Chapter XII (1)

_Buddha is slandered in Thawattie -- Questions put to him by
a pounha -- Story of Anatapein's daughter -- Conversion of a
pounha whose navel emitted rays of light -- Blank in a great
part of Buddha's life -- Story of Dewadat -- His jealousy
towards Buddha -- His friendship with Prince Adzatathat -- His
ambition -- His attempt to kill Buddha -- His miserable end._

While the most excellent Buddha was in the Dzetawon monastery, the heretics of Thawattie made another attempt to lower, nay, to destroy his reputation. They prevailed upon Thondarie, a woman entirely devoted to their interests, to spread the rumour that she had spent a night in the apartments of Buddha. When the calumny had been noised abroad, they suborned a gang of drunkards, to whom they promised a large sum of money, if they would do away with the instrument of the slander. They accordingly selected a favourable opportunity, killed Thondarie, and threw her body into a cluster of bushes close to the monastery. When the crime had been perpetrated, the heretics raised a cry all over the country inquiring about Thondarie. She could nowhere be found. Search was made in every direction, until at last, by the secret directions of their emissaries, the body was found on the spot where it had been apparently concealed. The party hostile to Buddha laid the crime at his door. The king of the country, urged on by them, ordered a strict inquiry to be made. The infamous trick was at last discovered in the following manner. The perpetrators of the deed happened to go into a drinking-place. Heated by the liquor they had taken, they began to accuse each other of having killed Thondarie. Their conversation was overheard by one of the king's servants, who had them arrested and led to the palace. The king said to them, "Wicked men, is it true that you have killed the woman Thondarie?" They answered, "It is true we have killed her." "Who advised you to commit the murder?" "The Deitty teachers, who have paid us one thousand pieces of silver." Indignant at such a horrible deed, the king ordered the murderers and their advisers to be put to death. Their punishment consisted in their being buried in the earth up to their waist. They were subsequently covered with a heap of straw, which being set fire to, they were burnt to death. Buddha told his disciples that what had happened on this melancholy occasion was but a just retribution for his having in a former existence been drunk, and in that state abused and slandered a holy personage.

In one of his preaching excursions, Gaudama converted a distinguished pounha, who asked him, "Illustrious Buddha, what has the great Brahma done to merit the extraordinary glory that encompasses his person and the unsurpassed felicity that he enjoys?" To whom he answered, "The great Brahma, during several existences, has bestowed abundant alms on the needy, delivered many people from great perils, and delighted in giving instruction to the ignorant. Such meritorious deeds have procured for him the transcendent rank that he occupies, and secured to him for an immense period of time the matchless happiness that he possesses."

Two rich men, one of Thawattie, and the other a denizen of the Ougga city, had in their youth, when engaged in their studies, promised each other that he who should have a daughter would give her in marriage to the son of the other. When they had grown up, the rich man of Thawattie became a disciple of Buddha, but his friend followed the teachings of the heretics. In due time Anatapein, for such was the name of the former, had a beautiful daughter. His friend Ougga had also a fine grown-up son. It came to pass that Ougga on a certain day arrived from his place with five hundred carts of goods to Thawattie, for the purpose of trading. He lodged, as a matter of course, in his friend's house. During the conversation Ougga reminded his host of their former promise, and declared that he would be too happy to have it fulfilled without delay. Anatapein, having consulted his wife and daughter, and secured their consent, agreed to the proposal that was made to him. The pious rich man, however, was somewhat concerned respecting the dangers of his daughter's position in the midst of upholders of false doctrines. He gave her a retinue of female attendants, who could, by their advice and conversation, maintain intact in her the faith in Buddha. When the bride arrived, after a long journey, to Ougga's city, she was desired by her father-in-law to go in the company of his wife to pay her respects to his teachers, who were sitting quite naked, with dishevelled hairs, in the midst of the most disgusting uncleanness, under a shed prepared for them. Unused to such an unsightly and revolting display, the modest girl recoiled back with a becoming horror, refusing even to cast a look at them. Enraged at the contempt shown to his teachers, the unnatural father-in-law threatened to send her away from his house, as being an unsuitable match for his son. Firm in her faith, she withstood all the efforts that were made to induce her to alter her resolution and pay attention to such individuals. She went back into her apartments. Having somewhat recovered her spirits, and regained her usual calm and serene composure, the pious young lady began, in the presence of her mother-in-law and other ladies of the town, to praise and extol the glory, modesty, meekness, and all the other qualifications which adorned her great teacher and his disciples. The hearers were delighted at all that they heard, and expressed an eager desire to see them and hear their instructions.

On that very day the compassionate Buddha was at an early hour, as usual, reviewing the beings dwelling on the island of Dzampoudipa, endeavouring to discover those that were well disposed to hear the truth. His searching glance soon discovered what was going on in the house of the rich man Ougga, and the good dispositions of many of its inmates. "Thither," said he, "I shall hasten to preach the law, for many shall be converted." Hereupon he summoned five hundred disciples to attend him. They all took their pattas and other articles. With his company he flew through the air, and soon alighted in the courtyard of the rich man's house. All were rejoiced to see Buddha and his disciples. They lent a most attentive ear to his instructions. The rich man, his household, and a great number of the people of the town were converted. Anouroudha was left at Ougga to complete, perfect, and extend the good work so happily begun. Buddha in all haste returned to Thawattie.

