The Questions of King Milinda, Part I — SBE Vol. 35 (trans. Rhys Davids, 1890)

This brings us to the next point of our argument.

We have seen that the work must have been written some considerable time before Buddhaghosa, and after the death of Menander. Can its date be determined with greater accuracy than this? The story of Nagasena introduces to us his father Sovuttara, his teachers Rohama, Assagutta of the Vattaniya hermitage, and Dhammarakkhita of the Asoka Arama near PA¢aliputta, and there is also mention of a teacher named Ayupala dwelling at the Sankheyya hermitage near Sagala. None of these persons and none of these places are read of elsewhere in any Buddhist text, whether Sanskrit or P4li. For the Asvagupta referred to in passing at p. 351 of the Divyavadaéna has nothing in common (except the name) with our Assagutta, the Rohawa of Anguttara, III, 66, is quite distinct from our Rohava, and there is not the slightest reason for supposing Nagasena to be another form of the name N4garguza, found in both the Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist literatures}, and in the Jain lists?. The famous Buddhist scholar so called was the reputed founder of the Mahfydna school of Buddhism. Our Nagasena represents throughout the older teaching. If there is any connection at all between the two names, Nagasena must have been invented as a contrast to Nagarguva, and not with the least idea of identifying two men whose doctrines are so radically opposed. Even were there any reason to believe this to be the case, it would not help us much, for the date

1 See the passages quoted by Dr. Wenzel in the ‘Joumal of the Pali Text
Society’ for 1886, pp. 1-4.

2 See Professor Weber in the ‘Handschriftenverzeichniss der kéniglichen
Bibliothek in Berlin,’ vol. v, part 2, p. 365.

XXVi THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA.

of Nagarguza is quite as much open to dispute as that of the author of the ‘ Questions of Milinda?,

I ought to mention here that an opinion of a Nagasena is, according to Burnouf?, discussed at length in the Abhidharma Kosa Vy4khy4; and that Schiefner * quotes from a Tibetan work, the Bu-ston, the statement that a schism took place under a Thera NAgasena 137 years after the Buddha’s death. It would be very interesting if the former were our NAagasena. And if Schiefner’s restoration of the name found in his Tibetan authority be correct, and the authority itself be trustworthy, it is possibly the fading memory of that Nagasena which induced our author to adopt the name as that of the principal interlocutor in his ‘Questions of Milinda.’

Finally, Professor Kern, of Leiden—who believes that Buddha is the sun, and most of his principal disciples stars— believes also not only that our NAgasena is an historical person, but also that there never was a Buddhist cleric of that name; and that Nagasena is simply Pata“gali, the author of the Yoga philosophy, under another name. If this is not a joke, it is a strange piece of credulity.

If this is not a joke, it is a strange piece of credulity.

The only reason alleged in support of it is that Pataagali has the epithets of NAgesa and of Phawin. That he was a Hindu who believed in the soul-theory of the current animistic creed, while all the opinions put into NAgasena’s mouth are those of a thorough-going Buddhist and nonindividualist, is to count as nothing against this chance similarity, not of names, but of the name on one side with an epithet on the other. To identify John Stuart Mill with Dean Milman would be sober sense compared with this proposal.

1 Compare on this point Dr. Wenzel, loc. cit., with Dr. Burgess in the ‘Archaeological Reports for Southern India,’ vol. i, pp. 5-9. Dr. Burgess thinks the most probable date of his death is about 200 A. D.

The identification of Nagdrguza and Nagasena was made independently by Major Bird in the ‘ Journal of the Bombay Branch ofthe Royal Asiatic Society’ for October, 1844 (who was followed by the Rev. R. Spence Hardy at p. 517 of his ‘ Manual of Buddhism,’ published in 1860), and by Benfey in his article ‘Indien’ in Ersch and Gruber’s Encyclopedia (who was followed by Burnouf at p. 570 of his ‘ Introduction,’ &c., published in 1844).

3 Loc. cit. 5 Note to his translation of Taranatha, p. 298.

INTRODUCTION. XXVii

But it is deliberately put forward to support an accusation against the Buddhists of having falsely appropriated to themselves every famous man in India's Any mud, it would seem, is good enough to pelt the Buddhists with. Yet who is it, after all, who really makes the ‘ appropriation,’ the Buddhists or Professor Kern himself?

It would seem, therefore, that most of our author's person and place names are probably inventions of his own”.

But it is quite different with the books quoted by our author. In several passages he has evidently in his mind certain Pali texts which deal with similar matters. So far as yet ascertained the texts thus silently referred to, either in the present volume or in the subsequent untranslated portion of the book, are as follows :

Page of this volume.

