The Elder said: ‘Do you know, O king, what time it is now?’

‘Yes, Sir, I know. The first watch of the night is now passed. The middle watch is now going on. The torches are lit. The four banners are ordered to be raised, and appropriate gifts to be issued to you from the treasury.’

The Yonakas said: ‘Very good, great king. Most able is the Bhikkhu.’

‘Yes, my men. Most able is the Bhikkhu. Were the master like him and the pupil like me, a clever scholar would not take long in getting at the truth.’

Then the king, pleased with the explanations given of the questions he had put, had Nāgasena robed in an embroidered cloak worth a hundred thousand, and said to him: ‘Venerable Nāgasena, I hereby order that you shall be provided with your daily meal for eight hundred days; and give you the choice of anything in the palace that it is lawful for you to take.’ And when the Elder refused, saying he had enough to live on, the king rejoined: ‘I know, Sir, you have enough to live on. But you should both protect me and protect yourself—yourself from the possibility of a public rumour to the effect that you convinced me but received nothing from me, and me from the possibility of a public rumour that though I was convinced I would give nothing in acknowledgement.’

‘Let it be as you wish, great king,’ was the reply.

Then the king said: ‘As the lion, the king of beasts, when put into a cage, though it were of gold, would turn his face longingly to the outside; even so do I, though I dwell in the world, turn my thoughts longingly to the higher life of you recluses. But, Sir, if I were to give up the household life and renounce the world it would not be long I should have to live, so many are my foes.’

Then the venerable Nāgasena, having thus solved the questions put by Milinda the king, arose from his seat and departed to the hermitage.

Not long after Nāgasena had gone, Milinda the king thought over to himself whether he had propounded his questions rightly, and whether the replies had been properly made. And he came to the conclusion that to questions well put replies had been well given. And Nāgasena likewise, when he reached the hermitage, thought the matter over to himself, and concluded that to questions well put right replies had been given.

Now Nāgasena robed himself early in the morning, and went with his bowl in his hand to the palace, and sat down on the seat prepared for him. And Milinda saluted the venerable Nāgasena, and sat down respectfully at his side, and said to him: ‘Pray do not think, Sir, that I was kept awake all the rest of the night exulting in the thought of having questioned you. I was debating with myself as to whether I had asked aright, and had been rightly answered. And I concluded that I had.’

And the Elder on his part said: ‘Pray do not suppose, great king, that I passed the rest of the night rejoicing at having answered all you asked. I too was thinking over what had been said by us both. And I came to the result that you had questioned well, and that I had rightly answered.’

Thus did these two great men congratulate each the other on what he had spoken well.

Here ends the answering of the problems of the questions of Milinda.