Buddhist Suttas — SBE Vol. 11 (Clarendon Press, 1881) page scans

essive layers of both kinds. Then they place the body in an joil vessel of iron 4 , and cover that close up with another

1 This conversation occurs also below (VI, 33), and the older tradition probably had it only in that connection.

2 King of kings is an inadequate rendering of jffakkavatti Ra^a. It is a king whose power no other king can dispute, who is the acknowledged overlord in India. The idea can scarcely have existed before Aandragupta, the first Aakravarti, had raised himself to power. This passage, therefore, is a guide to the date at which the Maha-parinibMna Sutta assumed its present form.

8 Vihatenakappdsen^tisupho/itenakapp^sena:Kâsikavatthaw hi sukhumatta tela/rc na gawhati, tasma* vihatena kappasenâtiâha. 'As Benâres cloth, by reason of its fineness of texture, does not take the oil, he therefore says, "with vihata cotton wool," that is, with cotton wool that has been well forced asunder/ That p ho/it a is here the participle of the causal verb, and not of the simple verb, follows of necessity from its being used as an explanation of vihata, 'torn to pieces.' The technical use of the word, as applied to cotton wool, has only been found in this passage. It usually means ' torn with grief.'

4 Ayasaya tela-do«iy&, where one would expect £yas£ya, but my MS. of the Dfgha Nikaya confirms twice over here, and twice again below, § VI, 33, 35, the reading given by Childers. Buddhaghosa says, Ayasan ti suvawwaw, suvawwamhi idha &yasan ti adhippeto, but here again we should expect the second time to find ayo or ayasa/rc. The meaning of the word is also not

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oil vessel of iron \ They then build a funeral pile of all kinds of perfumes, and burn the body of the king of kings. And then at the four cross roads they erect a ddgaba 2 to the king of kings. This, Ananda, is the way in which they treat the remains of a king of kings.

* And as they treat the remains of a king of kings, so, Ananda, should they treat the remains of the Tathdgata. At the four cross roads a ddgaba should be erected to the Tathâgata. And whosoever shall there place garlands or perfumes or paint, or make salutation there, or become in its presence calm in heart — that shall long be to them for a profit and a joy/

27. 4 These men, Ananda, worthy of a dagaba are four in number. Which are the four ?

' A Tathfigata, or Arahat-Buddha, is worthy of a dâgaba. A Pa^eka-Buddha is worthy of a dagaba 3 .

quite clear. It no doubt was originally used for bronze, and only later for iron also, and at last exclusively of iron. As kazrcsa is already a common word for bronze in very early Buddhist Pali texts, I think ayasa or ay as a must here mean ' of iron/ When Buddhaghosa says it is here a name for gold, we can only conclude that iron had become, in his time, a metal which he might fairly consider too base for the purpose proposed.

s already a common word for bronze in very early Buddhist Pali texts, I think ayasa or ay as a must here mean ' of iron/ When Buddhaghosa says it is here a name for gold, we can only conclude that iron had become, in his time, a metal which he might fairly consider too base for the purpose proposed.

1 Buddhaghosa has no note on pa/iku^etvd ; but from its use at (rataka I, 50, 29 : 69, 23, it must, I think, have this meaning. I am not certain to what root it ought to be referred. I should mention that pakkhipati seems to me never to mean in Pali, ' to hurl forth into, to throw forth,' but always * to place (slowly and carefully) into/

3 A solid mound or tumulus, in the midst of which the bones and ashes are to be placed. The dome of St. Paul's as seen from the Thames Embankment gives a very good idea of one of the later Buddhist dagabas. The Pali word here and below is Thupa.

8 A Pa^eka-Buddha, who has attained to the supreme and perfect insight; but dies without proclaiming the truth to the world.

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A true hearer of the Tathâgata is worthy of a d&- gaba. A king of kings is worthy of a dâgaba.

28. 'And on account of what circumstance,
Ananda, is a Tathâgata, an Arahat-Buddha, worthy
of a dâgaba ?

