The thirty-two signs of a great man is a long list of (mainly) physical features that are said to describe both a wheel-turning king and a buddha. In both cases, the person destined to become one of these two people is born with thirty-two signs, which fortune-tellers and brahmin priests are said to be able to recognize in Buddhist sources. Indeed, there are a few passages depicting awkward situations in which a brahmin priest needs to see the two hidden signs of a buddha to be convinced that the Buddha was a buddha: His tongue and his genitals.
The actual list of thirty-two signs occurs in quite a few Buddhist sources, and it turns out that each source presents a unique list of signs. These lists are not dramatically different, aside from one case in which the list is in reverse order. However, it becomes clear that this list was not set in stone and varied from tradition to tradition, perhaps because the list was simply too long to keep the same over time, or signs were added to the list. The latter seems likely because a second list of eighty secondary signs were eventually formulated. Comparing lists in different sources makes it apparent that a few signs moved between the list of thirty-two signs and the eighty secondary signs.
In any case, below is a list of sources that I’ve been able to locate while I was research the list of thirty-two signs when I translated DĀ 1:
- The Dīrgha Āgama → DĀ 1 (T1.1.5a28)
- The Dīgha/Majjhima Nikāya → DN 14/DN 30/MN 91
- The Madhyama Āgama → MĀ 59 (T26.1.493c19)/MĀ 161 (T26.1.686a25)
- Alternate MĀ 161 → T76 (T76.1.883c23)
- Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya Saṅghabhedavastu (T1450.24.108c26) (Also in Sanskrit at GRETIL)
- Commentary on the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra → T1509.25.90a27
- A Biography of the Buddha → T185
- The Lalitavistara → T186/T187
- The Collected Acts of the Buddha → T190
- The Mahāvastu → Vol. I, p.180
- The Repaying the Favor Sutra & The Bodhisattva’s Good Precepts → T156/T1582
- God King Pravara Perfection of Wisdom Sutra → T231
- Samadhi of Seated Meditation Sutra → T614
There are, no doubt, other occurrences of the list in other Buddhist sources. This is mainly those found in Pali suttas and Chinese texts. It serves as a representative sample. If other people find additional occurrences, they can feel free to add them to this list.
The Theravāda vs. the Dharmaguptaka List of Signs
| # | DN 14 Signs | # | DĀ 1 Signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | He has well-planted feet (suppatiṭṭhitapādo). | 1 | His feet are secure and flat. The soles of his feet are flat and full, and they step on the ground securely (足安平。足下平、滿，蹈地安隱). |
| 2 | On the soles of his feet there are thousand-spoked wheels, with rims and hubs, complete in every detail (heṭṭhā pādatalesu cakkāni jātāni sahassārāni sanemikāni sanābhikāni sabbākāraparipūrāni). | 2 | The soles of his feet are marked with wheels. Complete with a thousand spokes, they shine with many lights (足下相輪。千輻成就，光光相照). |
| 3 | He has stretched heels (āyatapaṇhī). | 6 | His heels are so full one never tires of looking at them (足跟充滿觀視無厭). |
| 4 | He has long fingers (dīghaṅgulī). | 5 | His fingers and toes are unmatched in slenderness and length (手足指纖長無能及者). |
| 5 | His hands and feet are soft and tender (mudutalunahatthapādo). | 4 | His hands and feet are as soft as heavenly cloth (手足柔軟猶如天衣). |
| 6 | He has serried hands and feet (jālahatthapādo). | 3 | His hands and feet are webbed like the king of geese (手足網縵猶如鵝王). |
| 7 | The tops of his feet are arched (ussaṅkhapādo). | - | n/a |
| 8 | His calves are like those of an antelope (eṇijaṅgha). | 7 | His calves are straight up and down like a deer’s legs (鹿膊腸上下𦟛直). |
| 9 | When standing upright and not bending over, the palms of both hands touch the knees (ṭhitakova anonamanto ubhohi pāṇitalehi jaṇṇukāni parimasati parimajjati). | 10 | His hands hang down beyond his knees when he stands upright (平立垂手過膝). |
