Esa Dhamme Vusunao Such Is Law Of Sage

Author(s): Colette Caillat
Publisher: Colette Caillat
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/269629/1

Page #1

Middle Indo-aryan and Jaina studies, edited by Colette Caillat Panels of the VIIth World Sanskrit Conference, Kern Institute, Leiden: August 23-29, 1987.
General Editor: Johannes Bronkhorst. Vol. VI. Leiden... 1991.
Esa dhamme visimao "Such is the law of the Sage**
Colette Caillat
The fifth lecture (ajjhayana) of the Uttarajjhāyā deals with the two types of death recognised by the Jainas, 1. the "fools' death", "against one's will" (bala- or akama-marana), 2. the "voluntary death" "of the wise" (sakama- or pandiya-marana). This latter part is introduced by six pådas (17c-d-18), and is concluded by four padas (29), in which the topic under discussion is stated. In both these introductory and concluding Slokas an even pada recurs, in which the commentators have noted a grammatical peculiarity. The stanzas run thus:
etto sakāma-maranam pandiyaṇam suṇeha me
vippasannam anaghāyam samjayana vusimao (17c-d - 18c-d);
tesim soccā sapujjanam samjayāṇa vusimao
na samtasanti maran'ante silavanta bahussuya (29). [For the v.l., see p. 95]
Following the commentaries, Jacobi translates:
17. "now hear from me the wise men's 'death with one's will'.
18. Full of peace and without injury to anyone is, as I have heard (from my teachers), the death of the virtuous who control themselves and subdue their senses".
29. "Having heard (this) from the venerable men who control themselves and subdue their senses, the virtuous and the learned do not tremble in the hour of death",1
Thus, samjaya and vusima(nt) are taken as more or less synonyms.
Is this interpretation to be accepted without further enquiry? Or, if the etymology of the word can be elucidated, will it throw some light on the original meaning of vusima (nt) and its evolution?
As a matter of fact, in the present passage, vusimao is glossed vasyavatām,2 "controlling, exerting oneself", by Devendra and others, who moreover observe the change in the number: vusimao ärṣatväd vafyavatām ... Such an interpretation is certainly plausible in the above contexts, all the more so as it is not rare to meet with two near synonyms following one another in asyndeton, in one and the same phrase.4

Page #2

82
COLETTE CAILLAT
Nevertheless, it should be observed that, in the last pada of Utt 5.29, the two associated terms silavanta and bahussuyā do not convey similar but complementary meanings, the former referring more to character and conduct, the latter to learning and actual knowledge.
Now, though the above quoted gloss is well accredited, the commentators seem at a loss to explain the equivalence vusimao vasyavatām - except as the result of an Amg peculiarity (ärşatvāt). For not only is the phonetical evolution unusual, but the sudden shift, in the same phrase, from the gen. pl. to the gen. sg. though the two adjectives have the same referent, is unexpected, as remarked by Jacobi. In fact, this "irregularity" points to a set form, and all the more so as it features in the cadence of an even sloka pāda. It can thus be surmised that vusimao was a fixed form, the original meaning and usage of which had probably become obsolete. Can we trace them?
Charpentier considers the commentators' etymology as "extremely doubtful", but "can offer no plausible explanation", - except "a slight possibility that vusímant might be vyavasāyavant, 'resolute, energetic, painstaking'"; but he proposes no explanation for the phonetic evolution from the latter.3
Pischel ($ 602) accepts a derivation from the base VAŚaya- (with the suffix -ima), comparable to pūrimą, samghāima, etc., from puraya-, samghātaya-, etc. But, if such were the case, the expected form would be. *väsima.
A totally different etymology has been proposed by PSM and AŚK. It is more economical and convincing, for it fits well in the conceptual universe and the figurative terminology of the "sramanic" poetry. Both PSM and ĀŠK derive vusima(t) from *vrşimat (*bsimant-).
Though the simplex *vusi seems not to occur in Amg and Pk texts, there is a possibility that this stem is actually preserved in the compound vusi-rāi(ya), and in an adjective derived with the possessive suffix OLA -mant- MIA -man(t), -ma(t): MIA *vust could continue OLA brsi- (also written vșsi-), and denote an ascetic's seat (= muni kā āsan, PSM); thus, in PSM vusima(t) is translated samyami, sadhu, muni (s.v. vusi).
It is true that the Sk equivalent, *brsi-mant- is not registered in the dictionaries. But the fem. bļsi is well known from the Sūtras onwards, in the meaning "Wulst, Bausch von gewundenem Gras, u.s.w., Polster" (PW), "a roll of twisted grass, pad, cushion, (esp. the seat of a religious student or of an ascetic" (MW). The word, probably of ultimately Iranian origin, is apparently akin to the well-known ved. barhiş-, "bed of grass, sacrificial grass", itself the base of the possessive adjective barhis