At that time a great noise was made throughout the country on account of a certain pounha whose navel emitted a sort of light in the shape of a moon. He belonged to the party of unbelievers. He was led by them into every village and town, as a living proof of the power they possessed. At last his friends introduced him into the Dzetawon monastery. He was no sooner introduced into Buddha's presence, when the prodigy suddenly ceased. He went away somewhat annoyed at his misfortune; but he had scarcely crossed the threshold of the monastery when the light reappeared. Three times he came before the great preacher, and three times the light was completely eclipsed. No doubt could be entertained that there was in Buddha some secret power superior to the one he possessed. The pounha was at once disconcerted and bewildered. In his ignorance he attributed the accident to some superior magical formula possessed by Buddha, and asked him to teach him the said formula. Buddha said to him, "O pounha! I possess no charm; I ignore all magical formulas. There is in me but one virtue; it is that which I have gathered at the foot of the Bodi tree during the forty-nine days that I have spent there in the deepest meditation. As to what attracts now the attention of the people in your person, you are indebted for it to the offering of a gold coronet, in the shape of a moon, you made to a Buddha during a former existence. The reward bestowed on you for such a good work is but a transient one. It can afford you no real, substantial, and lasting happiness. Hearken to my doctrine; it will confer on you a never-ending recompense." He went on explaining to him many points of the law. The pounha believed in Buddha; nay, he applied for the dignity of Rahan, and finally became a Rahanda.

_N.B_.--The history of Buddha offers an almost complete blank as to what regards his doings and preachings during a period of nearly twenty-three years,[1] beginning with the twenty-first season, when he was fifty-six years old, and ending with the forty-fourth season, having reached the patriarchal age of seventy-nine years. So entirely are we kept in ignorance of the important transactions that took place during so long a portion of Buddha's life, that the writer, after having vainly consulted several manuscripts, is reluctantly obliged to come to the same conclusion as that which the Burmese authors have arrived at, viz., that there is a complete disagreement as to even the names of the places where Buddha spent the twenty-three remaining seasons. Out of regard for the rich man Anatapein, who for so many years had been one of his most liberal supporters, Buddha spent the greatest part of the remaining seasons in the Dzetawon monastery. During the few others he seems to have stayed at or near Radzagio, chiefly in the Weloowon monastery. The amount of seasons spent by our Phra from the time he obtained the Buddhaship till his death is forty-five.

I find related, as a fact worthy of notice, the donation by a rich widow of Wethalie, named Wisaka, of the celebrated Pouppayon monastery. It was situated not far from the Dzetawon, in an eastern direction from that famous place. It is mentioned that when Phra sallied from the Dzetawon monastery by the eastern gate, the people of the country knew that he was going to dwell for awhile in the Pouppayon monastery; when, on the other hand, he was observed to leave it by the northern gate, all the people understood that he was undertaking a journey through the country for the purpose of preaching. The epoch of this donation is not certain. It appears from some particulars indirectly alluded to that it must have taken place when Buddha was sixty years old.

In following our manuscript, we find inserted in this place the detailed accounts respecting Dewadat, related by Buddha himself in the Dzetawon monastery, in the presence of a large party of his disciples. The fact of Buddha mentioning the name of Adzatathat as king of Radzagio, leaves no doubt respecting the time when the awful punishment is supposed to have been meted out to Dewadat, on account of the many heinous sins laid to his charge. Adzatathat, having murdered his father Pimpathara, by starving him to death in a prison, became king of Radzagio, and succeeded him when Buddha was nearly seventy-two years old. He was already king, as the sequel will show, when Dewadat was as yet his spiritual adviser. It is probable that the following narrative was made not more than two years after the above date.

When the most excellent Buddha was in the Dzetawon monastery, alluding to the sad fate that had fallen Dewadat, he related the causes that had brought on this dreadful occurrence.

At a certain time, when Buddha was spending a season in the Kosamby country, the people came in great numbers every day to the monastery to bring abundant alms, and pay their respects to him and the assembly. On certain occasions they made inquiries about the most distinguished members of the assembly, such as Thariputra, Maukalan, Anouroudda, Ananda, Bagoo, Kimila, and others, giving utterance to the feelings of admiration and love they entertained towards them. But they never took the least notice of Dewadat. The latter keenly resented the studied slight; the more so, because he thought that in his capacity of member of the assembly and of his royal descent, he was entitled to as much consideration as many others, who in this twofold respect were greatly his inferiors. He resolved to leave the company of Buddha and go to some other place. He went to Radzagio and ingratiated himself in the favours of the young Prince Adzatathat, son of King Pimpathara, The young prince, taken up with the grave manners of the new-comer, acknowledged him as his teacher, and built for him a monastery on the Yauthitha hill, close to the city.

Some years afterwards Buddha came to Radzagio to spend a season in the Weloowon monastery. Dewadat went to his monastery. Having paid his respects in the usual manner and occupied a becoming place, he three times requested the permission of having an assembly or thinga of his own, quite distinct from the other, which was under the immediate management of Buddha. On this point he three times received a direct refusal to his demand. From that day the jealousy he entertained towards Buddha waxed to a base envy, which soon generated in his soul a deadly hatred against him. He made up his mind to break with Buddha all ties of spiritual relationship, and to become the chief of a new religious body. To succeed in his impious design he required the support of the secular arm. The king of Magatha was in favour of Buddha, but his son had warmly espoused the cause of Dewadat. In such a position, the evil-disposed Dewadat advised Prince Adzatathat to compass the destruction of his father, in order to become king. The ambitious son followed the detestable advice, and put an end to his father's life by starving him to death in a prison, in spite of his own mother's exertions to save her royal husband's life.