• 8 . . Digha Nikdya II, 1, 2. Io. . » » II, 20. io. . » » Syn
• 38. t« ” » II, 10. 38 » » Laur.
• 40. . Katha Vatthu J, 1.
• 41. . Anguttara I, 15, 4-7.
• 41. . Digha Nikaya II, 17. 4%. ” ” Il, 23-
• 42. . » » Il, 26. 59 - » » AVI.
• 80 . . Mahdvagga I, 1,1.

• 129 . . Various (see my note).
• 132. . ullavagga IX, 1, 4.
• 163. . ullavagga VII, 1, 27.
• 170. . Vessantara Gataka.
• 179. . Sivi Gataka.

204. . Magghima Nikaya LXIII.

1 Kern’s ‘ Buddhismus’ (the German translation), vol. ii, p. 443.

. » » Il, 26.
59 - » » AVI.
80 . . Mahdvagga I, 1,1.

• 129 . . Various (see my note).
• 132. . ullavagga IX, 1, 4.
• 163. . ullavagga VII, 1, 27.
• 170. . Vessantara Gataka.
• 179. . Sivi Gataka.

204. . Magghima Nikaya LXIII.

1 Kern’s ‘ Buddhismus’ (the German translation), vol. ii, p. 443.

? As these pages were passing through the press I have found Assagutta of the Vattaniya hermitage, mentioned in the last chapter of the Saddhamma Samgaha, which is passing through the press for the Pali Text Society. But this is taken no doubt from the Milinda, and is not an independent reference to any such teacher as an historical person. (The Saddhamma Samgaha was written by Dhamma-kitti in Ceylon, probably in the twelfth century.)

xxviii THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA.

Page of this

volume.
212
256
257
259
264
275
277
283
285
285
286
286
287
287
288
288
288
289
289
290
290 .
290 .
294
298
302 .
Page of the
Pali Text.
220 .
231
236.
256
277
289
291
313

In several other passages he refers to a Pali book, or a chapter in a Pali book, by name. valuable for our purposes than the silent, and sometimes doubtful, references in the last list.

Gataka (No. 69).

Sutta Vibhanhga (Pr. 4).
XAtuma Sutta (No. 67).
Xullavagga 1X, 1, 3.

Mahavagga II, 16, 8.
Dhamma-fakka-pavattana Sutta.
Anguttara II, 1, 1.

The 540th Gataka.

Amba Gataka (No. 474).
Dummedha Gataka (No. 122).
Tittira Gitaka (No. 438).
Khantivada Gataka (No. 313).
Kdla-Nandiya Gataka (No. 222).
Takkha-shkara Gataka (No. 492).
Kariy4-pi/aka II, 6.

Silava-naga Gataka (No. 72).
Sabba-dasha Gataka (No. 241).
Apannaka Gataka (No. 1).
Nigrodha-miga Gataka (No. 12).
Nigrodha GAétaka (No. 445).
Mah4-paduma GAtaka (No. 472).
Mahf4-patépa Gataka (No. 358).
Ummagga Gataka (No. 546).
Xullavagga VII, 3, 11.
Anguttara IV, 13.

Gataka, No. 310 (vol. iii, p. 32).
Sutta Nipata I, 4.
Gataka (vol. i, p. 56).

» (vol. iv, p. 232, line 20).
Vessantara GAtaka.
Gataka (vol. i, p. 57).
Gataka (Nos. 258, 541, 494, and 243).
Magghima Nik4ya, No. 75 (p. 502).

tained, these references are as follows:

This is much more

So far as is yet ascer-

INTRODUCTION. XXiX

Page of this volume.

1,2
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
22
22
22
25
27
28
31
31
32
32
32
34
56

71, 88
137.
195 .
213
. 213
213
213
213
213
232
264-267
Page of the
Pali Text.
241

242
258

p. 281

Vinaya, Sutta, Abhidhamma.

The Suttantas.

The Abhidhamma.

Dhamma Samgani.

Vibhanga.

Dhatu Katha.

Puggala Pasfatti.

Kath4 Vatthu.

Yamaka.

Pasfhana.

The Abhidhamma Pifaka.

The Abhidhamma.

The Abhidhamma.

The three Pi/akas.

Maha Samaya Suttanta (No. 20 in the Digha).

Maha Mangala Suttanta (Sutta Nip4ta II, 4).

Sama-kitta-pariyaya Suttanta (unknown).

Rahulovdda Suttanta (No. 147 in the Maggfima).

Parabhava Suttanta (Sutta Nipfta I, 6).

The three Pifakas.

Samyutta Nikaya (the words quoted are ‘in the
Sutta Nip4ta).

The Abhidhamma.

The ninefold Scriptures.

Moliya Sivaka chapter of the Samyutta.

Ratana Sutta (in the Sutta Nipâta II, 1).

Khandha Paritt (not traced).