________________
Vol. XXI, No. 3
83
Family of Raksasa and arranging their escape after Chandragupta came to power) One of the Chandalas went to Chapakaya and Chandragupta to report the development and Chanakya appeared of the shot immediately. Raksasa warned him
"Visnugupta, don't touch me as I am polluted by the contact of the Chandālas." And Chanakya replied
"Minister Raksasa, these two are not Shavakas.”
That shows untouchability was born before Bana and the Chandalas were untouchables at the time. Dr. Ambedkar did not refer to the above testimony of the Mudraksasa but its significance is too obvious to be ignored. Fa-Hian
Fa-Hian visited India in 400 A.D. before Bana and Vishakhadatta. Ambedkar wrote a lot about the Chandala girl of the Kadambari simply in order to dispel the idea that untouchability had come about at the time which a reading of Fa-Hianis account is likely to arouse. Therefore, an examination of the account as well as of its interpretation by Ambedkar becomes necessary. So this is what Fa-Hian says about the Chandalas :
"Throughout the country the people kill no living thing nor drink wine, nor do they eat garlic or onion, with the ecception of the Chandalas only. The Chandalas are named "evil men' and dwell apart from others; if they enter a town or market, they sound a piece of wood in order to separate themselves; then, man knowing they are, avoid coming in contact with them... The Chandalas only hunt and sell Fish.” And this is what Ambedkar says about the above account: 1. "The Chandalas is not a good case to determine the reistence of non-reistence of untouchability. The Brahmins have regarded the Chandalas as their hereditary enemies and are prono to attribute to them abominable conduct; here at them low epithets and manufacture towards them a mode of behaviour which is utterly artificial so suit their venom against them". 2. "How different” Bana's description of the Chandala girl "is
from the description given by Fa-Hian ?”. 3. "It is quite possible that what Fa-Hian describes is not un
touchability but an restremity to which the Brahmins were prepared to carry the ceremonial impurity which had become
attached to some community, particularly to the Chandalas."10
The above leads one to wonder whether Fa-Hian was an orthodox Biabmaņc or a disciple of an orthodox Brāhmaṇa. Why should
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
