Vol. 11 · pages 426–430

407 HIS SERMONS IV 3. So he spoke to the Brahmin Vasakara, the Prime Minister of Magadha, and said : 4. “Come now, O Brahmin, do you go to the Blessed One, and bow down in adoration at his feet on my behalf and enquire on my behalf whether he is free from illness and suffering and in the enjoyment of ease and comfort and vigorous health. 5. “Then tell him that Ajatasatru, son of Videhi, the King of Magadha, is eager to attack the Vajjins, mighty and powerful though they be, I will destroy these Vajjins, I will bring these Vajjins to utter ruin ! 6. “And bear carefully in mind whatever the Blessed One may predict and repeat it to me. For the Buddha speaks nothing untrue.” 7. Then the Brahmin Vasakara hearkened to the words of the king, saying, “Be it as you say.” And ordering a number of magnificent carriages to be ready he went to the Vultures’ Peak. 8. On arriving there he exchanged with the Blessed One the greetings and compliments and then delivered to him the message even as the king had commanded. 9. Now at that time the venerable Ananda was standing behind the Blessed One. And the Blessed One said to him: “ Have you heard, Ananda, that the Vajjins hold full and frequent public assemblies? 10. “Lord, so I have heard,” replied he. 11. “So long, Ananda,” rejoined the Blessed One, “as the Vajjins hold these full and frequent public assemblies; so long may they be expected not to decline, but to prosper. 12. “So long, Ananda, as the Vajjins meet together in concord, and rise in concord, and carry out their undertakings in concord. 13. “So long as they enact nothing not already established, abrogate nothing that has been already enacted and act in accordance with the ancient institutions of the Vajjins as established in former days. 14. “So long as they honour and esteem and revere and support the Vajjin Elders, and make it a point of duty to hearken to their words.

408 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES IV 15. “So long as no women or girls belonging to their clans are detained among them by force or abduction. 16. “So long as the Vajjins respect and follow religion. 17. “So long, Ananda, the Vajjins may be expected not to decline but to prosper and no one can destroy them.” 18. In short, the Blessed Lord declared that so long as the Vajjins believe in democracy and practise democracy there is no danger to their State. 19. Then the Blessed One addressed Vasakara and said : 20. “When I was once staying, O Brahmin, at Vaishali I taught the Vajjins these conditions of welfare. 21. “We may expect then,” answered the Brahmin, “the welfare and not the decline of the Vajjins, so long as they observe these conditions. So, Gotama, the Vajjins cannot be overcome by the king of Magadha.” 22. So Vasakara heard the words of the Blessed One, rose from his seat and went back to Rajagraha to inform the king of what the Lord had said. § 4. War is Wrong 1. It so happened that Ajatasatru, the king of Magadha, mustering an army of cavalry and infantry, invaded Kasi, a part of the kingdom of king Pasenadi. And Pasenadi, hearing of the expedition, also mustered a similar army and went to meet him. 2. The two fought with one another and Ajatasatru defeated the king Pasenadi, who retreated to his own capital Shravasti. 3. The Bhikkhus who were in Shravasti returning from their alms round came and told the Exalted One of the battle and the retreat. 4. “Almsmen, the king of Magadha, Ajatasatru, is a friend of whatever is evil. King Pasenadi is a

409 HIS SERMONS IV friend of whatever is good. For the present, Pasenadi will pass the night in misery, a defeated man. 5. “Conquest engenders hate; the conquered lives in misery. But whoso is at peace and passionless, happily doth he live ; conquest hath he abandoned and defeat.” 6. Again it so happened these two kings met in battle a second time. But in that battle the Kosala king Pasenadi defeated Ajatasatru and captured him alive. Then king Pasenadi thought : “Although this king injures me who was not injuring him, yet is he my nephew. What if I were now to confiscate his entire army, elephants, horses, chariots and infantry and leave him only his life ?” And he did so. 7. And almsmen returning from their alms tour in Shravasti brought word of this to the Exalted One. Thereupon the Exalted One said : “A man may spoil another, just so far as it may serve his ends, but when he’s spoiled by others, he, despoiled, spoils yet again. 8. “So long as evil’s fruit is not matured, the fool doth fancy ‘now’s the hour, the chance!’ But when the deed bears fruit, he fareth ill. 9. “The slayer gets a slayer in his turn ; the conqueror gets one who conquers him ; the abuser wins abuse from another. 10. “Thus by the evolution of the deed, a man who spoils is spoiled in his turn.” § 5, The Duty of the Victor Who Has Won Peace 1. When the Victor in war has won the Peace he claims the right further to degrade the vanquished if not to enslave him. The Buddha had a totally different view on the matter. In His view if Peace had any meaning it means that the Victor has a duty to use his victory for the service of the vanquished. This is what he said to the Bhikkhus on this subject : 2. “When Peace is won, the adept in warfare needs to prove an able, upright man, of gracious speech,

410 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES IV kind mood, devoid of arrogance, an easy, grateful guest, no busybody wants but few sense-disciplined, quickwitted, bluster-free, never importunate; and let him never stoop to conduct mean or low, evoking grave rebuke. 3. “May creatures all abound, in weal and peace; may all be blessed with peace always, all creatures weak or strong, all creatures great and small ; creatures unseen or seen dwelling afar or near, born or awaiting birth, may all be blessed with peace ! 4. “Let none cajole or flout his fellows anywhere ; let none wish others harm in dudgeon or in hate. 5. “Just as with her own life a mother shields from hurt her own, her only child, let all-embracing thoughts for all that lives be thine, an all-embracing love for all the universe in all its heights and depths and breadths, unstinted love, unmarred by hate within, not rousing enmity. 6. “So, as you stand or walk, or sit, or lie, reflect with all your might on this : ‘ ’Tis deemed a state divine.’ ”

BOOK V The Sangh Part I — The Sangh Part II — The Bhikkhu—The Buddha’s Conception of him. Part III — The Duties of the Bhikkhu. Part IV — The Bhikkhu and the Laity. Part V — Vinaya for the Laity.