'At the thought, Ananda, "This is the dâgaba of that Blessed One, of that Arahat-Buddha," the hearts of many shall be made calm and happy; and since they there had calmed and satisfied their hearts they will be reborn after death, when the body has dissolved, in the happy realms of heaven. It is on account of this circumstance, Ananda, that a Tathcigata, an Arahat-Buddha, is worthy of a dagaba.

29. ' And on account of what circumstance,
Ananda, is a Pa^eka-Buddha worthy of a dâgaba ?

' At the thought, Ananda, " This is the ddgaba of that Blessed One, of that Pa££eka-Buddha," the hearts of many shall be made calm and happy ; and since they there had calmed and satisfied their hearts they will be reborn after death, when the body has dissolved, in the happy realms of heaven. It is on account of this circumstance, Ananda, that a Pa^eka-Buddha is worthy of a dâgaba.

30. ' And on account of what circumstance,
Ananda, is a true hearer of the Blessed One, the
Arahat-Buddha, worthy of a dagaba ?

4 At the thought, Ananda, " This is the dâgaba of that true hearer of the Blessed Arahat-Buddha," the hearts of many shall be made calm and happy ; and since they there had calmed and satisfied their hearts they will be reborn after death, when the body has dissolved, in the happy realms of heaven. It is on account of this circumstance, Ananda, that a true

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hearer of the Blessed One, the Arahat-Buddha, is worthy of a dâgaba.

31.

almed and satisfied their hearts they will be reborn after death, when the body has dissolved, in the happy realms of heaven. It is on account of this circumstance, Ananda, that a true

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hearer of the Blessed One, the Arahat-Buddha, is worthy of a dâgaba.

31. * And on account of what circumstance,
Ananda, is a king of kings worthy of a d£gaba ?

' At the thought, Ananda, " This is the dfigaba of that righteous king who ruled in righteousness, ,, the hearts of many shall be made calm and happy ; and since they there had calmed and satisfied their hearts they will be reborn after death, when the body has dissolved, in the happy realms of heaven. It is on account of this circumstance, Ananda, that a king of kings is worthy of a dagaba.

' These four, Ananda, are the persons worthy of a dagaba/

32. * Now the venerable Ananda went into the Vihcira, and stood leaning against the lintel of the door \ and weeping at the thought : " Alas ! I remain still but a learner, one who has yet to work out his own perfection 2 . And the Master is about to pass away from me — he who is so kind ! " 9

33. Now the Blessed One called the brethren, and said : * Where, then, brethren, is Ananda ?

The venerable Ananda, Lord, has gone into the

1 Kapisisaw. Buddhaghosa says, Kapisisakan ti dvârabaha-ko/iyaw Mitam aggala-rukkhaw, 'apiece of wood fixed as a bolt at the top of the door posts.' The Sanskrit lexicographers give kapi-jirsha in the sense of ' coping of a wall/ Compare Patimokkha, Paâttiya, No. 19.

The expression that Ananda went ' into the Vihdra ' at the end of a conversation represented as having taken place in the Sala Grove, would seem to, point to the fact that this episode originally stood in some other connection. Buddhaghosa attempts to explain away the discrepancy by saying that Vihâra here means Ma«</ala.

a Ananda had entered the Noble Path, but had not yet reached the end of it. He had not attained to Nirvana.

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Vihdra, and stands leaning against the lintel of the door, and weeping at the thought : ' Alas ! I remain still but a learner, one who has yet to work out his own perfection. And the Master is about to pass away from me — he who is so kind ! '

34. And the Blessed One called a certain brother, and said : ' Go now, brother, and call Ananda in my name, and say, " Brother Ananda, the Master calls for thee. ,,,

' Even so, Lord ! ' said that brother, in assent, to the Blessed One. And he went up to the place where the Blessed One was ; and when he had come there, he said to the venerable Ananda : ' Brother Ananda, the Master calls for thee/

'Very well, brother/ said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to that brother. And he went up to the place where the Blessed One was, and when he had come there, he bowed down before the Blessed One, and took his seat respectfully on one side.

35.