The History of Buddhist Thought c15.8

c15.8

Controversy between brahmins and the Buddhists turns upon caste, sacrifice, and the possession of the sacred lore, the three Vedas. The brahmins are represented as saying “ the brahmin is the best colour (caste), the other colour is base; the brahmin is the white colour, the other colour is black; the brahmins are purified,¹ not non-brahmins. The brahmins are the true sons of Brahma, born from his mouth, Brahma-born, Brahma-created, heirs of Brahma ”.² The word for colour here is vaṇṇa (varṇa), and is the same word which means “ caste ” in the sense of the four classes of mankind held to be the four primitive castes produced in the beginning, from which the others have originated by intermixture. Another statement attributed to a brahmin is, “ there are these four castes, kshatriyas (warriors), brahmins (priests), vaiśyas (traders and farmers), and śūdras (serfs). Of these four the three castes of kshatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras are really but attendants on the brahmins.”