A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s7.21

v2.c19.s7.21

The Buddhist parallel to the story of the "widow's mite" is the legend of the poor girl who gives the monks the whole of her possessions, two copper coins which she has found in the dust-heap, and is praised for it by Buddha, her gift being valued as highly as that of the rich man who gives all his estates and treasures as alms. She does not go without a reward for her good deed, for soon afterwards she is discovered by a passing king, who immediately falls in love with her and makes her his queen. There is no doubt that the Buddhist narrative, in the form in which we know it from the Chinese translation of the Kalpanāmaṇḍitikā,¹ is far inferior to the Gospel story, so beautiful in its simplicity, of the widow's two mites. As the Buddhist tale is first attested by the Chinese translation of 402 A.D., and can scarcely be earlier than 200 A.D., it is not impossible that the Buddhists learned it from Christians, and made it end like a fairy tale. It is also possible, however, that an earlier and better form of the Buddhist legend has been lost. The agreement with regard to so small a detail as the "*two mites*" makes it highly probable, nevertheless, that the Buddhist and Christian stories did not originate independently of each other.