The University of Nalanda c13.145

c13.145

One is really surprised at the attitude of the authors of these codes. Did they think that the students should not see the lighter side of life, however innocent? But if the attitude of those who moulded the character and life of the students appears surprising, that of the students is still more surprising. With all due regard for their sense of duty, for obedience to their teachers and parents, to all their elders, it must be said that in spite of these commendable virtues, their ready obedience showed sometimes their servility of nature. Otherwise how could they not tell their teachers and all other superiors that they must have some authorised amusements? For they did indulge in amusements; they were not puritans. And gambling, which even nowadays is considered a vice, was their favourite pastime. This is evident from the fact that we meet with universal condemnation of gambling in both Hindu as well as Buddhist works. The condemnation itself suggests that dice-playing must have been very popular. And this suggestion is based on the oft-repeated argument of the Hindu philosophers that there could be no negation of a thing which did not exist.¹ Hence gambling must have been a very popular pastime, otherwise it could not be spoken ill of by the writers who in order to check the ever-growing vice seemed to have taken up cudgels against it and determined to make a concerted attack on it. In spite of all the efforts of these well-wishers of the students, gambling had made its way into the precincts of the Nālandā University. This is conclusively proved from the find of a gaming die by the excavators at Nālandā. The comments of Mr. Page² are worth quoting. "Another curious find was a gaming die, which seems to suggest that the Buddhist brethren here were not altogether above the amusements of less austere humanity." He further adds, "Similar gaming dice had previously been recovered in Monasteries No. I and IA as well as on many other Buddhist sites."