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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1‘Venerable NAagasena, it was said by the Blessed One: “ The Arahats have laid aside all fear and trembling®.” But on the other hand when, in the city of Ragagaha, they saw Dhana-pdlaka, the man-slaying elephant, bearing down upon the Blessed 1 The position of women in India, at the time when Buddhism arose, was, theoretically, very low. The folk tales are full of stories turning on the wiles of women, and the Hindoo law-books seem never tired of the theme of her uncleanness, her weakness, and her wickedness. But, except in matters of property, the bark was I think worse than the bite. Among the people, in the homes of the peasantry, the philippics of the Brahmin priests were not much regarded, and the women led lives as pleasant as those of their male relations, and shared in such mental and physical advantages as their male relations enjoyed. The influence of Buddhism must have been felt in two directions. In the first place the importance attached to the celibate life must have encouraged the kind of view taken of women among Catholics in medizval times (the Brahmin view being much akin to those that were promulgated by Luther). On the other hand the fact that women were admitted to the Order, and that the still higher aim of Arahatship was held to be attainable by them, must have helped to encourage a high esteem for women. We have many instances of women who were credited with the insight of Arahatship. A whole treatise in the Buddhist sacred books, the Theri G&tha, is devoted to hymns and poems ascribed to them, and many of these reach a very high level of intelligent and spiritual emotion. * I do not know the exact passage referred to, but there are many of similar tendency in the sacred books. See, for instance, Dhammapada, verses 39, 188, 214, 351, and 385; and Sutta Nipata, verses I5, 70, 212, 621, and 965. 298 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 4, 44. One, all the five hundred Arahats forsook the Conqueror and fled, one only excepted, Ananda the Elder?. Now how was it, Nagasena? Did those Arahats run away from fear—or did they run away willing to let the Blessed One be destroyed, and thinking: “(Our condact) will be clear (to him) from the way in which he himself will act *,” [208] or did they run away with the hope of watching the immense and unequalled mighty power which the Tathagata would exhibit? If, Nagasena, what the
2If, Nagasena, what the ? Here again we have a variation between our author’s words and those of the Pifakas. In the Xullavagga VII, 3, 11, 12 (translated in pp. 247-250 of vol. iii of the ‘Vinaya Texts’ in the ‘Sacred Books of the East’), we have the oldest versions of this story; and there the elephant is called, not Dhana-pflaka, but Nalagirl, and the number of attendant disciples (who are not called Arahats) is not given as five hundred. The Buddha is simply said to have entered RAgagaha ‘with a number of Bhikkhus.’ Nothing also is said, either of their running away, or of Ananda’s remaining behind. It is, no doubt, an easily explicable and very pretty alteration of the story, which exhibits Ananda, the beloved disciple, as acting in this way. But it is none the less an alteration. It should be added that Nalagiri (it should be Na/agiri) in the Vinaya text is a personal name of the elephant, but may be derived from its place of origin. (See the references to a famous elephant named Na/4giri in the Megha Dfta and Nad4giri in the Katha Sarit Sagara XI, 42, XII, 10, XIII, 7, 29. But Pasini VI, 3,117, gives the latter as the name of a mountain.) So while there may be a variation in the legend, it may also be that we have only two names for the same elephant, just as one might speak of the Shetland pony (named) Brownie. And the stanza quoted below (p. 410 of the P&li text) shows that the name Dhana-pflaka was given already in older texts to the Na/giri elephant. * Paa#ayissati sakena kammena, ‘It will be plain to the Buddha (that is, he will be able to judge of our motives) from his own kindness and goodness,’ according to the Simhalese (p. 287). But the expression is a very strange one, and perhaps, after all, it merely means, ‘The matter will turn out according to his Karma.’ IV, 4) 45+ ARAHATS. 299 Blessed One said as to the Arahats being devoid of fear be true, then this story must be false. But if the story be true, then the statement that the Arahats have put away fear and trembling must be false. This too is a double-edged problem now put to you, and you have to solve it.’ 45. ‘The Blessed One did say, O king, that Arahats have put away all fear and trembling, and five hundred Arahats, save only Ananda, did, as you say, run away when the elephant Dhana-pdlaka bore down upon the Tath4gata that day in R4agagaha. But that was neither out of fear, nor from willingness to let the Blessed One be destroyed. For the cause by which Arahats could be made to fear or tremble has been destroyed in them, and therefore are they free from fear or trembling. Is the broad earth, O king, afraid at people digging into it, or breaking it up, or at having to bear the weight of the mighty oceans and the peaked mountain ranges ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir.’ ‘But why not ?’ ‘Because there is no cause in the broad earth which could produce fear or trembling.’
