‘Venerable Nāgasena, your people say that the Tathāgata is all wise. And on the other hand they say: “When the company of the members of the Order presided over by Sāriputta and Moggallāna had been dismissed by the Blessed One, then the Sākyas of Kātumā and Brahmā Sabanipati, by means of the parables of the seed and of the calf, gained the Buddha over, and obtained his forgiveness, and made him see the thing in the right light.” Now how was that, Nāgasena? Were those two parables unknown to him that he should be appeased and gained over to their side, and brought to see the matter in a new light? But if he did not already know them, then, Nāgasena, he was not all-wise. If he did know them, then he must have dismissed those brethren rudely and violently in order to try them; and therein is his unkindness made manifest. This too is a double-edged problem now put to you, and you have to solve it.’

‘The Tathāgata, O king, was all-wise, and yet, pleased at those parables, he was gained over by them, he granted pardon to the brethren he had sent away, and he saw the matter in the light (in which the intercessors on their behalf wished him to see it). For the Tathāgata, O king, is lord of the Scriptures. It was with parables that had been first preached by the Tathāgata himself that they conciliated him, pleased him, gained him over, and it was on being thus gained over that he signified his approval (of what they had said). It was, O king, as when a wife conciliates, and pleases, and gains over her husband by means of things that belong to the husband himself; and the husband signifies his approval thereof. Or it was, O king, as when the royal barber conciliates and pleases and gains over the king when he dresses the king’s head with the golden comb which belongs to the king himself, and the king then signifies his approval thereof, Or it was, O king, as when an attendant novice, when he serves his teacher with the food given in alms which his teacher has himself brought home, conciliates him and pleases him and gains him over, and the teacher then signifies his approval thereof.’

‘Very good, Nāgasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.’

Here ends the problem as to the all-wise Buddha being gained over by intercession.

Here ends the Fourth Chapter.