Literary History of Sanskrit Buddhism

Avadāna – 72
the caṇḍāla maiden, was yet not cured of her love. She went into the
town and followed Ānanda day after day as he went forth on his
mendicant’s circuit. Once more Ānanda in his sorrow turned to the
ostensibly consented to her desire that Ānanda should be her
husband. Soon, however, he brings her to a frame of mind in which
she takes the vow of spinsterly chastity and turns a nun. She not only
has her hair shaven and dons the nun’s weeds, but dives into the
profundity of the four Noble Truths and understands the religion of
the Buddha in its entirety.
When, however, the Brahmans, warriors and citizens of Śrāvastī
heard that the Buddha made a caṇḍāla daughter a nun, they were
greatly perturbed, conveyed it to the king Praśenajit and the latter
immediately set out for the Master to remonstrate with him.
Numerous Brahmans, warriors and citizens of Śrāvastī had gathered
together there. Then the Buddha related the story of Triśanku, the
caṇḍāla chieftain. The latter, ages ago, was desirous of matching his
learned son Śārdūlakarṇa to the daughter of the proud Brahman
Puśkārasāri. The Brahman rejected his overtures with disdain and
now follows a most interesting dialogue in which Triśanku subjects
to searching criticism the caste system and the Brahmanic code of
morality. He demonstrates that between members of the various
castes there exists no such natural difference as between diverse
species of animals and plants. Moreover there could be no [57] caste
according to the doctrines of transmigration and the theory of
karma in as much as each individually is reborn in accordance with
his own deeds. Finally, Puśkārasāri is convinced of the erudition of
Triśanku and consents to the marriage. And, concludes the Master,
the Brahman’s daughter was in a former birth no other than the