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328
THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES
VII, 4, 4.
"Seek not rebirths afar in future states.
Pray, what could heaven itself advantage you! Now, in this present world, and in the state In which you find yourselves, be conquerors !”'
33. The Rat. 4. 'Venerable Någasena, that one quality of the rat you say he ought to take, which is it?'
Just, О king, as the rat, wandering about backwards and forwards, is always smelling after food"; just so, O king, (394) should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be ever in his wanderings to and fro, bent upon thought. This is the quality of the rat he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by Upasena Vanganta-putta, the Elder : “Ever alert and calm, the man of insight,
Esteeming wisdom as the best of all things, Keeps himself independent of all wants and cares?.”'
34. THE SCORPION. 5. 'Venerable Nâgasena, that one quality of the scorpion you say he ought to take, which is it?'
Just, О king, as the scorpion, whose tail is its weapon, keeps its tail erect as it wanders about; just so, Oking, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, have knowledge as his weapon,
1 Upasimsako. Dr. Morris, in the Journal of the Páli Text Society' (1884, p. 75), suggests upasinghako. But the Simhalese in the first clause (p. 589, last line) has patamim ma, 'hoping for, seeking for,' and in the second (p. 590, line 2) potîmem ma, which is the same thing (from prarthana, which confirms Mr. Trenckner's reading).
· Not traced as yet.
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