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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Limits of space prevent the discussion of this last proposition, however interesting: and it would be, no doubt, difficult to prove that anything from India was better than the corresponding thing produced by our noble selves, or by those INTRODUCTION. xlix whose Karma we inherit. But in ancient Indian literature there are only two or three works which can at all compare with it. It ought not to seem odd that these also are Buddhist and Pali; that is, that they come from the same school. And while the Digha Nikdya may be held to excel it in stately dignity, the Visuddhi Magga in sustained power, and the Gataka book in varied humour, the palm will probably be eventually given to the ‘Questions of Milinda’ as a work of art. I am aware that this conclusion is entirely at variance with the often repeated depreciation of Buddhist literature. But the fact is that this depreciation rests upon ignorance, and is supported by prejudice. As a critical judgment it will not survive the publication and translation of those great Buddhist works which it overlooks or ignores. Some Sanskrit scholars, familiar with the Brahmin estimate of matters Indian, and filled with a very rational and proper admiration for the many fine qualities which the old Brahmins possessed, may find it hard to recognise the merits of sectarian works written in dialects which violate their most cherished laws of speech. But the historical student of the evolution of thought, and of the rise of literature in India, will more and more look upon the question as a whole, and will estimate at its right value all Indian work, irrespective of dialect or creed. T. W. RHYS DAVIDS. ‘TEMPLE, August, 1889. (35) d THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. REVERENCE BE TO THE BLESSED ONE, THE ARAHAT, THE SAMMA-SAMBUDDHA. BOOK I. THE SECULAR NARRATIVE |, 1. King Milinda, at Sagala the famous town of yore, To NA&gasena, the world famous sage, repaired. (So the deep Ganges to the deeper ocean flows.) To him, the eloquent, the bearer of the torch Of Truth, dispeller of the darkness of men’s minds, Subtle and knotty questions did he put, many, Turning on many points. Then were solutions given Profound in meaning, gaining access to the heart, Sweet to the ear, and passing wonderful and strange. For NAgasena’s talk plunged to the hidden depths Of Vinaya and of Abhidhamma (Law and Thought) 1 Bahira-kathé, literally ‘ outside talk ;’ so called in contradistinction to the religious character of the subjects treated of in the remaining books. (35] B 2 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. I, 2. Unravelling all the meshes of the Suttas’ net, Glittering the while with metaphors and reasoning high. Come then! Apply your minds, and let your hearts rejoice, And hearken to these subtle questionings, all grounds Of doubt well fitted to resolve.
2I, 2. Unravelling all the meshes of the Suttas’ net, Glittering the while with metaphors and reasoning high. Come then! Apply your minds, and let your hearts rejoice, And hearken to these subtle questionings, all grounds Of doubt well fitted to resolve. 2. Thus hath it been handed down by tradition— There is in the country of the Yonakas! a great centre of trade*, a city that is called Sagala, situate in a delightful country well watered and hilly, abounding in parks and gardens and groves and lakes and tanks, a paradise of rivers and mountains and woods. Wise architects have laid it out’, and its people know of no oppression, since all their enemies and adversaries have been put down. Brave is its defence, with many and various strong towers and ramparts, with superb gates and entrance archways; and with the royal citadel in its midst, white walled and deeply moated. Well laid out are its streets, squares, cross roads, and market places‘. Well displayed are the innumerable sorts of costly merchandise [2] with which its shops are filled. It is richly adorned with hundreds of alms- 1 That is Ionians, the P&li word for Baktrian Greeks. *? N4n4-pu/a-bhedanam, literally ‘the distributing place of parcels of merchandise of many kinds.’ Trenckner renders it ‘surrounded with a number of dependent towns,’ but surely entrep6t is the idea suggested. * Sutavanta-nimmitam; which Trenckner renders ‘ pious are its people.’ But I prefer the Simhalese interpretation. * This list recurs at pp. 34, 330 of the text. See below, p. 53. I, 3- THE CITY OF SAGALA. 3 halls of various kinds ; and splendid with hundreds of thousands of magnificent mansions, which rise aloft like the mountain peaks of the Himalayas. Its streets are filled with elephants, horses, carriages, and foot-passengers, frequented by groups of handsome men and beautiful women, and crowded by men of all sorts and conditions, Brahmans, nobles, artificers, and servants. They resound with cries of welcome to the teachers of every creed, and the city is the resort of the leading men of each of the differing sects. Shops are there for the sale of Benares muslin, of Ko¢umbara stuffs}, and of other cloths of various kinds; and sweet odours are exhaled from the bazaars, where all sorts of flowers and perfumes are tastefully set out. Jewels are there in plenty, such as men’s hearts desire, and guilds of traders in all sorts of finery display their goods in the bazaars that face all quarters of the sky. So full is the city of money, and of gold and silver ware, of copper and stone ware, that it is a very mine of dazzling treasures. And there is laid up there much store of property and corn and things of value in warehouses—foods and drinks of every sort, syrups and sweetmeats of every kind. In wealth it rivals Uttara-kuru, and in glory it is as A/akamandé, the city of the gods *. 3. Having said thus much we must now relate the previous birth history of these two persons (Milinda
