Meṇḍakapañhārambhakathā

Bhassappavādo vetaṇḍī, atibuddhi vicakkhaṇo;

Milindo ñāṇabhedāya, nāgasenamupāgami.

Vasanto tassa chāyāya, paripucchaṃ punappunaṃ;

Pabhinnabuddhi hutvāna, sopi āsi tipeṭako.

Navaṅgaṃ anumajjanto, rattibhāge rahogato;

Addakkhi meṇḍake pañhe, dunniveṭhe saniggahe.

‘‘Pariyāyabhāsitaṃ atthi, atthi sandhāyabhāsitaṃ;

Sabhāvabhāsitaṃ atthi, dhammarājassa sāsane.

‘‘Tesamatthaṃ aviññāya, meṇḍake jinabhāsite;

Anāgatamhi addhāne, viggaho tattha hessati.

‘‘Handa kathiṃ pasādetvā, chejjāpessāmi meṇḍake;

Tassa niddiṭṭhamaggena, niddisissantyanāgate’’ti.

Atha kho milindo rājā pabhātāya rattiyā uddhaste aruṇe sīsaṃ nhatvā sirasi añjaliṃ paggahetvā atītānāgatapaccuppanne sammāsambuddhe anussaritvā aṭṭha vattapadāni samādiyi ‘‘ito me anāgatāni satta divasāni aṭṭha guṇe samādiyitvā tapo caritabbo bhavissati, sohaṃ ciṇṇatapo samāno ācariyaṃ ārādhetvā meṇḍake pañhe pucchissāmī’’ti. Atha kho milindo rājā pakatidussayugaṃ apanetvā ābharaṇāni ca omuñcitvā kāsāvaṃ nivāsetvā muṇḍakapaṭisīsakaṃ sīse paṭimuñcitvā munibhāvamupagantvā aṭṭha guṇe samādiyi ‘‘imaṃ sattāhaṃ mayā na rājattho anusāsitabbo, na rāgūpasañhitaṃ cittaṃ uppādetabbaṃ, na dosūpasañhitaṃ cittaṃ uppādetabbaṃ, na mohūpasañhitaṃ cittaṃ uppādetabbaṃ, dāsakammakaraporise janepi nivātavuttinā bhavitabbaṃ, kāyikaṃ vācasikaṃ anurakkhitabbaṃ, chapi āyatanāni niravasesato anurakkhitabbāni, mettābhāvanāya mānasaṃ pakkhipitabba’’nti. Ime aṭṭha guṇe samādiyitvā tesveva aṭṭhasu guṇesu mānasaṃ patiṭṭhapetvā bahi anikkhamitvā sattāhaṃ vītināmetvā aṭṭhame divase pabhātāya rattiyā pageva pātarāsaṃ katvā okkhittacakkhu mitabhāṇī susaṇṭhitena iriyāpathena avikkhittena cittena haṭṭhena udaggena vippasannena theraṃ nāgasenaṃ upasaṅkamitvā therassa pāde sirasā vanditvā ekamantaṃ ṭhito idamavoca –

‘‘Atthi me, bhante nāgasena, koci attho tumhehi saddhiṃ mantayitabbo, na tattha añño koci tatiyo icchitabbo, suññe okāse pavivitte araññe aṭṭhaṅgupāgate samaṇasāruppe. Tattha so pañho pucchitabbo bhavissati, tattha me guyhaṃ na kātabbaṃ na rahassakaṃ, arahāmahaṃ rahassakaṃ suṇituṃ sumantane upagate, upamāyapi so attho upaparikkhitabbo, yathā kiṃ viya, yathā nāma, bhante nāgasena, mahāpathavī nikkhepaṃ arahati nikkhepe upagate. Evameva kho, bhante nāgasena, arahāmahaṃ rahassakaṃ suṇituṃ sumantane upagate’’ti. Garunā saha pavivittapavanaṃ pavisitvā idamavoca – ‘‘bhante nāgasena, idha purisena mantayitukāmena aṭṭha ṭhānāni parivajjayitabbāni bhavanti, na tesu ṭhānesu viññū puriso atthaṃ manteti, mantitopi attho paripatati na sambhavati. Katamāni aṭṭha ṭhānāni? Visamaṭṭhānaṃ parivajjanīyaṃ, sabhayaṃ parivajjanīyaṃ, ativātaṭṭhānaṃ parivajjanīyaṃ, paṭicchannaṭṭhānaṃ parivajjanīyaṃ, devaṭṭhānaṃ parivajjanīyaṃ, pantho parivajjanīyo, saṅgāmo parivajjanīyo, udakatitthaṃ parivajjanīyaṃ. Imāni aṭṭha ṭhānāni parivajjanīyānī’’ti.