| 10 | His private parts are sheathed in a foreskin (kosohitavatthaguyha). | 9 | His organ is hidden like that of a horse (陰馬藏). |
| 11 | He is golden colored; his skin shines like lustrous gold (suvaṇṇavaṇṇo kañcanasannibhattaco) | 13 | His body is the color of gold (身黄金色) |
| 12 | He has delicate skin, so delicate that dust and dirt don’t stick to his body (sukhumacchavī; sukhumattā chaviyā rajojallaṁ kāye na upalimpati). | 14 | His skin is fine and soft, and dirt doesn’t cling to it (皮膚細軟，不受塵穢). |
| 13 | His hairs grow one per pore (ekekalomo; ekekāni lomāni lomakūpesu jātāni). | 11 | Each of his pores has a hair growing from it, the hairs curl to the right, and they’re the color of a dark blue beryl (一一孔一毛生，其毛右旋，紺琉璃色). |
| 14 | His hairs stand up; they’re blue-black and curl clockwise (uddhaggalomo; uddhaggāni lomāni jātāni nīlāni añjanavaṇṇāni kuṇḍalāvaṭṭāni dakkhiṇāvaṭṭakajātāni). | 12 | His hair curls to the right as it grows, is blue in color, and turns upward (毛生右旋，紺色，仰靡). |
| 15 | His body is tall and straight-limbed (brahmujugatto). | - | n/a |
| 16 | He has bulging muscles in seven places (sattussado). | 18 | His seven points are equally full (七處平滿). |
| 17 | His chest is like that of a lion (sīhapubbaddhakāyo). | 21 | His breast is as dignified as a lion’s (胸膺方整如師子). |
| 18 | He is filled out between the shoulders (citantaraṁso). | - | n/a |
| 19 | He has the proportional circumference of a banyan tree: the span of his arms equals the height of his body (nigrodhaparimaṇḍalo yāvatakvassa kāyo tāvatakvassa byāmo, yāvatakvassa byāmo, tāvatakvassa kāyo). | 19 | His body is equal in length and breadth like a banyan tree (身長廣等如尼拘盧樹). |
| 20 | His torso is cylindrical (samavaṭṭakkhandho). | - | n/a |
| 21 | He has ridged taste buds (rasaggasaggī). | 26 | His throat is clean. Whatever food he eats, its flavor is always agreeable (咽喉清淨。所食眾味，無不稱適). |
| 22 | His jaw is like that of a lion (sīhahanu). | 20 | The corner of his jaw is like a lion’s (頬車如師子). |
| 23 | He has forty teeth (cattālīsadanto). | 22 | His mouth has forty teeth (口四十齒). |
| 24 | His teeth are even (samadanto). | 23 | They are symmetrical, even, and equal (方整齊平). |
| 25 | His teeth have no gaps (aviraḷadanto). | 24 | His teeth are hidden and without gaps (齒密無間). |
| 26 | His teeth are perfectly white (susukkadāṭho). | 25 | His teeth are pure white and bright (齒白鮮明). |
| 27 | He has a large tongue (pahūtajivho). | 27 | His tongue is so long and broad, it can lick his left or right ear (廣長舌左右舐耳). |
| 28 | He has the voice of the Divinity, like a cuckoo’s call (brahmassaro karavīkabhāṇī). | 28 | His Brahmā voice is clear (梵音清徹). |
| 29 | His eyes are indigo (abhinīlanetto) | 29 | His eyes are deep blue (眼紺青色). |
| 30 | He has eyelashes like a cow’s (gopakhumo). | 30 | His eyes are like a bull king’s. The top and bottom of his eyes blink together (?) (眼如牛王，眼上下倶眴). |
| 31 | Between his eyebrows there grows a tuft, soft and white like cotton-wool (uṇṇā bhamukantare jātā odātā mudutūlasannibhā). | 31 | He has a white tuft of soft and shiny hair between his brows. It’s a fathom long when pulled, and it curls to the right when released, like a jeweled conch shell (眉間白毫柔軟細澤。引長一尋，放則右旋，螺如真珠). |
| 32 | The crown of his head is like a turban (uṇhīsasīso). | 32 | He has a fleshy topknot on his crown (頂有肉髻). |
| - | n/a | 8 | His bones are a chain, and his joints hook together like chain links (鈎鎻骨，骨節相鈎猶如鎻連). |
| - | n/a | 15 | His shoulders are even, full, rounded, and attractive (兩肩齊亭、充滿、圓、好). |
| - | n/a | 16 | He has the svastika symbol on his chest (胸有萬字). |
| - | n/a | 17 | His body is twice as long as a human (身長倍人). |
As can be seen, these two lists match up fairly well, with only four signs that are not parallel in either list. It’s interesting to note that both traditions felt the need to add explanations to some signs to avoid confusion or make them more specific. DĀ 1 is generally more poetic and adds more descriptions that DN 14 does. The signs found in DĀ 1 but not in DN 14 are also found in other sources, meaning that none of them are unique to DĀ.
