Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh (early history)
by Prakash Narayan | 2011 | 63,517 words
This study deals with the history of Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh (Northern India) taking into account the history and philosophy of Buddhism. Since the sixth century B.C. many developments took place in these regions, in terms of society, economic life, religion and arts and crafts....
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The Buddha and the Gahapati
The gahapatis use bhante as the formalised mode of address for the Buddha. They are addressed as gahapati by the Buddha. They salute the Buddha on meeting him (abhivadeti).[1]
However, Potaliya’s resentment for being merely called gahapati is one of the noteworthy cases. He suggests to the Buddha that it is not proper and suitable that he should be addressed as thus.[2] He had given up all vocations (vohara samuccheda), handed over the property and wealth to his sons and “totally withdrawn from giving advice and instructions to others.�[3]
He also claims that he lives on a minimum of food and covering. He addresses the Buddha as bho Gotana, thus assuming a status of equality for himself. He addresses the Buddha as bhante only after listening to him. The statement of the gahapati Potaliya hints that he still assumed the full responsibility of household. Despite his austere way of life, he was still a layman.
The gahapatis are addressed by their terms of reference, gahapati by the Buddha. Although the term of reference contains gahapati coupled either with the personal names, nicknames or professional names but he does not address them by their names. The rule of addressing the gahapati in this manner was broken only in one notable case. Gahapati Anathapindika, who is elsewhere addressed as gahapati by the Buddha[4] is only once addressed by his personal name sudatta.[5] The reaction Anathapindkika was instantaneous. Anathapindika was much elated and over overwhelmed with joy that the Buddha should call him by his personal name. The incident obviously hints the obliteration of the social distance which existed between the gahapati and the Buddha. However, the Buddha addresses the gahapati-puttas (sons of householders) by their personal names.[6]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Anguttara Nikaya.II.53; III.49, 391; IV.212; Digha Nikaya.I.211; II. 180-81; Majjhima Nikaya.I.285-90, 359, 376; II.24; III.291-93; Samyutta Nikaya. III.Iff, 48-49, 212, IV.109, 110, 28; V. 348ff, 352-56; Vinaya.I.16, 227; II.156. The authors of the Pali English Dictionary (77) suggest a possible English rendering of the term igahapati in vocative singular as sir, and vocative plural as urs (gahapatayo). But these English substitutions do not seem to carry with them the full force of the original Pali sense. For that reason it would be best to retain the original Pali form.
[3]:
Ibid., 360, anovadi anupavadi.
[4]:
Anguttara Nikaya.IV.91.
[5]:
Vinaya.II.156.
[6]:
Ibid., 360, anovadi anupavadi.