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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