Page #3

ESA DHAMME VUSĪMAO
83
mant-, "der Opferstreu hat" (KEWA II 415), generally applied, in the RS, to the officiant.10 The formation of Amg vusima(t) could thus be compared with that of ved. barh(smant-.
At this point, attention should be paid briefly to the phonetic history of brsi in LA.
As far as the evolution of OIA br- (a rare sequence!) is concerned, H. Berger notes the outcome MIA bu-11 Though he does not mention bisi, the word can be added to the list he has given: the expected MIA form would then be precisely busi. Actually, this form is quoted in the Ayaranga Cunni in a gloss on a versified passage of Ayar 1 (38,24*, to be considered later):
samjamo busi (sic), so jattha atthi jattha vā vijjati so vusimam (sic) ... visimam ca vusimamto. The relationship between busi, and, on the other hand, busimanto, vusimam vusimanto is thus clearly stated. This gloss, busi = samjamo (samyamah) or "self-control", possibly favoured, or even determined, the preservation in C of the probably original reading (lost in the Āyar vulgate, infra p. 84):
b(Iv)usimanto ma(()imanto 12
As far as the fluctuation bu- / vu- is concerned, it is not surprising, considering the widespread hesitation bly observed throughout the history of LA,15 and the variations which often occur in borrowed words. As for the fact that the name of the ascetic's pad, busi, could be used metaphorically.to, express (one of) the virtues on which the muni firmly stands, it is but natural: suffice it to refer to the last lecture of Ayår 1, called uvahana-suyam (Iohana-s.), i.e. "the pillow of righteousness", as translated by Jacobi. 14
Some Jaina canonical texts will now be considered.
From the accounts of the voluntary death of Jaina legendary beroes, it can be seen that a set ceremonial is in force at these last moments: it consists of several stages, the seventh of which is almost always mentioned; it concerns the careful arrangement of a layer of darbha grass on a pure, flat, piece of ground, where the dying man will take his place, facing the East, dabbha-samthårayam samtharai, 20 puratthahimuhe sampaliyanka-nisanne ... (Viy 425, 78.).15
Attention is called to both the posture and the preparation of the seat chosen for this ultimate sacrifice. For, as is well known, the pandiya

Page #4

84
COLETTE CAILLAT
progressive and solemn renunciation, the last stages of which are dealt with, towards the end of the first book of the Āyār, in the lecture called Vimoha.16 The relevant instructions are given first in prose, and then in 25 Slokas. 17
When, after he has already restricted his food, the monk comes to the conclusion that he should abandon his body, he goes to a settlement, begs for (a layer of) grass, looks for a solitary place, inspects and cleans the ground, spreads the grass and conducts temporary fasts. Having successfully completed these, he repeats the same preliminary rituals; then be renounces 1. his body, 2. all movements of his limbs, 3. all motion, 18 anupavisitta gämam và ... tanaim jāejjā ... egantam avakkamejjā ... padilehiya 2 pamajjiya 2 tanāim samtharejjā ... (37, 20 ff.). This is summarized in the seventh sloka:
game vă aduva ranne thandilam padilehiya appa-panam tu vinnāya tanaim samthare muņi (39,5*f.)
announced in the first stanza, of which the
The topic had been vulgate text reads:
... vimohāim jāim dhira samāsajja vasumanto maimanto savvam naccă anelisam (38,23*f.).
The text thus deals with "the methods of) liberation, thanks to which the wise-and-imperturbable (dhira) (attain the Goal), - those who are rich (spiritually) (and) endowed with understanding, - who have totally known the Incomparable". 19
According to the T (p. 289), vasu means dravyam ("wealth"), samyamah ("self-control"): tadvanto vasumantaḥ. The spiritual meaning is evidently to be preferred in the Ayār context which deals with the pandiya- or sakāma-marana; hence Jacobi's translation "rich in control". This amounts in practice to the same as the gloss of the (probably original) reading preserved in the C (b(lv)usimanto (supra), the etymology and the meaning of which had, it seems, soon baffled any precise definition (hence its replacement). But, as in the case of Utt 5. 18d (supra), the question arises whether the qualifications implied in the two possessive adjectives b(lv)usimanto maimanto bere used in asyndeton were originally meant to be complementary or more or less equivalent. The Süyagada occurrences (infra) appear to point to the latter interpretation.
In any case, all the texts insist on the general necessity of a firm religious background and basic knowledge, which results in pure conduct. This is clearly stated again in the later) collection of "Miscellanies"

Page #5

ESA DHAMME VUSĪMAO
85
(Paiņņayas). The Candāvejjhaya emphasises that, at the hour of death, it is important to remember the (even unique) pāda thanks to which one's conversion has taken place:
ekkammi vi jammi pae samvegam vīyarāya-maggammi vaccai naro abhikkham tam maran'ante na mottavvam.20
As for the Samthäraya, its name clearly refers to the death bed, the "bed of grass" on which the pious muni has taken place,
tiņa-samthāra-nisanno vi muņi-varo (48)
Nevertheless this pamphlet also emphasises that the so-called pandiyaor sakāma-marana is the culminating point of a long process of learning and self-improvement. It is expressly stated that liberation "is due not to the grass layer or to the purity of the earth (on which it is strewn): oneself is one's own bed (of salvation), if one's conduct has been pure":
na vi kāranam tana-mao samthāro na vi ya phāsuya bhumi: appå khalu samthāro havai visuddhe carittammi (53).21
Thus, though the emphasis can shift from right knowledge and/or faith to right conduct, or vice versa, all the three Jaina ratnas appear to be strictly intertwined, - like a mat or a well tied bunch (cf. brsi!).22 Hence it could be suggested that b(i)vusiman(t) was not, originally, just a synonym of samjaya "well controlled": rather it is not unlikely that it denoted the perfected niggantha, well equipped in all the three "jewels": being vusimam, he does not only practise, he also thoroughly knows and understands the precepts and their doctrinal basis, like the silavantā bahussuyā of Utt 5.29; he has faith in the law and is an experienced sage.
As a matter of fact, the occurrences of vusimam, vusimao in the Suy would point to this conclusion.
They will be considered now.
The occurrences of the gen. sg. vusimao will be examined first. It recurs three times, in a set formula (an even sloka pāda), used in three different lectures of the first book of Sūy. The wording is:
esa dhamme vusimao,

