Page:Barlaam and Josaphat. English lives of Buddha.djvu/54

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xlviii

INTRODUCTION.


of balauhar. Unfortunately, he leaves us in the dark as to what Bhagavan means or implies. It is, of course, one of the titles given to the Buddha. Baron von Rosen, on the other hand, identifies Balauhar with an Arabic word, balahvar, used by the Arabic lexicographers to designate an Indian king. The reader will not be surprised to learn that the Arabic word is a simple adaptation of the Sanskrit bhattaraka. Both suggestions seem to me almost equally far-fetched. But the human -mind is incapable of remaining in a state of suspension à la Buridan. De Morgan said that he found most people had a decided view on the question whether platythliptic coefficients were positive or negative.[1] Similarly, if one has to make a choice. Dr. Kuhn's

  1. Boat. One day it suddenly made its appearance as the Heron. The whole University was puzzled at the change, till a budding philologist remarked casually, "Of course, they are the same, 'Non Coll.' becomes by transposition 'Coll-on,' and this by metathesis of l and r' becomes 'coron.' Aspiration of the initial consonant changes it to 'choron,' which, again, by weakening of the aspirate and vemerising the vowel, becomes 'Heron.' Thus 'Non-Coll' = 'Heron.' Q.E.D."

  2. ↑ We are getting more modest nowadays. I have fired off this query at most of my friends, who persist in spoiling De Morgan's point by asking, "What are platythliptic coefficients? "
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