It was in the thirty-seventh season of Buddha's public mission that Adzatathat ascended the throne of Magatha. Under the new king's auspices, Dewadat carried everything before him with a high hand. Assured of the new king's support, he hired thirty bowmen and promised them an ample reward if they killed Buddha. The ruffians gladly agreed to the proposal. But when they were on the point of committing the crime, they felt themselves overawed by the presence of Buddha. Instead of executing the order they had received, they fell at his feet, craved his pardon, listened to his preaching, and were converted one after the other. Disappointed on this point, Dewadat designed another plan to rid himself of the great preacher. He watched the moment when Buddha was walking at the foot of a hill, named Weitsa-gout. From the summit he rolled a large stone that was to crush his enemy. Fortunately on its way down the hill's side it met with a small obstacle, on which it split into several parts. One splinter alone hurt the toe of one of Buddha's feet, and severely bruised it. On hearing of such a nefarious and cowardly attempt, the disciples hastened to the spot and conveyed their beloved master to his monastery. They offered to keep guard round his person, to prevent the repetition of other attempts on his life. But Buddha said to them that no mortal had the power to hurt him so far as to cause his death. He thanked them for this new token of their affectionate regard towards him, and bade them return to their respective places. The celebrated physician Dzewaka, having been sent for, applied a bandage, which, being removed on the following morning, it was found, to the surprise and joy of all present, that the injured toe was perfectly cured. On another occasion Dewadat made a last attempt on Buddha's life, in the suburbs of Radzagio, by the means of an elephant, infuriated and maddened by strong liquor forced into his throat. The animal was let loose in one of the streets which Gaudama was perambulating gathering alms in his mendicant's pot. But far from doing any injury to Buddha, the elephant, having come into his presence, stood for awhile, and then knelt before him in token of respect. In this manner Dewadat signally failed in this last wicked attempt.

Dewadat differed from his cousin on some points of discipline; and this difference occasioned the schism that he meditated to establish.[2] He had proposed to Buddha to make it obligatory on all Rahans to live in forests at the foot of certain trees; not to receive food from the people in their own places, but to use only as articles of food such things as they could procure by their exertions; to use robes made up of rags collected in the dust of public thoroughfares, and not such as might be offered by pious laymen; to abstain from fish and meat; and to dwell in unroofed places. Gaudama positively refused to accede to his demands. Meanwhile he meekly warned him against the sin of schism, telling him that the commission of such an offence would throw the perpetrator into the hell Awidzi for a whole revolution of nature. Deaf to such a salutary warning, Dewadat precipitated himself into schism. He gained over to his party five hundred inexperienced Rahans of the Witzi country, and with them dwelt in the monastery of Gayathitha. He signally failed in his attempt to draw Ananda to his side. Thariputra, by the advice of Buddha, went to Dewadat's place. Profiting from the time he was asleep at a distance, he prevailed upon the five hundred Rahans to abandon schism and return to Buddha, the centre of unity, who was then in the Dzetawon monastery in Wethalie. Rising from his sleep, Dewadat fell into a paroxysm of rage at the trick played on him. He instantly resolved to start for the Dzetawon monastery, to have his revenge on Buddha for the injury done unto him. He was carried in a litter. Messenger after messenger informed Buddha of the approach of his antagonist. But he calmly said to his disciples: "Beloved sons, do not trouble yourselves. Dewadat shall not see my face nor enter the precincts of this place." Information was, in haste, conveyed that Dewadat had actually reached the tank close to the monastery, and was resting a while under the shade of a tree. Gaudama calmly gave the same assurance to his trembling disciples. But the moment of a terrible punishment was at hand. Dewadat, quitting his couch, stood up for a while, to refresh his wearied limbs. But he was seen by his astonished and bewildered companions gradually sinking into the earth, first up to his knees, then to his navel, and finally to his shoulders. At that moment he humbled himself, confessed his fault, acknowledged and proclaimed the glory of Buddha. He then disappeared, wrapt in flame, and fell to the bottom of the hell Awidzi. His punishment consists in having his feet sunk ankle-deep in a burning ground; his head is covered with a red-hot pan, that caps his head down to the lobe of the ears; two huge red-hot iron bars transfixt him horizontally from right to left, two from back to front, and one impales him from top to bottom. He shall have to suffer in that frightful position during a revolution of nature. But, for his tardy and sincere repentance, he shall be delivered, and, by his exertions in practising virtue, he shall become a Pitzegabuddha, under the name of Atisara.

Adzatathat ruled over the two countries of Enga and Magatha. His mother was Waydahi, the sister of King Pathenadi, who ruled over the two countries of Kaci and Kosala. Adzatathat, who was of a bellicose temper, quarrelled with his uncle on account of some districts in Kaci, which he seized by force of arms. Unable to resist the army of his nephew, Pathenadi offered to the invader the hand of his daughter Watzera-komma. The offer was accepted, and a reconciliation followed. Three years afterwards, Pathenadi lost his throne, which was seized by Meittadoubba, a son he had had by a concubine. Pathenadi went to Radzagio to ask assistance against the usurper from his son-in-law. But he died on his way to that place.

It was under the rule of Meittadoubba, in the forty-fourth season, that occurred the total destruction of the Thagiwi princes of Kosala and Kapilawot by the ambitious Adzatathat.

