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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Make it open and plain as you elucidate it. With a will, strenuous in en- deavour, pour out upon it all that has been taught you. It is a point on which this people is bewildered, plunged into perplexity, lost in doubt. Dissipate this guilty uncertainty ; it pierces like a dart 1 ! ' 7 J. ( That principle of Nirvana, O king, so peace- ful, so blissful, so delicate, exists. And it is that which he who orders his life aright, grasping the idea of all things (of the Confections, Sa^kharas) according to the teachings of the Conquerors, realises by his wisdom — even as a pupil, by his knowledge, makes himself, according to the instruction of his teacher, master of an art. * And if you ask : " How is Nirvana to be known2?" it is by freedom from distress and danger, by con- fidence, by peace, by calm, by bliss, by happiness, by delicacy, by purity, by freshness 3. 78. 'Just, O king, as a man being burnt in a blazing fiery furnace heaped up with many faggots of dry sticks, when he has freed himself from it by 1 Bhind' eta/# anto-dosa-sallaw ; 'break and take away the dart of the guilt (dosa) of that doubt which has arisen in my inmost being (sat an a)/ says Hina/i-kumbure. It is literally 1 break this dart of guilt within.' The meaning is clear enough (except as to whether the guilt is the speaker's or ' this people's'). To break a dart in a wound would be no kindness, and that cannot have been the author's idea. To bring out the meaning one must amplify a little, and I should have followed the Sin- halese had it not seemed preferable to leave the personality of the guilty one as ambiguous in the translation as in the text. 2 Hina/i-kumbur6, p. 467, does actually put these words into Nagasena' s mouth. 3 Sitalato, literally ' by cold/ See the note above on III, 6, 6(1,119). IV, 8, 8o. OF MILINDA THE KING. 1 97 a violent effort, and escaped into a cool place, [324] would experience supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, in which the burning heat of the threefold fire (of lust, malice, and delusion) 1 has all gone out. As the furnace, O king, so should you regard this threefold fire, as the man fallen into the fire the man who is ordering his life aright, as the cool place Nirvana. 79. ' Or again, O king, as a man fallen into a pit full of the dead bodies of snakes and dogs and men, of ordure, and of refuse, when, finding himself in the midst of it entangled in the hair of the corpses, he had by a violent effort escaped into a place where no dead bodies were, would experience supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, from which the corpses of all evil dispositions have been removed 2. As a corpse, O king, so should you regard the four pleasures of sense, as the man fallen among corpses the man who is ordering his life aright, as the place free from corpses Nirvana.
2As a corpse, O king, so should you regard the four pleasures of sense, as the man fallen among corpses the man who is ordering his life aright, as the place free from corpses Nirvana. 80. * Or again, O king, as a man (fallen among enemies with drawn swords in their hands)3, quaking with fear and terror, agitated and upset in mind, when with a violent effort he has freed himself from them, and escaped into a strong refuge, a firm place of security, experiences supreme bliss — just so who- soever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, 1 Raga, dosa, moha. 2 Compare above, IV, 8, 69, and the note there. 3 The words in brackets are added from the Sinhalese, p. 467. 198 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 81. in which fear and terror have been put away. As the terror, O king, so should you regard the anxiety which arises again and again on account of birth, old age, disease, and death, as the terrified man the man who is ordering his life aright, as the place of refuge Nirvana. 81. ' Or again, O king, as a man fallen on a spot filthy with dirt, and slime, and mud, when with a violent effort he has got rid of the mud, and escaped to a clean and spotless place, would experience supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvd^a, from which the stains and mud of evil dispositions have been removed. As the mud, O king, [325] so should you regard income, and honour, and praise *, as the man fallen into the mud the man who is ordering his life aright, as the clean and spotless place Nirvana. 82. 'And if again you should ask: "How does he who orders his life aright realise that Nirvana ? " (I should reply), He, O king, who orders his life aright grasps the truth as to the development of all things 2, and when he is doing so he perceives therein birth, he perceives old age, he perceives disease, he perceives death. But he perceives not therein either happiness or bliss, he perceives not therein, whether in the beginning, or the middle, or the end, any- thing worthy of being laid hold of (as lasting satisfaction) 3. As a man, O king, if a mass of iron 1 So also at £ataka IV, 222 (verse 48). 2 Sawkharanaw paratta/ra sammasati. Compare Dharma- pada, verse 374. 3 Gayhupagam; so the Sinhalese. IV, 8, 84. OF MILINDA THE KING. 1 99 had been heated the livelong day 19 and were all glowing, scorching, and red hot, would find no spot on it, whether at one end or in the middle or at the other end, fit to be taken hold of — just so, O king, he who orders his life aright grasps the truth of the development of things, and in doing so he perceives therein birth, he perceives old age, he perceives disease, he perceives death. But he perceives not therein either happiness or bliss, he perceives not therein, whether in the beginning, or in the middle, or in the end, anything fit to be taken hold of (as a lasting satisfaction).
