History Commons^™

Examining Kamma/Karma Doctrine In The Buddhist Jātakas, Chandrabhan P. Yadav

Articles

Several scholars have seriously challenged the cherished egalitarian ethos of Buddhism after Ambedkar’s political as well as academic engagement with Buddhism. However, most have not explored Buddhist sources to examine the nitty gritty of the kamma/karma question.

Representation Of Caṇḍālas In The Jātakas, Chandrabhan P. Yadav

Articles

Excerpt:

"Out of 547 Jātaka stories, eight describe the caṇḍālas.1 Out of these eight stories, half contain passing references about this social class, but at least four are stories where the protagonists themselves are caṇḍālas. In those four stories which are centred around this class, three are comparatively longer stories, including the famous Mātaṅga-Jātaka (No. 497). These are probably the most elaborate descriptions of this social group from the early historic period. Since the Mātaṅga-Jātaka is more elaborate and complex than the other stories and needs to be discussed separately, I will only discuss the rest of the seven stories …

Countering Untouchability: The Stories Of Mātaṅga, Chandrabhan P. Yadav

Articles

Excerpt:

"In the Jātakas we get description of the Caṇḍālas which is rare as far as traces about this class from the early Indian past is concerned. In around eight stories we get description of the Caṇḍālas.1 Amongst those the Mātaṅ gaJātaka (No.497) is the most important story because of its sheer description which is comparatively more elaborate than the other stories. In this essay I shall not only be examining this particular story to see the everyday lives of the Caṇḍālas in the early historic period, but most importantly, I shall also be exploring those processes through which these …