The Questions of King Milinda, Part II: Book VII: The Similes: Chapter 1

'Just, O king, as the female of the panther conceives only once, and does not resort again and again to the male 2; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort,--seeing how future conceptions and births involve a period of gestation and a fall from each state as it is reached, and dissolution and death and destruction, seeing the horrors of transmigration and of rebirths in evil states, the annoyance of them, the torment of them,--he should stedfastly resolve never to enter upon any future life. [369] This, O king, is the one quality of the female panther which he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods, in the Sutta Nipâta, in the Sutta of Dhaniya the cowherd:

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10. 'Venerable Nâgasena, those two qualities of the panther which you say he ought to take, which are they?'

So the sons of the Buddha, with insight and earnestness armed,
By resorting to solitudes gain that Fruit which is best 1."

11. 'And again, O king, as the panther, whatever may be the beast he has killed, will never eat it if it has fallen on the left side; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, not partake of any food that has been procured by gifts of bamboos, or palms' leaves, or flowers, or fruits, or baths 2, or chunam, or tooth-sticks, [370] or water for washing; or by flattery, or by gaining the laity over by sugared

1, or by petting their children 2, or by taking messages as he walks from house to house 3, or by doctoring them, or by acting as a go-between, or as a messenger on matters of business or ceremony 4, or by exchanging with them things he has received as alms, or by giving back again to them as bribes robes or food once given to him 5, or by giving them hints as to lucky sites, or lucky days, or lucky signs (on their children's bodies at birth), or by any other of those wrong modes of obtaining a livelihood that have been condemned by the Buddha 6--no food so procured should he eat, as the panther will not eat any prey that has fallen on its left side. This is the second of the qualities of the panther he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by Sâriputta, the Elder, the Commander of the Faith:

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12. 'Venerable Nâgasena, those five qualities of the tortoise which you say he ought to take, what are they? '

'Just, O king, as the tortoise, which is a water animal, keeps to the water; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, let his heart go out over the whole wide world with pity and with love--mighty, abounding, beyond measure, free from every feeling of hatred or of malice--towards all creatures that have life 2. This, O king, is the first of the qualities of the tortoise he ought to have.

13. 'And again, O king, just as the tortoise, when, as he swims on the water and raises his head, he catches sight of any one, that moment sinks, and dives into the depths, lest they should see him again; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, when evil inclinations fall upon him, sink into the waters of meditation, dive down into the deeps thereof, lest those evil inclinations should catch sight of him again. This, O king, is the

Of the deer, and of wild beasts,
Should the Bhikshu seek as his abode,
For solitude's sweet sake 1."

16. 'And again, O king, as the tortoise, when on his rounds he sees any one, draws in at once all his head and limbs into his shell, and hiding them there, keeps still in silence to save himself; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, wheresoever forms, or sounds, or odours, or tastes,

Let the Bhikshu bury the thoughts of his mind,
Himself Independent, injuring none,
Set free himself, speaking evil of none 1."'

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17. [372] 'Venerable Nâgasena, that one quality of the bamboo which you say he ought to take, which is it?,

'Just, O king, as the bamboo, whithersoever the gale blows, to that quarter does it bend accordingly, pursuing no other way of its own; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, conduct himself in accordance with the ninefold teaching of the Master, the word of the Buddha, the Blessed One, and stedfastly keeping to all things lawful and blameless, he should seek after the qualities of the Samanaship itself. This, O king, is the one quality of the bamboo he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by Râhula, the Elder:

And stedfast in all lawful, blameless acts,
I have passed beyond rebirth in evil states 1."'

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18. 'Venerable Nâgasena, that one quality of the bow which you say he ought to have, which is it?'

'Just, O king, as a well-made and balanced bow bends equally from end to end, and does not resist stiffly, like a post; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, bend easily in accord with all his brethren--whether elders, juniors, of medium seniority, or of like standing with himself--and not repel them. This, O king, is the one quality of the bow he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods, in the Vidhura Punnaka Gâtaka:

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19. 'Venerable Nâgasena, those two qualities of the crow that you say he ought to take, which are they?'

