734 Examination of the Pali Buddhistical Annals. [Sept. 



Uposatha ; and in due order came to the turn of thy illustrious brother, the 

 thero Tisso : what shall I do ?" The raja, the instant he heard this, exclaiming, 

 " Wretch ! What ? Thou sent by me to slaughter the bhikkhus ?" and being 

 answered, " Yes, D£wo !" agonized as if a flame had been engendered in his 

 body ! and rushing to the wiharo, he thus addressed the theVos and bhikkhus. 

 " Lords ! this officer, unauthorized by me, has done this deed : by such (an act) on 

 whom will the sin fall ? M Some of the theros observed : M That person committed 

 the act by thy direction : the sin therefore is thine." Others said, " The sin is 

 equal in both of you." Others again thus spoke, " Why, maharaja ! was it thy 

 intention that he should go and slaughter the bhikkhus ?" " No, lords ! I sent 

 him with a pious intention, saying, ' restoring the priesthood to unanimity* 

 re-establish the Uposatha." " In that case, thy intention being pious, the sin 

 rests with the officer alone." The raja perplexed (by the conflicting answers) 

 inquired, " Lords ! is there any bhikkhu, who is capable to restore me to the 

 solace of religion, by removing this perplexity ?" " There is, maharaja : his 

 name is Moggaliputtatisso: he, removing this perplexity of thine, is capable 

 of restoring thee to the solace of religion." On that very day, the raja dispatched 

 four theros, learned in Dhammo, each with a retinue of a thousand bhikkhus and 

 four ministers, each with a suite of a thousand persons, saying, " Return bring- 

 ing the the>o." They repairing thither, thus addressed (Moggaliputtatisso), 

 "The raja calls thee." The thero did not come. For the second time, the raja 

 sent eight theros versed in the Dhammo, and eight ministers each with a retinue 

 of a thousand persons, who thus delivered their message : " Lord 1 the maharaja 

 having desired us to say, ' he calls thee,' added, ' return not without bringing him.' " 

 On the second occasion also, the thero did not come ? The raja inquired of them : 

 ** Lords ! I have sent twice, why does the theVo not come." "Maharaja! he 

 refuses to come, because he has been told, ' the raja calls.' On his being thus 

 invoked he may come : ' Lord ! religion is sinking : for the salvation of religion 

 render thy aid to us!' " Thereupon the raja adopting that message, sent sixteen 

 the>os versed in the Dhammo, and sixteen ministers each with a retinue of one 

 thousand persons. The raja also inquired of the bhikkhus : " Is the the>o an 

 aged, or a young person ?" " Lord ! (they replied) he is aged." " Lords ! will he 

 mount any vehicle, or a state palanquin ?" " Maharaja ! he will not mount one." 

 *' Lords ! where does the the>o dwell ?" " Maharaja ! up the river." 



The raja then thus addressed his mission : " My men ! such being the case, 

 spreading a state canopy over a vessel, and accommodating the the>o therein, and 

 stationing guards of honour along both banks of the river, conduct him hither." 

 The bhikkhus and ministers proceeding to the residence of the the>o, delivered 

 the message of the raja. On hearing this message the th£ro instantly rose, 

 taking up the skin carpet (on which he was seated) saying : " From the com- 

 mencement, my destiny in entering into the priesthood was the salvation of 

 religion : now is my appointed hour arrived." 



On a certain night, the raja had this dream. " To-morrow, the thero will 

 reach Patiliputto." The dream comprised these particulars — a perfectly white 

 state elephant approaching the raja, and feeling him from head downwards, seized 

 him by the right arm (dakJcima hatthe). The following day the raja put this 

 question to his interpreters of dreams. " I have had such a dream : what is to 

 happen ?" " MahaVaja ! there is some pre-eminent personage who will grasp 

 an offering in his hand*." 



* This interpretation involves a pun, on the above P6U words. 