Page #6

86
COLETTE CAILLAT
which Jacobi translates "this is the Law of him who is rich in control".23 But it will be seen that this interpretation, although in accordance with the common Jaina' exegesis, is too restrictive. Further, the gen. vusimao is once echoed by the nom., vusimam which also occurs in Sūy 2.6.14*, that is in a passage bearing on doctrine(s) (and the conduct derived therefrom).
The teachings included in the three lectures where the evidently old formula esa dhamme vusimao occurs (1.8; 1.11; 1.15) will now be reviewed.
Sūy 1.8 is concerned with viriya, "exertion", of which two sorts are defined, one, to be blamed, which leads to karman, the other, to be praised, which leads to absence of karman. The first is that of the stupid fools (bālānam), the second that of the wise (pandiyānam).24 It is further specified in sloka 14 ff., that faultless conduct ensues from all religious instruction;2s that a wise man, when he knows death to be drawing near, should quickly learn the (relevant) teaching" (sikkham sikkhejja pandie, 150); "should crush together his sins by means of meditation" (pavai ... ajjhappena samähare, 16),26 his meditation evidently bearing, among others, on the prohibitions expressed in the mahāvratas (19a-c), which, in turn, are, so to say, summarized in pāda d:
esa dhamme vusimao.
It is thus clearly stated that wise conduct is thought of as necessarily founded on right faith and knowledge. The context of the above passage is compelling to the point that Silānka's I gives as the first meaning of vusimao: jnänådimataḥ, "of him who is equipped with right knowledge, etc. (viz. darśana and caritra)". It then adds the alternative equivalent, vašyêndriyasya (T 173).
Similar views are developed in Sūy 1.11, which deals with "the Path" (magga) preached by the "wise Brāhmaṇa", mähanena maimaya (1b), viz. by the Tirthakrt, or Mahāvīra, the Great Hero (T 198): "having attained the Path, one will cross the flood (of the samsāra)". 27 The teacher emphasises that he imparts the essence of this Path (magga-säram, 4d): it considers the various classes of living beings, which have to be analyzed "with all means of philosophical research" (savvāhim aņujuttihim, 9a): "this is the quintessence of the wise: not to kill anything",
eyam khu nänino sāram jam na hiņsai kamcanam (10 a-b).
The rules of right conduct are thus shown, as in Dasaveyaliya 4, to result immediately from the philosophical tenets professed by Jainism.

Page #7

ESA DHAMME VUSĪMAO
Hence the general conclusion, culminating in the last påda of the lecture (1.11.38d):
evam kevalino mayam,
"this is the doctrine of the Kevalin".
87
It is in the light of this concluding stanza that the recommendations formulated in 15a (to abstain from all foul behaviour) and the motto esa dhamme vusimao (15b) will be read.28
Despite the gloss (vusimao
samyak-samyamavataḥ, T 201), it is possible to understand the formula used in 15 as an expression equivalent to evam kevalino mayam. The parallel is all the more striking as the same images are used in both contexts: the pious man versed in the Law taught by the Jina is said, in sl. 32, to be able "to cross the dreadful current" of the samsara:
imam ca dhammam ādāya Kasaveņa paveiyam tare soyar maha-ghoram....
while, in 23, he "shows (akhyati) the island" to others:
āghai sāhu tam dīvam.
As for ajjhayana 1.15, it is just as explicit. After the praise of the Leader's (nayaka) omniscience (1-2), slokas 3-4 link knowledge and benevolence: "always he who possesses the truth feels kindness towards his fellow-creatures",
saya saccena'sampanne mettim bhüehl kappae (3c-d; cf. 13).
According to the constant pattern of this ajjhayaṇa, 3d is then echoed by 4a (bhuehim na virujjhejjā), an injunction followed (in 4b) by the motto esa dhamme visimao, which, in turn, gives rise to 4c-d:
vusimam jagam parinnaya assim jîviya-bhāvaṇā,
"the v. knows(-and-renounces)29 the world, and given this (knowledge meditates on the) reflections on life" 30 In the sequence 3c-d- 4a-b, the pada 4b, esa dhamme vusimao, obviously refers to 3c (where truth, sacca, is in evidence). Once more, then, this burden appears to be more or less

Page #8

88
COLETTE CAILLAT
equivalent to evam kevalino mayam - a conclusion supported by the next stanzas of 1.15:
5. "He whose soul is purified by meditating on those reflections (bhavana-) is compared to a ship in water; like a ship reaching to the shore he gets beyond misery",
nāvā va tira-sampatta savva-dukkhā tiutai.
7. "... he verily understands (vijānai) karman: having understood he (becomes) a Great Hero",
vinnāya, se Mahāvire ... (7c).
Given the nautical simile, Ţ (on 4b) is led to render 'vusimao' by Tirthaktah (after which it naturally adds the common gloss sat-samyamato vêti, Ţ 255).
Concerning the use of vusimam, it should moreover be noted that, in 4c, it is associated with parinnāya, a term which had first implied thorough knowledge, "discrimination between the good and the evil", which hence (later) meant "abstinence from sinful activities".31 It would. seem therefore that the emphasis tended to shift and concentrate on behaviour: both parinnāya and vusimam could have undergone a similar semantic evolution.
The last occurrence of vusimam to be examined is in Sūy 2.6.14, where, again, this qualification is associated with the observance of the mahāvratas: "because of solicitude towards living beings, - the v. does not blame (anybody) in the world",
no garahai vusimam kimci loe.
This triştubh concludes a development where doctrine had been the main topic: the nigganthas blame not the philosophers (pāvāiņo), but only the wrong doctrines (garahāmo disthim, 12); and they make known "the supreme, right, Path, taught by worthy, good men",
magge ime kitie āriehim aņuttare sap-purisehi anju (13).
The conviction that benevolence in words and deeds is intrinsically linked with right knowledge and faith is again emphasised; this view is moreover expanded in the conclusion of this same Suy 2.6 (55):

