1859.] On the Introduction of Writing into India. 151 



windows, and balconies ; how not satisfied wifch this, celestial ladies 

 walked before him to clear the road, and the daughters, of the wind 

 scattered celestial flowers, besides other fabulous beings who all 

 came to honour the Bodhisatva as he went to school. These 

 marginal illustrations may be dropped in all Buddhist books, though 

 they leave but little room for the text. When Buddha entered 

 the school, Vis'vamitra, the schoolmaster (Darakacharya), unable to 

 bear the majesty of Bodhisatva's presence, fell to the ground, and 

 had to be lifted up by an angel, named S'ubhanga. After the king 

 S'uddhodana and his suite had left, the nurses and attendants sat 

 down, and Bodhisatva took a leaf to write on (lipiphalaka) made of 

 sandal-wood (uragasarachandana-mayam). He then asked Vis'vamitra 

 what writing he was going to teach him. Here follow sixty-four 

 names, apparently names of alphabets,* all of which Bodhisatva is 

 acquainted with, whereas Vis'vamitra is obliged to confess his 

 ignorance. Nevertheless Bodhisatva stays at school, and learns to 

 write together with ten thousand boys. 



The alphabet which he learns is the common Sanskrit alphabet, 

 with the omission of the letters 1, ri and ri. It consists of 45 letters, 

 and, as in our own primers, eveiy letter is followed by a word 

 containing that letter at the beginning or in the middle. These 

 words in the Lalita-vistara are so chosen as to illustrate some of 

 the chief points of Buddha's own doctrines. The alphabet is : — a, 

 a, i, i, u, ii, e, ai, o, au, am, ah ; k, kh, g, gh, n ; ch, chh, j, jh, n ; t, 

 th, d, dh, n ; t, th, d, dh, n ; p, ph, b, bh, m ; y } r, v ; s', sh, s, h, ksh. 



Though the further education of Buddha is not fully described, 

 we see him soon afterwards in general competition, the most distin- 

 guished scholar, arithmetician, musician and everything else.f This 

 comprehensive system of education, through which Buddha is here 

 represented to have passed, is the very opposite of that followed by 



* The most interesting names are Anga (Bhagalpur), Banga (Bengal), 

 Magadha, Dravida, Dakshina (Dekhan), Daracla, Khasya (Cassia hills), China 

 (Chinese), Hmia, Deva (Devanagari), Bhaumadeva (Brahman), Uttarakurus r 

 anudruta (cursive). 



f Among the subjects in which he shows his learning, figure Nirghantu, 

 Nigama, Purana, Itihasa, Veda, Vyakararn., Nirukta; Siksha, Clihandas, Kalpa, 

 Tyotisha, Sankhya, Yoga, Vais'eshika. 



