Part 4: Conversion of the Gautamas and other Brāhmans

Now, in the country Magadha in the village Gobaragrāma lived a Brāhman, Vasubhūti, belonging to the Gautamagotra. By his wife Pṛthivī he had three sons: Indrabhūti, Agnibhūti, and Vāyubhūti. They also were Gautamas by gotra. In Kollāka lived Dhanurmitra and the Brāhman, Dhammilla. They had sons, Vyakta and Sudharman, borne by Vāruṇī and Bhadrilā. In the hamlet Maurya lived two Brāhmans, Dhanadeva and Maurya, cousins on their mothers’ side. Dhanadeva had a son, Maṇḍaka by his wife Vijayadevā and Dhanadeva died when he was born. Because it was the custom of the people there, Mauryaka, who had no wife, made Vijayadevā his wife. For the custom of the country is not a reason for shame. In the course of time Maurya had a son by Vijayadevā and he was known among the people just as Mauryaputra. Also in Vimalāpurī there was the son, Akampita, of the Brāhman Deva and Jayantī. In the city Kośalā there was the son, Acalabhrātṛ, of the Brāhman Vasu and Nandā. In the hamlet Tuṅgika in the country Vatsa there was the son, Metārya, of the Brāhman Datta and Karuṇā. Also in the city Rājagṛha there was the son, Prabhāsa, of the Brāhman Bala and Atibhadrā.

These eleven, the Gautamas and the others were learned in the four Vedas, teachers, each one attended by hundreds of disciples. A Brāhman, Somila, in the city Apāpā wished to make a sacrifice and brought them, who were skilled in sacrificial rites, with faith. Gautama saw gods coming there, because they wished to pay homage to Vīra who was in the samavasaraṇa there at that time, and said to the Brāhmans:

“These gods, summoned by us by a magic formula, before our eyes, indeed, come here to the sacrifice. See the power of a sacrifice.”

As the gods ignored the sacrificial enclosure like the house of an outcaste and went to the samavasaraṇa, the people said: “The Omniscient, endowed with supernatured powers, has stopped in a samavasaraṇa in a garden. The gods and these townsmen, rejoicing, go to pay homage to him.” Hearing the word, “Omniscient,” like a gross insult, Indrabhūti was highly enraged and said to his people:

“Ignoring me, alas! the people go to that heretic, like ignorant people of the desert ignoring a mango tree and going to a karīra.^[1] Does any one here in my presence say ‘Omniscient’? For no one else is courageous in the presence of the lion. If these mortals, fools, go to him, very well, let them go. But how is it these gods go? There is some great fraud on his part. Either they are gods of the same kind as he is an omniscient; or, the offering takes place of such a kind as he is a Yakṣa. I shall take away his pride in omniscience now, while gods and men actually look on.”

After speaking like this from conceit, surrounded by five hundred disciples, he went to Vīra surrounded by gods and men in the samavasaraṇa. When he had seen the Master’s magnificence and such beauty and splendor, Indrabhūti stopped in wonder and thought, “What is this?” The Teacher of the World said to him in a nectar-sweet voice, “O Gautama Indrabhūti, is there a welcome from you?”

Gautama thought: “Does he know my name and gotra? And yet, who here does not know me who am famous throughout the world? If he speaks and destroys the doubt that is in my mind by an abundance of knowledge, then he is certainly a miracle-worker.”

The Supreme Lord said to him cherishing a doubt to this effect: “‘Is there a soul or not?’ That is your special doubt. There is certainly a soul, Gautama, but it must be known by its characteristics—life, consciousness, knowledge, reason, et cetera. If there is no soul determined, the vessel of merit and evil, in that case what reason is there for sacrifices, gifts, et cetera on your part, indeed?” After hearing this speech of the Master, he gave up his doubt along with false-belief and bowed to the Master. He said: “I came with evil intention to test you, like a dwarf intent upon measuring a high tree. Even though wicked, I have been well enlightened by you today. Favor me disgusted with existence with the gift of initiation.” Knowing that he would be the first future gaṇadhara, the Teacher of the World himself initiated him together with his five hundred disciples. Then Gautama, with worldly attachment abandoned, accepting the religious equipment brought by Kubera, thought to himself:

“Since it is suitable for keeping of the faultless vow, the religious equipment, clothes, vessels, et cetera, must be accepted. Otherwise, how could the ascetics here devoted to efforts on behalf of the six categories of souls, completely observe compassion for living creatures? Whatever, pure in regard to the avoidance of faults created by the giver (udgama) and receiver (utpāda), endowed with virtues, has been received, that must be accepted by the discerning man for non-injury. One endowed with power from the practices of right-knowledge, right-belief, and right-conduct would acquire the unconfused texts and interpretation in the beginning, end, and middle.^[2] Any man who, lacking in knowledge and perception, but having a wealth of arrogance, causes doubt about possessions in regard to this, commits an injury. Whoever gives thought to possessions, even religious equipment, wishes to please fools to whom the Principles are unknown. Without the religious equipment, how is it possible to protect many souls in the categories of water, fire, wind, earth, plants, and mobile? Even though he has accepted the religious equipment, (if) corrupted by the three activities, he is discontented, he only deceives himself.”

