Vol. 11 · pages 506–510

487 HIS ENEMIES VI 5. “I too Brahmin, do plough and do sow before I eat.” 6. “I fail, however, to see the worthy Gautama’s yoke, or plough, or ploughshare, or goad, or ox-team —albeit, he asserts that he ploughs and sows before he eats. 7. “You claim to be a tiller, though we see none of your tillage. Tell us how you till; for of your tilling we would fain hear more.” 8. “My seed is faith; austerity of life my rain; wisdom my yoke and plough; my pole is fear to err; with thought to strap the yoke; and mindfulness for plough share and the goad,” replied the Lord. 9. “Watchful o’er word and deed, and temperate in diet, I make in sight weed my crop, nor rest till final bliss is harvested. Effort is my stout ox, which turns not back at headlands;—straight to Peace he bears me on, to that last bourne where anguish is no more. Thus, I till with Deathlessness for crop. And who tills as I, is freed from ills.” 10. Thereupon the Brahmin served up milk-rice on a great bronze dish and offered it to the Lord, saying: “Eat this, Gautama, a tiller indeed art thou, in that thou tillest a crop that is Deathless.” 11. But the Lord said: “I take no chanter’s fee. Seers countenance it not; the Enlighten’d scout such fees; and while this Doctrine lasts, this practice must hold good. Provided with other fare a sage of holy calm, consummate, cankerless; merit to reap,— sow there.” 12. On hearing these words the Brahmin went over to the Lord, and, bowing his head at the Lord’s feet, cried: “Wonderful, Gautama; quite wonderful. Just as a man might set upright again what had fallen down, or reveal what had been hidden away, or tell a man who had fallen down, or reveal what had been hidden away, or tell a man who had gone astray which was his way, or bring a lamp into darkness so that those with eyes to see might see the things about them,—even so, in many ways has Gautama made his Doctrine clear!

488 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES VI 13 “To the reverend Gotama I come for refuge and to his Doctrine and to his community. Be it mine to receive admission and confirmation at the hands of the Lord!” So the Brahmin Kasi-Bharadvaja was admitted and confirmed as an almsman of the Lord. § 3. Charge of Breaking Happy Households 1. Seeing that many distinguished young Magadha noblemen had become the disciples of the Blessed One, people became annoyed and angry, saying: “ The Samana Gautama causes parents to be childless; the Samana Gautama causes wives to become widows; the Samana Gautama causes the uprooting of families. 2. “ Now he has ordained one thousand Jatilas, and he has ordained these two hundred and fifty wandering ascetics who were followers of Sanjaya, and these many distinguished young Magadha clansmen are now leading a holy life under the Samana Gautama. What will happen next ? No one can say!” 3. And, moreover, when they saw the monks they chide them in the following terms: “ The great Samana has come to Giribhaja (i.e., Ragagaha) of the Magadha people, leading with him all the followers of Sanjaya ; who will be the next to be led by him ?” 4. The monks heard this accusation and they reported it to the Blessed One. 5. The Blessed One replied: “This noise, monks, will not last long; it will last only seven days; after seven days it will be over. 6. “And if they chide you, monks, you should reply that it is truly by a good Dhamma that the great heroes, the Tathagatas, lead. Who will murmur at the wise, why grudge the wise leading men righteously? There is no compulsion in my Dhamma. One is free to leave home. One is free to remain attached to his home.” 7. When the Bhikkhus replied to the revilers as the Blessed One had directed, then the people under-

