Questions of King Milinda Part 01

Author(s): T W Rhys Davids
Publisher: Oxford

Page 17

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THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA.
but little doubt. For the great Indian writer, who long ago found in that beautiful and peaceful island the best scope for his industrious scholarship, is already known to have mentioned the book no less than four times in his commentaries; and that in such a manner that we may fairly hope to find other references to it when his writings shall have been more completely published. In his commentary on the Book of the Great Decease, VI, 3, Buddhaghosa refers to the quotation of that passage made in the conversation between Milinda and Nâgasena, translated below, at IV, 2, 11. And again, in his commentary on the Ambattha Sutta (D. III, 2, 12) he quotes the words of a conversation between Milinda and Nagasena on the subject he is there discussing. The actual words he uses (they will be found at pp. 275, 276 of the edition of the Sumangala Vilâsinî, edited for the Pâli Text Society by Professor Carpenter and myself) are not the same as those of our author at the corresponding passage of Mr. Trenckner's text (pp. 168, 169; IV, 3, 11), but they are the same in substance.
The above two references in Buddhaghosa to our author were pointed out by myself. Dr. Morris has pointed out two others, and in each of those also Buddhaghosa is found to quote words differing from Mr. Trenckner's text. The former of these two was mentioned in a letter to the 'Academy' of the 12th November, 1881. In the Manoratha Paranî, his commentary on the Anguttara, on the passage marked in Dr. Morris's edition as I, 5, 8, Buddhaghosa says:
"Imasmim pan' atthe Milinda-råga dhammakathika-Nagasenattheram pukkhi: “Bhante Någasena, ekasmim akk harakkhane pavattita-kittasamkhârâ sake rūpino assa kiva mahd-râsi bhavey
yâti?"
And he then gives the answer :- Váhasatânam kho mahâ-râga vihînam addha-kalañ ka våhå vîhi sattammanani dve ka tumba ekak kharakkhane
1 This was already pointed out in a note to my translation of the text commented on Buddhist Suttas,' vol. xi of the Sacred Books of the East, p. 112).
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