Buddha spent the forty-fourth season in the Dzetawon monastery. When the season was over, he went to dwell in the Weitzagout monastery, near Radzagio. While he was in that place, there was spread a rumour that Adzatathat entertained hostile feelings towards Wethalie. Buddha then foretold that as long as the princes of Wethalie would be united and avoid internal strife and contention, they would be more than a match for their enemy; but should quarrel take place among them, they and their country would fall an easy prey to the invader. These words, which fell from Buddha's mouth, were not forgotten by a pounha who was one of Adzatathat's ministers. He planned, with his royal mother's consent and secret encouragement, the destruction of the rulers of Wethalie, and the conquest of that country, by contriving to sow the seed of dissension among the Letziwi princes. His plan met with complete success some years later, about three years after Gaudama's Neibban, as we shall have the opportunity of relating.

FOOTNOTES

[1] This short summary of Buddha's life, indicating but little
more than the names of the places where he had spent twenty
seasons, and leaving us in the dark as to all the particulars
regarding the twenty-three other seasons, is another
illustration of the assertion, made in some foregoing passages,
that the present compilation is very concise and imperfect,
supplying us with but an outline of Buddha's proceedings during
the course of his preachings. He reached the age of eighty.
According to the authority of this legend, Buddha lived
forty-five years after he had obtained the Buddhaship. He was
therefore thirty-five when he began his public life and entered
the career of preaching the law. It is not in my power to say
anything positive respecting the antiquity of this work, but the
statement of the main facts is borne out by the united testimony
of the Buddhistic works existing in various parts and in
different languages of Eastern Asia. If it be true that our
Buddha lived so long, we must believe that his time during the
last twenty-five years was employed in the same benevolent
undertaking, viz., to preach the sacred law and point out to
beings the way that shall lead them to the deliverance. Many
volumes are full of the disputes on religious subjects between
Buddha and the heretics, that is to say, his opponents. We may
conclude that those controversies took place during the latter
part of Buddha's life, as it cannot be doubted that they
increased in proportion to the progress the new doctrines made
among the people. If, however, we are in great part kept in the
dark respecting the doings of the great reformer during a long
period of his public life, we are amply compensated by the
account of many interesting circumstances that occurred chiefly
during the last year of his earthly career.

[2] Dewadat, in insisting upon the adoption of regulations of a
more rigid character, intended to imitate, to a certain extent,
the conduct of the mendicants of the opposite party. He aimed at
rivalling them in the practice of austere observances. It does
not appear that he innovated in the dogmas that he had learned
at the school of his great teacher. As his royal pupil,
Adzatathat, had hitherto supported the party of the pounhas, it
is not improbable that Dewadat wished to lessen the differences
between the practices and observances of the two parties, to
render them less perceptible, and by doing so, to prepare the
way, by gradual approximation, for a complete fusion. He
exhibited himself in the character of a rigid reformer, who was
displeased with the too lenient tenor of the disciplinary
regulations instituted by Buddha. Be that as it may, it is
certain that jealousy in the beginning inspired him with the
idea of separating from the assembly. This first step led him
farther than he at first contemplated. He wished to set up an
assembly, or thinga of his own, and thereby to place himself on
a footing of equality and rivalry with his cousin. Meeting with
greater resistance than he expected, and being convinced that he
could not succeed so long as Buddha should be alive, he did not
shrink from making several attempts on his life. It is a fact
worthy of notice that the disturbances which took place
subsequently in the Buddhist society had their origin, in most
instances, in points of discipline of a trivial importance,
which were altered or rejected by a fraction of the assembly,
whilst they were upheld with the utmost tenacity by the greater
portion of the Rahans, as having been established by Gaudama.
This observation will be fully corroborated by the particulars
that we shall relate on the subject of the councils or meetings
held after Gaudama's death.

END OF VOL. I.

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ALBERUNI'S INDIA.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY, LITERATURE, GEOGRAPHY,
CHRONOLOGY, ASTRONOMY, CUSTOMS, LAWS, AND ASTROLOGY OF INDIA
ABOUT A.D. 1030.

An English Edition, with Notes and Indices.

By DR. EDWARD C. SACHAU,
Professor in the Royal University of Berlin, and Principal of
the Seminary for Oriental Languages; Member of the Royal Academy
of Berlin, and Corresponding Member of the Imperial Academy of
Vienna Honorary Member of the Asiatic Society of Great Britain
and Ireland, London, and of the American Oriental Society,
Cambridge, U.S.A.

EXTRACT FROM PREFACE.

Alberuni, or, as his compatriots called him, Abu Raihan, was born A.D. 973, in the territory of modern Khiva, then called Khwarizm, or Chorasmia in antiquity. Early distinguishing himself in science and literature, he played a political part as councillor of the ruling prince of his native country of the Ma'muni family.

In the opening of his book Alberuni gives an account of the circumstances which suggested to him the idea of writing the [Greek: Indika]. Once the conversation with a friend of his, else unknown, ran on the then existing literature on the history of religion and philosophy, its merits and demerits. When, in particular, the literature on the belief of the Hindus came to be criticised, Alberuni maintained that all of it was second-hand and thoroughly uncritical. To verify the matter, his friend once more examines the books in question, which results in his agreeing with our author, and his asking him to fill up this gap in the Arabic literature of the time. The book he has produced is not a polemical one. He will not convert the Hindus, nor lend a direct help to missionary zealots. He will simply describe Hinduism, without identifying himself with it. He takes care to inform the reader that he is not responsible for whatsoever repugnant detail he has to relate, but the Hindus themselves. He gives a repertory of information on Indian subjects, destined for the use of those who lived in peaceable intercourse with them, and wished to have an insight into their mode and world of thought.