Thero āha ‘‘ko doso visamaṭṭhāne, sabhaye, ativāte, paṭicchanne, devaṭṭhāne, panthe, saṅgāme, udakatitthe’’ti? ‘‘Visame, bhante nāgasena, mantito attho vikirati vidhamati paggharati na sambhavati, sabhaye mano santassati, santassito na sammā atthaṃ samanupassati, ativāte saddo avibhūto hoti, paṭicchanne upassutiṃ tiṭṭhanti, devaṭṭhāne mantito attho garukaṃ pariṇamati, panthe mantito attho tuccho bhavati, saṅgāme cañcalo bhavati, udakatitthe pākaṭo bhavati. Bhavatīha –

‘‘‘Visamaṃ sabhayaṃ ativāto, paṭicchannaṃ devanissitaṃ;

Pantho ca saṅgāmo titthaṃ, aṭṭhete parivajjiyā’’’ti.

‘‘Bhante nāgasena, aṭṭhime puggalā mantiyamānā mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādenti. Katame aṭṭha? Rāgacarito dosacarito mohacarito mānacarito luddho alaso ekacintī bāloti. Ime aṭṭha puggalā mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādentī’’ti.

Thero āha ‘‘tesaṃ ko doso’’ti? ‘‘Rāgacarito, bhante nāgasena, rāgavasena mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādeti, dosacarito dosavasena mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādeti, mohacarito mohavasena mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādeti, mānacarito mānavasena mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādeti, luddho lobhavasena mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādeti, alaso alasatāya mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādeti, ekacintī ekacintitāya mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādeti, bālo bālatāya mantitaṃ atthaṃ byāpādeti. Bhavatīha –

‘‘‘Ratto duṭṭho ca mūḷho ca, mānī luddho tathālaso;

Ekacintī ca bālo ca, ete atthavināsakā’’’ti.

‘‘Bhante nāgasena, navime puggalā mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivaranti na dhārenti. Katame nava? Rāgacarito dosacarito mohacarito bhīruko āmisagaruko itthī soṇḍo paṇḍako dārako’’ti.

Thero āha ‘‘tesaṃ ko doso’’ti? ‘‘Rāgacarito, bhante nāgasena, rāgavasena mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivarati na dhāreti, dosacarito, bhante, dosavasena mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivarati na dhāreti, mūḷho mohavasena mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivarati na dhāreti, bhīruko bhayavasena mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivarati na dhāreti, āmisagaruko āmisahetu mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivarati na dhāreti, itthī paññāya ittaratāya mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivarati na dhāreti, soṇḍiko surālolatāya mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivarati na dhāreti, paṇḍako anekaṃsikatāya mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivarati na dhāreti, dārako capalatāya mantitaṃ guyhaṃ vivarati na dhāreti. Bhavatīha –

‘‘‘Ratto duṭṭho ca mūḷho ca, bhīru āmisagaruko ;

Itthī soṇḍo paṇḍako ca, navamo bhavati dārako.

‘‘Navete puggalā loke, ittarā calitā calā;

Etehi mantitaṃ guyhaṃ, khippaṃ bhavati pākaṭa’’’nti.

‘‘Bhante nāgasena, aṭṭhahi kāraṇehi buddhi pariṇamati paripākaṃ gacchati. Katamehi aṭṭhahi? Vayapariṇāmena buddhi pariṇamati paripākaṃ gacchati, yasapariṇāmena buddhi pariṇamati paripākaṃ gacchati, paripucchāya buddhi pariṇamati paripākaṃ gacchati, titthasaṃvāsena buddhi pariṇamati paripākaṃ gacchati, yoniso manasikārena buddhi pariṇamati paripākaṃ gacchati, sākacchāya buddhi pariṇamati paripākaṃ gacchati, snehūpasevanena buddhi pariṇamati paripākaṃ gacchati, patirūpadesavāsena buddhi pariṇamati paripākaṃ gacchati. Bhavatīha –

‘‘‘Vayena yasapucchāhi, titthavāsena yoniso;

Sākacchā snehasaṃsevā, patirūpavasena ca.

