Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c12.s8.3

c12.s8.3

The Buddhist texts mention a class of Brahmins named Brāhmaṇa-mahāśālas who used to receive revenues of lands granted to them by the king of the country. These Brahmins were rich and capable of undertaking for themselves the most expensive sacrifices. They also used to entertain a large number of students, sometimes 300 to 500, coming to them from different parts of the country and to impart to them the knowledge of the Vedic lore. These Brahmins were the most respected and are described as not only pure in descent but also as possessing a divine colour (*brahmavaṇṇi*), a divine radiance (*brahmavaccasi*) and of agreeable speech and language (*kalyāṇavāco*, kalyāṇavākkaraṇa). The names of some of these Brahmins are given in the Buddhist texts : Caṅki, Tārukkha, Pokkharasāti, Jānussoni, Todeyya, Kuṭadanta etc.