Question

This unique Buddhist text, part of the Sutta Pitaka, is a collection of verses composed by bhikkhunis. It provides an insight into women’s social and spiritual experiences. Punna, a dasi or slave woman, went to the river each morning to fetch water for her master’s household. There she would daily see a Brahmana performing bathing rituals. One morning she spoke to him. The following are verses composed by Punna, recording her conversation with the Brahmana: I am a water carrier: Even in the cold I have always gone down to the water frightened of punishment Or the angry words of high-class women. So what are you afraid of, Brahmana, that makes you go down to the water (Though) your limbs shake with the bitter cold? The Brahmana replied: I am doing good to prevent evil; anyone young or old who has done something bad is freed by washing in water. Punna said: Whoever told you You are freed from evil by washing in the water?… In that case all the frogs and turtles Would go to heaven, and so would the water snakes and crocodiles! (Instead) Don’t do that thing, the fear of which leads you to the water. Stop now, Brahmana! Save your skin from the cold …

Which of the teachings of the Buddha are evident in this composition?

Answer 1

The composition from the Therigatha highlights the Buddha’s core teachings of rejecting external rituals for purification, emphasising the supremacy of ethical action (Karma) over blind tradition, and encouraging rational, logical reasoning. It also reflects the early Buddhist principle of spiritual equality, showing that true wisdom can belong to anyone regardless of caste, gender, or social status.

1. Rejection of External Ritualism
   • Punna strongly critiques the Brahmana’s belief that ritual bathing can wash away sins.
   • The Buddha taught that external actions like bathing in holy rivers cannot purify a person’s soul.
2. Supremacy of Ethical Action (Karma)
   • Punna advises the Brahmana to stop doing the bad deeds that cause him fear in the first place.
   • This reflects the teaching that internal moral intent and avoiding evil are the only ways to escape bad karma.
3. Emphasis on Rationality and Logic
   • Punna uses sharp, common-sense logic by pointing out that if water could wash away sins, then frogs, turtles, and crocodiles would all go to heaven.
   • This matches the Buddha’s instruction to question blind traditions rather than accepting them blindly.
4. Social and Spiritual Equality
   • A dasi (slave woman) who became a bhikkhuni (nun) possesses the spiritual clarity to correct an elite Brahmana.
   • This directly reflects the Buddha’s revolutionary view that spiritual liberation is open to all, bypassing the rigid Varna hierarchy.