‘Venerable Nāgasena, it was said by the Blessed One:

“Already in former births when I was a man had I acquired the habit of inflicting no hurt on living beings.”

But on the other hand it is said:

When he was Lomasa Kassapa, the Rishi, he had hundreds of living creatures slain and offered the great sacrifice, the ‘Drink of Triumph.’”

‘Now, Nāgasena, if it is true what the Buddha said, that, in his former births as a man, he inflicted no hurt on living beings, then the saying that, as Lomasa Kassapa, he had hundreds of living creatures slain must be false. But if he had, then the saying that he inflicted no hurt on living beings must be false. This too is a double-edged problem, now put to you, which you have to solve.’

‘The Blessed One did say, O king, that already in former births, when he was a man, he had acquired the habit of inflicting no hurt on living beings. And Lomasa Kassapa, the Rishi, did have hundreds of living creatures slain, and offered the great sacrifice, the “Drink of Triumph.” But that was done when he was out of his mind through lust, and not when he was conscious of what he was doing.’

‘There are these eight classes of men, Nāgasena, who kill living beings—the lustful man through his lust, and the cruel man through his anger, and the dull man through his stupidity, and the proud man through his pride, and the avaricious man through his greed, and the needy man for the sake of a livelihood, and the fool in joke, and the king in the way of punishment. These, Nāgasena, are the eight classes of men who, kill living beings. The Bodisat, venerable Nāgasena, must have been acting in accordance with his natural disposition when he did so.’

‘No, it was not, O king, an act natural to him that the Bodisat did then. If the Bodisat had been led, by natural inclination, to offer the great sacrifice, he would not have uttered the verse:

“Not the whole world, Sayha, the ocean girt,
With all the seas and hills that girdle it,
Would I desire to have, along with shame.”

‘But though, O king, the Bodisat had said that, yet at the very sight of candavatī (Moon-face), the princess, he went out of his mind and lost command of himself through love. And it was when thus out of his mind, confused and agitated, that he, with his thoughts all perplexed, scattered and wandering, thus offered the great sacrifice, the “Drink of Triumph,"—and mighty was the outpour of blood from the necks of the slaughtered beasts!

‘Just, O king, as a madman, when out of his senses, will step into a fiery furnace, and take hold of an infuriated venomous snake, and go up to a rogue elephant, and plunge forwards into great waters, the further shore of which he cannot see, and trample through dirty pools and muddy places, and rush into thorny brakes, and fall down precipices, and feed himself on filth, and go naked through the streets, and do many other things improper to be done—just so was it, O king, that at the very sight of candavatī, the princess, the Bodisat went out of his mind, and then only acted as I have said.

‘Now an evil act done, O king, by one out of his mind, is even in this present world not considered as a grievous offence, nor is it so in respect of the fruit that it brings about in a future life. Suppose, O king, that a madman had been guilty of a capital offence, what punishment would you inflict upon him?’

‘What punishment is due to a madman? We should order him to be beaten and set free. That is all the punishment he would have.’

‘So then, O king, there is no punishment according to the offence of a madman. It follows that there is no sin in the act done by a madman, it is a pardonable act. And just so, O king, is it with respect to Lomasa Kassapa, the Rishi, who at the mere sight of candavatī, the princess, went out of his mind, and lost command of himself through love. It was when thus out of his mind, confused and agitated, that he, with his thoughts all perplexed, scattered and wandering, thus offered the great sacrifice, the “Drink of Triumph,"—and mighty was the outpour of blood from the necks of the slaughtered beasts! But when he returned again to his natural state, and recovered his presence of mind, then did he again renounce the world, and having regained the five powers of insight, became assured of rebirth in the Brahmā world.’

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

Here ends the dilemma about Lomasa Kassapa.