Page #9

ESA DHAMME VUSIMAO
89
buddhassa anāě imam samāhim
assim sufhiccā tivihena tai tarium samuddam va mahābhavoham āyānavam dhammam udaharejjäsi,
"A (monk) who has achieved his religious perfection through the instruction of the Awakened One, and stands firm in it ..., and who possesses the things requisite for crossing the immense ocean of existence, may preach the Law (Jacobi's translation (on udāharejjāsi, Pi 460]).
In other words, he is worthy of being called vusimam who knows, believes in, and practises the Path; hence, he who is qualified to preach it.
From the above survey two conclusions can be drawn; they can moreover be corroborated by a comparison with an old Buddhist poem.
1. The best gloss of vusimam is probably Tirthakyt, "ford-maker", prophet, sage. Further, the motto esa dhamme vusimao appears to be more or less equivalent to evam kevaliņo mayam. It may be that these two phrases are differentiated by some shade of meaning, kevaliņo mayam insisting more on the doctrinal aspects, dhamme vusimao more on the ethical consequences of knowledge and faith, especially at the crucial moment of death; but the purport of the two formulas appears to be very similar.
• 2. The etymology of b/vusimam evidently soon escaped the commentators and a fortiori the copists: it has been noted above how the canonical tradition as embodied in the manuscripts of Āyār 1 has replaced b/vusimanto by vasumanto, while the former is preserved in the ĀyārC.32 On the other hand, it would appear that the commentaries accept as optional:
vasumam ti va vasimam ti va vasati va vusimam va.33
But the data collected in the "seniors" of the canon leave almost no doubt that vusiman(t) / busiman(t) is a possessive adjective derived from vusi / busi (Sk brsi), which primarily had referred to a "layer (of grass)", especially the layer used by the religious ascetics, thus, among others, by the wise niggantha well trained in the three intimately connected ratnas of Jainism (in particular when he conducts the ultimate fasts which are to end in "death with one's will"). The importance attached to the choice of the seat is not surprising in the general Indian context.34

Page #10

90
COLETTE CAILLAT
The Buddhist, for their part, have given more and more details on the seat of darbha grass on which the Bodhisattva takes his place when preparing for the meditation which results in the Bodhi." Though comparatively late, the Jātaka nidāna or the Lalita Vistara probably reflect earlier traditions.
In any case, the meaning and use of bhisi36 in Sn command attention. It appears that this carefully) arranged layer (of grass, etc.) can be used as a well trimmed raft thanks to which the flood (be it of a river or of the samsāra) can be successfully crossed.
This (which agrees with the similes developed in Sãy 1.15, supra) ensues from two stanzas (in dialogue form) of the Dhaniya-sutta (Sn 2021). The herdsman Dhaniya, who has just settled on the bank of the river Mahi, expresses his satisfaction, seeing his cows graze the lush grass; despite the threatening rains, he imagines the place to be safe (20) - an idea which the Buddha rejects. To prove his point, he contrasts Dhaniya's situation with his own, summed up in stanza 21:
baddha hi bhisi susamkhatā (iti Bhagavā), tinno pāragato vineyya ogham: attho bhisiya na vijjati,
"Yes the raft has been tied together, perfectly well trimmed: (I have) crossed over, gone to the far-shore, having overcome the flood. - There is no need of a raft (any more)!"37
Commenting upon this last stanza, the Paramatthajotikā (II 34 f.) gives two meanings for bhisi: literally, commonly (loke), it is said of a baddhakulla, a raft, made of grass, sticks, branches and foliage (tiņa-kathasākhā-palāsam samkaddhitvā),38 tied together (by means of creepers, etc.),39 which has been laid down and spread out - and is ready for safe use: bhisi tipattharitvă puthulam katvā baddha-kullo vuccati loke (Pj II 34, 23 f.). In the spiritual world implied by the Buddha, this is evidently one of the numerous designations of the ariya-magga, for which several other equivalents are listed:
maggo pajjo patho ... nāvā uttara-setu ca kullo ca bhisi samkamo (ib. 26ff.).
The list is quoted in the Saddanīti,40 where it is further explained that the name is bhisi because it ressembles a bhisi: bhisi viyā ti bhisi. For the spiritual raft supposes the perfect assembling of the elements of the Path, tied together by the tie of knowledge, etc. ..., and impossible for any one to loosen or undo: mayā pana eka-citte magg'angāni samodha

