SEVENTH LECTURE,

CALLED

NALANDA.

At that time, at that period, there was a town of the name Ragagriha: it was rich, happy, thriving, &c. Outside of Ragagriha, in a north-eastern

direction, there was the suburb Nalanda; it contained many hundreds of buildings, &c. (1)

In that suburb Nalanda there was a householder called Lepa; he was prosperous, famous; rich in high and large houses, beds, seats, vehicles, and chariots; abounding in riches, gold, and silver; possessed of useful and necessary things; wasting plenty of food and drink; owning many male and female slaves, cows, buffaloes, and sheep; and inferior to nobody. (2)

This householder Lepa, a follower of the Sramanas, comprehended (the doctrine of) living beings and things without life, (&c., all as in II, 2, 76, p. 382, down to the end of the paragraph). (3)

This householder Lepa possessed, in a northeastern direction from the suburb Nalanda, a bathing-hall, called Seshadravya ; it contained many hundreds of pillars, was beautiful, &c. In a northeastern direction from this bathing-hall Seshadravya, there was a park called Hastiyama. (Description of the park .) (4)

And there in some house the Venerable Gautama was staying. The venerable (man) was in the garden, and so was Udaka, the son of Pedhala, a Nirgrantha and follower of Parsva , of the Medarya Gotra. He went there where the Venerable Gautama was, and said: 'O long-lived Gautama, I want to ask you about a point (of faith); O long-lived one,

please explain it to me so as it has been taught (by the Tirthakara).' And the Venerable Gautama spoke thus to Udaka, the son of Pedhala: "Well, long-lived one, I shall see about it, when I have heard and understood (your question)." And Udaka, the son of Pedhala, spoke thus to the Venerable Gautama: (5)

'O long-lived Gautama, there are Nirgrantha Sramanas, called Kumaraputras, who profess your creed; they make a zealous householder, a follower of the Sramanas, renounce injury to movable beings except on the order (from an established authority), as the householder caused one of the captured thieves to be set free . Those who make this renunciation, make a bad renunciation; those who cause this renunciation to be made, cause a bad renunciation to be made; in causing another to make this renunciation, they annul their own allegation . Why do I say this? Beings belong to the Circle of Births; though they be (now) immovable beings, they will (some time) become movable ones, or though they be (now) movable beings, they will become immovable ones; when they leave the bodies

of immovable beings, they will be born in bodies of movable ones, and when they leave the bodies of movable beings, they will be born in bodies of immovable ones. When they are born in bodies of immovable beings, it is no sin to kill them. (6)