1.1Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa.Reverence to that Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One

2.1Milindo nāma so rājā,That king named Milinda,2.2sāgalāyaṁ puruttame;in the excellent city of Sāgala;2.3Upagañchi nāgasenaṁ,Approached Nāgasena,2.4gaṅgā ca yathā sāgaraṁ.as the Ganges approaches the ocean.

3.1Āsajja rājā citrakathiṁ,The king, having encountered an eloquent speaker,3.2ukkādhāraṁ tamonudaṁ;a bearer of fire-brands, a dispeller of darkness;3.3Apucchi nipuṇe pañhe,Asked subtle questions,3.4ṭhānāṭṭhānagate puthū.many pertaining to what is possible and impossible.

4.1Pucchā visajjanā ceva,Both the questions and the answers,4.2gambhīratthūpanissitā;grounded in profound meaning;4.3Hadayaṅgamā kaṇṇasukhā,Captivating to the heart, pleasant to the ear,4.4abbhutā lomahaṁsanā.marvelous, causing the hair to stand on end.

5.1Abhidhammavinayogāḷhā,Plunging into Abhidhamma and Vinaya,5.2suttajālasamattitā;equal to the net of Suttas;5.3Nāgasenakathā citrā,The wonderful discourse of Nāgasena,5.4opammehi nayehi ca.with similes and methodical.

6.1Tattha ñāṇaṁ paṇidhāya,Aspiring to wisdom there,6.2hāsayitvāna mānasaṁ;having delighted the mind;6.3Suṇātha nipuṇe pañhe,Listen to the subtle questions,6.4kaṅkhāṭṭhānavidālaneti.dispelling the occasions for doubt.

7.1Taṁ yathānusūyate—As is traditionally recounted—7.2atthi yonakānaṁ nānāpuṭabhedanaṁ sāgalaṁ nāma nagaraṁ nadīpabbatasobhitaṁ ramaṇīyabhūmippadesabhāgaṁ ārāmuyyānopavanataḷākapokkharaṇisampannaṁ nadīpabbatavanarāmaṇeyyakaṁ sutavantanimmitaṁ nihatapaccatthikaṁ paccāmittānupapīḷitaṁ vividhavicitradaḷhamaṭṭālakoṭṭhakaṁ varapavaragopuratoraṇaṁ gambhīraparikhāpaṇḍarapākāraparikkhittantepuraṁ.there is a city called Sāgala, a great centre of trade for the Bactrian Greeks, adorned with rivers and mountains, a delightful region, endowed with parks, pleasure gardens, groves, ponds, and lotus pools. A lovely place with rivers, mountains, and forests, it was constructed by skilled artisans. With its enemies defeated, it is not oppressed by adversaries, and it has various wonderful strong towers and turrets, with excellent gates and archways, surrounded by deep moats and white ramparts enclosing the inner palace.7.3Suvibhattavīthicaccaracatukkasiṅghāṭakaṁ suppasāritānekavidhavarabhaṇḍaparipūritantarāpaṇaṁ vividhadānaggasatasamupasobhitaṁ himagirisikharasaṅkāsavarabhavanasatasahassappaṭimaṇḍitaṁ gajahayarathapattisamākulaṁ abhirūpanaranārigaṇānucaritaṁ ākiṇṇajanamanussaṁ puthukhattiyabrāhmaṇavessasuddaṁ vividhasamaṇabrāhmaṇasabhājanasaṅghaṭitaṁ bahuvidhavijjāvanta naraciranisevitaṁ kāsikakoṭumbarikādinānāvidhavatthāpaṇasampannaṁ suppasāritarucirabahuvidhapupphagandhāpaṇaṁ gandhagandhitaṁ āsīsanīyabahuratanaparipūritaṁ disāmukhasuppasāritāpaṇaṁ siṅgāravāṇijagaṇānucaritaṁ kahāpaṇarajatasuvaṇṇakaṁsapattharaparipūraṁ pajjotamānanidhiniketaṁ pahūtadhanadhaññavittūpakaraṇaṁ paripuṇṇakosakoṭṭhāgāraṁ bahvannapānaṁ bahuvidhakhajjabhojjaleyyapeyyasāyanīyaṁ uttarakurusaṅkāsaṁ sampannasassaṁ āḷakamandā viya devapuraṁ.With well-arranged streets, crossroads, and intersections, with inner markets spread out and filled with various kinds of excellent goods, beautified with hundreds of various excellent charitable gifts, adorned with hundreds of thousands of excellent mansions resembling the peaks of the Himalayas, crowded with elephants, horses, chariots, and infantry, frequented by groups of beautiful men and women, thronged with ordinary people, of various khattiya, brahman, vessa, and sudda classes, gathered together with assemblies of various ascetics and brahmans, long frequented by men skilled in many kinds of knowledge. It is endowed with shops of various types of cloth such as Kāsika and Kotumbara, with shops spread out pleasingly with various kinds of flowers and perfumes, perfumed with fragrances, filled with desirable abundant jewels, with shops spread out in all directions, frequented by groups of merchant traders, full of kahāpaṇas, silver, gold, bronze, and bowls, a shining abode of treasures, with abundant wealth, grain, riches, and equipment, with full treasuries and storehouses, with much food and drink, including solid and soft foods, sweets, beverages, and savouries, as in Uttarakuru, blessed with crops, and like the city of the gods, Āḷakamandā.

8.1Ettha ṭhatvā tesaṁ pubbakammaṁ kathetabbaṁ, kathentena ca chadhā vibhajitvā kathetabbaṁ.With this set forth, their previous deeds should be told, and in telling it should be divided into six parts:8.2Seyyathidaṁ—Namely,8.3pubbayogo milindapañhaṁ lakkhaṇapañhaṁ meṇḍakapañhaṁ anumānapañhaṁ opammakathāpañhanti.the preliminary training, the Questions of Milinda, the Questions on Characteristics, the Dilemmas, the Questions on Inference, and the Questions with Talk on Similes.

9.1Tattha milindapañho lakkhaṇapañho, vimaticchedanapañhoti duvidho.Therein, the Questions of Milinda and the Questions on Characteristics are twofold as Questions Cutting Through Doubt.9.2Meṇḍakapañhopi mahāvaggo, yogikathāpañhoti duvidho.The Dilemmas are also twofold as the Great Section and the Questions on Yogic Discourse.