#98 Pali Buddhisticat Annals. [Aug. 



The revelation again repeats that the suddd caste also was originally 

 no inferior class, but a part of the original stock, and proceeds to 

 explain that from each of these castes certain individuals, despising 

 and reviling their own castes respectively, each abandoned his habita- 

 tion, and led an habitationless life (agdriyan pubbajitd) saying, * I will 

 become (sumano) an ascetic or priest.' Hence Buddho exemplifies 

 that the ascetic or sacerdotal order was formed, from each of the four 

 castes, and does not appertain to any particular caste ; and with 

 reference to the persecution that the converted brahmans, whom he was 

 addressing, were undergoing from those, from whose faith they were 

 apostates, he says to them : 



" Descendants of Wa'settho ! even a Khattiyo, who has sinned, in deed, word 

 or thought, and become a heretic ; on account of that heresy, on the dismember- 

 ment of his frame after his death, he is born in the tormenting, everlasting and 

 unindurable hell. Such is also the fate of the Brdhmo, the Wesso and the Suddo, 

 as well as of the Sumano or ascetic. But if a Khattiyolead a righteous life, in deed, 

 word and thought ; and be of the true or supreme faith, by the merit of that faith, 

 on the dismemberment of his body after death, he is reproduced in the felicitous 

 suggaloka heavens. 



" Again, descendants of Wa'settho ! a Khattiyo, who indeed, word and thought, 

 has lived a life, partaking of both characters, and professed a mixed faith of both 

 creeds, on account of the profession of the mixed faith, on the dismemberment of 

 his body after death, he partakes both of happiness and misery. Such is also the 

 case in respect of the Brdhmo, Wesso, Suddo and Sumano castes. 



"Again, descendants of Wa'settho ! if the Khattiyo, subduing the influence 

 of the sinful passions, in deed, word and thought, acquire the seven Bodhipakkhi- 

 yaddhamma, he attains the parinibbdnan which is the result of the acquisition of the 

 arahai sanctification. Such is also the case with the Brdhmo, Wesso, Suddo and 

 Sumano classes. 



" Descendants of Wa'settho I if there be any Bhikkhu among (any one of) these 

 four castes, who has subdued the dominion of sin, performed that which ought to 

 have been performed, laid aside (the load of sin), fulfilled his destiny, overcome 

 the desire of regeneration (by transmigration), and extinguished covetous desires, 

 he will become an arahat, and will be esteemed the most worthy among them, by 

 righteousness, not by unrighteousness. 



" Descendants of Wa'settho ! among mankind, whether in this world or in the 

 next world (dhammo) righteousness is supreme. 



" Descendants of Wa'settho ! the following has been sung even by the brahman 

 Sanankuma'ro. 



Khattiyo seitho jane tasmin yd gattapatisdrino. 

 *Wijjdcharana-sampanno, so settho dewamdnusSf. 



* I am not satisfied that I have caught the meaning of this quotation correctly. 

 The Wijjdcharani are only attainable by a supreme Buddho. They consist of 

 fifteen attributes, all appertaining to pilgrimage j and as pilgrimage is performed on 

 foot, hence the " being sprung from the foot of Brdhmd" is considered to he no 

 degradation. 



f There is some ambiguity in the above extract, the nominatives singular having 

 no apparent connection with patisdrino a genitive : — in Sanskrit this maybe re- 

 medied by putting the whole first line in th* plural, according to my pandit : — 



