A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s5.27

v2.c19.s5.27

These specimens will suffice to show the great value of the first and genuine part of the Milindapañha even as a literary production. It is indeed a masterpiece of ancient Indian prose. In Book II and the greater part of Book III, only such questions are raised, as relate to the most important points of Buddhistic ethics and psychology, fundamental questions which are of interest to any layman. Book IV, on the other hand, contains a system of apologetics which could not possibly be of interest to any but thorough-going scholars of the canonical texts. The dilemmas which are discussed in this work, frequently turn to very petty subjects of dogmatics, but especially to the person of Buddha, *e. g.*, what is the use of the veneration of relics, if the Buddha has passed away utterly? How can the Buddha be omniscient, when we are told that he pondered? Why did Buddha receive Devadatta into the Order, even though he knew that this monk would cause a schism? Etc. The reason for these dilemmas is the juxtaposition of contradictory texts. At the same time, every word of the canon, even the most casual remark in the profanest stories in the Jātaka-Book, is regarded as a sacred word of Buddha, which must of necessity be true and good. If, in any of his former births, related in the Jātakas, the Bodhisatta had any faults or vices, the author of Book IV of the Milindapañha does his best to exonerate him. For, in his eyes, the Bodhisatta is entirely identical with the perfect Buddha. The authentic books do not bear the slightest trace of such a conception (neither does the Tipiṭaka). The question as to whether the Buddha ever existed at all,¹ which had already been broached in Book III, is again raised in Book V, and Nāgasena answers it by saying that his existence may be inferred from his teachings. This idea is worked out in a lengthy, very ornate and detailed parable making up the greater part of the book, in which Buddha, who has created his religion, is compared with a master-builder, who builds up a large city. Book VI presents a dilemma, which had already been brought up for discussion in Book IV, but had not found any very satisfactory solution;¹ it is this: If, as the scriptures say, even laymen can attain to the state of an Arhat, why should a man take upon himself the strict monastic vows? The answer given here, is that laymen can attain to the state of an Arhat and Nirvāṇa only because they have already fulfilled the strict vows in former births. These strict vows, the thirteen Dhutaṅgas,² are then described in detail, and their exceptional value explained. This is apparently the real purpose of Book VI. In all the books of the Milindapañha the questions raised are generally answered in parables. Book VII is entirely a book of parables; there are no less than 67 parables³ illustrative of the qualities essential for the monk who desires to attain to the state of an Arhat. Many of these parables already appear in the Tipiṭaka.