After these reflections, Indrabhūti and his five hundred disciples accepted the religious equipment presented by the gods.

When Agnibhūti heard that he (Indrabhūti) had taken initiation, he thought: “Certainly Indrabhūti has been deceived by that sorcerer. I shall go and defeat this one thinking himself omniscient, though he is not omniscient. I shall bring back my brother who was defeated only by sorcery. Without sorcery who is able to defeat the very intelligent Indrabhūti who knows the esoteric meaning of all the śāstras? Sorcery is victorious over the honest. If he knows the doubt that is in my heart and destroys it, then I, too, with my disciples will become his disciple, like Indrabhūti.”

After these reflections, Agnibhūti, attended by five hundred disciples, went to the samavasaraṇa and stood near the Lord Jina. The Lord said to him: “Brāhman Agnibhūti, member of the Gautama-family, the doubt in your heart is: ‘Is there karma or not? How can the soul which is without form, acquire karma which has form and which can not be reached by the pramānas,^[3] direct, et cetera? How can there be injury and benefit between a formless soul and karma with form?’ Your doubt is quite unnecessary. Karma is grasped directly by people with supernatural knowledge, but for people like you it is understandable by inference from the sight of the diversity of souls. From the diversity of karmas only arise the conditions of existence, pleasant, unpleasant, et cetera of creatures. Therefore, determine: there is karma. For instance, some may be kings with elephants, horses, and chariots as vehicles; some in this birth may be going on foot without shoes. Some, very rich, fill the stomachs of thousands; but others fill their own stomachs by begging. Even when place, time, et cetera are the same, one trader makes a very large profit and another loses his capital. Karma alone must be recognized as the cause of these various effects. A diversity of effects is produced not without cause. The union of karmas with form with soul without form is proper. It is surely like that of space and a jar. The saying that ‘Injury and benefit exist even to the formless (soul) by means of various and manifold wines and herbs,’ is not be criticized.”

Thus, his doubt resolved by the Master and his jealousy abandoned, Agnibhūti and his five hundred disciples became mendicants.

When he, too, took initiation, Vāyubhūti thought: “He is surely omniscient by whom my two brothers were defeated. May I have the stain of sin washed away by worship, homage, et cetera to this Blessed One and I will destroy my doubt.” With this thought he, too, went to the Master and bowed. The Master said:

“The soul and the body arc your difficulty. ‘The soul is not separated from the body because it is not grasped directly by the senses, et cetera; it assumes shape in the body like a bubble in water.’ This is your thought. That is wrong. The soul of all creatures is partly grasped directly by the knowledge of one’s self from the direct perceptibility of its properties, wishes, et cetera. Separated from the body, senses, et cetera at the destruction of the senses, it (the soul) recalls sense-objects and dies.”

His doubt destroyed by this speech of the Master, averse to existence, Vāyubhūti and his five hundred disciples became mendicants.

Vyakta thought: “Clearly this Blessed One is omniscient, by whom Indrabhūti and the others, like the three Vedas, are defeated. Surely this Blessed One will destroy my doubt and then I shall become his disciple.” With this thought, he went to the Lord. The Blessed One said to him:

“O Vyakta, there is the doubt in your mind: ‘The elements, earth, et cetera, do not exist. Whatever knowledge there is of them is unsteady like the moon (reflected) in water. Thus there is a complete void, nothing else.’ That is your fixed idea. That is wrong, in the doctrine of complete void, sleep and wakefulness, mirages and cities, and other categories, well-known in the world, would not exist.”

Vyakta, his doubt resolved in this way, possessing clear perception, took initiation with his five hundred disciples.

