[244] In his Buddha-existence, of course.
[245] This apology is not superfluous, indeed. Though fables of animals have been adapted of old so as to form part of the stock of sacred lore of the Buddhists, the contradiction between the low existences of the most virtuous ones and the doctrines about the karma is as great as possible.
[246] The common representation of Yama is sitting on the back of a buffalo with a staff in his hand. See, for instance, Varâhamihira Brihatsamhitâ 58, 57 dandî Yamo mahishagah.
[247] Indian medicine divides the diseases into three classes, according to their origin from one of the three humours: phlegm (kapha), wind (vâta), and bile (pitta).
[248] Cp. the conclusion of Story XXV.
[249] The point of this stanza is lost in translation. The term sattvakâya admits of two acceptations, according to its being applied to the philosophical and to the ordinary use of the word sattva. So the same compound may signify 'a body of animals' and 'a collection of substances.' Similarly the term guna means 'virtue' as well as 'quality.'
[250] The last pâda of this sloka looks corrupt in the original, yet without encumbrance of the main sense which is evident.
[251] Cp. the beginning of Story XIV, p. 125.
SYNOPTICAL TABLE
OF THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE STANZAS OF THE GÂTAKAMÂLÂ AND THE SCRIPTURE VERSES OF THE PÂLI GÂTAKA.