7. 'Thou hast sinned, being attached to charity and destroying thy wealth, which is the root of dharma. For this reason this flame-tongued hell, that looks like the face of Narakântaka[1], has come to thy encounter in order to devour thee.
8. 'Well then, desist from giving, lest thou immediately fall down and share the fate of those alms-givers, who shrink away from pain and are weeping piteously.
9. 'The recipients, on the other hand, who have ceased from the bad custom of giving, obtain the rank of Devas. Therefore, desist from thy effort for charity, which obstructs the way to Heaven, and rather apply thyself to restraint[2].'
The Bodhisattva, however, knew him: 'Surely, this is an attempt of the Evil One to thwart my alms-giving.' And understanding so, he made, in truth, a vigorous reply, yet in accordance with his firm attachment to virtue, without breaking modesty and kindness of words. He spoke thus to him:
10-12. 'It is with respect to my welfare, that thou hast had the kindness to show me the path of the pious. Indeed, it is most proper for divine beings to show by their actions their skill in feeling compassion for others. Nevertheless, it would have been wise to use that way of stopping the illness before its appearance, or immediately after its first symptoms. For if a sickness have already made progress[3] by the fault of bad treatment, the desire for cure will but tend to calamity. So this passion of mine for charity has already spread, I fear, beyond the compass of medical
- ↑ See Vishnupurâna IV, chapter xxix (Wilson, p. 581).
- ↑ The Evil One uses ambiguous expressions purposely. The worthy recipients of the gifts are indeed on the way that leads to salvation; and the 'restraint' samyama he recommends, may imply the meaning of the self-restraint of the monks. The Bodhisattva in his well-turned answer takes care to keep the same ambiguous word (see stanza 15, samyamayishyatâpi).
- ↑ The reading prayâmam, proposed by Prof. Kern in the various readings of his edition, is undoubtedly right. Cp. pp. 78, 2; 96, 23; 111, 16; 171, 15; 182, 3; 238, 11 of his edition.