The teacher Sudharman went to Mahāvīra, a sun of great splendor, with the desire for the resolution of his doubt. The Blessed One said to him:

“O Sudharman, this is your thought: ‘A creature of whatever kind in this birth will be the same kind in another birth. For in saṃsāra the result is in accordance with the cause. If a rice-seed is sown, a barley-shoot does not grow.’ That is not right, since in this birth a man who acquires karma for a human age by means of gentleness, honesty, et cetera becomes a man again. Any animal, who employs deceit, et cetera, certainly is an animal after death. Birth is subject to karma. Therefore there is a variety of creatures. The idea that the result resembles the source alone is disproved from the development of arrows, et cetera from horn and other things.”

After hearing this, Sudharman and five hundred disciples took initiation at the Master’s lotus-feet.

Maṇḍika then went to the Master for the destruction of his doubt. The Master said to him: “Your doubt is in regard to bondage and emancipation. That is not right. In them bondage and emancipation of the soul are accomplished.

The binding of karma by false belief, et cetera is called bondage. Because of it, as if bound by a rope, a creature experiences very harsh pain in the hell-inhabitant-, animal-, man-, and god-stages. The separation from karma by means of (right) knowledge, belief, and conduct which confers infinite delight, is known as emancipation. The separation of the soul and karma even though they have a union mutually produced without beginning, may be from knowledge, et cetera, like that of gold and stones by fire.”

His doubt resolved by this speech of the Master, Maṇḍika also took the vow, accompanied by three hundred and fifty disciples.

Mauryaputra also went to the Master for the destruction of his doubt and the Master said:

“Mauryaputra, your doubt is about the gods. It is false. Look, please, at these gods, Śakra and others, before your eyes, who have come themselves to this samavasaraṇa. Because of their absorption in concerts, et cetera and because of the unbearable odor of mortals, they do not come during the rest of the time. Their non-existence is not (proved) by that. That they come to earth at the birth-bath, et cetera of the Arhats—the reason for that is the very great power of the holy Arhats.”

Thus enlightened by the Master’s speech, Mauryaputra instantly became a mendicant with his three hundred and fifty disciples.

Then Akampita went to the Lord and the Lord said:

“Akampita, your thought is, ‘Hell-inhabitants do not exist because they can not be seen.’ That is false. Hell-inhabitants can not come here at will because of their subjection to others. People like you can not go there. They are not perceptible by the senses, (but) to be understood by reasoning, by people like you. They are actually grasped by the senses of those having knowledge from destruction of karma. Do not say, ‘There are here no possessors of knowledge from destruction of karma.’ The error of that doubt is evident just from me.”

After hearing this, Akampita, enlightened, undertook mendicancy in the Master’s presence together with three hundred disciples.

Then Acalabhrātṛ went to the Lord and the Lord said clearly:

“Acalabhrātṛ, your doubt is about good and evil. Do not entertain any doubt about them, since the fruit of good and evil is seen clearly among people just the same as from business. Long life, wealth, beauty, good health, birth in a good family, et cetera are the fruit of good; the opposites are the fruit of evil.”

His doubt removed in this way by the Blessed One, Acalabhrātṛ became a mendicant together with three hundred disciples.

Metārya went to the Master and the Master said:

“This is your thought: ‘There is no future life in the form of reaching another birth. How can there be a future life of the soul having pure intelligence here (in this life) from the form of a collection of elements—from its non-existence in the absence of elements?’ That is certainly false. The continuance of the soul separately from the elements (is evident) from the non-perception of consciousness even when the elements are collected. So consciousness is separate from the elements by the inherent nature of the soul. Therefore, the going to a future life would be from memory of former births, et cetera.”

Thus enlightened Metārya undertook mendicancy in the Master’s presence accompanied by three hundred disciples.

Prabhāsa went to the Lord and the Blessed One said to him:

“Prabhāsa, your doubt is whether there is nirvāṇa. Do not be in doubt. Nirvāṇa is emancipation (mokṣa); and it (mokṣa) is destruction of karma. Karma is proved from the Veda and from the variety of conditions of the soul. Karma is destroyed by pure knowledge, belief, and conduct. So emancipation is evident to those having superior knowledge, sir.”

Enlightened by the speech delivered by the Master, Prabhāsa took initiation, together with three hundred disciples.

These eleven, well-born, very intelligent, desiring emancipation, honored by everyone, were the original disciples of the Teacher of the World.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The mango tree is considered the most valuable tree in India. The karīra (Capparis Aphylla) is a worthless thorny tree.

[2]:

Apparently the ‘beginning, end, and middle’ of the sūtrārtha.

[3]:

Means of knowledge. There are 2 kinds: direct (pratyakṣa) and indirect (parokṣa). Mati and śruta knowledge are direct. The other three are indirect. See T., I. 6. 10 ff.; O. of J. pp. 112 f.