Vol. 11 · pages 226–230

207 CONVERSION OF THE FALLEN AND THE CRIMINALS II after salutations seated himself to the one side, saying; “It is wonderful, sir, it is marvellous, what a tamer of the untamed the Lord is, how he quells the unquelled, and how he calms the uncalmed ! Here is one whom I could not subdue with cudgel and sword; but without either cudgel or sword the Lord has subdued him! And now, sir, I must be going, for I have much to do and attend to.” 27. “When Your Majesty pleases.” Then, rising from his seat, the king saluted the Lord with deep reverence and withdrew. 28. One day when, duly robed and bowl in hand, Angulimala had gone into Shravasti for alms, he was hit by a clod flung by one man, by a club flung by a second and by a potsherd flung by a third, so that it was with a broken head streaming with blood, with his bowl smashed, and with his cloak in tatters, that he presented himself before the Lord. Seeing him drawing near, the Lord said to Angulimala: “Endure it all, endure it all.” 29. Thus did Angulimala the robber become a righteous man by accepting the teachings of the Buddha. 30. Expressing the joy of the bliss of deliverance he said: “Who shows zeal, where zeal was none, who with virtue clokes his past, who in youth to Buddha cleaves, he, like the moon, floods earth with light. 31. “Let my foes hear this gospel, embrace this creed and follow wisdom’s sons who cleave to it. Let my foes hear in season, love’s message which is meek forbearance—and conform their lives to it. 32. “As ‘ Finger Necklace,’ I, bandit, lived and whirled downstream, till He brought me to land. As ‘Finger Necklace,’ I was steeped in blood; saved now am I.” § 3. Conversion of Other Criminals 1. There was to the south of Rajagraha a great mountain, distant from the city about 200 li. 2. Through this mountain there was a pass,

208 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES II deep and lonely, through which the road to South India lay. 3. Five hundred robbers had taken up their abode in this defile, who used to murder and rob all travellers that passed that way. 4. The king had vainly sent his forces to capture them, but they always escaped. 5. The Buddha, residing in the neighbourhood, and considering the case of these men, that they understood not the nature of their conduct, and that although he had come into the world to teach them, yet their eyes had not seen him, nor their ears heard the tidings of his law, he resolved to go to them. 6. Consequently he transformed himself into a man richly dighted, on a well-caparisoned steed, with his sword and bow, with bags of silver and gold on his saddle-bow, and precious stones studding his horse’s bravery. 7. On entering the defile loud neighed his steed. On hearing the sound the 500 robbers started up, and spying the traveller, exclaimed, “Never have we had such a prospect of booty; let us be up, and capture him!” 8. So they proceeded to surround the traveller, with a view to prevent his escape; but on seeing him they fell on the ground. 9. On their falling to the ground, they exclaimed, “What God is this ?” “What God is this ?” 10. On this the traveller began to explain that such hurts and pains as they give and receive were trivial compared with the pain caused by the sorrow that rules the world, and the wounds of unbelief and doubt, and that nought but the wisdom resulting from earnest attention (hearing) to the Scriptures could heal such wounds; and then he added these words and said : 11. “There is no painful wound so bad as sorrow—no piercing arrow so sharp as folly. Nothing can remedy these but an earnest attention to religious instruction. From this the blind receive sight, the deluded are enlightened.

209 CONVERSION OF THE FALLEN AND THE CRIMINALS II 12. “Men are guided and led by this, as eyes, given to them without eyes. 13. “This, then, is able to dispel unbelief, to remove sorrow, to impart joy; the highest wisdom is the lot of those who “hear.” 14. “This is the title of him who has acquired the greatest merit (most to be revered).” 15. On hearing this the robbers repented of their evil lives, and the arrows, of themselves, left their bodies, and their wounds were healed. 16. They then became disciples, and obtained rest and peace. § 4. Risk of Conversion 1. In olden times, Buddha was residing in a country about 500 li from Rajagraha, full of mountains. In these mountains there lived a certain clan of about 122 persons, who occupied themselves in hunting, and fed themselves on the flesh of the animals they killed. 2. (Buddha goes to the place and converts the women, who were left alone during the day, whilst their husbands were hunting, and then adds these lines.) 3. “He who is humane does not kill (or, it is humane not to kill) ; he is ever able to preserve (his own ?) life. 4. “This principle (chu) is imperishable; whoever observes it, no calamity shall betide that man. 5. “Politeness, indifference to wordly things, hurting no one, without place for annoyance—this is the character of the Brahma Heaven (or of Brahma Deva). 6. “Ever exercising love towards the infirm ; pure, according to the teaching of Buddha ; knowing when sufficient has been had ; knowing when to stop,—this is to escape (the recurrence of) birth and death.” The women, having heard these words, were converted, and on the men’s return, although they

210 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES II wished at first to kill Buddha, they were restrained by their wives ; and, listening to these words of love, they also were converted. 7. And then he added these lines. 8. “There are eleven advantages which attend the man who practices mercifulness, and is tender to all that lives. 9. “His body is always in health (happy); he is blessed with peaceful sleep, and when engaged in study he is also composed.” 10. “He has no evil dreams, he is protected by Heaven (Devas) and loved by man ; he is unmolested by poisonous things, and escapes the violence of war; he is unharmed by fire or water. 11. “He is successful wherever he lives, and when dead goes to the Heaven of Brahma. These are the eleven.” 12. Having uttered these words, both men and women were admitted into the company of his disciples, and obtained rest.

BOOK III What the Buddha Taught Part I — His Place in His Dhamma. Part II — Different Views of the Buddha’s Dhamma. Part III — What is Dhamma. Part IV — What is Not Dhamma. Part V — What is Saddhamma