Dialogues of the Buddha, Part II — trans. T. W. and C. A. F. Rhys Davids (1910)

3 The inter-dependence of the clauses, and also of the names, in this stanza, is ambiguous. It may hereafter become clear that the author (or authoress) thought of Tissa and the Eternal Youth as two distinct persons, or of the Eternal Youth and the Great Brahma of the Buddha's time as one. The grammar is against the first of these suppositions. But we have seen (above, p. 272, 3) that the Maha- Brahma of Govinda's time was Sanaw-kumara, the Eternal Youth (so also D. I, 200 compared with D. II, 209, 225) ; and Tissa according to tradition (Smp. p. 296, 7) was the name of a Maha-Brahma. Buddhaghosa explains ' the Potent One ' (i d d h i m a) as the Buddha ; it is much more likely to have been intended for Brahma, who claims (above, p. 247) to have acquired the potency of i d d h i.

This legend of the Ever-virgin Knight, Sanaw-kumara, is the Indian counterpart of the European legend of Sir Galahad. The oldest mention of it is in the Chandogya Upanished (Ch. VII), where the ideal of the saintly knight teaches a typical brahmin about the highest truth (compare Deussen's note on p. 171 of Sechzig Upanishads '). In the Nikayas the Eternal Youth is frequently quoted as the author of a famous verse which says that, though the knight takes precedence among all those that trust in lineage, he that is perfect in wisdom takes precedence over all (see above, I, 121, and M. I, 358; S. I, 153; A. V, 326. At S. II, 284 the verse is ascribed to the Buddha). A similar sentiment is ascribed to him in the Great Bharata. In mediaeval literature he is said to have been one of five or seven mind-

p. 293

21. To all of them thus hither come, those eods,
Marshalled around the Lord and Great Brahma,
The host of Mara cometh up. Lo ! now

The folly of the Murky One J :— [262] " Come on And seize and bind me these, let all be bound By lust ! Surround on every side, and see Ye let not one escape, whoe'er he be ! " Thus the Great Captain bade his swarthy host 2, And with his palm did smite upon the ground Making a horrid din, as when a storm-cloud Thunders and lightens, big with heavy rains. Then he recoiled, still raging, powerless Aught to effect.

22. And He-Who-Sees by insight knew all this
And understood. Then to his followers

Who loved his word the Master spake: " The host Of Mara comes ! Brethren, beware of them ! ' And they, hearing the Buddha's word, forthwith Held themselves all alert. The foe departs From them in whom no lust is found, nor e'er Upon whose bodies stirs a hair. [Then Mara

spake : — ]
" All they, those victors in the fight, for whom
All fear is past, great of renown, His followers,
Whose fame among the folk spreads far and wide,
Lo ! now with all creation they rejoice3."

born sons of Brahma, like the Sons of the Potent One in our verse. (For the five see the references in Wilson's ' Vishwu Purawa,' I, 38 ; for the seven those in Garbe's ' Sawkhya-philosophie,' p. 35). Buddhaghosa has a similar tale (quoted J. R.A.S., 1894^.344). Alater and debased Jain version of the legend tells us at length of the love adventures and wives of the chaste knight, with a few words at the end on his conversion to the saintly life (Jacobi, ' Ausgewahlte Erzahlungen in Mahara^/ri,' pp. 20-28, translated by de Blonay in 'Rev. de l'H. des Rel.,' 1895, pp. 29-41).

1 Ka«ho, for Mara. Cf. Kali, the Black Woman.

2 Mara is called Ma ha-se no, his army being of course sen a. The Pali, making no distinction between syena (hawk) and sena, it is not impossible that a pun is here intended.

3 We have followed the traditional interpretation in ascribing these last four lines to Mara. They may quite as well, or better, be a statement by the author himself.

INTRODUCTION

TO THE

SAKKA-PANHA SUTTANTA.