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162 INDIA AS DESCRIBED, IN FARLY TEXTS they lived with their disciples became known as Brāhmanagåmas.
As observed elsewhere, these Brāhmaṇas became rich and powerful only bocause of certain permanent land-grants and endowments, made by the kings. The localities, as the description goes, full of life and covered with much grassy land, woodland and corn fields around Northern India, were dotted over with such Brāhmaṇagāmas. The Brāhmaṇas as Makāsālas had a control over them as regards their revenue and the judicial and the civil administration, as was determined by the terms of royal grauts (rājadeyyam brahmadeyyam). The Purohitas in respect of learning and social status belonged to this very class of Brahmins.
In the Brāhmana texts, two privileges are claimed for the Brāhmaṇas, namely, unmolestibility and immunity from execution. They were not required to pay rents in so far as the land-endowments were concerned. The Pali texts do not bear testimony to any privind position enjoyed by them in the eye of the law. It is clearly stated in the Madhura Sutta that a criminal, whether a Brāhmaṇa or not, was liable to execution. The -Játakas dofinitely speak of the execution of Brāhmaṇas. The
1 Law, Srävasti, p. 16; Fiok, op. cit., p. 244.
Majjhima, ü, p. 83f.. 8 Jataka i, p. 439; Flok, op. oit., p. 212.
