three Kāshyapa brothers ［三迦葉］ ( san-kashō): Three brothers of the village of Uruvilvā near Gayā, a city of Magadha in India, who converted to Shakyamuni’s teachings during his early days of preaching. They are Uruvilvā Kāshyapa, Nadī Kāshyapa, and Gayā Kāshyapa. For twelve years (six years by another account), they practiced fire worship in the forest. When Shakyamuni Buddha came to Uruvilvā to preach shortly after his enlightenment, the three brothers received instruction from him and became his followers. At the same time, Uruvilvā Kāshyapa’s five hundred disciples, Nadī Kāshyapa’s three hundred disciples, and Gayā Kāshyapa’s two hundred disciples—one thousand disciples in all—also converted to the Buddha’s teachings. They were the third group of individuals to convert to the Buddha’s teachings; the five ascetics who heard Shakyamuni’s first sermon at Deer Park following his enlightenment were the first. After the five ascetics, the next to convert was Yashas along with his fifty friends.