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

]

? Literally, ‘In the hundreds of thousands of world systems.’ * Asthanam-anavakfâsataya, ‘ Because of the absence of condition and opportunity.’

p. 301

[ON CAUSING THE OMNISCIENT ONE TO CHANGE HIS
MIND. ]

46. ‘Venerable N4gasena, your people say that the Tathagata is all wise’. And on the other hand they say: “ When the company of the members of the Order presided over by Sériputta and Moggallana had been dismissed by the Blessed One ?, then the Sakyas of Katum4 and Brahm4 Sabanipati, by means of the parables of the seed and of the calf, gained the Buddha over, and obtained his forgiveness, and made him see the thing in the right light.” Now how. was that, Nagasena? Were those two parables unknown to him that he should be [210] appeased and gained over to their side, and brought to see the matter in a new light? But if he did not already know them, then, Nagasena, he was not all-wise. If he did know them, then he must have dismissed those brethren rudely and violently ‘ in order to try them; and therein is his unkindness made manifest. This too is a double-edged problem now put to you, and you have to solve it.’

47. ‘The Tathagata, O king, was all-wise, and yet, pleased at those parables, he was gained over by them, he granted pardon to the brethren he had sent

' This question is also discussed above, III, 6, 2.

2 This episode has already been referred to above, and will be found set out in full in the X4tum4 Sutta, No. 67, in the Magghima Nikdya (pp. 456-462 of Mr. Trenckner’s edition for the Pali Text Society).

5 Nigghattam akamsu. Compare Gataka, vol. i, p. 495.

‘ Okassa pasayha, which the Simhalese (p. 289) renders fkaddhanaya ko/a abhibhavanaya karan&. See Dr. Morris in the ‘ Journal of the Pali Text Society,’ 1887, p. 148.

p. 302

away, and he saw the matter in the light (in which the intercessors on their behalf wished him to see it). For the Tathagata, O king, is lord of the Scriptures. It was with parables that had been first preached by the Tath4gata himself! that they conciliated him, pleased him, gained him over, and it was on being thus gained over that he signified his approval (of what they had said). It was, O king, as when a wife conciliates, and pleases, and gains over her husband by means of things that belong to the husband himself; and the husband signifies his approval thereof. Or it was, O king, as when the royal barber conciliates and pleases and gains over the king when he dresses the king’s head with the golden comb? which belongs to the king himself, and the king then signifies his approval thereof. Or it was, O king, as when an attendant novice, when he serves his teacher with the food given in alms which his teacher has himself brought home, conciliates him and pleases him and gains him over, and the teacher then signifies his approval thereof.’ ‘Very good, Nagasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.’

That is so, and I accept it as you say.’

[Here ends the problem as to the all-wise Buddha being gained over by intercession *.]

Here ends the Fourth Chapter.

’ This is quite correct. They are in the fourth book of the

Anguttara Sutta, No. 13.

® Panaka, a word only found in this passage. Hinasi-kumburé (p. 280 at the end) renders it ran panawen.

® Other cruxes arising out of the dogma of the Buddha’s omniscience are discussed above, III, 6, 2.

No. of
GAtaka.

I

Be
11
12
20
21

p. 33

p. 51

p. 57

p. 58

p. 72

73
113
122
131
139
14I
142
143
160
168
174
184
193
194
204
206
208
210
220
221
222
231

APPENDIX.

Character filled by

Devadatta.
Merchant

Deer (K4/a)
Deer (Sakha)
Water sprite
Hunter
Quail
Minister
Crocodile
Monkey king
Woodman
King

Jackal

King

Piliya
Fisherman
Chameleon
Drunkard
Jackal
Vinilaka (a crow)
Hawk
Monkey
Groom
Cripple
King

Crow
Hunter
Crocodile
Bird

Unjust judge
Hunter

” Elephant trainer

DEVADATTA IN THE GATAKAS.

Character filled by the
Bodisat.

Merchant

His father
Deer (Nigrodha)
Monkey
Kurunga deer
Quail

King

Monkey king
His son
Elephant

King

Tree god
Elephant
Samkha

Tree god
Iguana

Jackal

Lion

King of Videha
Quail

Brahman
Minister

King Paduma
Countryman
Crow

Kurunga deer
Monkey

Bird

Just judge
Elephant
Nandiya (monkey king)
Elephant trainer

p. 304

THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA.

