4
A Pālism in Buddhist Sanskrit Author(s): Henry S. Gehman Source: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 44 (1924), pp. 73-75 Published by: American Oriental Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/593537 . Accessed: 13/06/2014 01:47 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . American Oriental Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the American Oriental Society. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 195.78.108.199 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 01:47:53 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

A Pālism in Buddhist Sanskrit

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: A Pālism in Buddhist Sanskrit

A Pālism in Buddhist SanskritAuthor(s): Henry S. GehmanSource: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 44 (1924), pp. 73-75Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/593537 .

Accessed: 13/06/2014 01:47

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

American Oriental Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal ofthe American Oriental Society.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.199 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 01:47:53 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: A Pālism in Buddhist Sanskrit

BRIEF NOTE

A Palism in Buddhist Sansicrit

In JAOS 43. 410if. we established the technical meaning of ddisati, anvddisati, anudisati, and uddisati in the Peta-Vatthu as signifying 'to make over, to transfer or ascribe, or to give a gift in the name of.' We pointed out that ddisati, anvddisati, and uddisati are used with the accusative of the gift and the genitive or dative of the person who is benefited spiritually or to whom the merit is transferred.

It may be of interest also to note a similar use of the root dis and a-dis in the AvadAnasataka, Book V, which in Sanskrit de- scribes the torments of the pretas. This idiom can be understood only in the light of what has been proved in the aforementioned article; in other words we are confronted with a Palism. Now it seems that the Sanskrit writer felt that he was employing a for- eign expression, since for the sake of clearness he used nMbmn& with the genitive of the person in whose name the gift was pre- sented instead of the dative of the person who was to be benefited; at the same time, however, he retained this technical PAli use of dis and a-dis. In the Peta-Vatthu this idiom was amplified only once (II, 8, 8) by the insertion of hitaya with the genitive of the person benefited. Judging from this single instance as contrasted with the other numerous examples with the dative or genitive of the person, we inferred (JAOS 43. 411) that the original idiom in Pdli was the verb with the accusative of the gift and the dative or genitive of the person to whom the merit was transferred. With this fact in mind we are safe in assuming that while employing a Palism, the Sanskrit writer tried to make this technical religious meaning clear by the addition of namnn with the genitive.

Let us now examine these Pilisms in the Avaddnasataka. In V, 5, five hundred pretas besought MahAmdudgalyAyana to

visit their kinsmen and persuade them to give donations in their name. In this connexion the ghosts said: buddhapramrukharh bhikcsusangharh bhojayitvjsm1ka& namna daksinades'andrh icara- yitva casmd7kaih pretayoner mokcsah sydd iti: "Induce them to feed the Chapter of monks presided over by the Buddha and to

73

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.199 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 01:47:53 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 3: A Pālism in Buddhist Sanskrit

74 Brief Note

present a gift in our name; then we shall be free from the preta existence."

In V, 6, a preti, the mother of Uttara, in asking her son for aid, says: mama namnm buddhapramukharh bhiksusaiigharrh bhojaya dakcsinarm &des'aya desana-m' ca karapa; evarh pretayoner mama molksah syad iti: " In my name cause (my kinsfolk) to give a meal to the Chapter of monks presided over by the Buddha; induce them to make over the merit of the gift, yea persuade them to make a transfer; in that way I shall be freed from the preta existence." In continuing the story, we read: tata ayusman uttaro buddha- pramuukha~rh bhiksusaigharrh pranitendhdrena sarrhtarpya pretya naMmn daksinadesandri karayamasa: " After the venerable Uttara had brought food and refreshed the Chapter of monks presided over by the Buddha, he made over to the preti the virtue of the gift (or gave the gift in the name of the preti)." The Buddha then confirms or reenforces this transfer of merit (bhagavdibs' ca plafczi 9gopletena svarena svasyam eva daksinddesandrm &disati), saying:

ito ddnad dhi yat punyafri tat pretim anugacchatu uttisthatdrh 1csipram iyarh pretalolcat suddrunad iti:

"Verily, whatever good is derived from this gift, let that go to the credit of the preti; may she quickly rise from the exceedingly terrible preta world."

Here the transfer of merit is described without the root dis, and consequently we feel that we have found the correct interpre- tation of the above passages.

In this connexion let us compare Peta-Vatthu IV, 1, 51-52, where the king says (51):

Tarm disvd sarmvegamalattham bhante tappaccayd caharm daddmi danarm patiganha bhante vatthayugani attha yakkhass' im' dgacchantu dakkhinayo:

"Reverend sir, I saw him in terror and in sin; therefore I give a gift. Lord, accept eight pair of garments, and let these presents go to the credit of the yakkha." The ascetic replied (52)

Addha hi danarm bahudha pasattharm dadato ca te alclchayadhammam atthu

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.199 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 01:47:53 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 4: A Pālism in Buddhist Sanskrit

Brief Note 75

patigganhanmi te vatthayugani attha yakkhass' im' &gacchantu dakkhind-yo:

"Surely the gift in many ways is acceptable, and may it have endless virtue for you, the giver. I accept from you the eight pair of garments; may these presents redound to the credit of the yakkha."

It is interesting to note that the two languages use the root gain in describing the transfer of merit, when the technical idiom is not employed. Although the Peta-Vatthu uses &-gam with the genitive or dative, while the Avadanasataka has anu-gam with the accusative, nevertheless a common mode of thought underlies the two expressions. In these technical phrases of the Avadanasataka where we meet the root dis, we detect a Palism, but this does not mean that the Sanskrit author was translating from a Pli original. We should rather infer that these terms were in current use by the Buddhists long before these works were composed.

HENRY S. GEHMAN. University of Pennsylvania.

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.199 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 01:47:53 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions