Milinda’s Questions

The following story occurs in Book I of Hiuen Tsiang’s Buddhist Records of the Western World, and deserves to be recorded:

A former king of this country worshipped the Triple Gem. Wishing to pay homage to the sacred relics of the outer world, he intrusted the affairs of the empire to his younger brother on the mother’s side. The younger brother having received such orders, mutilated himself in order to prevent any evil risings of passion. He enclosed the mutilated parts in a golden casket, and laid it before the king.

“What is this?” inquired the king.

In reply he said, “On the day of your majesty’s return home, I pray you open it and see.

The king gave it to the manager of his affairs, who intrusted the casket to a portion of the king’s bodyguard to keep. And now, in the end, there were certain mischief-making people who said, “The king’s deputy, in his absence, has been debauching himself in the inner rooms of the women.”

The king hearing this, was very angry, and would have subjected his brother to cruel punishment.

The brother said, “I dare not flee from punishment, but I pray you to open the golden casket.”

The king accordingly opened it, and saw that it contained a mutilated member. Seeing it, he said, “What strange thing is this, and what does it signify?”

Replying, the brother said, “Formerly, when the king proposed to go abroad, he ordered me to undertake the affairs of the government. Fearing the slanderous reports that might arise, I mutilated myself. You now have the proof of my foresight. Let the king look benignantly on me.”

The king was moved with the deepest reverence and strangely moved with affection; in consequence, he permitted free ingress and egress throughout his palace.

After this happened that the younger brother, going abroad, met by the way a herdsman who was arranging to geld five hundred oxen. On seeing this, he gave himself to reflection, and taking himself as an example of what they were to suffer, he was moved with increased compassion, and said, “Are not my present sufferings the consequence of my conduct in some former condition of life?”

He forthwith desired with money and precious jewels to redeem this herd of oxen. In consequence of this act of love, he recovered by degrees from mutilation, and on this account he ceased to enter the apartments of the women. The king, filled with wonder, asked him the reason of this, and having heard the matter from beginning to end, looked upon him as a prodigy, and from this circumstance the convent took its name which he built to honour the conduct of his brother and perpetuate his name.