English
5. The Chapter on Brahmins 1. The Discourse with Brahmāyu 383. Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was wandering in the Videha country with a large community of monks, with five hundred monks. Now at that time, the brahmin Brahmāyu was living in Mithilā, old, aged, advanced in years, having reached the end of his life’s journey, a hundred and twenty years old by birth. He was a master of the three Vedas, with their vocabularies and rituals, their phonology and etymology, and as the fifth, their histories. He was skilled in grammar and exposition, and an expert in the signs of a great man according to the Lokāyata system. The brahmin Brahmāyu heard: “Indeed, good sirs, the recluse Gotama, a son of the Sakyans, gone forth from the Sakyan clan, is wandering in the Videha country with a large community of monks, with five hundred monks. And this good report has spread concerning that venerable Gotama: ‘Indeed, the Blessed One is an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, a Fortunate One, a Knower of the world, an unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, a Teacher of gods and humans, the Awakened One, the Blessed One.’ He makes known this world with its devas, Māras, and Brahmās, this generation with its recluses and brahmins, its devas and humans, having realized it for himself with direct knowledge. He teaches the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with its meaning and its phrasing. He proclaims the perfectly complete and purified holy life. It is good indeed to see such Arahants.” 384. Now at that time, the brahmin Brahmāyu had a student named Uttara, a young man, a master of the three Vedas, with their vocabularies and rituals, their phonology and etymology, and as the fifth, their histories. He was skilled in grammar and exposition, and an expert in the signs of a great man according to the Lokāyata system. Then the brahmin Brahmāyu addressed the young man Uttara: “My dear Uttara, this recluse Gotama, a son of the Sakyans, gone forth from the Sakyan clan, is wandering in the Videha country with a large community of monks, with five hundred monks. And this good report has spread concerning that venerable Gotama: ‘Indeed, the Blessed One is an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, a Fortunate One, a Knower of the world, an unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, a Teacher of gods and humans, the Awakened One, the Blessed One.’ He makes known this world with its devas, Māras, and Brahmās, this generation with its recluses and brahmins, its devas and humans, having realized it for himself with direct knowledge. He teaches the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with its meaning and its phrasing. He proclaims the perfectly complete and purified holy life. It is good indeed to see such Arahants.” Concerning the venerable Gotama, this good report has arisen: ‘Indeed, that Blessed One is Arahant, Perfectly Self-Awakened… …it is good to see such Arahants.’ Come, my dear Uttara, go to the ascetic Gotama; having gone, find out about the ascetic Gotama: whether that report concerning the venerable Gotama is true or not; whether that venerable Gotama is such a one or not. Thus we shall know that venerable Gotama. “How then, sirs, shall I know that venerable Gotama, whether that report concerning the venerable Gotama is true or not; whether that venerable Gotama is such a one or not?” “My dear Uttara, in our mantras, the thirty-two marks of a Great Man have been handed down. A Great Man endowed with these has only two destinies, no other. If he lives in a house, he becomes a Wheel-turning King, a righteous king of righteousness, conquering the four quarters, having attained stability in the countryside, endowed with the seven jewels. These seven jewels are his: the wheel-jewel, the elephant-jewel, the horse-jewel, the gem-jewel, the woman-jewel, the householder-jewel, and the leader-jewel as the seventh. Indeed, he has more than a thousand sons, brave, heroic in form, crushing enemy armies. He conquers and dwells over this earth, bounded by the ocean, without rod, without weapon, by righteousness. But if he goes forth from the home life into homelessness, he becomes an Arahant, Perfectly Self-Awakened, one who has removed the veil from the world. Indeed, my dear Uttara, I am the giver of the mantras; you are the receiver of the mantras.” “Yes, sirs,” Uttara the student, having assented to Brahmāyu the brahmin, rose from his seat, saluted Brahmāyu the brahmin, and circumambulated him. Then he set out on tour in the Videha country, towards the Blessed One. came. Wandering by stages, he approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the young man Uttara examined the thirty-two marks of a Great Man on the body of the Blessed One. The young man Uttara saw the thirty-two marks of a Great Man on the body of the Blessed One, mostly, except for two. Regarding two marks of a Great Man, he was doubtful, he was