Page #11

ESA DHAMME VUSIMAO
.
91
netvā nāna-bandhanena baddha ahosi, bhisi ca ... kena ci mocetum asakkuneyyatāya ... susamkhată (Pj II 35, 2-7). Elsewhere also, the Buddha shows how the dhamma can be compared with a raft, kullapamam ... dhammam desissämi.41 In such passages, the carefully arranged layer of grass, etc., is considered a good and safe preparation in view of a difficult journey. it is fit to take the wise and well trained individual to the other shore (pāram), to the end of a dangerous crossing, at the completion of which, overcoming the flood, he will reach, and lead his followers to, an island or a safe refuge.
To conclude: it appears that Sk bțsi, "a roll of twisted grass, pad, (esp.) the seat of a religious student or of an ascetic", had several MIA counterparts. Among them, Amg bust / vusi survived as the base of a possessive adjective suffixed with -ma(nt)-. Though soon obsolete the latter is known thanks to some old canonical pādas: either in the nom. sg. vusimam, or in the gen. vusimao (with a sing. or a plur. referent).
While there is no evidence that vusimam ever denoted specifically a religious equipped with some material layer of grass or a pad, it is true that the Jaina monks were attributed different kinds of seats according to their proficiency. In any case, the canonical passages examined in the present paper show that vusimam is applied to a niggantha particularly remarkable for his self imposed discipline (busi = samyama); or, rather, originally, to a niggantha perfected in faith, knowledge and conduct.
These three ratnas of Jainism, being firmly tied together, build a sort of raft (cf. Pa bhisi), thanks to which the accomplished monk crosses to the other shore of the samsāra, and also shows his followers the safe ford leading to liberation. Thus vusimam could have been an old equivalent of tirthakrt, a "fordmaker", or a "sage".
As a matter of fact, the Buddhists make use of the same metaphor when the Buddha explains how he has had at his disposal a well built and strongly tied raft (bhisi). Thus he could overcome the flood, cross over, attain the far shore and be definitely safe. Having reached the end of his journey, he can proclaim:
c. Pa bhis the samsvusimam
"There is no need of a float. So rain, sky(-deva), if you wish". 42

Page #12

92
COLETTE CAILLAT
-
*Abbreviations
Languages: Amg = Ardha-magadhi; BHS = Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit; IA = Indo-Aryan; MIA = Middle Indo-Aryan; OLA = Old Indo-Aryan; Pa = Pāli; Pk = Prākrit; Sk = Sanskrit.
Abbreviations of titles of Pa texts are as in Epilegomena to vol. I of A Critical Pāli Dictionary (CPD). Those of Jaina texts are as in Walther Schubring. Die Lehre der Jainas, Berlin, Leipzig 1935 (GIAPhA 3.7), p. 247. An asterisk (*) after a reference to a text written in prose and verses refers to a passage in verse.
Acar Acărânga-sütra. Erster Śrutaskandha
=
=
=
ed. W. Schubring, Leipzig 1910 (AKM 12.4), ref. to page and line; German translation, Id., in Worte Mahaviras, Göttingen, Leipzig 1926 (Quellen der Religionsgeschichte); cf. Ayär; - AgS Agamodaya Samiti, Mhesana, Surat, Bombay, reed. of Acărăngasūtram and Sūtrakṛtāngasūtram, with the Niryukti of Acarya Bhadrabāhusvāmi and the commentary of Śilänkācārya... by Jambūvijaya, Delhi 1978; - ĀŚK Agama Sabda Kosa, Ed.-in-Chief Acarya Tulasi, I Ed. Yuvacārya Mahaprajña, Ladaun, Jain Viswa Bharati; AiG = J. Wackernagel A. Debrunner, Altindische Grammatik; - Aup Das Aupapâtika Sûtra ed. Ernst Leumann, Leipzig 1883 (AKM 8); cf. Uvav, Ayar = Ayäranga-sutta, Indian ed.s cf. n. 12; ed. H. Jacobi, London 1882 (PTS); English transl., H. Jacobi, in SBE 22, London 1884; C = Cunni;CDIAL R.L. Turner, A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages; Charpentier notes to Utt; G = W. Geiger, Päli Literatur und Sprache, Strassburg 1916 (GIAPLA 1.7); JĀS = Jaina Agama Series, Bombay (Shri Mahāvīra Jaina Vidyalaya) - KEWA = M. Mayrhofer, Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen; MW Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Nis Nisiha-sutta, ed. W. Schubring. Vavahara- und Nisiha-sutta, Leipzig 1918 (AKM 15.1); Nis ed. with Bh(äsya) and C by Amaracandra and Kanhaiyalal, Agra 1957 (SanmatiJñana Pitha); - PED The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary; Pi(schel) R. Pischel, Grammatik der Präkrit-Sprachen, Strassburg 1900 (GIAPLA 1.8); - PSM Päia-Sadda-Mahannavo; PW- O. Böhtlingk u. R. Roth, Sanskrit-Wörterbuch, Petersburg, 7 vol.; SBE = Sacred Books of the East; - Suy = Suyagaḍanga-sutta, ed. Jambūvijaya, Bombay 1978 (JAS 2.2); English transl.,. H. Jacobi, in SBE 45, London 1895; T Tikā; Utt Uttarajjhāyā; references are to The Uttaradhyayanasutra, ed. by Jarl Charpentier, Upsala 1921-22, 2 vol. (Archives d'Etudes Orientales 18:1, 18:2); English transl., H. Jacobi, in SBE 45, London 1895; - Uvav Uvavaiya-sutta, references are to Leumann's ed., cf. Aup.
=
Notes
-
=
=
=
1. SBE 45, 22 f. - Silavanta bahussuya should be understood as "(both) virtuous and learned".
2. Cf. the etymology accepted in Ratnachandra, An illustrated Ardha-Magadhi Dictionary, S.V., (vasyamat).
3. Cf. Charpentier 299, ad Utt 5.18, where Devendra's text is quoted: ärsatväd vasyavatām, vasyany ǎyattāni prakramad indriyani vidyante yeşām te vasyavantaḥ.
4. Cf. Utt 5.28b: samjamam tavam (two words which are often associated).
5. Bahussuya probably moreoever implies babbhāgama, a bahuvrihi with which it is often coupled in the Jaina canon (cf. Vavahara-sutta 1.35; 3.3; 6.1 f...). The phrase points to a religious "der gelernt hat in Texten (sutra) und Tradition" (in this context, agama artha, according to the Ctt.), cf. W. Schubring, Drei Chedasütras des Jaina-Kanons, Hamburg 1966 (ANIS 11), p. 76; 69; thus, the expression relates to a monk who is knowledgeable and holds right views, cf. "instruit et averti", ib. 57.
Compare Asoka Rock Edict XII J (Erragudi): bahusuta ca kayaänägamă ca, "sowohl gut informiert als auch aufgeschlossen" (U. Schneider, Die grossen Felsen-Edikte Asokas, Wiesbaden 1978 (FBI), 115).
Buddhist texts have expressions such as:
bahu-ssutam dhamma-dharam, Th 1030 (cf. 1031),
"who has great learning, is expert in the doctrine", (K.R. Norman, Elders' Verses I); cf., in the Gandhari Dharmapada (249 and 248):
bahu-şuda dhama-dhara and
dharma-kama baho-şuda.

