Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c9.s2.1

c9.s2.1

*Vajrasūcī* of Aśvaghoṣa (see Chap. 2) is an essay in refutation of caste system. Aśvaghoṣa takes the following stands and refutes them one by one:
1. The *jīva* (individual soul) is brāhmaṇa,
2. a person becomes a brāhmaṇa by birth,
3. a particular human body is brāhmaṇa,
4. because of knowledge one can become a brāhmaṇa, 5. the conduct of a person makes him a brāhmaṇa,
6. the good deeds of a person make him a brāhmaṇa, and
7. the knowledge of Veda makes a person brāhmaṇa.