3In wealth it rivals Uttara-kuru, and in glory it is as A/akamandé, the city of the gods *. 3. Having said thus much we must now relate the previous birth history of these two persons (Milinda 1 It is worth noting, as there is a doubt about the spelling, that Hinaf-kumburé reads Kofumbara, not Kodumbara. 2 Here follow in Hinasi-kumburé’s version two pages of introductory matter, explaining how he came to undertake his translation. B2 4 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. I,4. and Nagasena) and the various sorts of puzzles’. This we shall do under six heads :— 1. Their previous history (Pubba-yoga). 2. The Milinda problems. 3. Questions as to distinguishing characteristics. 4. Puzzles arising out of contradictory statements. 5. Puzzles arising out of ambiguity. 6. Discussions turning on metaphor. And of these the Milinda problems are in two divisions—questions as to distinctive characteristics, and questions aiming at the dispelling of doubt; and the puzzles arising out of contradictory statements are in two divisions—the long chapter, and the problems in the life of the recluse. . THEIR PREVIOUS HISTORY (PUBBA-YOGA). 4. By Pubba-yoga is meant their past Karma (their doings in this or previous lives). Long ago, they say, when Kassapa the Buddha was promulgating the faith, there dwelt in one community near the Ganges a great company of members of the Order. There the brethren, true to established rules and duties, rose early in the morning, and taking the long-handled brooms, would sweep out the courtyard and collect the rubbish into a heap, meditating the while on the virtues of the Buddha. 5. One day a brother told a novice to remove the heap of dust. But he, as if he heard not, went about his business; and on being called a second time, and a third, still went his way as if he had not heard. Then the brother, angry with so intractable a novice, dealt him a blow with the broom stick. 1 These six words are added from Hina/i-kumburé. 1,8. THEIR PREVIOUS BIRTH. 5 [3] This time, not daring to refuse, he set about the task crying; and as he did so he muttered to himself this first aspiration: ‘May I, by reason of this meritorious act of throwing out the rubbish, in each successive condition in which I may be born up to the time when I attain Nirv4za, be powerful and glorious as the midday sun!’ 6. When he had finished his work he went to the river side to bathe, and on beholding the mighty billows of the Ganges seething and surging, he uttered this second aspiration: ‘May I, in each successive condition in which I may be born till I attain Nirvana, possess the power of saying the right thing, and saying it instantly, under any circumstance that may arise, carrying all before me like this mighty surge!’ .
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Limits of space prevent the discussion of this last proposition, however interesting: and it would be, no doubt, difficult to prove that anything from India was better than the corresponding thing produced by our noble selves, or by those INTRODUCTION. xlix whose Karma we inherit. But in ancient Indian literature there are only two or three works which can at all compare with it. It ought not to seem odd that these also are Buddhist and Pali; that is, that they come from the same school. And while the Digha Nikdya may be held to excel it in stately dignity, the Visuddhi Magga in sustained power, and the Gataka book in varied humour, the palm will probably be eventually given to the ‘Questions of Milinda’ as a work of art. I am aware that this conclusion is entirely at variance with the often repeated depreciation of Buddhist literature. But the fact is that this depreciation rests upon ignorance, and is supported by prejudice. As a critical judgment it will not survive the publication and translation of those great Buddhist works which it overlooks or ignores. Some Sanskrit scholars, familiar with the Brahmin estimate of matters Indian, and filled with a very rational and proper admiration for the many fine qualities which the old Brahmins possessed, may find it hard to recognise the merits of sectarian works written in dialects which violate their most cherished laws of speech. But the historical student of the evolution of thought, and of the rise of literature in India, will more and more look upon the question as a whole, and will estimate at its right value all Indian work, irrespective of dialect or creed. T. W. RHYS DAVIDS. ‘TEMPLE, August, 1889. (35) d THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. REVERENCE BE TO THE BLESSED ONE, THE ARAHAT, THE SAMMA-SAMBUDDHA. BOOK I. THE SECULAR NARRATIVE |, 1. King Milinda, at Sagala the famous town of yore, To NA&gasena, the world famous sage, repaired. (So the deep Ganges to the deeper ocean flows.) To him, the eloquent, the bearer of the torch Of Truth, dispeller of the darkness of men’s minds, Subtle and knotty questions did he put, many, Turning on many points. Then were solutions given Profound in meaning, gaining access to the heart, Sweet to the ear, and passing wonderful and strange. For NAgasena’s talk plunged to the hidden depths Of Vinaya and of Abhidhamma (Law and Thought) 1 Bahira-kathé, literally ‘ outside talk ;’ so called in contradistinction to the religious character of the subjects treated of in the remaining books. (35] B 2 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. I, 2. Unravelling all the meshes of the Suttas’ net, Glittering the while with metaphors and reasoning high. Come then! Apply your minds, and let your hearts rejoice, And hearken to these subtle questionings, all grounds Of doubt well fitted to resolve.