Page #13

ESA DHAMME VUSIMAO
93
Thus, in Utt 5.29d, it would seem that the three ratnas of Jainism (right conduct, right knowledge (and faith)) are required.
6. SBE 45, 22 n.1.
7. Nisiha-sutta 16.13-15 (cf. Schubring. Drei Chedasūtras, 102, vusi-raiya vrsi-räjita); Schubring compares vrsabha, "bewährter Mönch". Cf. NisC NisBh 5420, infra and n. 33. - Probably a quasi synonym of usima(nt); here applied to a monk - a religious company.
8. Note -r- ! Cf. AiG 1 p. 184; KEWA II 445, s.v. brsi. 9. KEWA, ib. and p. 415. 10. L. Renou, Etudes védiques et pāņinéennes 8, Paris 1961 (ICI 14), 82.
11. Zwei Probleme der mittelindischen Lautlehre, München 1955 (MIS 1), 55 f., ubi alia. - brși (Pa bhisi) is quoted among the IA borrowings, p. 25.
12. For the text of c, cf. Āyar JĀS ed., p. 84 n. 14; cf. ed. Jain Viswa Bbärati, Ladnun V.S. 2031 = 1975, p. 69 and n. 5 (vasumanto in the text; vusimanto C). According to Schubring's critical notes, p. 38 a. 24, C reads busimanto. - In the Glossar, s.v. busimanta, Schubring disjoins b. from busima (for which he refers to Pi 602).
13. ANG I 183 f., Nachträge, 101; O. v. Hinüber, Das ältere Mittelindisch im Überblick, Wien 1986 (Österreichische Ak. der Wiss., Philos. Hist. Kl. 467) $ 183. Also see the BHS forms quoted infra, n. 42.
14. SBE 22, 79; cf. Schubring, Acar p. 59. Acar? (AgS 297): bhāvasyopadhanam: ... jnanadarśana-caritrani tapo và ... (tena hi caritra-pariņata-bhavasyopastambhanam kriyate yata evam tasmät jnana-darsana-lapas-caranair inadhikytam). Once the "spiritual" had superseded the "material" meaning, it became easy to put together busi/ vusi and, on the other hand, either vasu, which could refer to spiritual treasure(s), or the forms derived from the root VAS (VAS), referring to control (over the senses). This evidently favoured vusi-manta at the expense of busi-manta; hence, ultimately, the replacement of this obscure term by various synonyms (cf. NisBb 5420, infra). As a matter of fact, any possible link with brsi was deemed to fade away. For OIA b-, in words of foreign origin, often underwent various changes, as can be seen again in the case of brsi. According to the Prakrit grammarians, it resulted in Pk bisi or bhisi. The latter is well known in Pa (cf. Pi $ 209; G $40.1.a; PED; CDIAL 9301; moreover, infra). Further, from brsika, the Prakrits derived the name of the "bundle", bhisi ya (Pi, ib.). The DesiNamamälä (6.105) quotes: bhisia bisi (1 visi). The Jaina canon uses bhisiga bhisiya to denote the seat of brahmanical ascetics, as can be seen in Uvay $ 86 (cf. E. Leumann, Aup. Glossar) or in Nāyadhammakabão 8 (ed. G. Roth, Wiesbaden 1983) $ 133. The word, moreover occurs in the list of brahmanas' or (false) sramanas impedimenta, in Ayar 2.2.3.2 (JAS ed. $ 444) = Sūy 2.2.48 (JAS ed. $ 710, p. 170). Apparently the bhisiya could keep, or be sprinkled with, fresh water (Uvav, Näy). could be overstrewn with darbha grass (Näy), thus be perfectly "pure" (cf. W. Schubring, Nāyadhammakabão ... herausg. von J. Delcu, Mainz, Ak. der Wiss. u. der Lit., Abh. der Geistes u. Sozialwiss. Kl. 1978.6, p. 28, $ 10. To sum up: the above evidence would point to various evolutions of OLA brsi. The resulting MIA forms would seem to have undergone a specialization in meaning compare O. v. Hinüber, Überblick $124): while b(h)isi bhisi(y)ā normally still referred to the object, Amg. busi / vusi was restricted to the designation of the pure and in many respects symbolic (Jaina) "layer"; as such, it survived mainly in the possessive adjective nom. vusimam, gen. vusimao, which is applied to the peerless niggantha. (For the variation b-lv-bh-, compare CDIAL 9308, beda-, 'boat', 2. veda-, 3. bheda-).
15. Suttagame ed., Gurgaon 1953. - Cf. also K. Oetjens, Siväryas Muläradhana. Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Sterbefasten-Literatur der Jainas, Hamburg 1976 (Diss.), 116 ff.
16. "Liberation", the "seventh" lecture in Jacobi's edition (where the present chapter is, crronncously, called Mahaparinna, p. 32-39) and translation, SBE 22, 62-78. In fact, according to the Acar tradition, it is the eighth, cf. Schubring, Ācār, p. 49 and 32; the latter's ed. (p. 32-40) is followed here.
17. PTS ed. p. 37-39; Schubring's ed. p. 37.14-38.22; 38.23-40.8*.
18. Sec Schubring's analysis, German translation and critical notes in his Worte Mahāvīras, Göttingen, Leipzig 1926, 111-115.
19. See Worte, 113 and n. 4,5,6. 20. Ed. JĀS 17.1 (1984) gathā 94.

