The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c8.88

c8.88

It is clear that the impurity of a person extended to the objects touched by him; this was especially the case with everything that had reference to food. When we remember how great a religious importance the meal had at all times for the Aryans, how eating together served as an external sign of sameness of blood, it seems possible to assume that this principle of the exclusion of all impure people from the common table came from ancient times, was carried from the family over to the caste and was here developed with great precision. It should not, however, be overlooked that traces of such an exclusion of low persons from participation in the meal, as we see it in India to-day, are only found, when they are found at all in the Jâtakas, extremely rarely. The only passage which serves as evidence of the presence of special rules and customs relating to a common table, does not occur in a Jâtaka but in a paccuppannavatthu, in the introductory explanation in Bhaddasâla Jâtaka (IV. 144 sq.). Here it is narrated that the messengers of the Kosala king, sent to the Sâkiyas of Kapilavatthu, in order to bring a girl of this family for their chief, express doubts about the purity of her birth; they are afraid of being cheated by the Sâkiyas who are proud of their family and so demand that the girl should dine with them. The Sâkiyas who as a matter of fact, wanted to pass on to them an illegitimate girl, namely, a Vâsabhakhattiyâ, the daughter of Mahânâma and a slave, are embarrassed and don't know what to do. Mahânâma says that they should not give themselves any trouble about the matter, for he knew a method: when he was eating, they should bring the Vâsabhakhattiyâ, adorned with her ornaments, and as soon as he swallowed one mouthful, show him a letter with the words : "O prince, King so and so sent a letter, hear first this message." The Sâkiyas are satisfied with the plan and when Mahânâma sits at his dinner, they adorn the maiden with ornaments. Mahânâma cries out, "Bring my daughter here, she shall eat with me." After making some delay under the pretext that she must be adorned first, they bring her. With the words, "We will dine together with my father," she held a dish. Mahânâma takes with her a lump and puts it into his mouth; when he, however, stretches out his hand for the second lump, he is brought a letter, as previously arranged. He puts his right hand into the dish, encouraging his daughter to eat and takes the letter with his left hand and reads it : the latter, however, continues to eat, whilst he explains the message. When she finishes eating, he washes his hands and rinses his mouth. In this way the messengers come to the conclusion that she is his daughter and overlooks any distinction of caste.