'Just, O king, as the crow goes about full of apprehension and suspicion, [373] always on watch and guard; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, go about full of apprehension and suspicion, always on watch and guard,

1, whatever lawful gifts he may have lawfully received, down even to the contents of his begging-bowl. This, O king, is the second of the qualities of the crow he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by Sâriputta, the Elder, the Commander of the Faith:

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21. 'Venerable Nâgasena, those two qualities of the monkey which you say he ought to have, which are they?'

'Just, O king, as the monkey, when about to take up his abode does so in some such place as a mighty tree, in a lonely place covered all over with branches, a sure place of refuge; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, choose as the teacher under whom to live a man modest, amiable, righteous, of beauty of character, learned in tradition and in the scriptures, lovable, venerable, worthy of

1--such a friend should he choose as teacher. This, O king, is the first of the qualities of the monkey he ought to have.

22. 'And again, O king, as the monkey wanders about, and stands and sits, always on trees, and, if he goes to sleep, spends the night on them; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, stand and walk up and down thinking, [374] and lie down, and sleep, in the forest, and there enjoy the sense of self-possession. This, O king, is the second of the qualities of the monkey he ought to have. For it has been said, O king, by Sâriputta, the Elder, the Commander of the Faith:

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Here ends the First Chapter 3.

Footnotes

277:1 The published text carries the details of these similes no further than this. See the remarks in the Introduction, pp. xxiv, xxv.

278:1 Gambuka-sigâliyâ. In Gâtaka, No. 294, of Fausböll, the jackal is male. The reference therefore here is to a kind of jackal named after the Gambu fruit.

278:2 Kangavârakassa. See Magghima Nikâya I, 142-4, and Gâtaka, V, 186, in both of which passages the Burmese MSS. read kanka-. The Simhalese, p. 540, has perahan kadê.

279:1 Katukke and singhâtake. I follow Hînati-kumburê in the distinction he makes between the meaning of these terms--satara and tun mam sandhiyehi (p. 540).

279:2 Yogî yogavakaro. The rendering of these words is quite adequate, and has given me much trouble. Neither 'yogee' nor 'devotee' can be used, for they both have acquired connotations contradictory to what was in our author's mind. He means the Buddhist Bhikshu belonging to that class among the Bhikshus (by no means the majority) who had devoted themselves to a life of systematic effort according to the Buddhist scheme of self-training. But I have found it impossible to put into any English phrase sufficiently short for the constant repetition of the two Pâli words any full and accurate representation of all that they imply. See the note above on p. 43 of the Pâli, and Gâtaka, vol. i, p. 303.

279:3 Not traced as yet. Mr. Trenckner prints the passage as 280:1 This verse is found in the Thera Gâthâ, No. 985. Hînati-kumburê takes the na in the first line as a negative to abhivassati, and translates, 'So long as it does not rain knee-deep on him, when sitting in meditation, what cares the Bhikshu, who is bent on attaining Nirvâna, for ease!'--and this is, I think, preferable to Mr. Trenckner's division of the words.

280:2 That is, 'filtered;' perahâ nagâ tabâ, says the Simhalese, p. 541.

280:3 Sarîram patigaggitvâ, 'rested a little to remove the weariness of his body,' says the Simhalese here, but adds below, § 4, siwuru hœnda.

282:1 Not traced as yet. The verse is a riddle based on two parables. Of these the first is already published in the Samyutta Nikâya XII, 63, 5-8. It tells of a father and mother who in the desert (and of course only with the object of keeping themselves alive) ate their only child. The other is not yet published, but Mr. Trenckner points out that it occurs in the 34th Samyutta. Oiling wheels is done solely to keep the cart going. Compare the dying Buddha's comparison of himself to a worn-out cart, which can only with difficulty be made to move along. Like that, the body of the Tathâgata can only with difficulty be kept a little longer going ('Buddhist Suttas,' p. 37).