The author has nothing in common with the Muhammadan Ghazi who wanted to convert the Hindus or to kill them, and his book scarcely reminds the reader of the incessant war between Islam and India, during which it had been prepared, and by which the possibility of writing such a book had first been given. It is like a magic island of quiet, impartial research in the midst of a world of clashing swords, burning towns, and plundered temples. The object which the author had in view, and never for a moment lost sight of, was to afford the necessary information and training to "_any one_ (in Islam) _who wants to converse with the Hindus, and to discuss with them questions of religion, science, or literature, on the very basis of their own civilisation_."

In general, it is the method of our author not to speak himself, but to let the Hindus speak, giving extensive quotations from their classical authors. He presents a picture of Indian civilisation as painted by the Hindus themselves. Many chapters, not all, open with a short characteristic introduction of a general nature. The body of most chapters consists of three parts. The first is a _precis_ of the question, as the author understands it.

The second part brings forward the doctrines of the Hindus, quotations from Sanskrit books in the chapters on religion, philosophy, astronomy, and astrology, and other kinds of information which had been communicated to him by word of mouth, or things which he had himself observed in the chapters on literature, historic chronology, geography, law, manners, and customs. In the third part he does the same as Megasthenes had already done; he tries to bring the sometimes very exotic subject nearer to the understanding of his readers by comparing it with the theories of ancient Greece, and by other comparisons. In the disposition of every single chapter, as well as in the sequence of the chapters, a perspicuous, well-considered plan is apparent. There is no patchwork nor anything superfluous, and the words fit to the subject as close as possible.

He does not blindly accept the traditions of former ages; he wants to understand and to criticise them. He wants to sift the wheat from the chaff, and he will discard everything that militates against the laws of nature and of reason.

He criticises manuscript tradition like a modern philologist. He sometimes supposes the text to be corrupt, and inquires into the cause of the corruption; he discusses various readings, and proposes emendations. He guesses at _lacunae_, criticises different translations, and complains of the carelessness and ignorance of the copyists.

This valuable and interesting work has been out of print for
many years, and second-hand copies have been very difficult to
obtain even at a high premium. At the urgent request of many
scholars and students both in England and India, the publishers
have decided to issue the present reprint at a cheaper price
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INDIAN POETRY:

CONTAINING "THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS."

From the Sanskrit of the "Gita Govinda" of Jayadeva; Two Books
from "The Iliad of India" (Mah[.a]bharata), "Proverbial Wisdom"
from the Shlokas of the Hitopadesa, and other Oriental Poems.

By SIR EDWIN ARNOLD, M.A., K.C.I.E., C.S.I., &c., &c.

CONTENTS.

The Indian Song of Songs--
Introduction.
Hymn to Vishnu.
Sarga the First--The Sports of Krishna.
Sarga the Second--The Penitence of Krishna.
Sarga the Third--Krishna Troubled.
Sarga the Fourth--Krishna Cheered.
Sarga the Fifth--The Longings of Krishna.
Sarga the Sixth--Krishna made Bolder.
Sarga the Seventh--Krishna supposed False.
Sarga the Eighth--The Rebuking of Krishna.
Sarga the Ninth--The End of Krishna's Trial.
Sarga the Tenth--Krishna in Paradise.
Sarga the Eleventh--The Union of Radha and Krishna.

Miscellaneous Oriental Poems--
The Rajpoot Wife.
King Saladin.
The Caliph's Draught.
Hindoo Funeral Song.
Song of the Serpent Charmers.
Song of the Flour-Mill.
Taza ba Taza.
The Mussulman Paradise.
Dedication of a Poem from the Sanskrit.
The Rajah's Ride.

Two Books from "The Iliad of India."
The Great Journey.
The Entry into Heaven.

The Night of Slaughter.

The Morning Prayer.

Proverbial Wisdom from the Shlokas of the Hitopadesa.

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

"In this new volume Sir Edwin Arnold does good service by illustrating, through the medium of his musical English melodies, the power of Indian poetry to stir European emotions. 'The Indian Song of Songs' is not unknown to scholars. Sir Edwin Arnold will have introduced it among popular English poems."--_Times._

"Complete mastery of the English language, combined with genuine poetic fervour, has enabled the translator of 'The Indian Song of Songs' to spread before his readers a feast of dulcet sounds and lyrical language. Music seems to flow from his pen as naturally as rain from the cloud or song from the throat of the thrush."--_Morning Post._

"The poem abounds with imagery of Eastern luxuriousness and sensuousness; the air seems laden with the spicy odours of the tropics, and the verse has a richness and a melody sufficient to captivate the senses of the dullest."--_Standard._

* * * * *

Third Edition. Post 8vo, pp. viii.-464, cloth, price 16s.

THE S[=A]NKHYA APHORISMS OF KAPILA,
With Illustrative Extracts from the Commentaries.

Translated by J. R. BALLANTYNE, LL.D., late Principal of the
Benares College.

Edited by FITZEDWARD HALL.

"The work displays a vast expenditure of labour and scholarship, for which students of Hindoo philosophy have every reason to be grateful to Dr. Hall and the publishers."--_Calcutta Review._

* * * * *

Fourth Edition. Post 8vo, cloth, pp. xxiv.-310, price 16s.

THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA.

BY A. BARTH,
Member of the Societe Asiatique of Paris.

Authorised translation by Rev. J. Wood, Edin.

