Then the Buddha addressed Ambaṭṭha, “What do you think, Ambaṭṭha? Suppose an aristocrat boy was to sleep with a brahmin girl, and they had a son. Would he receive a seat and water from the brahmins?”

“He would, Master Gotama.”

“And would the brahmins feed him at an offering of food for ancestors, an offering of a dish of milk-rice, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?”

“They would.”

“And would the brahmins teach him the hymns or not?”

“They would.”

“And would he be kept from the women or not?”

“He would not.”

“And would the aristocrats anoint him as king?”

“No, Master Gotama. Why is that? Because his maternity is unsuitable.”

“What do you think, Ambaṭṭha? Suppose a brahmin boy was to sleep with an aristocrat girl, and they had a son. Would he receive a seat and water from the brahmins?”

“He would, Master Gotama.”

“And would the brahmins feed him at an offering of food for ancestors, an offering of a dish of milk-rice, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?”

“They would.”

“And would the brahmins teach him the hymns or not?”

“They would.”

“And would he be kept from the women or not?”

“He would not.”

“And would the aristocrats anoint him as king?”

“No, Master Gotama. Why is that? Because his paternity is unsuitable.”

“And so, Ambaṭṭha, the aristocrats are superior and the brahmins inferior, whether comparing women with women or men with men. What do you think, Ambaṭṭha? Suppose the brahmins for some reason were to shave a brahmin’s head, inflict him with a sack of ashes, and banish him from the nation or the city. Would he receive a seat and water from the brahmins?”

“No, Master Gotama.”

“And would the brahmins feed him at an offering of food for ancestors, an offering of a dish of milk-rice, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?”

“No, Master Gotama.”

“And would the brahmins teach him the hymns or not?”

“No, Master Gotama.”

“And would he be kept from the women or not?”

“He would be.”

“What do you think, Ambaṭṭha? Suppose the aristocrats for some reason were to shave an aristocrat’s head, inflict him with a sack of ashes, and banish him from the nation or the city. Would he receive a seat and water from the brahmins?”

“He would, Master Gotama.”

“And would the brahmins feed him at an offering of food for ancestors, an offering of a dish of milk-rice, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?”

“They would.”

“And would the brahmins teach him the hymns or not?”

“They would.”

“And would he be kept from the women or not?”

“He would not.”

“At this point, Ambaṭṭha, that aristocrat has reached rock bottom, with head shaven, inflicted with a sack of ashes, and banished from city or nation. Yet still the aristocrats are superior and the brahmins inferior. Brahmā Sanaṅkumāra also spoke this verse:

‘The aristocrat is best of those people
who take clan as the standard.
But one accomplished in knowledge and conduct
is best of gods and humans.’

That verse was well sung by Brahmā Sanaṅkumāra, not poorly sung; well spoken, not poorly spoken, beneficial, not harmful, and it was approved by me. For I also say this:

The aristocrat is best of those people
who take clan as the standard.
But one accomplished in knowledge and conduct
is best of gods and humans.”