies, people are fearful and disgusted; when a Candāla dies, no one wants to see him either. If you say that noble and base have distinguishing marks, then why is there no difference in birth and death?

"Perhaps you think that Candālas commit evil deeds, are cruel and violent, deceive living beings, and lack compassion—and for these reasons are called base. I will now speak of all the evil and deluded deeds of Brāhmaṇas: creating quarrels, disturbing the virtuous, making strange omens, observing stars and the moon, assembling armies, and killing living beings. To put it plainly, all evil deeds are done by Brāhmaṇas.

"Your Brāhmaṇas love fine flavors and say: 'When offering sacrifice, one should curse the goat and kill it, and the goat will certainly be reborn in heaven.' If cursing it can send it to heaven, why don't you curse yourselves, kill yourselves as a sacrifice, and seek rebirth in heaven? Why don't you curse your parents, friends, wives, children, and relatives, and slaughter them all to send them to heaven? The fact that you do not kill yourselves but only kill goats shows that it is the Brāhmaṇas who, wanting to eat meat, make up such false claims. That deceitful people should claim to be noble and superior is unreasonable.

"According to Brāhmaṇa law, there are four kinds of offenses that are considered extremely evil and make one unworthy of being a Brāhmaṇa. What are the four? First, killing a Brāhmaṇa. Second, committing adultery with one's teacher's wife. Third, stealing gold. Fourth, drinking liquor. Only these four evils are called offenses; all other killings have no retribution. But in your law, the offense of killing comes from taking another's life. If killing another person also takes a life, why is it that killing such a person is not an offense? And likewise for drinking liquor. You should know that you are foolish and ignorant, giving rise to false imaginings—this cannot be the basis for claiming nobility.

"Furthermore, if a Brāhmaṇa commits the four offenses above, he can repent sincerely and be purged of them. Holding the foot of a bed, wearing tattered clothing, hanging a human skull upon his head—repenting in this manner for twelve years, he becomes pure again and regains his status as a Brāhmaṇa. Such foolishness, following pernicious views and giving rise to arrogance, claiming to be noble—such is your way!

"Looking at it this way, all families are equal. You may give your daughter to my son."

When Padma-svara heard this, his anger doubled, and he said to Deva-ṣeṣa: "You do not think properly, speaking such nonsense. If you are a king, you should know three things: first, the law of the land; second, the law of noble and base; third, the law of royal tribute. There are four classes in this world, all born from Brahmā. The Brāhmaṇa was born from Brahmā's mouth, the Kṣatriya from his shoulders, the Vaiśya from his navel, and the Śūdra from his feet. For this reason, the Brāhmaṇa is the most noble and may keep four wives; the Kṣatriya, three wives; the Vaiśya, two wives; and the Śūdra, one wife. In this way, the classes are distinguished from one another. You are low and base, not even included among these four classes, yet you say the classes are in no way different—this violates the sacred scriptures and you seek to disturb me. You should quickly return and not speak further."

Deva-ṣeṣa said: "Venerable sir! If you say that the four classes all come from Brahmā and that the Brāhmaṇa alone came from the mouth, and therefore is most noble and unsurpassed, then why do Brāhmaṇas also have arms, legs, joints, and limbs—and the four postures, sounds, and speech like everyone else? For this reason, I know there is no real difference between the classes. If there were any difference, it should be discernible. For example, there are various kinds of lotuses—lotuses that grow in water, lotuses that grow on land, utpala flowers, campaka-scented flowers, muktaka flowers, and sumanā flowers. These flowers have different colors and different fragrances. But among your four classes, I see no distinguishing marks; you must know that these are all deluded discriminations.

"Just as children playing on the road gather sand and earth and call it a city or a house, or say this is gold, this is silver, this is ghee, this is milk, or grain—yet the sand and earth do not become precious treasures merely because of the children's words. You are the same: your minds are clouded by ignorance, and you give rise to thoughts of arrogance. Nobility and baseness are not established merely by your claims.

"Furthermore, if the Brāhmaṇa was born from Brahmā's mouth, then he should be compassionate, humane, and loving to all beings. How then can you kill, curse, and rage?

"Suppose all four classes were born from Brahmā—then they are brothers. How can they intermarry? That would be polluted manners contrary to reason, no different from beasts.

"All beings experience karmic results according to their good and evil deeds—whether they are handsome or ugly, poor or rich, long-lived or short-lived, foolish or wise. All such matters arise from karma. If Brahmā had created them all, they would all be equal. What is the cause of these differences?