‘‘Etāni aṭṭha ṭhānāni, buddhivisadakāraṇā;

Yesaṃ etāni sambhonti, tesaṃ buddhi pabhijjatī’’’ti.

‘‘Bhante nāgasena, ayaṃ bhūmibhāgo aṭṭha mantadosavivajjito, ahañca loke paramo mantisahāyo , guyhamanurakkhī cāhaṃ yāvāhaṃ jīvissāmi tāva guyhamanurakkhissāmi, aṭṭhahi ca me kāraṇehi buddhi pariṇāmaṃ gatā, dullabho etarahi mādiso antevāsī, sammā paṭipanne antevāsike ye ācariyānaṃ pañcavīsati ācariyaguṇā, tehi guṇehi ācariyena sammā paṭipajjitabbaṃ. Katame pañcavīsati guṇā?

‘‘Idha, bhante nāgasena, ācariyena antevāsimhi satataṃ samitaṃ ārakkhā upaṭṭhapetabbā, asevanasevanā jānitabbā, pamattāppamattā jānitabbā, seyyavakāso jānitabbo, gelaññaṃ jānitabbaṃ, bhojanassa laddhāladdhaṃ jānitabbaṃ, viseso jānitabbo, pattagataṃ saṃvibhajitabbaṃ, assāsitabbo ‘mā bhāyi, attho te abhikkamatī’ti, ‘iminā puggalena paṭicaratī’ti paṭicāro jānitabbo, gāme paṭicāro jānitabbo, vihāre paṭicāro jānitabbo, na tena hāso davo kātabbo , tena saha ālāpo kātabbo, chiddaṃ disvā adhivāsetabbaṃ, sakkaccakārinā bhavitabbaṃ, akhaṇḍakārinā bhavitabbaṃ, arahassakārinā bhavitabbaṃ, niravasesakārinā bhavitabbaṃ, ‘janemimaṃ sippesū’ti janakacittaṃ upaṭṭhapetabbaṃ, ‘kathaṃ ayaṃ na parihāyeyyā’ti vaḍḍhicittaṃ upaṭṭhapetabbaṃ, ‘balavaṃ imaṃ karomi sikkhābalenā’ti cittaṃ upaṭṭhapetabbaṃ, mettacittaṃ upaṭṭhapetabbaṃ, āpadāsu na vijahitabbaṃ, karaṇīye nappamajjitabbaṃ, khalite dhammena paggahetabboti. Ime kho, bhante, pañcavīsati ācariyassa ācariyaguṇā, tehi guṇehi mayi sammā paṭipajjassu, saṃsayo me, bhante, uppanno, atthi meṇḍakapañhā jinabhāsitā, anāgate addhāne tattha viggaho uppajjissati, anāgate ca addhāne dullabhā bhavissanti tumhādisā buddhimanto, tesu me pañhesu cakkhuṃ dehi paravādānaṃ niggahāyā’’ti.

Thero ‘‘sādhū’’ti sampaṭicchitvā dasa upāsakassa upāsakaguṇe paridīpesi. ‘‘Dasa ime, mahārāja, upāsakassa upāsakaguṇā. Katame dasa, idha, mahārāja, upāsako saṅghena samānasukhadukkho hoti, dhammādhipateyyo hoti, yathābalaṃ saṃvibhāgarato hoti, jinasāsanaparihāniṃ disvā abhivaḍḍhiyā vāyamati. Sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, apagatakotūhalamaṅgaliko jīvitahetupi na aññaṃ satthāraṃ uddisati, kāyikavācasikañcassa rakkhitaṃ hoti, samaggārāmo hoti samaggarato, anusūyako hoti, na ca kuhanavasena sāsane carati, buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gato hoti, dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gato hoti, saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gato hoti. Ime kho, mahārāja, dasa upāsakassa upāsakaguṇā, te sabbe guṇā tayi saṃvijjanti, taṃ te yuttaṃ pattaṃ anucchavikaṃ patirūpaṃ yaṃ tvaṃ jinasāsanaparihāniṃ disvā abhivaḍḍhiṃ icchasi, karomi te okāsaṃ, puccha maṃ tvaṃ yathāsukha’’nti.