3But he perceives not therein either happiness or bliss, he perceives not therein, whether in the beginning, or in the middle, or in the end, anything fit to be taken hold of (as a lasting satisfaction). 83. 'And discontent arises in his mind when he thus finds nothing fit to be relied on as a lasting satisfaction, and a fever takes possession of his body 2, and without a refuge or protection, hopeless, he becomes weary of repeated lives 3. As if a man had fallen into a burning and blazing mighty fiery furnace, and saw no refuge from it, no way of escape, he would, hopeless, be weary of the fire — just so, O king, discontent arises in his mind when he thus finds nothing fit to be relied on as a lasting satisfaction, and a fever takes possession of his body, and without a refuge or protection, hopeless, he becomes weary of repeated births. 84. ' And in the mind of him who thus perceives 1 Divasa-santatta. So Hina/i-kumbur6, and compare Ma^- gvfama Nikaya I, 453, and Gataka IV, 118 (where the reading is diva-santatta). See also above, p. 46 of the Pali. 2 For daho okkamati, Hina/i-kumbure may have had a different reading. He renders </ahadiya selawenneya, 'sweat shapes '(sic for ' forms '). 3 Bhavesu; literally 'of becomings' ('in any of the three worlds/ adds the Sinhalese). 200 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 84. the insecurity of transitory life, (of starting afresh in innumerable births)1 the thought arises : " All on fire is this endless becoming, burning, and blazing ! Full of pain is it, of despair! If only one could reach a state in which there were no becoming, there would there be calm, that would be sweet — the cessation of all these conditions 2, the getting rid of all these defects 3 (of lusts, of evil, and of Karma), the end of cravings, the absence of passion, peace, Nirvana ! " And therewith does his mind leap forward into that state in which there is no becoming, and then has he found peace, [326] then does he exult and rejoice 4 at the thought : " A refuge have I gained at last!" Just, O king, as a man who, venturing into a strange land, has lost his way, on becoming aware of a path, free from jungle, that will lead him home, bounds forward along it, contented in mind, exulting and rejoicing at the thought : " I have found the way at last ! " — just so in him who thus perceives the insecurity of transitory births there arises the thought : " All on fire is this endless becoming, burning, and blazing! Full of pain is it, and despair ! If only one could reach a state in which there were no becoming, there would there be calm, that would be sweet — the cessation of all these conditions, the getting rid of all these defects, the end of cravings, the absence of passion, peace, Nirvana! " And therewith does his mind leap for- ward into that state in which there is no becoming, 1 Pavatte. I have included Hina/i-kumbure's explanation of this word, for which there is no equivalent in English.
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.
1Make it open and plain as you elucidate it. With a will, strenuous in en- deavour, pour out upon it all that has been taught you. It is a point on which this people is bewildered, plunged into perplexity, lost in doubt. Dissipate this guilty uncertainty ; it pierces like a dart 1 ! ' 7 J. ( That principle of Nirvana, O king, so peace- ful, so blissful, so delicate, exists. And it is that which he who orders his life aright, grasping the idea of all things (of the Confections, Sa^kharas) according to the teachings of the Conquerors, realises by his wisdom — even as a pupil, by his knowledge, makes himself, according to the instruction of his teacher, master of an art. * And if you ask : " How is Nirvana to be known2?" it is by freedom from distress and danger, by con- fidence, by peace, by calm, by bliss, by happiness, by delicacy, by purity, by freshness 3. 78. 'Just, O king, as a man being burnt in a blazing fiery furnace heaped up with many faggots of dry sticks, when he has freed himself from it by 1 Bhind' eta/# anto-dosa-sallaw ; 'break and take away the dart of the guilt (dosa) of that doubt which has arisen in my inmost being (sat an a)/ says Hina/i-kumbure. It is literally 1 break this dart of guilt within.' The meaning is clear enough (except as to whether the guilt is the speaker's or ' this people's'). To break a dart in a wound would be no kindness, and that cannot have been the author's idea. To bring out the meaning one must amplify a little, and I should have followed the Sin- halese had it not seemed preferable to leave the personality of the guilty one as ambiguous in the translation as in the text. 2 Hina/i-kumbur6, p. 467, does actually put these words into Nagasena' s mouth. 3 Sitalato, literally ' by cold/ See the note above on III, 6, 6(1,119). IV, 8, 8o. OF MILINDA THE KING. 1 97 a violent effort, and escaped into a cool place, [324] would experience supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, in which the burning heat of the threefold fire (of lust, malice, and delusion) 1 has all gone out. As the furnace, O king, so should you regard this threefold fire, as the man fallen into the fire the man who is ordering his life aright, as the cool place Nirvana. 79. ' Or again, O king, as a man fallen into a pit full of the dead bodies of snakes and dogs and men, of ordure, and of refuse, when, finding himself in the midst of it entangled in the hair of the corpses, he had by a violent effort escaped into a place where no dead bodies were, would experience supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, from which the corpses of all evil dispositions have been removed 2. As a corpse, O king, so should you regard the four pleasures of sense, as the man fallen among corpses the man who is ordering his life aright, as the place free from corpses Nirvana.
