508 Examination of the PdU Buddhistical Annals. [July, 



the end, propounded by the three Sanghapdli ; and became thoroughly convinced* 

 that they conveyed the true meaning of the doctrines of the lord of Dhammo. 

 Thereupon, paying reverential respect to the pi'iesthood, he thus petitioned : * I 

 am desirous of translating the Atthakathd ; give me access to all your books.' 

 The priesthood, for the purpose of testing his qualifications, gave only two gatha, 

 saying : ' hence prove thy qualification ; having satisfied ourselves on this point, 

 we will then let thee have all the books.' From these (taking these gatha for his 

 text, and consulting the Pitakattayan together with the Atthakathd, and con- 

 densing them into an abridged form), he composed the compendium called the 

 Wisuddhimaggo . Thereupon having assembled the priesthood who had acquired 

 a thorough knowledge of the doctrines of Buddho, at the bo-tree, he commenced 

 to read out (the work he had composed). The dewatas, in order that they might 

 make his BuddhaghoSo's gifts of wisdom celebrated among men, rendered that 

 book invisible. He, however, for a second and third time recomposed it. When 

 he was in the act of producing his book for the third time, for the purpose of pro- 

 pounding it, the dSwatas restored the other two copies also. The (assembled) 

 priests then read out the three books simultaneously. In those three versions, 

 neither in a verse, in a signification, nor in a single misplacement by 

 transpositions ; nay, even in the thero controversies, and in the text (of the 

 Pitakattayan) was there in the measure of verse, or in the letter of a word, 

 the slightest variation. Therefore the priesthood rejoicing, again and again 

 fervently shouted forth, saying, ' most assuredly this is Metteyyo (Buddho) 

 himself;' and made over to him the books in which the pitakattayan 

 were recorded, together with their Atthakathd. Taking up his residence in 

 the secluded Ganthakaro wiharo, at Anurddhapura, he translated, according to 

 the grammatical rules of the Mdgadhi, which is the root of all languages, the- 

 whole of the Singhalese Atthakathd (into Pali). This proved an achievement 

 of the utmost consequence to all the languages spoken by the human race. 



" All the theros and dchdriyas held this compilation in the same estimation as 

 the text (of the Pitakaitaydn). Thereafter, the objects of his mission having, 

 been fulfilled, he returned to Jambudipo, to worship at the bo-tree (at Uruweliya 

 in Magadha)." 



The foregoing remarks, sustained by the ensuing translation of the 

 account of the first convocation, show that the following discre- 

 pancies exist between the Tibetan version of the Kdh-gyur and the 

 Pali version of the Pitakattayan extant in Ceylon. 



lstly, in making the age in which Sa'kya lived about one thousand 

 years before the Christian era, instead of its being comprised between 

 B. C. 588 and 543. 



2ndly, in the omission of the second convocation. 



3rdly, in placing the third convocation, which was held in the 

 reign of Asoko, in the 110th instead of the 234th year after the 

 death of Sa'kya. 



4thl) -, in stating that the next and last revision of the Pitakattayan 

 took place only five hundred, instead of nearly a thousand, years 



