Angulimala (องคุลิมาล)

I once believed that. . .

. . .every man is predestined.

An evildoer atones for his. . .

. . .karmic deeds through suffering. . .

. . .unlike a good man,

whose birth is a miracle to all.

One ill-fated night,

an expected miracle seemed to be cursed under bad omens.

The omens foretold a life of great evil.

When this baby boy was born,

his father suggested killing him,

but the merciful king saved the baby from death. . .

. . .and sent him away to Taxila.

My son, keep in mind that. . .

. . .you should devote yourself to your education. . .

. . .to attain the Dharma core,

and be free from worldly matters.

When I succeed,

please come and take me home.

With supernatural powers,

the guru can foretell your destiny. . .

and tell which field of study you should follow.

Which field do you have in mind?

I want to attain the core of Dharma.

And will I ever succeed, my brother?

Ahimsaka, only those in the Brahmin caste like us. . .

. . .can attain the core of Dharma.

The only one close to such success is our guru.

I've seen the boy's fate.

He is destined to be. . .

. . .a murderous bandit,

robbing of life those he owes a debt of gratitude.

Those he owes a debt of gratitude?

You mean. . .

To any soul he owes a debt of gratitude,

he' ll repay with disaster.

Brother,

So what field of study. . .

. . .does the guru select for me?

He has selected the most appropriate task for you.

Keeping goats.

The little Brahmin used his mother's rosary. . .

. . .to count the goats,

hoping he'd one day attain the core of Dharma.

Let the boy go.

Give me your word that you will let me go.

I cannot let you commit cruelty any further.

You will let this boy die?

All right, let the boy go. .

. . .and I will spare your life.

Little Brahmin, are you hurt?

Why did you kill him?

This bandit is a follower of the Niratta cult,

practising physical invulnerability. . .

and committing crimes without conscience.

I f I'd let him live,

a larger number of Taxila people would be dead.

It's the power of deities and celestial beings. . .

. . .that has helped us kill him.

They wanted us to kill the bandit?

Guru. . .

What is the matter?

I don't want these goats to be dead.

They will be reincarnated into a higher caste.

They will be reincarnated?

Into a higher caste.

Like humans. . .

. . .evildoers will be reborn as Untouchables,

but meritmakers,

by sacrificing 1,000 goats,

will be reborn in heaven.

Practicing meditation leads us to. . .

. . .visualise our 'mind' .

The highest goal of humans is. . .

. . .to purify our minds.

When our minds have supreme purity,

we will reach the core of Dharma.

I haven't seen you in a long while.

I hope you are fine.

Father!

Father!

This is a sacrificial arena.

You should behave yourself.

Do you understand?

My daughter is naughty,

not as well-behaved as other girls.

Look! Mother finished the sacrifice.

I have realised that this lady is your wife.

She has given birth to two girls,

but she still hopes to give me a son.

With such a great sacrifice to Brahma,

it won't be long before you have a son.

Guru. . .

Tonight is the full moon for the month of Vesakh.

Perhaps with that light, Brahma wishes to send humans a message.

But that light appeared from the south,

not from heaven.

I think it is not a heavenly light.

Perhaps there is a new Founder,

one who has attained the Dharma core.

Once Ahimsaka completed the First Absorption,

he anticipated a reunion with his mother.

Meanwhile, Mantani couldn't wait. . .

. . .any longer to see her son.

Did I make myself understood. . .

that you were not to visit him here?

Sati. . .I have to confess. . .

. . .at the time I gave birth to Ahimsaka,

there were omens of evil.

Not only did it rain heavily, but also. . .

. . .all weapons shone and blazed up into dreadful flames.

Such portents mean. . .

. . .a murderous bandit was born.

But I come here merely because. . .

. . .there might be a way to change Ahimsaka's fate.

How?

I once heard from an ascetic that. . .

. . .everything is impermanent.

I asked him. . .

. . . if impermanence also included destiny,

and he confirmed it to be so.

To which doctrine does that Dharma belong?

I f this Dharma is true,

. . . it means. . .

there's a way to reverse the prediction about my son.

To which doctrine does that Dharma belong?

It's. . .

. . . it's the Dharma of an ascetic from the Shakya clan.

What misfortune it is!

Saying the words of that unconventional doctrine. . .

. . . in this sacred place,

I deem a misfortune.

Bear in mind that any bandit. . .

. . .can harm even his own parents.

So have a care!

How much do you know about Siddhartha, a prince of Shakya clan?

Halt!

Why are you stopping us?

On the way ahead there is a group of Untouchables.

My men are forcing them out of our way.

Go! Get lost!

Halt!

You want to save these people of misfortune?

And who are you?

Ahimsaka!

How dare you show up here!

Don't you know what your task is?

It's a worry to the guru, letting you travel alone.

So he sent me to accompany you.

What are you thinking about?

Do you know that. . .

. . .there's one of the six Higher Knowledges. . .

. . .which can make a successful learner read others' minds?

However, anyone can make a guess. . .

. . .what you're thinking about now.

But let me show you how it works.

You're so beautiful.

Please be merciful to me, Brahmin.

Be gone. You. . .Untouchable!

Brahmin, please listen to me first.

Only if you give me a chance to explain,

then I' ll cut my throat to sacrifice for my sin at once.

Be quick then.

I'm a daughter of a Brahmin advisor. . .

but I was born of a slave mother in the palace.

Bitch, you Untouchable!

Once your father slept with one outside the castes,

you couldn't be anything but an Untouchable.

Please listen to me.

When you wrote to ask for my hand in marriage,

my father was beset with problems.

So he foolishly thought this marriage would solve them.

What problems?

He's now the Brahmin advisor, isn't he?

You may not be aware that His Majesty the King. . .

. . .cancelled the Great Brahma worship ceremony,

and announced himself a follower of the new Founder.

Whom does King Pimpisarn worship now?

I have never met him. . .

but have heard others saying that. . .

he's an ascetic of the Shakya clan.

That's all you want to say?

Wait!

I don't want your blood to profane this sacred ground.

You must do that somewhere else.

Let go of me!

Stop! You damn bandit!

I'm not a bandit. I just. . .

How dare you make excuses after kidnapping the guru's wife!

My guru!

Ahimsaka, you are predestined. . .

. . .to be a murderous bandit,

who is likely to commit matricide and patricide.

That's why your parents left you at my Academy,

making the excuse it was for your Dharma study.

I accepted you out of my humanity,

but in return, tonight,

you have disgraced my wife!

Shame on you!

You're worse than any bandit!