India has not only preserved for us in her Vedas the most ancient and complete documents for the study of the old religious beliefs founded on nature-worship, which, in an extremely remote past, were common to all the branches of the Indo-European family; she is also the only country where these beliefs, in spite of many changes both in form and fortune, continue to subsist up to the present time. Whilst everywhere else they have been either as good as extinguished by monotheistic religions of foreign origin, in some instances without leaving behind them a single direct and authentic trace of their presence, or abruptly cut short in their evolution and forced to survive within the barriers, henceforth immovable, of a petty Church, as in the case of Parseeism,--in India alone they present up to this time, as a rich and varied literature attests, a continuous, self-determined development, in the course of which, instead of contracting, they have continued to enlarge their borders. It is owing in a great measure to this extraordinary longevity that such an interest attaches to the separate and independent study of the Hindu religions, irrespective altogether of the estimate we may form of their dogmatic or practical worth. Nowhere else do we meet with circumstances, on the whole, so favourable for the study of the successive transformations and destiny, so to speak, of a polytheistic idea of the universe.

* * * * *

Post 8vo, cloth. pp. cviii.-242 and viii.-370. Two volumes,
price 24s.

SI-YU-KI.

BUDDHIST RECORDS OF THE WESTERN WORLD.

Translated from the Chinese of HUIEN TSIANG (A.D. 629). By
SAMUEL BEAL, B.A. (Trin. Col., Camb.), R.N. (Retired Chaplain
and N.I.), Professor of Chinese, University College, London;
Rector of Wark, Northumberland, &c.

The progress which has been made in our knowledge of Northern Buddhism during the last few years is due very considerably to the discovery of the Buddhist literature of China. This literature (now well known to us through the catalogues already published) contains, amongst other valuable works, the records of the travels of various Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who visited India during the early centuries of our era. These records embody the testimony of independent eyewitnesses as to the facts related in them, and having been faithfully preserved and allotted a place in the collection of the sacred book of the country, their evidence is entirely trustworthy.

It would be impossible to mention _seriatim_ the various points of interest in these works, as they refer to the geography, history, manners, and religion of the people of India. The reader who looks into the pages of this book will find ample material for study on all these questions. But there is one particular that gives a more than usual interest to the records under notice, and that is the evident sincerity and enthusiasm of the travellers themselves. Never did more devoted pilgrims leave their native country to encounter the perils of travel in foreign and distant lands; never did disciples more ardently desire to gaze on the sacred vestiges of their religion; never did men endure greater sufferings by desert, mountain, and sea than these simple-minded, earnest Buddhist priests. And that such courage, religious devotion, and power of endurance should be exhibited by men so sluggish, as we think, in their very nature as the Chinese, this is very surprising, and may perhaps arouse some consideration.

* * * * *

In Two Volumes, post 8vo, pp. xii.-336 and x.-352, cloth, price
21s.

MEDIAEVAL RESEARCHES FROM EASTERN ASIATIC SOURCES.

FRAGMENTS TOWARDS THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF
CENTRAL AND WESTERN ASIA FROM THE THIRTEENTH TO THE SEVENTEENTH
CENTURY.

BY E. BRETSCHNEIDER, M.D.,
Formerly Physician of the Russian Legation at Pekin.

EXTRACT FROM PREFACE

The subjects dealt with in the two volumes form a carefully revised and
improved edition of three essays gathered into one collection, viz.:--
1. Notes on Chinese Mediaeval Travellers to the West, 1875.
2. Notices of the Mediaeval Geography and History of Central and
Western Asia, 1876.
3. Chinese Intercourse with the Countries of Central and Western
Asia during the Fifteenth Century, 1877.

Since the first publication of these papers, large additions have been made to the stock of our knowledge regarding the regions of Central Asia which, previously to the Russian occupation of these tracts, had been inaccessible to scientific exploration. Thus new light has been thrown upon many interesting geographical questions suggested by the narratives of mediaeval travellers, or hitherto based only upon more modern but vague and dubious Chinese accounts.

To bring the new edition of those former researches up to the present advanced state of knowledge on the subject, I had to study a vast amount of literature, written for the greater part in Russian, which has come to light, on Central Asia, and was obliged to read through a great number of works and papers, some of them published in Russian Turkestan, and, therefore, difficult to obtain. In general, all reading accessible to me bearing on the subject has been made use of for the elucidation of mediaeval geographical questions arising out of my researches.

* * * * *

Post 8vo, pp. xii.-164, cloth, price 10s. 6d.

THE HISTORY OF ESARHADDON
(Son of Sennacherib),

KING OF ASSYRIA, B.C. 681-668.

Translated from the Cuneiform Inscriptions upon Cylinders and
Tablets in the British Museum Collection; together with a
Grammatical Analysis of each Word, Explanations of the
Ideographs by Extracts from the Bi-Lingual Syllabaries, and List
of Eponyms, &c.

BY E. A. WALLIS BUDGE, M.A., Litt.D., D.Lit.,
Keeper of the Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities in the British
Museum.

"Students of scriptural archaeology will also appreciate the 'History of Esarhaddon.'"--_Times._

"There is much to attract the scholar in this volume. It does not pretend to popularise studies which are yet in their infancy. Its primary object is to translate, but it does not assume to be more than tentative, and it offers both to the professed Assyriologist and to the ordinary non-Assyriological Semitic scholar the means of controlling its results."--_Academy._

"Mr. Budge's book is, of course, mainly addressed to Assyrian scholars and students. They are not, it is to be feared, a very numerous class. But the more thanks are due to him on that account for the way in which he has acquitted himself in his laborious task."--_Tablet._

* * * * *

Post 8vo, pp. xlviii.-398, cloth, price 12s.

THE ORDINANCES OF MANU.

