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THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 3, 37.
uistry, of the interpretation of the omens to be drawn from dogs, and deer, and rats, and mixtures of liquids, and the sounds and cries of birds—while husbandry, merchandise, and the care of cattle are the business of other folk, ordinary Vessas and Suddas. So it was, o king, in the sense of “Devote not yourselves to such things as are not your business, but to such things as are so " that the Tathagata was speaking [179] when he said : “Hinder not yourselves, Ananda, by honouring the remains of the Tathagata." And if, O king, he had not said so, then would the Bhikkhus have taken his bowl and his robe, and occupied themselves with paying reverence to the Buddha through them 1!'
Very good, Nâgasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.'
[Here ends the dilemma as to reverence to relics.]
SPLINTER OF
[THE SPLINTER OF ROCK.] 27. Venerable Nâgasena, you Bhikkhus say that: “When the Blessed One walked along, the earth, unconscious though it is, filled up its deep places, and made its steep places plain ?." And on the other hand you say that a splinter of
* This certainly looks as if our author did not know anything of the worship paid to the supposed bowl of the Buddha, or of the feast, the Patta-maha, held in its honour. The passage may therefore be used as an argument for the date of the book. FaHien saw this bowl-worship in full force at Peshawar about 400 A. D. See Chapter xii of his travels (Dr. Legge's translation, pp. 35-37).
* Not found as yet in the Pitakas.
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