The University of Nalanda c13.148

c13.148

The above evidence establishes beyond doubt that the students of Nālandā must have been addicted to gambling. And if they played at dice, why should they not indulge in games—all those that are mentioned by Cullavagga—which are obviously more innocent, and really healthy? The more we think of this question of games, the more we are inclined to think that the games which tempted the Bhikkhus of Buddha, the *Bhikkhus* who had renounced the world, must have had a greater temptation for the students of Nālandā. For these students were not *sanyāsis*, many of them had a stake in the world, cherished high ambitions and moreover, they all lived in a crowd where the temptations are many, and easily fallen a prey to. Again if the *Bhikkhus* of Buddha could not resist the temptations, how could the students who, in spite of the able and distinguished abbots as Dharmapāla, Atīśa and others, were without such a spiritual head as Buddha? Human nature being the same in all ages, it would not be proper to say that the students in ancient India were puritans. And, if we see the students of our time so very fond of all kinds of sports we cannot believe the students of ancient India to have been otherwise.¹