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p. 50


1. Now at that time a certain Bhikkhu had disease of the eyes. They used to carry that Bhikkhu out to ease himself. The Blessed One as he was passing through the Bhikkhus' sleeping quarters saw them [doing so]. When he saw them, he went up to the place where they were, and asked those Bhikkhus:


2. 'This venerable one, Lord, has disease of the eyes. Therefore do we carry him out to ease himself.'

Then the Blessed One, on that account, having delivered a religious discourse, addressed the Bhikkhus, and said:

'I allow, O Bhikkhus, the use of eye ointments 1; to wit, black collyrium 2, rasa ointment 3, sota ointment 4, geruka 5, and kapalla 6.'

They had need of perfumes to grind up into ointments.

p. 51

'I allow, O Bhikkhus, the use of sandal wood, tagara 1, black anusâri 2, kâlîya 3, and bhaddamuttaka 4.'


50:1 Añgana, which is here a generic term, inclusive of all the following; sabba-samgâhika-vakanam, says Buddhaghosa.

50:2lañganan ti ekâ añgana-gâti (B.).

50:3 Rasañganan ti nânâ-sambhârehi katam (B.). Böhtlingk-Roth say it is made with vitriol.

50:4 Sotañganan ti nadisotâdisu uppagganakam añganam (B.). It is called in Sanskrit srotoñgana, and was made with antimony.

50:5 Geruka is the Sanskrit gairika, ochre; and the kind meant is yellow ochre. Geruko nâma suvanna-geruko, says Buddhaghosa. Compare the Sanskrit Kâñkana-gairika and svarna-gairika.

50:6 Kapallan ti dîpa-sikhâto gahita-masi, 'soot taken from the flame of a lamp' (B.).

51:1 Tagara as a fragrant flower is mentioned in verse 54 of the Dhammapada quoted in Milinda Pañha, p. 333.

51:2 A kind of dark fragrant sandal wood.

51:3 Read so in the text as corrected on p. 381. It is a kind of sandal wood.

51:4 A perfume made from the grass of the same name (mentioned above, VI, 3).

Next: Chapter 12