2As a corpse, O king, so should you regard the four pleasures of sense, as the man fallen among corpses the man who is ordering his life aright, as the place free from corpses Nirvana. 80. * Or again, O king, as a man (fallen among enemies with drawn swords in their hands)3, quaking with fear and terror, agitated and upset in mind, when with a violent effort he has freed himself from them, and escaped into a strong refuge, a firm place of security, experiences supreme bliss — just so who- soever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, 1 Raga, dosa, moha. 2 Compare above, IV, 8, 69, and the note there. 3 The words in brackets are added from the Sinhalese, p. 467. 198 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 81. in which fear and terror have been put away. As the terror, O king, so should you regard the anxiety which arises again and again on account of birth, old age, disease, and death, as the terrified man the man who is ordering his life aright, as the place of refuge Nirvana. 81. ' Or again, O king, as a man fallen on a spot filthy with dirt, and slime, and mud, when with a violent effort he has got rid of the mud, and escaped to a clean and spotless place, would experience supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvd^a, from which the stains and mud of evil dispositions have been removed. As the mud, O king, [325] so should you regard income, and honour, and praise *, as the man fallen into the mud the man who is ordering his life aright, as the clean and spotless place Nirvana. 82. 'And if again you should ask: "How does he who orders his life aright realise that Nirvana ? " (I should reply), He, O king, who orders his life aright grasps the truth as to the development of all things 2, and when he is doing so he perceives therein birth, he perceives old age, he perceives disease, he perceives death. But he perceives not therein either happiness or bliss, he perceives not therein, whether in the beginning, or the middle, or the end, any- thing worthy of being laid hold of (as lasting satisfaction) 3. As a man, O king, if a mass of iron 1 So also at £ataka IV, 222 (verse 48). 2 Sawkharanaw paratta/ra sammasati. Compare Dharma- pada, verse 374. 3 Gayhupagam; so the Sinhalese. IV, 8, 84. OF MILINDA THE KING. 1 99 had been heated the livelong day 19 and were all glowing, scorching, and red hot, would find no spot on it, whether at one end or in the middle or at the other end, fit to be taken hold of — just so, O king, he who orders his life aright grasps the truth of the development of things, and in doing so he perceives therein birth, he perceives old age, he perceives disease, he perceives death. But he perceives not therein either happiness or bliss, he perceives not therein, whether in the beginning, or in the middle, or in the end, anything fit to be taken hold of (as a lasting satisfaction).
3But he perceives not therein either happiness or bliss, he perceives not therein, whether in the beginning, or in the middle, or in the end, anything fit to be taken hold of (as a lasting satisfaction). 83. 'And discontent arises in his mind when he thus finds nothing fit to be relied on as a lasting satisfaction, and a fever takes possession of his body 2, and without a refuge or protection, hopeless, he becomes weary of repeated lives 3. As if a man had fallen into a burning and blazing mighty fiery furnace, and saw no refuge from it, no way of escape, he would, hopeless, be weary of the fire — just so, O king, discontent arises in his mind when he thus finds nothing fit to be relied on as a lasting satisfaction, and a fever takes possession of his body, and without a refuge or protection, hopeless, he becomes weary of repeated births. 84. ' And in the mind of him who thus perceives 1 Divasa-santatta. So Hina/i-kumbur6, and compare Ma^- gvfama Nikaya I, 453, and Gataka IV, 118 (where the reading is diva-santatta). See also above, p. 46 of the Pali. 2 For daho okkamati, Hina/i-kumbure may have had a different reading. He renders </ahadiya selawenneya, 'sweat shapes '(sic for ' forms '). 3 Bhavesu; literally 'of becomings' ('in any of the three worlds/ adds the Sinhalese). 200 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 84. the insecurity of transitory life, (of starting afresh in innumerable births)1 the thought arises : " All on fire is this endless becoming, burning, and blazing ! Full of pain is it, of despair! If only one could reach a state in which there were no becoming, there would there be calm, that would be sweet — the cessation of all these conditions 2, the getting rid of all these defects 3 (of lusts, of evil, and of Karma), the end of cravings, the absence of passion, peace, Nirvana ! " And therewith does his mind leap forward into that state in which there is no becoming, and then has he found peace, [326] then does he exult and rejoice 4 at the thought : " A refuge have I gained at last!" Just, O king, as a man who, venturing into a strange land, has lost his way, on becoming aware of a path, free from jungle, that will lead him home, bounds forward along it, contented in mind, exulting and rejoicing at the thought : " I have found the way at last ! " — just so in him who thus perceives the insecurity of transitory births there arises the thought : " All on fire is this endless becoming, burning, and blazing! Full of pain is it, and despair ! If only one could reach a state in which there were no becoming, there would there be calm, that would be sweet — the cessation of all these conditions, the getting rid of all these defects, the end of cravings, the absence of passion, peace, Nirvana! " And therewith does his mind leap for- ward into that state in which there is no becoming, 1 Pavatte. I have included Hina/i-kumbure's explanation of this word, for which there is no equivalent in English.
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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