3Is the broad earth, O king, afraid at people digging into it, or breaking it up, or at having to bear the weight of the mighty oceans and the peaked mountain ranges ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir.’ ‘But why not ?’ ‘Because there is no cause in the broad earth which could produce fear or trembling.’ ‘Just so, O king. And neither is there any such cause in Arahats. And would a mountain peak be afraid of being split up, or broken down, or made to fall, or burnt with fire ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir.’ ‘But why not ?’ [209] ‘The cause of fear or trembling does not exist within it.’ ‘And just so, O king, with Arahats. If all the creatures of various outward form in the whole 300 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 4, 45. universe! were, together, to attack one Arahat in order to put him to fear, yet would they bring about no variation in his heart. And why? Because there is neither condition nor cause for fear (in him, whence fear could arise). Rather, O king, was it these considerations that arose in the minds of those Arahats : “ To-day when the best of the best of men, the hero among conquerors, has entered into the famous city, Dhana-pdlaka the elephant will rush down the street. But to a certainty the brother who is his special attendant will not forsake him who is above the god of gods. But if we should not go away, then neither will the goodness of Ananda be made manifest, nor will the elephant actually approach * the Tathagata. Let us then withdraw. Thus will great masses of the people attain to emancipation from the bonds of evil, and the goodness of Ananda be made manifest.” It was on the realisation of the fact that those advantages would arise from their doing so, that the Arahats withdrew to every side.’ ‘Well, Nagasena, have you solved the puzzle. That is so. The Arahats feared not, nor did they tremble. But for the advantages that they foresaw they withdrew on every side.’ [Here ends the problem as to the panic of the Arahats. ] ? Literally, ‘In the hundreds of thousands of world systems.’ * Asthanam-anavakf&sataya, ‘ Because of the absence of condition and opportunity.’ IV, 4, 47. OMNISCIENCE, 301 [ON CAUSING THE OMNISCIENT ONE TO CHANGE HIS MIND. ]
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.
1‘Venerable NAagasena, it was said by the Blessed One: “ The Arahats have laid aside all fear and trembling®.” But on the other hand when, in the city of Ragagaha, they saw Dhana-pdlaka, the man-slaying elephant, bearing down upon the Blessed 1 The position of women in India, at the time when Buddhism arose, was, theoretically, very low. The folk tales are full of stories turning on the wiles of women, and the Hindoo law-books seem never tired of the theme of her uncleanness, her weakness, and her wickedness. But, except in matters of property, the bark was I think worse than the bite. Among the people, in the homes of the peasantry, the philippics of the Brahmin priests were not much regarded, and the women led lives as pleasant as those of their male relations, and shared in such mental and physical advantages as their male relations enjoyed. The influence of Buddhism must have been felt in two directions. In the first place the importance attached to the celibate life must have encouraged the kind of view taken of women among Catholics in medizval times (the Brahmin view being much akin to those that were promulgated by Luther). On the other hand the fact that women were admitted to the Order, and that the still higher aim of Arahatship was held to be attainable by them, must have helped to encourage a high esteem for women. We have many instances of women who were credited with the insight of Arahatship. A whole treatise in the Buddhist sacred books, the Theri G&tha, is devoted to hymns and poems ascribed to them, and many of these reach a very high level of intelligent and spiritual emotion. * I do not know the exact passage referred to, but there are many of similar tendency in the sacred books. See, for instance, Dhammapada, verses 39, 188, 214, 351, and 385; and Sutta Nipata, verses I5, 70, 212, 621, and 965. 298 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 4, 44. One, all the five hundred Arahats forsook the Conqueror and fled, one only excepted, Ananda the Elder?. Now how was it, Nagasena? Did those Arahats run away from fear—or did they run away willing to let the Blessed One be destroyed, and thinking: “(Our condact) will be clear (to him) from the way in which he himself will act *,” [208] or did they run away with the hope of watching the immense and unequalled mighty power which the Tathagata would exhibit? If, Nagasena, what the
