The University of Nalanda c11.59

c11.59

Śīlabhadra surprised even the most sanguine of his supporters, when, at the young age of 30, he defeated, refuting by profound and subtle arguments, a heretic of South India, who had dared to raise his head against the renowned Dharmapāla himself. As a reward for this most wonderful victory, the king (perhaps of Magadha) granted him the revenues of a village, in spite of the persistent refusal of Śīlabhadra, who said, "A master who wears the garments of religion knows how to be contented with little and to keep himself pure. What would he do with a town?" But he had to bow to the will of the king, when the latter replied that the only way to encourage the scholars to press forward in the attainment of religion was the distinction thus shown between the learned and the ignorant in the shape of reward of revenues to the learned. But Śīlabhadra, a true Bhikṣu to his bone, instead of keeping the revenues for his own personal use, built a vast and magnificent monastery. This monastery of Śīlabhadra, it appears, lay on the route from Patna to Gayā, for the pilgrim proceeded to Gayā (Brahmagayā) from this monastery.