As to the last word, I take it, with Hînati-kumburê, p. 542, to be mukkhito, and not amukkhito as is printed in the text. That is also the reading adopted by Fausböll at Gâtaka II, 294, where the verses are quoted.

282:2 Na nimittam gahetabbam nânubyañganam gahetabbam. On these common expressions compare Anguttara I, 2, 6, &c.; Puggala Paññatti II, 17, IV, 24, &c.; Dîgha II, 64, &c.; and Buddhaghosa as quoted in 'Vinaya Texts,' II, 9. Hînati-kumburê only repeats the first, but explains the second by nœwata nœwata wimasîmem.

283:1 From Thera Gâthâ. The Simhalese supports Mr. Trenckner in reading givhâv' in line three, but on the other hand has (twice) mana-sâyikam for mata-sâyikam. For the last line, of which a literal translation is impossible, it says, 'Let him make his couch on, fix his attention on, that Nirvâna which is mana-sâyika-kitta.' I think mata is the right reading, and that very possibly a riddle or pun is intended on the two meanings of that word.

283:2 Paripâtiyanto. See above, p. 279 of the Pâli, and Gâtaka II, 208. The Simhalese, p. 543, has helanu labanneya.

283:3 Lakuta. See above, pp. 255, 301 of the Pâli, and compare the Hindî.

283:4 Hînati-kumburê expands all these details.

283:5 In the Samyutta Nikâya XLVI, 7. See Mr. Trenckner's note.

283:6 The four Satipatthânas. Compare above, p. 343 of the Pâli.

284:1 As he does in war, according to Magghima I, 415.

284:2 Not traced as yet. It is not included in the collection of Sâriputta's verses preserved in the Thera Gâthâ.

284:3 Not in the published texts.

285:1 Dîpinî, perhaps 'leopardess.' The Simhalese has 'tigress,' which is certainly wrong.

285:2 Because it realises the pains and sorrows of cub-bearing, says the Simhalese.

285:3 Sutta Nipâta I, 2, 12.

286:1 That is, of course, Arahatship. The lines are not to be found in the published texts.

286:2 Sinâna-dâneria; omitted by the Sutta Vibhanga and by Hînati-kumburê (who quotes the Pâli of this passage).

287:1 Muggasuppatâ. So Hînati-kumburê, p. 546. The Sutta Vibhanga omits both this word and the next.

287:2 Pâribhattakatâ.

287:3 Gangha-pesaniyena. The Sutta Vibhanga I, 185, on which our whole paragraph here is based, reads -pesanikena. I have differentiated the three sorts of messages according to the Simhalese.

287:4 Hînati-kumburê, both in his transcription of the Pâli (p. 546) and in his translation (p. 547), reads pahîna-gamana.

287:5 Anuppadâna. Compare Gâtaka III, 205. At Sigâlovâda Sutta, p. 307, and Milinda, p. 315, it means simply providing a person with things he wants. Childers's rendering, 'giving,' is inadequate in all the passages.

287:6 Referring to the Sîlas.

288:1 Not traced as yet. Hînati-kumburê gives a long account of the circumstances under which these verses were spoken. Sâriputta was ill. Moggallâna asked him what would be good for him to take. Sâriputta told him. His friend then, by intervention of the king of the gods, procured it. But Sâriputta refused to make use of it.

288:2 The Brahmâ-vihâras (Nos. 1 and 2). See 'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 201.

289:1 Thera Gâthâ 577.

290:1 The parable is in the 46th Samyutta. The verses are already published at vol. i, p. 7 of M. Feer's edition for the Pâli Text Society.

291:1 Not traced as yet. Hînati-kumburê reads samuttarim.

291:2 Gâtaka, No. 545, verse 159.

292:1 So Hînati-kumburê understands this, his version agreeing with the quotation given by Mr. Trenckner from Buddhaghosa.

292:2 Not traced as yet.

293:1 For the last six words, none of which are in Childers, see Magghima Nikâya I, 145, 6, and below, VII, 2, 20.

293:2 Not traced as yet.

293:3 The Kambojan MS., in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, ends here.