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

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mindfulness, and therewith the heaven of the ministers of Brahma. But the third fairy clave to sensuous enjoyment.

12. Gopaka's Verses.

" Disciple once of Him-Who-Sees, —

By name they called me : — Gopika, —
In Buddha, Dhamma, firm my trust,

I served the Order glad of heart.
Through this good service paid to Him

Behold me son of Sakka, born
All glorious in the Deva-world,

Of mighty power, and known henceforth
As Gopaka. Now saw I men

Who, bhikkhus in a former birth,
Had won to mere Gandhabba rank.

What ! persons erst of human kind,
And followers of Gotama, —

Supplied by us with food and drink
And tended in our own abode, — [273]

Where were their ears that they, so blest,
Yet failed to grasp the Buddha's Law ?

The Gospel well proclaimed to all
And understood by Him-Who-Sees,

Each for himself must comprehend.
I, serving only you, have heard

The orood words of the Noble Ones —
And now behold me reborn here,

All glorious and powerful,
As Sakka's son in Deva-world,

But you who served the Best of men,
And by the Highest shaped your lives,

Have re-appeared in lowly rank,
Degraded from your due advance.

An evil sight is this, to see
One's co-religionists sunk low,

Where, as Gandhabba spirits, sirs,
Ye come to wait upon the gods.

For me see ! what a change is here !

x 2

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From house-life as a woman, I,
A male to-day, a god reborn,
In joys celestial take my share."

Upbraided thus by Gopaka,
Disciple erst of Gotama,

They in sore anguish made response : —
" Yea verily ! let us go hence

And strive our utmost, lest we live
The slaves of others ! ,] Of the three [274]

Two bent their will unto the work,
Mindful of Gotama's behests.

The perils in the life of sense
They saw, e'en here cleansing their hearts ;

And like an elephant that bursts
Each strap and rope, so they o'ercame

The fetters and the bonds of sense,
Ties of the Evil One, so hard

To get beyond — yea, e'en the gods,
The Three-and-Thirty, seated round

With Indra, with Pajapati,
Enthroned in Sudhamma's Hall,

The heroes twain left far behind,
Purging all passion, ousting lust.

At sight of them distress arose
In Vasava, ruler of gods,

In midst of all his retinue : —
" Lo now ! these, born to lower rank,

Outstrip the Three-and-Thirty gods ! '
His sovereign's apprehension heard,

Gopaka spake to Vasava : —
" O Indra ! in the world of men

A Buddha, called the Sakya Sage,
Is conqueror o'er the world of sense.

And these his children, who had lost
All conscience when they left the world,

Through me their conscience have regained.
[275] One of the three yet dwelleth here,

Reborn among Ganclhabba folk ;
And two, on highest Wisdom bent,

In deepest rapture scorn the gods.

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Let no disciple ever doubt

That by the kind who here abide

The Truth may yet be realized.

All hail to Buddha who hath crossed

The flood and put an end to doubt,
Great Conqueror and Lord of all ! "

They recognized thy Truth e'en here ; and they
Have onward passed and won to eminence.
'Mong Brahma s ministers they twain have won
A higher place than this. And we are come,
O master, here that we too may attain
That Truth1. If the Exalted One should grant
Us leave, Master, we fain would question him.'

13. Then the Exalted One thought: 'For a longtime now this Sakka has lived a pure life. Whatever question he may ask of me will be to good purpose, and not frivolous. And what I shall answer, that will he quickly understand.' Then did the Exalted One address these verses to Sakka, lord of gods : —

' Question me, Vasava, whate'er thy mind desires,
And on each problem put I'll end thy doubts ! '

End of the First Portion for Recitation.

1 We follow the printed text. It is more probable that pattiya is
the gloss. In that case the version would be : ' For that Truth's sake,
O master, have we come.' The full stop after vises agu is a misprint.

CHAPTER II.

i. [276] Thus invited, Sakka, the ruler of the gods, asked this first question of the Exalted One : — ' By what fetters, sir, are they bound — gods, men, Asuras, Nagas, Gandhabbas, and whatever other great classes of beings there be — in that they, wishing thus : — " Would that, without hatred, injury, enmity, or malignity, we might live in amity ! " — do nevertheless live in enmity, hating, injuring, hostile, malign ? '

Such was the fashion of Sakka's first question to the Exalted One. To him the Exalted One so asked made answer : —