Page #14

94
COLETTE CAILLAT
22. Compare Pa bhisi, infra.' Cf., in the Ayår passage, in pada s, maimanto, and, in pada b, dhird, the latter probably meaning both 'wise", and "firm" (cf. KEWA II 105).
23. SBE 45, p. 300; compare, supra, his translation of vasumanto. 24. Sūy 1.8.9: cyam sakamma-viriyam balanam tu paveiyarn, cyam akamma-viriyam pandiydnamn suneha me.
25. Sūy 1.8.14: saha-sammuie naccă dhamma-säram sunettu va, "whether he know the pith of the Law by intuition or through instruction" (Jacobi).
26. 'Adhyatmand', samyag-dharma-dhydnadi-bhavanayd, "by cultivating the right contemplation, etc. of the Law", T 172.
27. Sùy 1.11.1: kayare magge akkhaye mdhanena maimayd jam maggam ujjurn påvitta oham tarai duttaram?
28. Sūy 1.11.15a: pui-kammam na sevejja, "he should not partake of a meal which contains but a particle of forbidden food" (Jacobi p. 312 and n. 1, following 7 201).
29. 'Parijndya', samyag avabudhya, T 255 (absolutive, Pi 592; cf. infra vinndya). For the meaning, cf. infra, n. 31.
30. "He who is rich in control renounces everything, and in this world meditates on the) reflections on life" (Jacobi).
31. Cf. Nathmal Tatia, "Parallel developments in the meaning of parijna (Prakrit parinna, Pali pariffa) in the canonical literature of the Jainas and the Buddhists", Indologica Taurinensia 11 (1983), 293-302.
32. Cf. supra, and n. 12. Also see the hesitation of the mss. Nisiha-sutta 16.13-15: (a)vusi- / (a)vusa-rdiya, cf. Schubring's ed. 1918 and Drei Chedasútras 102 Nis Bh 5420.
33. In fact a quotation of the Nijutti on Nis 16. 13-15. C explains: 1) vasu ti rayana ...: bhave nånadiya (v. - jewels; in a spiritual sense: (religious) knowledge, etc.); or (adhavd) 2) indiyani jassa vase vaffanti so (he whose senses are under control); or (a.) 3) nåņa-damsana. carittesu jo vasati nicca-kalam (he who always dwells in (right) knowledge, faith and conduct); or (a.), vyutsrjati papam ... (he expels evil)... -- Ahava could imply a progression, "or, preferably".
34. Cf. the numerous rules concerning seats, etc., in the disciplinary texts of all the Indian communities. In particular, at the time of confession (aloyana), the Jainas mark the rank and the proficiency of the confessor and of the one confessing according to the scat which they are allotted: mahati nişadyd, or kalpa, or rajoharana ...; but squatting (utkufuka) is actually the pure position for the one confessing (cf. Caillat, Atonements in the ancient ritual of the Jaina monks, Ahmedabad 1975 (L.D. Scries 49), 131).
35. E.g. Ja I (aidāna) 70.32 - 71.6, quoted Sadd 526. 30 ff.; Lalita Vistara, chap. 19, ed. Lefmann, 285ff.
36. Pa for Sk brsi, cf. supra n. 11; 14. 37. Cf. Pj II 34, 16-22; and the translations by Hare and by K.R. Norman et alii.
38. ... Samkaddhitva, kullam bandhitvā, tam kullam nissaya hatthehi ca pådehi ca vayamamano, M I 135, 4-6: "having collected grass, sticks, branches and foliage, and having tied a raft, depending on that raft, and striving with hands and feet, ..., I.B. Horner's transl., 173 (referring to S IV 174, 13-15, where the same parable and description occur).
39. Cf. Vin I 230,14 (Sp) = D II 89,16 (references in CPD II, s.v. ufumpa, ubi alia). See J. Deloche, La circulation en Inde avant la révolution des transports. II. La voic d'eau, Paris 1980 (EFEO 122), 131: "On se laissait aussi porter sur des radcaux, bera (h.) ... Les villagois se contentaient souvent de simples assemblages de bambou, ... ou de quelques bottes de roscaux liées ensemble ...
40. Sadd 525, 19 ff.
41. M I 134,30; 34 ff. - S IV 174,5 ff.; cf. Ud 90,3 ff. Compare the "nava-sutta", Sa 316-323 (especially 321-322):
yatha pi nävarn dasham anhirva

