Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 21.djvu/186

Rh the herb Of-all-colours-flavours-and-cases 1, and others. These he intends to apply.

57. He applies them in this manner: one he gives to the blind man after chewing it, another after pounding, again another by introducing it with the point of a needle into the man's body.

58. The man having got his eyesight, sees the sun, moon, planets, and stars, and arrives at the conclusion that it was from sheer ignorance that he spoke thus as he had formerly done.

59. In the same way do people of great ignorance, blind from their birth, move in the turmoil of the world, ' because they do not know the wheel of causes and effects, the path of toils 2.

60. In the world so blinded by ignorance appears the highest of those who know all, the Tathâgata, the great physician, of compassionate nature.

61. As an able teacher he shows the true law ; he reveals supreme Buddha-enlightenment to him who is most advanced.

62. To those of middling wisdom the Leader preaches a middling enlightenment; again another enlightenment he recommends to him who is afraid of the mundane whirl.

63. The disciple who by his discrimination has escaped from the triple world thinks he has reached pure, blest Nirviwa 3, but it is only by knowing all

The reading is doubtful : sarvavar«arasasth£n£n nagdl labhata oshadhi/B, evamadf* £atasro 'tha, &c. ; var. lect. °sth£n&nug£/» L, &c. This may mean, fit for all colours, flavours, and cases. Prati(t)yotp£da£akrasya — du^khavartmdna^. In other words, he has indeed attained a qualified (sopadhisesha, Pili up£disesa or sa-upddiiesha) Nirvdwa, or as non-Buddhists say, ^ivanmukti.