So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Now at that time around five hundred brahmins from abroad were residing in Sāvatthī on some business. Then those brahmins thought, “This ascetic Gotama advocates purification for all four classes. Who is capable of debating with him about this?”

Now at that time the brahmin student Assalāyana was residing in Sāvatthī. He was young, tonsured, and sixteen years old. He had mastered the three Vedas, together with their vocabularies and ritual performance, their phonology and word classification, and the testaments as fifth. He knew them word-by-word, and their grammar. He was well versed in cosmology and the marks of a great man.

Then those brahmins thought, “This Assalāyana is capable of debating with the ascetic Gotama about this.”

So they approached Assalāyana and said to him, “This ascetic Gotama advocates purification for all four classes. Please, Mister Assalāyana, debate with the ascetic Gotama about this.”

When they said this, Assalāyana said to them, “They say that the ascetic Gotama is a speaker of principle. But speakers of principle are hard to debate. I’m not capable of debating with the ascetic Gotama about this.”

For a second time, those brahmins said to him “This ascetic Gotama advocates purification for all four classes. Please, Mister Assalāyana, debate with the ascetic Gotama about this. For you have lived as a wanderer.” And for a second time, Assalāyana refused.

For a third time, those brahmins said to him, “This ascetic Gotama advocates purification for all four classes. Please, Mister Assalāyana, debate with the ascetic Gotama about this. For you have lived as a wanderer. Don’t admit defeat before going into battle!”

When they said this, Assalāyana said to them, “Clearly, good sirs, I’m not getting through to you when I say: ‘They say that the ascetic Gotama is a speaker of principle. But speakers of principle are hard to debate. I’m not capable of debating with the ascetic Gotama about this.’ Nevertheless, I shall go at your bidding.”

Then Assalāyana together with a large group of brahmins went to the Buddha and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha:

“Mister Gotama, the brahmins say: ‘Only brahmins are the best class; other classes are inferior. Only brahmins are the light class; other classes are dark. Only brahmins are purified, not others. Only brahmins are Brahmā’s true-born sons, born from his mouth, born of Brahmā, created by Brahmā, heirs of Brahmā.’ What do you say about this?”

“But Assalāyana, brahmin women are seen menstruating, being pregnant, giving birth, and breastfeeding. Yet even though they’re born from a brahmin womb they say: ‘Only brahmins are the best class; other classes are inferior. Only brahmins are the light class; other classes are dark. Only brahmins are purified, not others. Only brahmins are Brahmā’s true-born sons, born from his mouth, born of Brahmā, created by Brahmā, heirs of Brahmā.’”