ward with his companions to the grove of Champaka trees by the lake, where the Buddha was surrounded by his disciples. He greeted the Master courteously and sat down beside him, but his thoughts continued to revolve around himself: “If only the ascetic Gotama would ask me something about my own subject, the science of the Three Vedas! then I should be able to win his admiration by my answer!”
The narrator says that the Buddha clearly saw this thought in Sonadanda’s mind and, with courteous kindness, proceeded to comply with Sonadanda’s wish. So he said to Sonadanda:
“O Brahman, what are the qualities which, in the view of the Brahmans, a man should possess in order to be a Brahman, so that he might truthfully say ‘Iam a Brahman’?”
Sonadanda was immensely relieved: “Exactly what I desired has happened”, he congratulated himself; “the ascetic Gotama has asked me a question in my own subject! I hope my answer will win his admiration!”
So he drew himself up, and. looking around on the gathering of Brahmans and disciples, spoke thus to the Buddha:
“In the view of the Brahmans, Gotama, in order to be a Brahman, so that he may truthfully say, ‘I am a Brahman’, a man should possess five endowments. And what are these five endowments?
“First, Sire, a Brahman should be well born on the mother’s side and on the father’s side, of stainless descent through seven generations.
“Second, he should know by heart, and be able rightly to intone the Mantras of the three Vedas; he should be a Master of Vedic studies and the traditions also; he should be able to recognize the bodily marks of a great man.
“Third, he should be handsome, fair, good to look upon.
“Fourth, he should be perfected in virtue.
“Fifth, he should be wise and learned, able to perform the Vedic sacrifice of the holy fire.”
As a basis of criticism, it would be well to compare this list of qualities with the qualifications for Chelaship, as set forth, for example, in the Crest Jewel of Wisdom.
The Buddha had, without doubt, a similar standard in mind, but he expressed his criticism by indirection, leading Sonadanda on by what the Latin poet calls the expedient of the diminishing heap.
So he said to Sonadanda: “But of these five qualifications, O Brahman, would it be possible to omit one, and yet describe such a man truthfully as a Brahman?”
“Yes, Gotama”, Sonadanda answered; “fairness of face could be omitted. If such a man possessed the other four, namely, birth, Vedic studies, virtue and wisdom, he could truthfully be called a Brahman.”
“But of these four, would it be possible to omit one, and yet truthfully to call the man a Brahman?”
“Yes, Gotama, Vedic studies might be omitted. If such a man possessed the other three, namely, birth, virtue and wisdom, he could truthfully be called a Brahman.”
“But of these three would it be possible to omit one, and truthfully to call the man a Brahman!”
“Yes, Gotama, birth could be omitted. If such man possessed virtue and wisdom, he could truthfully be called a Brahman.”
It is evident that the good Sonadanda, led on by the Buddha’s skilful questioning, and preoccupied by the desire to give an answer that would win the Buddha’s admiration, was going much farther than orthodox Brahmans would be willing to follow him.
They might be willing to waive good looks and even Vedic studies, since a Brahman boy might not yet have begun his studies, while not all Brahmans attained to eminent knowledge of the Vedic texts. But for a caste which was already entrenching itself in hereditary privilege, and claiming to be sacrosanct by birth alone, to exclude birth as a qualification for Brahmanhood was not admissible. Therefore we are prepared for the immediate, vigorous protest which the Buddhist recorder tells us, was raised by Sonadanda’s Brahman companions:
“Say not so, noble Sonadanda, say not so! He is belittling our colour, our Mantras and our birth! Sonadanda is going over to the teaching of the ascetic Gotama!”
The recorder represents the Buddha as coming down somewhat heavily upon the protesting Brahmans, bidding them keep silent unless they 