Re: Urasmaa vs. Uurusmaa

Hi Eisel,

> Following Kacc. verse 274 I find the example:
>  "Urasmaa jaato putto."
> This strikes me as a bit odd.

> (1) Could "Ura" (chest) here be confused with "Uuru" (thigh)?  All the
> editions I've seen render it "Ura" consistently.

I don't think uuru has anything to do with it.

Mahaparinibbaanasutta:
tato na.m anukampanti, maataa putta.mva orasa.m,
devataanukampito poso, sadaa bhadraani passatii ti.
(DN. ii. 88-9)

DA. on "orasa.m":
_orasan_ ti ure .thapetvaa sa.mva.d.dhita.m, yathaa maataa
orasa.m putta.m anukampati, uppannaparissayahara.natthameva
tassa vaayamati, eva.m anukampantii ti attho.
(DA. ii. 542)

So, it would appear that the term 'ura' can sometimes
include the womb; or perhaps it encompasses the entire
torso?

'Ura' also has a figurative use in contexts where Ariyan
disciples are referred to as "sons of the Bhagavaa" (or
Sugata).

Agga~n~nasutta:
yassa kho panassa, vaase.t.tha, tathaagate saddhaa
nivi.t.thaa muulajaataa pati.t.thitaa da.lhaa asa.mhaariyaa
sama.nena vaa braahma.nena vaa devena vaa maarena vaa
brahmunaa vaa kenaci vaa lokasmi.m, tasseta.m kalla.m
vacanaaya -- 'bhagavatomhi putto oraso mukhato jaato
dhammajo dhammanimmito dhammadaayaado'ti.
(DN. iii. 84)

DA. on the above:
_muulajaataa pati.t.thitaa_ ti maggamuulassa sa~njaatattaa
tena maggamuulena pati.t.thitaa. _da.lhaa_ ti thiraa.
_asa.mhaariyaa_ ti sunikhaataindakhiilo viya kenaci
caaletu.m asakku.neyyaa. _tasseta.m kalla.m vacanaayaa_ ti
tassa ariyasaavakassa yuttameta.m vattu.m. kinti?
"bhagavatomhi putto oraso" ti evamaadi. so hi bhagavanta.m
nissaaya ariyabhuumiya.m jaatoti _bhagavato putto._ ure
vasitvaa mukhato nikkhantadhammaghosavasena maggaphalesu
pati.t.thitattaa _oraso mukhato jaato._ ariyadhammato
jaatattaa ariyadhammena ca nimmitattaa _dhammajo
dhammanimmito._
(DN. iii. 864-5)

> (2) Is this a reference to a specific Hindu myth I am unaware of, e.g., how
> the various castes were born from the various parts of a divine body?  Or,
> perhaps, the supernatural birth of some god/hero?

It seems so. Earlier in the Aga~n~nasutta brahmins are
reported as saying:

braahma.naava sujjhanti, no abraahma.naa. braahma.naava
brahmuno puttaa orasaa mukhato jaataa brahmajaa
brahmanimmitaa brahmadaayaadaa.
(DN. iii. 81)

The Atthakathaa then glosses "orasaa mukhato jaataa":

_orasaa mukhato jaataa_ ti ure vasitvaa mukhato nikkhantaa,
ure katvaa sa.mva.d.dhitaati vaa orasaa.
(DA. iii. 861)

> (3) Is this simply a "normal usage" in Pali, i.e., to speak of being "born
> from the heart" of one's mother, in an abstract sense?

> I couldn't find any comparable phrase in the Suttapi.taka using the usual
> computer search.

If you search for the commentarial glosses on _orasa_ and
_orasaputta_ (especially in the Suma`ngalavilaasinii and the
two Diigha .tiikaas (this is a very Diigha Nikaaya-ish
theme), you should find more details than I have given here.
However, I have not been able to find any Tipi.taka passages
that explicitly make the ura/orasa connection.

Best wishes,

Dhammanando