Brahmalokapañha

Milindapañha

Milinda’s Questions

Arūpadhammavavatthānavagga

Analysis of Formless Dhammas Chapter

4. Brahmalokapañha

4. Question on the Brahma World

Rājā āha—

The king asked,

“bhante nāgasena, kīvadūro ito brahmaloko”ti?

“Venerable Nāgasena, how far away is it from here to the Brahma world?”

“Dūro kho, mahārāja, ito brahmaloko kūṭāgāramattā silā tamhā patitā ahorattena aṭṭhacattālīsayojanasahassāni bhassamānā catūhi māsehi pathaviyaṁ patiṭṭhaheyyā”ti.

“So far, your majesty, that if a rock the size of a peaked-roof building had fallen from there, and falling at the speed of eighty-four thousand yojanas per day, it would take four months to land on the earth.”

“Bhante nāgasena, tumhe evaṁ bhaṇatha—

“Venerable sir, you say thus,

‘seyyathāpi balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya;

‘Just as a strong man might stretch out his bent arm or bend his stretched arm,

evameva iddhimā bhikkhu cetovasippatto jambudīpe antarahito brahmaloke pātubhaveyyā’ti etaṁ vacanaṁ na saddahāmi, evaṁ atisīghaṁ tāva bahūni yojanasatāni gacchissatī”ti.

in the same way a bhikkhu with psychic powers who has attained mastery over his mind could disappear from Jambudīpa and appear in the Brahma world.’ This I do not believe that one might go so quickly over so many hundreds of yojanas.”

Thero āha—

The elder said,

“kuhiṁ pana, mahārāja, tava jātabhūmī”ti?

“Where then, your majesty, is the place of your birth?”

“Atthi, bhante, alasando nāma dīpo, tatthāhaṁ jāto”ti.

“There is, venerable sir, an island called Alasanda, there I was born.”

“Kīva dūro, mahārāja, ito alasando hotī”ti?

“How far away, your majesty, is Alasanda from here?”

“Dvimattāni, bhante, yojanasatānī”ti.

“About two hundred yojanas, venerable sir.”

“Abhijānāsi nu tvaṁ, mahārāja, tattha kiñcideva karaṇīyaṁ karitvā saritā”ti?

“Do you not know, your majesty, of some business that you have completed there and now remember?”

“Āma, bhante, sarāmī”ti.

“Yes, venerable sir, I remember.”

“Lahuṁ kho tvaṁ, mahārāja, gatosi dvimattāni yojanasatānī”ti.

“Indeed, so quickly you have gone about two hundred yojanas, your majesty!”

“Kallosi, bhante nāgasenā”ti.

“You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena!”

Brahmalokapañho catuttho.

Question on the Brahma World fourth