'Knowing that the earth with its crops of rice and barley, with its gold and cattle, that all this put together will not satisfy one single man, one should practise austerities.' (49)

Indra answered: (50)

"A miracle! O king, you give up those wonderful pleasures, in search of imaginary objects; your very hope will cause your ruin." (51)

Nami answered: (52)

'Pleasures are the thorn that rankles, pleasures are poison, pleasures are like a venomous snake; he who is desirous of pleasures will not get them, and will come to a bad end at last. (53)

'He will sink through anger; he will go down through pride; delusion will block up his path; through greed he will incur dangers in both worlds.' (54)

Throwing off the guise of a Brahmana, and making visible his true form, Sakra saluted him respectfully and praised him with these sweet words: (55)

"Bravo! you have conquered anger; bravo! you have vanquished pride; bravo! you have banished delusion; bravo! you have subdued greed. (56)

"Bravo for your simplicity, O saint! bravo for your humility, O saint! bravo for your perfect patience! bravo for your perfect liberation! (57)

"Here (on earth) you are the highest man, Reverend sir, and hereafter you will be the highest; exempt from all blemishes you will reach Perfection, a higher state than which there is none in this world." (58)

Thus praising the royal Seer, Sakra in perfect faith kept his right side towards him and paid reverence to him, again and again. (59)

After having adored the best sage's feet marked by the Kakra and the Ankusa , he flew up through the air, with his crown and his earrings prettily trembling. (60)

Nami humbled himself; enjoined by Sakra in person, the king of Videha left the house, and took upon him Sramanahood. (61)

Thus act the enlightened, the wise, the clever ones; they turn away from pleasures, as did Nami, the royal Seer. (62)

Thus I say.

Footnotes

^35:2 The Life of king Nami and his Bodhi is told in the commentary. The Prakrit text of this romance is printed in my 'Ausgewahlte Erzahlungen in Maharashtri,' Leipzig, 1886, p. 41 ff. Nami is one of the four simultaneous Pratyekabuddhas, i.e. one of those saints who reach the highest stage of knowledge by an effort of their own, not through regular instruction and religious discipline. The Pratyekabuddhas or Svayamsambuddhas (Sahasambuddha in Prakrit) do not, however, propagate the true Law, as the Tirthakaras do. As the legend of Nami is not materially connected with our text, I need not give an abstract of it here.

^36:1 The text has Mahilae, which is against the metre. The locative makes the construction needlessly involved.