Milinda Panho (Menander's questions to Nagasen): A Discussion over the Philosophy of No-Soul (अनात्मवाद)
Indo-Greek Emperor Menander (165-130 BC) was a connoisseur of literary arts and philosophy. His discussions with a Buddhist monk Nagasena over the questions of life, karma, and nirvana became famous as a book titled Milindapanho (Menander’s queries) or Milindaprashna . It is considered a representative example of the Madhyamika Buddhist philosophy of nothingness, also known as the philosophy of Shunyata . What follows is the first part of this text. (Translated from a Hindi version published in Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan’s volume titled, Darshan Digdarshan ) On the day assigned for the discussion, emperor Milinda arrived at Nagasena’s monastery riding an ornately decorated chariot and an entourage of 500 Bactrian Greek soldiers: On the philosophy of ‘No-Soul’ Menander: “Bhante! By what name is your reverence known?” Menander- “I am referred to as Nagasena. Though, it is merely a convention adopted for convenience’s sake. No such entity in fact exists.” Menander- “Bhante