perplexed, he was not convinced, he was not confident: the private parts being enclosed in a sheath, and the very long tongue. Then it occurred to the Blessed One: "This young man Uttara sees my thirty-two marks of a Great Man, mostly, except for two. Regarding two marks of a Great Man, he is doubtful, he is perplexed, he is not convinced, he is not confident: the private parts being enclosed in a sheath, and the very long tongue." Then the Blessed One performed such a psychic feat that the young man Uttara saw the Blessed One's private parts enclosed in a sheath. Then the Blessed One extended his tongue and touched and stroked both ear-holes; he touched and stroked both nostril-holes; he completely covered his entire forehead with his tongue. Then it occurred to the young man Uttara: "The recluse Gotama is endowed with the thirty-two marks of a Great Man. What if I were to follow the recluse Gotama, and observe his deportment?" Then the young man Uttara followed the Blessed One for seven months, like an unfailing shadow. 386. Then, after seven months, the young man Uttara set out on a journey to Videha, to Mithilā. Wandering by stages, he approached the brahmin Brahmāyu in Mithilā. Having approached, he greeted the brahmin Brahmāyu and sat down to one side. To the young man Uttara, sitting to one side, Brahmāyu the brahmin said this: "Is it true, dear Uttara, that the report about Master Gotama is just as it is, and not otherwise? Is Master Gotama indeed such a one, and not otherwise?" "It is just as it is, sir, that the report about Master Gotama has arisen, and not otherwise; Master Gotama is indeed such a one, and not otherwise. And Master Gotama is endowed with the thirty-two marks of a Great Man. "Indeed, Master Gotama has well-planted feet; this too is a mark of that Great Man, Master Gotama. "Indeed, on the soles of Master Gotama's feet wheels have appeared, with a thousand spokes, with rims, with naves, complete in every aspect… "Indeed, Master Gotama has long heels… "Indeed, Master Gotama has long fingers and toes… "Indeed, Master Gotama has soft and tender hands and feet… "Indeed, Master Gotama has webbed hands and feet… "Indeed, Master Gotama has high-arched feet… "Indeed, Master Gotama has legs like an antelope… "Indeed, Master Gotama, while standing upright, without bending down, can touch and stroke his knees with both hands… "Indeed, Master Gotama has his private parts enclosed in a sheath… "Indeed, Master Gotama has a golden complexion, his skin like burnished gold… "Indeed, Master Gotama has very fine skin. Because of the fineness of his skin, dust and dirt do not cling to his body… "Indeed, Master Gotama has one hair per pore; each hair grows singly in each pore… "Indeed, Master Gotama has upward-curling hairs; the hairs grow upward, blue-black, like collyrium, curling in rings, turning to the right… "Indeed, Master Gotama has a body straight as a god's… "Indeed, Master Gotama has seven convexities… "Indeed, Master Gotama has the forepart of his body like a lion's… "Well-filled shoulders… Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has well-proportioned shoulders... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama is perfectly proportioned like a banyan tree; as tall as his arm-span, as his arm-span is, so is his height... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has an evenly rounded torso... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has supreme taste... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has a lion-like jaw... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has forty teeth... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has even teeth... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has no gaps between his teeth... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has very white canines... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has an ample tongue... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has a divine voice, speaking like the karavika bird... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has very dark blue eyes... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has cow-like eyelashes... Indeed, a hair-tuft has grown between the eyebrows of that Reverend Gotama, white and soft like cotton... Indeed, that Reverend Gotama has a head like a turban; this too is a mark of a Great Man, of that Reverend Gotama, the Great Man. Indeed, sirs, that Reverend Gotama is endowed with these thirty-two marks of a Great Man. 387. Indeed, that Reverend Gotama, when walking, steps first with his right foot. He does not lift his foot too far, nor place his foot too close; he does not walk too fast, nor too slow; he does not walk knocking thigh against thigh, nor ankle against ankle. When walking, he does not raise his thigh, nor lower his thigh; nor draw in his thigh, nor swing out his thigh. Indeed, when that Reverend Gotama walks, only his lower body moves, and he does not walk with the strength of his body.