240
241
243
277
294
295
303
313
326
329
335
342
353
357
358
367
389
397
404
416
422
438
445
448
457
466
472
482
593
595
506

King Pingala
Jackal

Musician

Ascetic

Jackal

Lion

King Kalébu
Brahman
K4/abâhu (a woodman)
Jackal

Crocodile

Pingiya (a purohit)
Mad elephant
King Patapa
Doctor

Crow

Jackal

Monkey king
King of Benares
King of Ketiya
Ascetic

S4kha (a minister)
Hawk

Adhamma (a god)
Carpenter

King of Benares
Man

Thief

Ascetic

Snake charmer

64 in all.

Professor Fausbdll has kindly allowed me to look at the advance sheets of his fifth volume, so that the above list is complete down to No. 513. There may be a few more instances in the remaining 37 GAtakas not yet printed.

Prince

Minister

Musician

Pigeon

Tree god ” ”

Bird

Kusdaka (a brahman)

God

Parrot

Lion

Monkey

Teacher

Elephant king

His son

Hag

Brahman

Lion

Monkey king

His son

Brahman ~

Partridge

Nigrodha (a king)

Cock

Dhamma (a god)

Carpenter

Prince Paduma

Ruru deer

Parrot

Prince Somanassa

Snake king

ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.

Page xiii. Sri-wardhana-pura. It should have been pointed out that this city is not (as stated by Emerson Tennant at vol. i, p. 414 of his ‘Ceylon’) the same as the modern town of Kandy, but was in the Kurunegalla district, and (as pointed out by Mr. K. James Pohath in the ‘Ceylon Orientalist,’ vol. iii, p. 218) about three and a half miles distant from the modern Damba-deniya.

P. 2, note 2. Mr. Trenckner in his ‘ Pali Miscellany’ (London,
1879) has translated and annotated the whole of Book I, that is,
to the end of p. 39 of this translation.

P. 6, line 1, read ‘to Tissa the Elder, the son of Moggali.’

P. 2, note 2. Mr. Trenckner in his ‘ Pali Miscellany’ (London,
1879) has translated and annotated the whole of Book I, that is,
to the end of p. 39 of this translation.

P. 6, line 1, read ‘to Tissa the Elder, the son of Moggali.’

P. 10, note 1. It is strange that when it occurred to me that §§ 10-14 are an early interpolation I failed to notice the most important, and indeed almost conclusive argument for my suggestion. It is this, that the closing words of § 14 are really in complete contradiction to the opening words, and that they look very much as if they had been inserted, after the interpolation, to meet the objection to it which would at once arise from the expression in § 16, that the venerable Assagutta ‘heard those words of King Milinda.’ As it originally stood the words he heard were those of § 10. After the interpolation these words had to be reinserted at the end of § 14, in spite of their being in contradiction to the context.

Pp. 14 foll., for ‘ Rohana’ read ‘ Rohana.’

Pp. 15, 16. This whole episode as to the charge of lying is repeated by Buddhaghosa (in the Introduction to his Samanta Pas4dika, p. 296 of vol. iii of Oldenberg’s Vinaya), but as having happened to Siggava in connection with the birth of Moggali-putta Tissa. A modern author would be expected to mention his source, but Buddhaghosa makes no reference whatever to the Milinda. Perhaps the episode is common stock of Buddhist legend, and we shall find it elsewhere.

P. 32, line 1, add after ‘Quietism’ ‘and the discourse on losses
(Parabhava Suttanta).’ [See p. xxix, where the reference is supplied. ]

[35] x

p. 306

P. 53. ‘ Virtue’s the base.’ It should have been pointed out that this is the celebrated verse given by the Ceylon scholars to Buddhaghosa as the theme of the test essay he was to write as a proof of his fitness. If he succeeded in the essay they would then entrust him with all their traditions for him to recast in Pali. The ‘ Path of Purity,’ which opens with this verse, was the result.

P. 185, § 49. On the question discussed in this section the curious may compare what is said by Sir Thomas Brown in his ‘Enquiries into. Vulgar and Common Errors,’ Book VII, Chapter xvi (p. 304 of the London edition of 1686). He gives several instances of supposed cases of conception without sexual connection mentioned in western writers, and comes to the conclusion, apropos of the supposed generation of the magician Merlin by Satan, that ‘ generations by the devil are very improbable.’

.