Maha Buddhavamsa - The Eighty Minor Characteristics

Maha Buddhavamsa
The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas
by Tipitakadhara Mingun Sayadaw

Edited and Translated by
U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin

The Eighty Minor Characteristics

      The Bodhisatta, a great man, is also endowed with eighty minor characteristics called asiti anuvyanjana, which accompany the major ones. These eighty minor marks will now be briefly mentioned as they occur in the Jinalankara Tika and other texts.
     (1) Closely knitted fingers and toes with no intervening gaps (cit'angulita)
     (2) Fingers and toes tapering gradually from the base to the tips (anupubb'angulita).
     (3) Round fingers and toes (vatt'angulita). (These are the three characteristics concerning the fingers and toes.)
     (4) Red fingernails and toenails (tamba nakhata).
     (5) Tall, pointed and prominent fingernails and toenails (tunga nakhata).
     (6) Neat and smooth fingernails and toenails (siniddha nakhata). (These are three characteristics concerning the fingernails and toenails).
     (7) Neither receding nor protruding ankles, i.e. inconspicuous ankles (nigula gopphakata). (Others' ankles are bulging and conspicuous.)
     (8) Evenness of the tips of all ten toes (sama padata). (This is the one characteristic concerning the toes.)
     (9) Manner of walking gracefully like an elephant king (gaja saman'akkamata).
     (10) Manner of walking gracefully like a lion king (siha saman'akkamata).
      (11) Manner of walking gracefully like a hamsa king (hamsa saman'akkamata).
      (12) Manner of walking gracefully like a bull king (usabha-saman'akkamata
      (13) Manner of walking clockwise (dakkhinavatta gagita). (These are the five characteristics concerning the manner of walking.)
      (14) Round knees that are beautiful on all sides (samantato carujannu mandalata). (This is the one characteristic concerning the knees.)
      (15) Well developed male organ (paripunna purisavyanjanat) (This is the one characteristic of the male genitalia.)
      (16) Navel with uninterrupted lines (acchidda nabhita.)
      (17) Deep navel (gambhira nabhita).
      (18) Navel with a right turning ringlet (dakkhinavatta nabhita). (These are the three characteristics concerning the navel.)
      (19) Thighs and arms like an elephants trunk (dviradakara sadisa-urubhujata). (This is the one characteristic concerning the thighs and arms.)
      (20) Well proportionate body (suvibhatta gattata). (By this is meant flawless frame.)
      (21) Gradually rising body (anupubba gattata). (By this is meant agreeably formed upper and lower parts of the body.)
      (22) Fine body (mattha gattata).
      (23) Neither lean nor plump body (anussannananussanna Sabbagattata)
      (24) Wrinkle-free body (alina gattata).
      (25) Body free of moles, freckles, etc. (tilakadivirahita gattata).
      (26) Regularly lustrous body (anupubba rucira gattata).
      (27) Particularly clean body (suvisuddha gattata). (More characteristics concerning the body will follow later on.)
      (28) Physical strength equal to that of one thousand crores of Kalavaka elephants (kotisahassa hatthibala dharanata).
      (This is the one characteristic concerning the physical strength.)
      (29) Prominent nose like a golden goad (tunga nasata). (This is the one characteristic concerning the nose.)
      (30) Dark red gums (suratta dvijamamsata). (In the Samantacakkhu Dipani occurs rattadvijamukhata, red lips.) (One characteristic concerning the gums.)
      (31) Clean teeth (suddha dantata).
      (32) Neat and smooth glossy teeth (siniddha dantata). (Two characteristics concerning the teeth.)
      (33) Pure faculties of sense such as eyes, etc. (visuddh'indriyata) . (One characteristic concerning the sense-faculties of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body.)
      (34) Round canine teeth (vatta dathata). (One characteristic concerning the canine teeth.)
      (35) Red lips (ratt'otthata). (One characteristic concerning the lips.)
      (36) Long mouth-cavity (ayata vadanata). (One characteristic concerning the mouth.)
      (37) Deep lines on the palms (gamhhira panilekhata).
      (38) Long lines (ayata lekhata)
      (39) Straight lines (uju lekhata).
      (40) Beautifully formed lines (surucira-santhana lekhata).
      (41) Halo spreading around the body in a circle (parimandala kayappabhavantata.