Page #15

ESA DHAMME VUSĪMAO
piyen' arittena samangi-bhūto, so taraye tattha bahu pi aññe tatrûpaya-ññû kusalo mutima, (321)
evam pi yo vedagu bhaviť'atto
bahussuto hoti...
so kho pare nijjhapaye pajānam (322),
"Just as one embarking upon a stout boat, provided with oar and rudder, could bring many others across there, being skilful, thoughtful, and knowing the means thereof.
In the same way, one who has knowledge..." (K.R. Norman's translation).
42. K.R. Norman's translation.
95
I thank Mr. K.R. Norman who was kind enough to amend the Enlish text of this paper.
As suggested by him, Pa vusima(t), though not so well documented as Amg vusima (nt) should, naturally, be included in the present discussion.
Helmer Smith (Pj II 3, 768, s.v.) compares the Pa word with Ayar busimanta (supra). KR. Norman takes it as representing Sk vasamat (The labialisation of vowels in Middle Indo-Aryan", Str 2 (1976), 41-58, § 2.9 and n. 38; cf. § 3.5 and n. 56). PED, s.v. vusimant, notes that it is "difficult to explain", and refers to the two (even) pādas A IV 340 (14 b) and Sn 1115(f): in both, v. is seen to follow brāhmaṇa.
·
A IV 340, 2-13 (prose) gives eight equivalents (adhivacana) for tathagata, successively, samana, brahmana, vedagi, etc. In the versified passage 14 ff., brahmanena is immediately followed by vusimată, glossed in Mp IV 159,3: vusimatà ti brahmacariya-vasam vutthena; hence Hare's translation of the sutta, "by brāhmaṇa by god-life" (GS IV 223 and n.4).
In Sn, the gen. sg. vusimato (here again at the end of the päda) is preceded by tassa brahmanassa, which refers to the Tathāgata; the corresponding gloss (Pj II 601) is vusita-vāsassa, generally taken to mean "having led a pure life", having observed brahmacarya. Nevertheless, the Sn context is concerned essentially with the real knowledge and insight of the Tathāgata, whom Posāla has come to question (Sn 1112-1115), for he is eager to know the philosophical views of the Master:
etam Aanam tatham tassa brahmanassa vusimato.
Thus, the Pa evidence is similar to what has been observed in the Jaina tradition. The adjective vusima(t) appears to be an archaic survival, confined to more or less set phrases and places; the earlier occurrences seem to refer predominently to the supreme knowledge and perfection of a Tathāgata; later, the commentaries tend to insist preferably on the chaste life led by him who observes restraint, compare supra and n. 31.
In BHSD, on the other hand, the following forms are registered: b/vṛşikä blvṛsikä visikā. No possessive adjective is quoted.
Addenda ad Utt 5,18; 29 (supra p. 81)
In fact, some comparatively old manuscripts of Utt appear to write busimao.
A short visit (in February 1989) to the LD. Institute of Indology and the L.D. Museum, Ahmedabad (whom I thank for the kind help extended to me on this occasion) provided an opportunity to check the readings in four mss. of their collection. They are:
-
Ms. 26105 (V.S. 1456 = A.D. 1400), fol. 80 a 12 80 b 1 and 82 a 14 (Utt. 5. 18d and 29b): vusimao.
Illustrated ms. no. 55 (V.S. 1548 A.D. 1492), fol. 9 b (at present in the L.D. Museum; Utt 29 b): busimao (ct.: varyavatām).
Ms. no. 23100 (beginning of XVIth cent.), fol. 8 a 3 and 8 b 2: busimao.
Ms. no. 23102 (V.S. 1569 A.D. 1513), fol. 11 b 9 and 12 b 3: busimao (hesitatingly).

Page #16
96 COLETTE CAILLAT - ./hill T WW!! te ! Catu .. . . . . . SIN) . ch Rama and Sita on a raft, painting in Vat Bho, Siem Rap, Cambodia (drawing by Odette Mukherjee, after a cliche by Madeleine Giteau). According to Mlle. Giteau, this painting could refer to a passage in the Khmer Ramakerti. Cf. Ramakerti (XVle.-XVlle. siecles). Traduit et commente par Saveros Pou, and Texte khmer publie par Saveros Pou, Paris, 1977, 1979, EFEO 110, 117. Stanzas 623-627 run thuis (translatioa by Savercs Pou): 623. After listening to the Lord (= Ram), who was worried about how to take gentle Sita across the huge river inhabited by dangerous aquatic beasts, Laks who is very keen on looking after his elders, 624. determines to save them any worry. Thus, he fells some trees with his divine and keen sword, fastens the trunks 625. into a raft upon which he sets a couch. He picks flowers, strews them over it and makes some thick and heavy garlands. 626. He, tbus, achieves a heavenly flower-rug to cover the divinely magnificient raft. 627. Then, he bumbly presents it to his elders who embark for the crossing, whilst he himself swims along and guides the raft. [My thanks are due to Mmes. Giteau, Mukherjee and Pou for their kind help.)