A painting from Brazil showing slave girls from different nations in 1834

 

Aupapatika Sutra (Spontaneously Arising) (3-5th century with later additions)

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Taken from: The Antagada-dasao and Anuttarovavaiyadasao translated by L. D. Barnett

 

 Note: some authors call Babbara = Berbera in Somalia others Barbaricum in Sindh.

 

Now little Goyame was attended by five nurses to wit, a wet-nurse, a bath-nurse, a tiring-nurse, a lap-nurse, and a

play-nurse also by many hunchback women, Kirata women (14), dwarf women, misshapen women (1), women of Babbara,

Pausaya (2), Greek, Palhavaya (3), Isinaya (4), Caruinaya (5), Lasaya (6), Lausaya (7), Dravidian (8), Sinhalese, Arab, Pulinda (9), Pakkana (10), Bahala (11), Marunda (12), Sabara (13), and Persian race, women of divers lands, in foreign garb, with raiment taken from their own countries' fashions, understanding from gesture what was thought and desired of them, skilful and accomplished, well trained. Surrounded by this goodly throng of slave - girls and band of maids, encompassed by eunuchs,

messengers, and chamberlains, …

(1) misshapen women: in hindu texts they are often harem attendants.

(2) Pausaya or Vausaya

(3) Palhavaya =Pahlavi

(4) Isinaya ?

(5) Caruinaya; uncertain the initial letter varies among manuscripts.

(6) Lasaya ?

(7) Lausaya ?

(8) Dravidian: The Dravidian peoples, or Dravidians, are an ethnolinguistic and cultural group living in South India who predominantly speak any of the Dravidian languages. There are around 250 million native speakers of Dravidian languages.

(9) Pulinda ?

(10) Pakkana ?

(11) Bahala ?

(12) Marunda ?

(13) Sabara; a wild tribe of the Dekkan.

(14) Kirata: The Kirata is a generic term in Sanskrit literature for people who had territory in the mountains, particularly in the Himalayas and Northeast India and who are believed to have been Sino-Tibetan in origin. The meaning of 'Kirata' referred by scholars as people with the lion's character, or mountain dwellers.