The Theravāda vs. the Sarvāstivāda List of Signs
| # | DN 14 Signs | # | MĀ 59/161 Signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | He has well-planted feet (suppatiṭṭhitapādo). | 1 | His feet are secure when standing upright (足安平立). |
| 2 | On the soles of his feet there are thousand-spoked wheels, with rims and hubs, complete in every detail (heṭṭhā pādatalesu cakkāni jātāni sahassārāni sanemikāni sanābhikāni sabbākāraparipūrāni). | 2 | The soles of his feet are born with wheels. The wheels have a thousand spokes and entirely complete (足下生輪，輪有千輻，一切具足). |
| 3 | He has stretched heels (āyatapaṇhī). | - | n/a |
| 4 | He has long fingers (dīghaṅgulī). | 3 | His toes are long and slender (足指纖長). |
| 5 | His hands and feet are soft and tender (mudutalunahatthapādo). | 9 | His hands and feet are as very soft and opens gently like a cotton flower (手足極妙柔弱軟敷，猶兜羅華). |
| 6 | He has serried hands and feet (jālahatthapādo). | 8 | His hands and feet are webbed like the king of geese (手足網縵，猶如鴈王). |
| 7 | The tops of his feet are arched (ussaṅkhapādo). | - | n/a |
| 8 | His calves are like those of an antelope (eṇijaṅgha). | 12 | His deer calves are like that of the king of deer (鹿𨄔腸，猶如鹿王). |
| 9 | When standing upright and not bending over, the palms of both hands touch the knees (ṭhitakova anonamanto ubhohi pāṇitalehi jaṇṇukāni parimasati parimajjati). | 15 | When he doesn’t turn or bend his body and stands upright, he can touch his knees with his hands (不阿曲，身不曲者，平立申手以摩其膝). |
| 10 | His private parts are sheathed in a foreskin (kosohitavatthaguyha). | 13 | His organ is hidden like that of an excellent horse king (陰馬藏，猶良馬王). |
| 11 | He is golden colored; his skin shines like lustrous gold (suvaṇṇavaṇṇo kañcanasannibhattaco) | 16 | His body is the color of gold like polished purple gold (身黃金色，如紫磨金) |
| 12 | He has delicate skin, so delicate that dust and dirt don’t stick to his body (sukhumacchavī; sukhumattā chaviyā rajojallaṁ kāye na upalimpati). | 10 | His skin is fine and soft, and dirt and water doesn’t cling to it (肌皮軟細，塵水不著). |
| 13 | His hairs grow one per pore (ekekalomo; ekekāni lomāni lomakūpesu jātāni). | 11 | For every one of his hairs, his body has a hair growing from each pore, which are dark blue in color and curl to the right like a conch shell (一一毛，一一毛者，身一孔一毛生，色若紺青，如螺右旋). |
| 14 | His hairs stand up; they’re blue-black and curl clockwise (uddhaggalomo; uddhaggāni lomāni jātāni nīlāni añjanavaṇṇāni kuṇḍalāvaṭṭāni dakkhiṇāvaṭṭakajātāni). | 7 | His body hairs turn upward (身毛上向). |
| 15 | His body is tall and straight-limbed (brahmujugatto). | - | n/a |
| 16 | He has bulging muscles in seven places (sattussado). | 17 | His seven points are full, which are his two hands, two feet, two shoulders, and neck (七處滿，七處滿者，兩手、兩足、兩肩及頸). |
| 17 | His chest is like that of a lion (sīhapubbaddhakāyo). | 18 | His upper body is large like that of a lion (其上身大，猶如師子). |
| 18 | He is filled out between the shoulders (citantaraṁso). | 20 | His body is flat and straight (脊背平直) |
| 19 | He has the proportional circumference of a banyan tree: the span of his arms equals the height of his body (nigrodhaparimaṇḍalo yāvatakvassa kāyo tāvatakvassa byāmo, yāvatakvassa byāmo, tāvatakvassa kāyo). | 14 | The shape of his body is round and attractive like a banyan tree, being round and symmetrical from top to bottom (身形圓好，猶如尼拘類樹，上下圓相稱). |