      (42) Full cheeks (paripunna kapolata). (One characteristic concerning the cheeks.)
      (43) Long and broad eyes (ayatavisala nettata).
      (44) Very clear eyes with five kinds of colour (panca pasadavanta nettata). (Two characteristics concerning the eyes.)
      (45) Eyelashes with their tips curling upwards (kunjitagga bhamukata). (One characteristic concerning the eyelashes.)
      (46) Soft, thin and red tongue (mudu tanuka ratta jivhata) (The Samantacakkhu Dipani Volume I, says that by this characteristic should be taken three things: softness, thinness and redness while other teachers wish to take only two: softness and thinness. Here in this book the charcteristic is mentioned as one in accordance with the Jinalankara Tika) (One characteristic concerning the tongue.)
      (47) Long and beautiful ears (ayata-rucira kannata). (In this connection too, two things are taken by others.) (One characteristic concerning the ears.)
      (48) Varicosity-free vein (nigganthi sirata). (There are no varicose veins.)
      (49) Neither receding nor protruding veins (i.e. inconspicuous veins) (niggula sirata). (Two characteristic concerning the veins.)
      (50) Round elegant head like a circular umbrella (vatta-chatta nibha caru sisata). (One characteristic concerning the head.)
      (51) Long, broad and graceful forehead (ayata-puthu nalata sobhata). (One characteristic concerning the forehead.)
      (52) Natural and beautiful eyebrows that need not be groomed (susanthana bhamukata).
      (53) Soft eyebrows (sanha bhamukata).
      (54) Eyebrows in regular order (anuloma bhamukata).
      (55) Large eyebrows (mahanta bhamukata).
      (56) Long eyebrows ayata bhamukata). (Five characteristics concerning the eyebrows.)
      (57) Supple body (sukumala gattata).
      (58) Very relaxed body (ativiya-somma gattata).
      (59) Very bright body (ativiya-ujjalita gattata).
      (60) Dirt-free body (absence of body secretion) (vimala gattata).
      (61) Non-sticky body (the body skin always looks fresh) (komala gattata).
      (62) Neat and handsome body (siniddha gattata).
      (63) Fragrant body (sugandha tanuta). (Fifteen characteristics concerning the body including the above eight from No. 20 to No. 27)
      (64) Body hairs of equal length (no difference in length (sama lomata
      (65) Non-sticky hairs (komala lomata).
      (66) Every body hair coiling clockwise (dakkhinavatta lomata).
      (67) Blue body hairs like the colour of broken stones of collyrium (bhinn'anjana-sadisa-nila lomata). (The Samantacakkhu Dipani says that it is the blue hair on the head that has the splendour of a golden mountain.)
      (68) Round body hairs (vatta lomata
      (69) Smooth body hairs (siniddha lomata). (Six characteristics concerning the hairs of the body.)
      (70) Very subtle inhaling and exhaling breath (atisukhuma-assasapassasa dharanata). (One characteristic concerning the respiration.)
      (71) Fragrant mouth (sugandha mukhata). (One characteristic concerning the mouth.)
      (72) Fragrant top of the head (sugandha muddhanata). (One characteristic concerning the top of the head.)
      (73) Jet-black hair (sunila kesata).
      (74) Hair curling clockwise (dakkhinavata kesata).
      (75) Naturally well groomed hair (susanthana kesata.
      (76) Neat and soft hair (siniddha kesata sanha kesata).
      (77) Untangled hair (alulita kesata).
      (78) Hair of equal length (sama kesata). (Other people have long and short hair mixed. It is not so in the case of the Bodhisatta.)
      (79) Non-sticky hair (komala kesata). (Seven characteristics concerning the hair.)
      (80) Aggregate of luminous rays called ketumala halo which shines forth from the top of the head. The Bodhisatta is marvellous by means of the ketumalahalo (ketumalaratana vicittata). (One characteristic concerning the halo.)
      The Bodhisatta possesses the above eighty minor characteristics. (The enumeration is made here in accordance with that contained in the Jinalankara Tika)

The Satupanna characteristics

      The aforementioned major and minor marks can also be termed as satapunna characteristics. The Bodhisatta has performed a hundred-fold of the total number of times all other beings have done each kind of meritorious deed throughout the innumerable world-systems. Hence his merits are known as satapunna, 'a hundredfold merit', whereby he acquires the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks as a result.