The dialogue on Varna between king Avantiputta and Kachchana, a disciple of Buddha, appears in which one of the following Buddhist texts?
- A.Majjhima Nikaya
- B.Samyutta Nikaya
- C.Anguttara Nikaya
- D.Ambattha Sutta
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Majjhima Nikaya. The dialogue is the Madhura Sutta, a discourse of the Majjhima Nikaya, in which Maha Kachchana answers Avantiputta, the king of Madhura (Mathura).
The king asks about the Brahmanas' claim that they alone are the best varna. Kachchana replies that a rich man of any varna can have people of every varna serve him, that a wrongdoer of any varna suffers for his deeds, and that a monk of any varna earns the same respect. The point is that birth does not make one varna superior to another. The Majjhima Nikaya, the collection of middle-length discourses, is one of the five Nikayas of the Sutta Pitaka in the Pali canon.
Option B is wrong because the Samyutta Nikaya groups short discourses by theme and does not carry this dialogue. Option C is wrong because the Anguttara Nikaya arranges teachings by number. Option D is wrong because the Ambattha Sutta, in the Digha Nikaya, is a debate between the Buddha and a young Brahmana named Ambattha.
Exam tip: Madhura Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya): Kachchana and King Avantiputta on the equality of the varnas.
Practice Questions
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- B.irrigating fields for rice cultivation
- C.producing strong threads of yarn
- D.the faster movement of steamships
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- A.1, 2 and 4
- B.2, 3 and 4
- C.3 and 4 only
- D.2 and 3 only
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Read the full explanation →Who was the editor of the journal Indian Social Reformer that was started in 1890?
- A.K. T. Telang
- B.Veeresalingam
- C.N. G. Chandavarkar
- D.K. N. Natarajan
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- B.A category of tenancy tenure under the Maratha rule
- C.A soldier in the Maratha army
- D.A village headman in the Mughal period
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- A.Irfan Habib
- B.Satish Chandra
- C.Athar Ali
- D.J. F. Richards
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