489 HIS ENEMIES VI stood : “ It is by Dhamma, and not unrighteously that the Sakyaputtiya Samana leads men”; and ceased to accuse the Blessed One. § 4. Jains and a False Charge of Murder 1. The Tirthikas’ were beginning to feel that the people no longer respected them with the appearance of Samana Gautama and that even some people did not know of their existence. 2. So, “let us see whether with the connivance of somebody, we can lower his prestige,” thought the Tirthikas. “ Perhaps with Sundari’s help we might succeed.” 3. And they approached Sundari and said to her: “Sister, you are extremely beautiful and charming. If you spread a scandal about Samana Gautama, the people might believe it, and it would lower his influence.” 4. Sundari used to go every evening towards the Jetavana with garlands, camphor, and sweet scents when the people used to return to the city; and if anybody asked her, “ Sundari, where are you going ? “ she used to answer, “I am going to Samana Gautama to stay with in the garden house (Gandha Kutir).” 5. And staying the night in some gardens of the Tirthikas, she used to return in the morning, and if anybody asked her where she had spent the night, she would say that she had spent the night with Gautama. 6. After a few days the Tirthikas hired a few assassins and told them: “Kill Sundari and throw her body on the rubbish heap near Gautama’s Gandha Kutir.” This the assassins did. 7. Then the Tirthikas brought it to the notice of the officers of peace and justice that Sundari used to frequent Jetavana and she was missing. 8. So with the assistance of the officers they found Sundari’s body on the rubbish heap. 9. And the Tirthikas accused the disciples of

490 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES VI Gautama to have killed Sundari in order to hide the shame of their leader. 10. But the assassins began to quarrel amongst themselves in a liquor shop about the distribution of the prize money for having killed Sundari. 11. The officers at once arrested them and they admitted their guilt and implicated the Tirthikas at whose instigation they had committed the crime. 12. Thus the Tirthikas lost whatever influence was left for them. § 5. Jains and a False Charge of Immorality 1. As with the sunrise the glow-worms vanish, so miserable became the situation of the Tirthikas. The people ceased to pay them respects or presents. 2. Standing on the public streets they used to harangue : “ If Samana Gautama is enlightened (Buddha), we are also. If you acquire virtue by showering presents on the Buddha, you will get the same by giving us presents. Therefore make gift to us.” 3. But the public paid no heed to it. So they conspired in secret how by spreading scandal on the character of Samana Gautama, they could discredit the Sangha. 4. At that time there used to live in Shravasti a Brahmani Parivrajaka, known as Chincha. In bodily formation and physical charms she was a seductive beauty. She used to radiate voluptuous grace with her bodily movements. 5. One of the crafty schemers among the Tirthikas said that with the help of Chincha it would be easy to spread a scandal about Gautama, and thereby discredit him, to which other Tirthikas gave their consent. 6. Then, one day Chincha came to the park of the Tirthikas and saluting them, sat near them. But nobody talked with her. 7. Surprised at this she said : ‘‘How have I

491 HIS ENEMIES VI offended you ? I have saluted you thrice though you do not say a single word to me.” 8. “Sister,” the Tirthikas said, “Don’t you know that Samana Gautama is causing us harm and loss by his popularity.” “ I do not know that. And have I got any duty to perform toward its solution?” 9. “ Sister, if you mean to do us good, then by your own efforts, spread scandals about Gautama, and thus make him unpopular-” “All right ; be content ; and depend that on me,” saying thus she left the place. 10. Chincha was an expert in feminine charms and coquetry. When the citizens of Shravasti used to return from the religious discussions at Jetavana, Chincha wearing a red garment and with perfumes and garlands in her hands used to go towards it. 11. If anybody asked her: “Where are you going now?” “That’s none of your business,” she used to answer. Spending the night at the rest house of the Itinerants (Tirthikarama) near Jetavana, she used to return to the city in the morning, when the citizens used to go to the Jetavana to pay respect to the Buddha. 12. If anybody asked her, “Where did you spend the night ?” she used to say, “ That is none of your business. I spent the night with Samana Gautama in his garden house (Gandha Kutir) at Jetavana.” The remark used to create doubts in the minds of some. 13. After four months she used to increase the size of her belly by wrapping round it some old rags, and say that she became pregnant through Samana Gautama. Some began to believe it. 14. In the ninth month, she suspending a wooden protuberance round her belly and having arms swollen through insect bites, appeared before the Buddha when he was making a religious discourse before monks and laymen and said: “Great teacher, you give many people religious lessons. Your voice is sweet, and your lips are very tender. Through cohabitation with you I have been pregnant, and my delivery time is near. 15. “ You have not fixed any delivery place for me,