"Moreover, according to your teachings, the God Īśvara created the world: his head became the sky, his feet the earth, his eyes the sun and moon, his belly space, his hair the plants and trees, his flowing tears the rivers, his bones the mountains, and his excrement the seas. These are all false claims of Brāhmaṇas! The world comes into being through the karma of beings. How could Brahmā accomplish such a thing? You deluded and foolish ones create wild imaginings and claim nobility, but no one believes you.

"Furthermore, you say that only Brāhmaṇas go to heaven after death and others do not—this then would be superiority. But according to your own scriptures, all who cultivate good deeds are born in heaven. If all who cultivate good deeds are born in heaven, then since all beings can practice good, all would be born in heaven. Why then are others alone considered base?

"Great Brāhmaṇa! Consider a man who has four sons, each given a name: the first is called Blissful, the second Long-lived, the third Sorrow-free, and the fourth Joyful. Though born of the same father and sharing the same surname, they nonetheless have four distinct names. The four classes of the world are the same: though sharing the same karma, afflictions, nature, and desires, they have four names—Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, and Śūdra. Though their names differ, their bodies have no nobility or baseness.

"Your Brāhmaṇas study the Vedas, revere and respect them, rely on them and grow arrogant, and further claim that they determine one's place in life. I will now show that these Vedas have no fixed meaning and are easily altered.

"Long ago, there was a man named Brahmā-deva, who cultivated the path of meditation, had great knowledge and insight, and composed one Veda, which he spread and taught. Later, a sage named White-pure (Śukla) appeared in the world and composed four Vedas: first, the hymns of praise; second, the ritual of sacrifice; third, the songs of chanting; fourth, the rites of warding off calamities.

"After this, there was another Brāhmaṇa named Puṣya, whose twenty-five disciples divided one Veda into twenty-five sections. Then another Brāhmaṇa named Parrot (Śuka) transformed one Veda into eighteen sections. Then another Brāhmaṇa named Good-path (Sad-gati) with his twenty-one disciples divided a Veda into twenty-one sections. Then another Brāhmaṇa named Kukuṭa divided one Veda into two, the two into four, the four into eight, and the eight into ten. Thus, through successive divisions, it became 1,216 different versions. Therefore, you should know that the Vedic scriptures are easily changed.

"Great Brāhmaṇa! When these Vedic scriptures were being dispersed, did the Brāhmaṇa class disperse and perish with them, or did it remain? If it still remains, then you should not say the Brāhmaṇa class is determined by the Vedas. If it dispersed along with them, then how can you say the Brāhmaṇa class is real and unchanging? Therefore, your claim that I alone am noble and others are base is not so.

"Furthermore, the Brāhmaṇas, relying on their own knowledge and magical arts, look down on others and imagine themselves noble. But whatever you know, others can learn and master as well. All are equally noble—why do you exclusively call Brāhmaṇas noble?

"In the past, there was a sage named Vasiṣṭha, whose wife was a Candāla woman. She bore him two sons: the elder was named Pūrṇa and the younger Pīta. Both attained the path of sages, possessed the five supernormal powers, and transformed the Vedic scriptures into a manual for constructing houses. Can you denounce these two sages as not true sages? And yet you claimed earlier that the Candāla class is base and inferior—why then are their offspring called sages?

"Once, a fisherman caught a fish, and when he cut it open, he found inside a girl with dark skin. The sage Parāśara had union with her, and she bore a son named Deva-yāna, who possessed the five supernormal powers and full virtue and might. Is such a person not a sage?

"In the distant past, there was a Kṣatriya named Bīma, who attained the path of a sage, with extraordinary spiritual power, profound wisdom, and eloquence, fully able to teach the Brāhmaṇas. Could such a person be called lowly?

"There was a Kṣatriya woman named Sūkṣmā, who with the Brāhmaṇa Caṇḍa-posinī bore a son named Rāma, who possessed great spiritual powers and mastered all the treatises. One summer, traveling with his mother, the blazing sunlight scorched the ground so hot that it burned his mother's feet, and she could not go on. Rāma said, 'Climb onto my shoulders, and then we can continue.' At the time, she would not listen. Going a little further, she still suffered from the heat of the earth. Rāma made a vow: 'If I am truly gentle, humane, and filial, may the sun set this very day.' When he had spoken, the sun immediately vanished. Later, when his mother was picking flowers and found they had all closed up, she said to him, 'The sun has set today—that is why the flowers have not opened.' He immediately vowed again: 'If I am truly filial and kind, may the sun rise again.' The moment he spoke, the sun shone again.

"Sages such as these—not of the Brāhmaṇa class—had spiritual powers and transformations beyond measure. How can they be called inferior people? Therefore, all classes are equal. You may give your daughter as my son's wife, and I will gladly offer any wealth or precious gifts you desire."