Translated from the Sanskrit, with an Introduction.

By the late A. C. BURNELL, Ph.D., C.I.E.

Completed and Edited by E. W. HOPKINS, Ph.D., of Columbia
College, N.Y.

"This work is full of interest; while for the student of sociology and the science of religion it is full of importance. It is a great boon to get so notable a work in so accessible a form, admirably edited, and completely translated."--_Scotsman._

"Few men were more competent than Burnell to give us a really good translation of this well-known law book, first rendered into English by Sir William Jones. Burnell was not only an independent Sanskrit scholar, but an experienced lawyer, and he joined to these two important qualifications the rare faculty of being able to express his thoughts in clear and trenchant English.... We ought to feel very grateful to Dr. Hopkins for having given us all that could be published of the translation left by Burnell."--F. MAX MUeLLER in the _Academy_.

* * * * *

Third Edition. Post 8vo, cloth, pp. vi.-216, price 6s.

THE BHAGAVAD G[=I]T[=A]; or, THE SACRED LAY.
A SANSKRIT PHILOSOPHICAL POEM.

Translated, with Notes,

BY JOHN DAVIES, M.A. (Cantab.)
Member of the Royal Asiatic Society, of the Cambridge
Philological Society, &c., and (sometime) Rector of Walsoken,
Norfolk.

I. Introduction.
II. Translation.
III. Appendix.
(i) On the date at which the Bhagavad G[=i]t[=a] was probably
written, and on the theory that it was written under an
influence derived from a knowledge of Christian doctrines.
(ii) The traditional line of descent of the Lunar Dynasty.
(iii) Collation of two MSS. with the Bonn edition of the
Bhagavad G[=i]t[=a], and the readings of other editions
and MSS.

In preparing this translation of the Bhagavad G[=i]t[=a], the author had before him the Greek translation of Galanos, and the Italian version of Stanislao Gatti, both supplied by Dr. Reinhold Rost. The author also consulted the French version of Burnouf, the Latin version of Lassen, and the English versions of Mr. Thomson and K. T. Telang. The notes of Lassen have given valuable aid, as well as a paper on the Bhagavad G[=i]t[=a], read before the "Akademie der Weissenschaften" of Berlin in 1826 by W. van Humboldt, which contained a scholarly review of the doctrines contained in the poem. The author has also consulted a MS. copy of the Commentary on the Bhagavad G[=i]t[=a], written by ['S]r[=i]dhara, and, by the kindness of Dr. Rost, another commentary, attributed to ['S]ankara, but written by ['S]ankara Ananda Saraswati (quot. at Ananda), and called T[=a]tparya Bodhin[=i].

* * * * *

Second Edition. Post 8vo, cloth, pp. viii.-152, price 6s.

HINDU PHILOSOPHY.

THE S[=A]NKHYA K[=A]RIK[=A] OF [=I]['S]WARA KRISHNA.

An Exposition of the System of Kapila, with an Appendix on the
Ny[=a]ya and Vai['s]eshika Systems.

BY JOHN DAVIES, M.A. (Cantab.)
Member of the Royal Asiatic Society, of the Cambridge
Philological Society, &c., and (sometime) Rector of Walsoken,
Norfolk.

EXTRACT FROM PREFACE.

I wish to present to my readers the philosophy of Kapila as it has been set forth by his Indian exponent, [=I]['s]wara Krishna. The system of Kapila, called the S[=a]nkhya or Rationalistic, in its original form, and in its theistic development by Patarijali, contains nearly all that India has produced in the department of pure philosophy. Other systems, though classed as philosophic, are mainly devoted to logic and physical science, or to an exposition of the Vedas.

The system of Kapila may be said to have only an historical value, but on this account alone it is interesting as a chapter in the history of the human mind. It is the earliest attempt on record to give an answer, from reason alone, to the mysterious questions which arise in every thoughtful mind about the origin of the world, the nature and relations of man, and his future destiny. It is interesting also and instructive to note how often the human mind moves in a circle. The latest German philosophy, the system of Schopenhauer and Von Hartmann, is mainly a reproduction of the philosophic system of Kapila in its materialistic part, presented in a more elaborate form, but on the same fundamental lines. In this respect the human intellect has gone over the same ground that it occupied more than two thousand years ago, but on a more important question it has taken a step in retreat. Kapila recognised fully the existence of a soul in man, forming indeed his proper nature--the absolute ego of Fichte--distinct from matter and immortal; but our latest philosophy, both here and in Germany, can see in man only a highly developed physical organisation. "All external things," says Kapila, "were formed that the soul might know itself and be free." "The study of psychology is vain," says Schopenhauer, "for there is no Psyche."

* * * * *

Post 8vo, pp. 432, cloth, price 16s.

A CLASSICAL DICTIONARY OF HINDU MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION,
GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, AND LITERATURE.

BY JOHN DOWSON, M.R.A.S.,
Late Professor of Hindustani, Staff College.

"This not only forms an indispensable book of reference to students of Indian literature, but is also of great general interest, as it gives in a concise and easily accessible form all that need be known about the personages of Hindu mythology whose names are so familiar, but of whom so little is known outside the limited circle of _savants_."--_Times._

"It is no slight gain when such subjects are treated fairly and fully in a moderate space; and we need only add that the few wants which we may hope to see supplied in new editions detract but little from the general excellence of Mr. Dowson's work."--_Saturday Review._

* * * * *

Revised Edition in Two Volumes, post 8vo, pp. xxx.-390;
xiv.-364, cloth, price 21s.

