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Nanda Vaccha

Mentioned in a list of well-known leaders of the Ājīvakā. They were declared by Pūraṇa Kassapa, in his classification of the chaḷabhijātas, to be brilliant white.¹ (A.iii.384; DA.i.162; SNA.i.372, etc; but see MA.ii.632, where they rank lower than the Ājīvakā, who are there considered as the parama-sukkābhijāta.)

There seems to be some uncertainty as to Nanda’s name. The list in which the name occurs runs as follows: Nanda Vaccho, Kiso Saṅkicco, Makkhali Gosālo.

The Suttanipāta Commentary (SNA.i.372.) seems to treat Nanda and Vaccha as two distinct persons. The Majjhimanikāya Commentary, (MA.i.463; see also M.i.524) however, says that Nanda was his personal name and Vaccha that of his clan (gotta).

The austerities practised by Nanda Vaccha are detailed in the Mahā­saccaka Sutta (M.i.238)

Elsewhere (M.i.524) the Buddha is reported as saying that though the Ājīvakā had existed for a long time, they had only produced three distinguished leaders: Nanda Vaccha, Kisa Saṅkicca, and Makkhali Gosāla

¹ There, the six classifications are black (kaṇhābhijāti), blue (nīlābhijāti), red (lohitābhijāti), yellow or (haliddābhijāti), white (sukkābhijāti), and brilliant white (paramasukkābhijāti) (ed.)