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180
ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE VEDAS.
CH.
Now what think you, Vasettha ? Would the further bank of the river Akiravati, by reason of that man's invoking and praying and hoping and praising, come over to this side ?'
Certainly not, Gotama!' = 25. 'In just the same way, Vasettha, do the Brâhmans versed in the Three Vedas -omitting the practice of those qualities which really make a man a Brâhman, and adopting the practice of those qualities which really make men not Brâhmanssay thus : "Indra we call upon, Soma we call upon, Varuna we call upon, Isâna we call upon, Pagâ pati we call upon, Brahmâ we call upon, Mahiddhi we call upon, Yama we call upon ?!" Verily, Vâsettha, that those Brâhmans versed in the Three Vedas, but omitting the practice of those qualities which really make a man a Brâhman, and adopting the practice of those qualities which really make men not Brahmans-that they, by reason of their invoking and praying and hoping and praising, should, after death and when the body is dissolved, become united with Brahmâ verily such a condition of things has no existence !
26. ^ Just, Vasettha, as if this river Akiravati were full, even to the brim, and overflowing. And a man with business on the other side, bound for the other side, should come up, and want to cross over. And he, on this bank, were to be bound tightly, with his arms behind his back, by a strong
1 The Sinhalese MSS. omit Mahiddhi and Yama, but repeat the verb 'we call upon' three times after Brahma. It is possible that the Burmese copyist has wrongly inserted them to remove the strangeness of this repetition. The comment is silent.
Digitized by Google
| SR No. | 007674 |
| Book Title | Dhammapada |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Max Muller |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1881 |
| Total Pages | 2540 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 45 MB |