2If, Nagasena, what the ? Here again we have a variation between our author’s words and those of the Pifakas. In the Xullavagga VII, 3, 11, 12 (translated in pp. 247-250 of vol. iii of the ‘Vinaya Texts’ in the ‘Sacred Books of the East’), we have the oldest versions of this story; and there the elephant is called, not Dhana-pflaka, but Nalagirl, and the number of attendant disciples (who are not called Arahats) is not given as five hundred. The Buddha is simply said to have entered RAgagaha ‘with a number of Bhikkhus.’ Nothing also is said, either of their running away, or of Ananda’s remaining behind. It is, no doubt, an easily explicable and very pretty alteration of the story, which exhibits Ananda, the beloved disciple, as acting in this way. But it is none the less an alteration. It should be added that Nalagiri (it should be Na/agiri) in the Vinaya text is a personal name of the elephant, but may be derived from its place of origin. (See the references to a famous elephant named Na/4giri in the Megha Dfta and Nad4giri in the Katha Sarit Sagara XI, 42, XII, 10, XIII, 7, 29. But Pasini VI, 3,117, gives the latter as the name of a mountain.) So while there may be a variation in the legend, it may also be that we have only two names for the same elephant, just as one might speak of the Shetland pony (named) Brownie. And the stanza quoted below (p. 410 of the P&li text) shows that the name Dhana-pflaka was given already in older texts to the Na/giri elephant. * Paa#ayissati sakena kammena, ‘It will be plain to the Buddha (that is, he will be able to judge of our motives) from his own kindness and goodness,’ according to the Simhalese (p. 287). But the expression is a very strange one, and perhaps, after all, it merely means, ‘The matter will turn out according to his Karma.’ IV, 4) 45+ ARAHATS. 299 Blessed One said as to the Arahats being devoid of fear be true, then this story must be false. But if the story be true, then the statement that the Arahats have put away fear and trembling must be false. This too is a double-edged problem now put to you, and you have to solve it.’ 45. ‘The Blessed One did say, O king, that Arahats have put away all fear and trembling, and five hundred Arahats, save only Ananda, did, as you say, run away when the elephant Dhana-pdlaka bore down upon the Tath4gata that day in R4agagaha. But that was neither out of fear, nor from willingness to let the Blessed One be destroyed. For the cause by which Arahats could be made to fear or tremble has been destroyed in them, and therefore are they free from fear or trembling. Is the broad earth, O king, afraid at people digging into it, or breaking it up, or at having to bear the weight of the mighty oceans and the peaked mountain ranges ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir.’ ‘But why not ?’ ‘Because there is no cause in the broad earth which could produce fear or trembling.’
3Is the broad earth, O king, afraid at people digging into it, or breaking it up, or at having to bear the weight of the mighty oceans and the peaked mountain ranges ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir.’ ‘But why not ?’ ‘Because there is no cause in the broad earth which could produce fear or trembling.’ ‘Just so, O king. And neither is there any such cause in Arahats. And would a mountain peak be afraid of being split up, or broken down, or made to fall, or burnt with fire ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir.’ ‘But why not ?’ [209] ‘The cause of fear or trembling does not exist within it.’ ‘And just so, O king, with Arahats. If all the creatures of various outward form in the whole 300 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 4, 45. universe! were, together, to attack one Arahat in order to put him to fear, yet would they bring about no variation in his heart. And why? Because there is neither condition nor cause for fear (in him, whence fear could arise). Rather, O king, was it these considerations that arose in the minds of those Arahats : “ To-day when the best of the best of men, the hero among conquerors, has entered into the famous city, Dhana-pdlaka the elephant will rush down the street. But to a certainty the brother who is his special attendant will not forsake him who is above the god of gods. But if we should not go away, then neither will the goodness of Ananda be made manifest, nor will the elephant actually approach * the Tathagata. Let us then withdraw. Thus will great masses of the people attain to emancipation from the bonds of evil, and the goodness of Ananda be made manifest.” It was on the realisation of the fact that those advantages would arise from their doing so, that the Arahats withdrew to every side.’ ‘Well, Nagasena, have you solved the puzzle. That is so. The Arahats feared not, nor did they tremble. But for the advantages that they foresaw they withdrew on every side.’ [Here ends the problem as to the panic of the Arahats. ] ? Literally, ‘In the hundreds of thousands of world systems.’ * Asthanam-anavakf&sataya, ‘ Because of the absence of condition and opportunity.’ IV, 4, 47. OMNISCIENCE, 301 [ON CAUSING THE OMNISCIENT ONE TO CHANGE HIS MIND. ]
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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