| 20 | His torso is cylindrical (samavaṭṭakkhandho). | - | n/a |
| 21 | He has ridged taste buds (rasaggasaggī). | 26 | Everything he tastes has the best flavor (通味第一味). |
| 22 | His jaw is like that of a lion (sīhahanu). | 19 | The corners of the great man’s corner jaw are like a lion’s (大人師子頰車) |
| 23 | He has forty teeth (cattālīsadanto). | 22 | He has forty teeth (四十齒牙). |
| 24 | His teeth are even (samadanto). | 23 | He has equal teeth (平齒). |
| 25 | His teeth have no gaps (aviraḷadanto). | 24 | His teeth are not separated (不踈齒). |
| 26 | His teeth are perfectly white (susukkadāṭho). | 25 | His teeth are white (白齒). |
| 27 | He has a large tongue (pahūtajivho). | 28 | His tongue is long and broad. It’s so broad and long that he can stick out his tongue and cover his face with it (廣長舌，廣長舌者，舌從口出遍覆其面). |
| 28 | He has the voice of the Divinity, like a cuckoo’s call (brahmassaro karavīkabhāṇī). | 27 | His Brahmā voice is lovely, sounding like the cuckoo (梵音可愛，其聲猶如加羅毘伽). |
| 29 | His eyes are indigo (abhinīlanetto) | 30 | His eyes are deep blue in color (眼色紺青). |
| 30 | He has eyelashes like a cow’s (gopakhumo). | 29 | His tear ducts are full like a bull king’s (承淚處滿，猶如牛王). |
| 31 | Between his eyebrows there grows a tuft, soft and white like cotton-wool (uṇṇā bhamukantare jātā odātā mudutūlasannibhā). | 32 | A tuft hair grows between his brows, which is pure white and curls to the right (眉間生毛，潔白右縈). |
| 32 | The crown of his head is like a turban (uṇhīsasīso). | 31 | He has a fleshy topknot on his crown, which is globular and symmetrical and his hair turns to the right like a conch shell (頂有肉髻，團圓相稱，髮螺右旋). |
| - | n/a | 4 | The edges of his feet are straight (足周正直). |
| - | n/a | 5 | His heels and the backs of his ankles are flat (足跟踝後兩邊平滿). |
| - | n/a | 6 | The ankles of his feet are not protruding (足兩踝𦟛). |
| - | n/a | 21 | The connection above both his shoulders to his neck is flat and full (兩肩上連，通頸平滿). |
With this comparison, a couple things are striking compared with the Dharmaguptaka list. There are many signs in this list found in MĀ that have almost identical wording as we find in the Theravāda list. This was not the case with the list in DĀ, which employed its own wording. On the other hand, there are signs in this MĀ list that are also identical to those in DĀ. As a result the list in MĀ feels like a “bridge” list that contains material from the other two. This dynamic is apparent in other sets of EBT parallels, and it indicates that the different traditions did interact and influence each other in some way.
Another thing to notice that this third list has yet another order, which makes all three lists feel a bit jumbled and random. There is a structure to list, however: It traverses the Buddha’s body from the soles of his feet up to the top of his head. As the lists progresses, there are three sections that are discernible: A section on the Buddha’s feet, legs, and hands, a second section on his torso, and a final section on the feature of his head. This general outline prevents the lists to become completely random, but they are fairly disordered in each section. Despite that disorder, we do see the usual stability at the beginning and end of the list: All three lists begin with the same two features of his feet (well planted, and the thousand-spoked wheels) and end with two features of his head (his fleshy topknot and tuft of hair between his brows).