A HISTORY OF CIVILISATION IN ANCIENT INDIA.
BASED ON SANSKRIT LITERATURE,

BY ROMESH CHUNDER DUTT, C.I.E.

Of the Indian Civil Service, and of the Middle Temple,
Barrister-at-Law, Member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great
Britain and Ireland, and of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.

VOL. I.--B.C. 2000 TO 320; VOL. II.--B.C. 320--A.D. 1000.

EXTRACT FROM PREFACE.

The method on which this work has been written is very simple. My principal object has been to furnish the general reader with a practical and handy work on the Ancient History of India--not to compose an elaborate work of discussions on Indian Antiquities. To study clearness and conciseness on a subject like this was not, however, an easy task. Every chapter in the present work deals with matters about which long researches have been made, and various opinions have been recorded. It would have afforded some satisfaction to me to have given the reader the history of every controversy, the account of every antiquarian discovery, and the pros and cons of every opinion advanced. But I could not yield to this temptation without increasing the work to three or four times its present humble size, and thus sacrificing the very object with which it is written. To carry out my primary object I have avoided every needless discussion, and I have tried to explain as clearly, concisely, and distinctly as I was able each succeeding phase of Hindu civilisation and Hindu life in ancient times.

But, while conciseness has been the main object of the present work, I have also endeavoured to tell my story so that it may leave some distinct memories on my readers after they have closed the work. For this reason, I have avoided details as far as possible, and tried to develop, fully and clearly, the leading facts and features of each succeeding age. Repetition has not been avoided where such repetition seemed necessary to impress on my readers the cardinal facts--the salient features of the story of Hindu civilisation.

"Mr. Dutt has attempted to popularise learned researches, and
has undertaken a patriotic work, and in many respects none could
he better prepared for the task than he.... As far as possible
he allows the original texts to speak for themselves; his book
is thus filled with extracts selected and translated with care;
and the extracts are connected together by analyses and resumes
in which we always find what is necessary, and seldom what is
superfluous. He has written with enthusiasm, in a language clear
and correct, and without that needless display of erudition
which tires more than it instructs. On the whole I know of
no work which enables one better to enter into the spirit
of ancient Indian thought, or which is more fascinating
reading."--M. BARTH, _in Revue Critique, Paris_. (Translated.)

* * * * *

In One Volume, post 8vo, cloth, pp. xvi.-224, price 7s. 6d.

LAYS OF ANCIENT INDIA.
Selections from Indian Poetry rendered into English Verse.

BY ROMESH CHUNDER DUTT, C.I.E.

Barrister-at-Law, and of the Indian Civil Service; Member of the
Royal Asiatic Society, and of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.

Author of "A History of Civilisation in Ancient India," &c.

EXTRACT FROM PREFACE.

The time has come for placing before English readers a carefully prepared book of selections from the entire range of Ancient Indian Poetry. Such a book of selections should convey something not only of the beauty of Indian poetry in general, but also of the distinctive features of the poetry of each special period--something of the freshness and simplicity of the Vedic Hymns, the sublime and lofty thought of the Upanishads, the unsurpassed beauty of Buddhist precepts, and the incomparable richness and imagery of the later or classical Sanscrit poetry. And it seems to me that such a book, comprising specimens from the literature of successive periods, is likely to give the English reader a general bird's-eye view of Indian poetry, Indian thought, and Indian religion.

* * * * *

Revised Edition. Post 8vo, pp. 276, cloth, price 7s. 6d.

RELIGION IN CHINA.

BY JOSEPH EDKINS, D.D., PEKING.

Containing a Brief Account of the Three Religions of the
Chinese, with Observations on the Prospects of Christian
Conversion amongst that People.

"Dr. Edkins has been most careful in noting the varied and often complex phases of opinion, so as to give an account of considerable value of the subject."--_Scotsman._

"As a missionary, it has been part of Dr. Edkins' duty to study the existing religions in China, and his long residence in the country has enabled him to acquire an intimate knowledge of them as they at present exist."--_Saturday Review._

"Dr. Edkins' valuable work, of which this is a second and revised edition, has, from the time that it was published, been the standard authority upon the subject of which it treats."--_Nonconformist._

"Dr. Edkins ... may now be fairly regarded as among the first authorities on Chinese religion and language."--_British Quarterly Review._

* * * * *

New and Revised Edition. Post 8vo, pp. xxiv.-420, cloth, price
18s.

CHINESE BUDDHISM.
A VOLUME OF SKETCHES, HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL.

BY J. EDKINS, D.D.
Author of "China's Place in Philology," "Religion in China,"
&c., &c.

"It contains a vast deal of important information on the subject, such as is only to be gained by long-continued study on the spot."--_Athenaeum._

"Upon the whole, we know of no work comparable to it for the extent of its original research, and the simplicity with which this complicated system of philosophy, religion, literature, and ritual is set forth."--_British Quarterly Review._

"The whole volume is replete with learning.... It deserves most careful study from all interested in the history of the religions of the world, and expressly of those who are concerned in the propagation of Christianity. Dr. Edkins notices in terms of just condemnation the exaggerated praise bestowed upon Buddhism by recent English writers."--_Record._

* * * * *

Third Edition. Post 8vo, cloth, pp. xxiv.-268, price 9s.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE UPANISHADS AND ANCIENT INDIAN METAPHYSICS.

As exhibited in a series of Articles contributed to the
_Calcutta Review_.

BY ARCHIBALD EDWARD GOUGH, M.A., Lincoln College, Oxford;
Principal of the Calcutta Madrasa.