2I, 2. Unravelling all the meshes of the Suttas’ net, Glittering the while with metaphors and reasoning high. Come then! Apply your minds, and let your hearts rejoice, And hearken to these subtle questionings, all grounds Of doubt well fitted to resolve. 2. Thus hath it been handed down by tradition— There is in the country of the Yonakas! a great centre of trade*, a city that is called Sagala, situate in a delightful country well watered and hilly, abounding in parks and gardens and groves and lakes and tanks, a paradise of rivers and mountains and woods. Wise architects have laid it out’, and its people know of no oppression, since all their enemies and adversaries have been put down. Brave is its defence, with many and various strong towers and ramparts, with superb gates and entrance archways; and with the royal citadel in its midst, white walled and deeply moated. Well laid out are its streets, squares, cross roads, and market places‘. Well displayed are the innumerable sorts of costly merchandise [2] with which its shops are filled. It is richly adorned with hundreds of alms- 1 That is Ionians, the P&li word for Baktrian Greeks. *? N4n4-pu/a-bhedanam, literally ‘the distributing place of parcels of merchandise of many kinds.’ Trenckner renders it ‘surrounded with a number of dependent towns,’ but surely entrep6t is the idea suggested. * Sutavanta-nimmitam; which Trenckner renders ‘ pious are its people.’ But I prefer the Simhalese interpretation. * This list recurs at pp. 34, 330 of the text. See below, p. 53. I, 3- THE CITY OF SAGALA. 3 halls of various kinds ; and splendid with hundreds of thousands of magnificent mansions, which rise aloft like the mountain peaks of the Himalayas. Its streets are filled with elephants, horses, carriages, and foot-passengers, frequented by groups of handsome men and beautiful women, and crowded by men of all sorts and conditions, Brahmans, nobles, artificers, and servants. They resound with cries of welcome to the teachers of every creed, and the city is the resort of the leading men of each of the differing sects. Shops are there for the sale of Benares muslin, of Ko¢umbara stuffs}, and of other cloths of various kinds; and sweet odours are exhaled from the bazaars, where all sorts of flowers and perfumes are tastefully set out. Jewels are there in plenty, such as men’s hearts desire, and guilds of traders in all sorts of finery display their goods in the bazaars that face all quarters of the sky. So full is the city of money, and of gold and silver ware, of copper and stone ware, that it is a very mine of dazzling treasures. And there is laid up there much store of property and corn and things of value in warehouses—foods and drinks of every sort, syrups and sweetmeats of every kind. In wealth it rivals Uttara-kuru, and in glory it is as A/akamandé, the city of the gods *. 3. Having said thus much we must now relate the previous birth history of these two persons (Milinda
3In wealth it rivals Uttara-kuru, and in glory it is as A/akamandé, the city of the gods *. 3. Having said thus much we must now relate the previous birth history of these two persons (Milinda 1 It is worth noting, as there is a doubt about the spelling, that Hinaf-kumburé reads Kofumbara, not Kodumbara. 2 Here follow in Hinasi-kumburé’s version two pages of introductory matter, explaining how he came to undertake his translation. B2 4 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. I,4. and Nagasena) and the various sorts of puzzles’. This we shall do under six heads :— 1. Their previous history (Pubba-yoga). 2. The Milinda problems. 3. Questions as to distinguishing characteristics. 4. Puzzles arising out of contradictory statements. 5. Puzzles arising out of ambiguity. 6. Discussions turning on metaphor. And of these the Milinda problems are in two divisions—questions as to distinctive characteristics, and questions aiming at the dispelling of doubt; and the puzzles arising out of contradictory statements are in two divisions—the long chapter, and the problems in the life of the recluse. . THEIR PREVIOUS HISTORY (PUBBA-YOGA). 4. By Pubba-yoga is meant their past Karma (their doings in this or previous lives). Long ago, they say, when Kassapa the Buddha was promulgating the faith, there dwelt in one community near the Ganges a great company of members of the Order. There the brethren, true to established rules and duties, rose early in the morning, and taking the long-handled brooms, would sweep out the courtyard and collect the rubbish into a heap, meditating the while on the virtues of the Buddha. 5. One day a brother told a novice to remove the heap of dust. But he, as if he heard not, went about his business; and on being called a second time, and a third, still went his way as if he had not heard. Then the brother, angry with so intractable a novice, dealt him a blow with the broom stick. 1 These six words are added from Hina/i-kumburé. 1,8. THEIR PREVIOUS BIRTH. 5 [3] This time, not daring to refuse, he set about the task crying; and as he did so he muttered to himself this first aspiration: ‘May I, by reason of this meritorious act of throwing out the rubbish, in each successive condition in which I may be born up to the time when I attain Nirv4za, be powerful and glorious as the midday sun!’ 6. When he had finished his work he went to the river side to bathe, and on beholding the mighty billows of the Ganges seething and surging, he uttered this second aspiration: ‘May I, in each successive condition in which I may be born till I attain Nirvana, possess the power of saying the right thing, and saying it instantly, under any circumstance that may arise, carrying all before me like this mighty surge!’ .
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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