A History of Sanskrit Literature c11.32

c11.32

As Buddhism first obtained a firm footing in Kosala and Videha, it is interesting to inquire in what relation the *Çatapatha Brāhmaṇa* stands to the beginnings of that doctrine. In this connection it is to be noted that the words *Arhat*, *Çramaṇa*, and *Pratibuddha* occur here for the first time, but as yet without the technical sense which they have in Buddhistic literature. Again, in the lists of teachers given in the Brāhmaṇa mention is made with special frequency of the Gautamas, a family name used by the Çākyas of Kapilavastu, among whom Buddha was born. Certain allusions are also suggestive of the beginnings of the Sānkhya doctrine; for mention is several times made of a teacher called Āsuri, and according to tradition Āsuri is the name of a leading authority for the Sānkhya system. If we inquire as to how far the legends of our Brāhmaṇa contain the germs of the later epic tales, we find that there is indeed some slight connection.