A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s2.37
A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s2.37
- Language
- English
v2.c19.s2.37
Others of these stories are valuable to us because they afford us some insight into the everyday life of the ancient Indians.² Thus, for instance, when it is related how the parents of the boy Upāli take counsel together, with regard to what they shall let the boy become, how they consider that he might get sore fingers from writing, or pains in his chest from arithmetic, or spoil his eyes with painting, and therefore determine to let him become a monk, because this is the most comfortable way of earning a livelihood.¹ Not only extremely interesting from the point of view of the history of civilisation, but full of delightful humour too, are the stories of the doctor Jīvaka,² from which at least a very short extract shall here be given: