Notes On Text Of Asoka Legend

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/269645/1

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NOTES ON THE TEXT OF THE ASOKA LEGEND The Sanskrit text of the Asoka legend is found in the Divyavadana (ed. E. B. Cowell and R.A. Neil, Cambridge 1886): chapter 26: Pamsupradana (p. 348-382); chapter 27: Kunala (p. 382-419); chapter 28: Vitasoka (p. 419-429); chapter 29: Asoka (p. 429-434). The greater part of the text (p. 369.8-434) was translated by E. Burnouf in his Introduction a l'histoire du buddhisme indien, Paris 1844, p. 358-432. The Sanskrit text of the Asoka legend is not well preserved. Not only is the text in many places hopelessly corrupt, but the compilers of the Divyavadana seem to have changed the order of the chapters. It is only with the help of the two Chinese translations that it is possible to reconstruct the original order of the chapters. The first Chinese translation (Ch. 1) is due to the Parthian Fa-ch'in, who translated the text about 300 A.D. His translation, entitled A-yu-wang-chuan (Taisho no. 2042), was rendered into French by Jean Przyluski in his La legende de l'empereur Acoka, Paris 1923, p. 223-427. The second Chinese translation (Ch. 2) was made by a monk from Fu-nan, Seng-ch'ieh-p'o-lo, who translated several texts between 506 and 520 in Nanking. The title of the Chinese version is A-yu-wang-ching (Taisho no. 2043). Przyluski pointed out that the fragments of the Asoka legend in the Divyavadana are very close to the corresponding chapters of Ch. 2, whereas Ch. 1 differs from all known recensions and contains important passages which are not found elsewhere (Przyluski, p. XIII). Przyluski indicates in the notes to his translation of Ch. 1 the corresponding passages of the Divyavadana and Ch, 2, but it is not easy to see at first glance which passages correspond in the three recensions. Moreover, Przyluski refers to the Tokyo edition of the Tripitaka and not to the Taisho edition. In 1963 Sujitkumar Mukhopadhyaya published a new edition of the Asokavadana (New Delhi 1963). In this edition the chapters are published in the following order: Pamsupradana, Vitasoka, Kunala and Asoka. The recent translation of the Asokavadana by John S. Strong is based on Mukhopadhyaya's edition (The Legend of King Asoka, Princeton 1983, p. 166-303). Strong remarks that, following the lead of the Chinese texts, it inverts the order of two of the four chapters of the See our review in IIJ 12, 1969-70, p. 269-274.

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Divyavadana Chinese 1 I. Avadana du don de la terre (p. 225-244) 1. (The gift of dirt and Buddha's prediction pertaining to Asoka) (p. 225-228) Chinese 2 1. Avadana of the birth (p. 131b-13563) 104 (p. 131b-13269) 364.19369.7 2. (Asoka's birth, his violent deeds and his conversion) (p. 229-244) (p. 132b9-13563) 369.8-382.3 II. Avadana of the meeting with Upagupta. II. Avadana du roi Asoka (p. 245-269) 1. (Asoka's meeting with Upagupta) (p. 245-251) (p. 135b13-136b29) 384.28389.3 2. (Asoka's pilgrimage) (p. 251-260) J. W. DE JONG (p. 136c1-139a14) 389.4 397.17 3. (Worship of the bodhi tree) (p. 260-263) III. Avadana of the worship of the bodhi tree (p. 139a22-144a4) 1. ) (p. 139a22-c13) 397.17399.22 4. (Pindola Bharadhvaja) (p. 264-267) 2. (-) (p. 139c14-140c8) 399.23403.8 5. (The Quinquennial festival) (p. 267-269) 3. ) - (p. 140c8-14165) 403.8405.15

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III. Avadana du frere cadet du roi Asoka (p. 270-280) IIIb. Avadana of Vitasoka (p. 14166-144a4) 419.14429.4 IV. Avadana de Kunala (p. 281-295) IV. Avadana of Kunala (p. 144a12-14706) 405.16419.12 V. Avadana de la moitie d'amalaka" (p. 296-303) V. Avadana of the gift of a half of an amalaka to the sangha (p. 147c14-149517) 429.6434.27 VI. Avadana of Buddha's prediction relating to Upagupta (p. 149b25-152c7) VI. Avadana d'Upagupta (p. 308-326) 1.((Upagupta's past life) (p. 308-311) (p. 149b25-150a8) 348.19. 350.24 THE ASOKA LEGEND 2. (Buddha's parinirvana and the council of Rajagrha) (p. 311-326) 2. (p. 150a8-152c7) VII. Avadana of the transmission of the treasure of the Law by the five pupils of the Buddha (p. 152c15-157a21) 1. The transmission of the law (p. 152c15-153a4) missing VII. Avadana du Nirvana de Mahakasyapa (p. 327-369) 1. (Avadana of Mahakasyapa) (p. 327-340) 2. Avadana of Kasyapa (p. 153a5-156a5) 105

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106 2. Avadana de Madhyantika (p. 340-342) 3. Avadana de Sanavasa (p. 342-346) 3. Avadana of Madhyantika (p. 15626-156b19) 4. Avadana de Sanavasa (p. 156b20-157a21) 4. (Avadana of Upagupta) (p. 346-363) 5. (Sanavasa obtains Awakening) (p. 363-364) VIII. Avadana of the transmission of the treasure of the Law by the five pupils of the Buddha. Part two. (p. 15765-16169) 1. Avadana of Upagupta 350.24-364.10 (p. 157b7-161a24) 2. Avadana of the obtainment of Awakening by Sanavasa (p. 161a25-16159) J. W. DE JONG 6. (Story of the tiger cubs) (p. 364-365) missing IX. Avadana of the pupils of Upagupta (p. 161b16-165c2) 1. Avadana of the tiger cubs (p. 161b17-161c9) 2. Avadana of the products of the cow. (p. 161010-28) 3. Avadana of the man from South India (p. 161c29-162a9) 7. (Story of the man from South India) (p. 366) 8. (The conversion of 500 pupils of Upagupta by Sanavasa) 4. (The conversion of 500 pupils of Upagupta by Sanavasa) (p. 162a10-162c8) (p. 366-369)

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THE ASOKA LEGEND 107 Cowell and Neil edition (Strong, p. 169). Hereby he creates the impression that the Sanskrit text as edited by Mukhopadhyaya and translated by him corresponds in the succession of the different episodes to the two Chinese translations. However, the relations between the Sanskrit text and the two Chinese translations are in fact much more complicated. The Chinese text of Ch. 2 is divided into seven bundles (chuan) and seven chapters (p'in). In order to facilitate the comparison of the three versions we have to divide the chapters into sub-chapters and put between parentheses the titles of the sub-chapters which are not found in the different versions ?.. The eighth chapter of Ch. 1 is entitled "Avadana des disciples d'Upagupta" (p. 370-398) and contains many stories of conversions by Upagupta. In Ch. I the stories do not bear any title but in Ch. 2 a brief title is given. In the following lists the stories are numbered in the order in which they are to be found in Ch. 1 but with the titles as given in Ch. 2: 1. The man from North India (p. 370-371) - 162c10-163a5; 2. Devaraksita (p. 371-375) - 163a6-164a2; 3. The brahman who believed in the self (p. 375-376) - 164a3-164a15; 4. Sleep (p. 376-377) - 164a 16-164b2; 5. The karmadana (p. 377-378) -- 164b3-164c4; 6. Craftsmanship (p. 378-380) -- 164c5-165a5; 7. Food and drink (p. 380) -- 165a6-165a21; 8. Being content with little (p. 380-381) - 165a21-165b10; 9. The raksasa (p. 381-382) -- 165b11-165c2. The tenth chapter of Ch. 2 is entitled "Avadana of the disciples of Upagupta. Part two" (165c10-170a8). This chapter corresponds to the second part of chapter VIII of Ch. 1. The following stories are found in both texts: 1. The tree (p. 382-383) --- 165c10-166al; 2. Avarice (p. 383-384) -- 166a2-166a11; 3. The demon (p. 384) --- 166a 12-166a25; 4. The food of worms (p. 385-386) -- 166a26-166b29; 5. The meditation of bones (p. 386-387) -- 166c1-166c28; 6. Covetousness (p. 387-388) -- 166c29167a12; 7. Bamboo brush (p. 388-389) -- 167a13-167b15; 8. Affectionate feelings 4 (p. 389-390) - 167b16-167c6; 9. The river (p. 390-391) -- 167c7-168a5; 10. Awakening (p. 391-392) -- 168a6168a28; 11. Drovers (p. 392) -- 168a29-168b6; 12. The apparition (p. 392-393) -- 16867-168b27; 13. Dislike of home (p. 393-395) 168b29-168c22; 14. The staff (p. 395-396) - 168c23-169a6; 2 The titles of the sub-chapters in Ch. 2 which correspond to the same sub-chapters in Ch. 1 are indicated by (- ). 3 The final paragraph (p. 269.15-19) corresponds to the beginning of the Avadana of Vitasoka in Ch. 2 and the Divyavadana (p. 419.14-16). 4 More appropriate is the title "The young son" which is found in the "Three editions" (cf. p. 167, n. 3).

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108 J. W. DE JONG 15. Sudarsana (p. 396-397) - 169a7-169a29; 16. Dhitika (p. 397-398) - 168628-170al. Between stories 15 and 16, Ch. 2 inserts the story of the granting of land to the monastery -- 1691-169b27 (cf. Przyluski, p. 397, n. 1). Here Ch. 2 ends. Ch. 1 continues with chapter nine, "La Destruction de la Loi du Buddha" (p. 399-409), and chapter ten, "Avadana de la recompense donnee par le Roi Asoka" (p. 410-427) S. Przyluski has divided Ch. 1 into ten chapters, but the editors of the Taisho edition have divided the text into eleven chapters. Przyluski remarks that the division into chapters is often arbitrary (p. 245, n. 1). Probably he is referring to the division in bundles (chuan). Chinese versions are often divided into chuans of more or less equal length which do not correspond to the chapters of the text. The chapter headings in the Taisho edition are as follows: 1. Gift of the earth - 99a-10268 (Przyluski, Chapitre premier: Avadana du don de la terre, p. 225-244); 2. King Asoka - 102b9-106a19 (Przyluski, Chapitre deuxieme: Avadana du roi Asoka, p. 245-269); 3. The younger brother of King Asoka -- 106a20-107c27 (Przyluski, Chapitre troisieme: Avadana du frere cadet du roi Asoka, p. 270-280): 4. Kunala -- 108a4-11069 (Przyluski, Chapitre quatrieme: Avadana de Kunala (p. 281-295); 5. The half of the amalaka fruit -- 110610-111626 (Przyluski, Chapitre cinquieme: Avadana de la moitie d'amalaka", p. 296-304); 6. Upagupta - 111027-114a25 (Przyluski, Chapitre sixieme: Avadana d'Upagupta, p. 308-326); 7. Nirvana of Mahakasyapa - 114a26-116b 10 (Przyluski, Chapitre septieme: Avadana du Nirvana de Mahakasyapa (p. 327-340); 8. Madhyantika 116611-116c17 (Przyluski, Chapitre septieme, p. 340-342); 9. Sanavasa - p. 116c24-12161 (Przyluski, Chapitre septieme, p. 342-369); 10. Upagupta -- 121b212864 (Przyluski, Chapitre huitieme: Avadana des disciples d'Upagupta, p. 370-398; Chapitre neuvieme: La Destruction de la Loi du Buddha, p. 399-409); 11. The recompense given by King Asoka - 128b5-131a23 (Przyluski, Chapitre dixieme: Avadana de la recompense donnee par le roi Asoka, p. 410-427). It is obvious that Ch. 1 and Ch. 2 correspond very closely. The only major difference is the fact that Ch. 1 contains two extra chapters. Ch. 2 contains three short sections which are missing in Ch. 1: VII.1 The transmission of the Law (cf. Przyluski, p. 327, n. 1); IX.2 Avadana of the products of the cow; The story of the granting of land to the monastery (cf. Przyluski, p. 397, n. 1). Przyluski points out that the conformity in S Przyluski p. 418-420 corresponds to Divyavadana 382.4-383.6. .

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THE ASOKA LEGEND 109 plan between the two Chinese translations proves that these two recensions reproduce faithfully the arrangement of the original chronicle of Asoka (Przyluski, p. 59). If one compares the two Chinese recensions with the fragments of the Sanskrit text, there is no doubt that both are based upon a Sanskrit text very similar to the one transmitted by the compilers of the Divyavadana. Both translations are without doubt rather free, but Ch. 2 is closer to the Sanskrit text than Ch. 16. In his edition of the Asokavadana, Mukhopadhyaya has made abundant use of Przyluski's translation of Ch. 1. However, he seems to have consulted Ch. 2 only as far as it is quoted by Przyluski in the notes to his translation. Many scholars have tried to correct the text of the Asoka legend in the Divyavadana. Also, several sections of the text have been translated since Burnouf's translation mentioned above. For bibliographical details we refer to our review of Mukhopadhyaya's edition of the Asokavadana. There remain still many problems relating to the text and its interpretation. Strong's recent translation is not an improvement on Burnouf's work, and it is not useful to point out in detail the many errors committed by him. In the following notes the page references are to the editio princeps by Cowell and Neil?. P. 349.17: nananda etarhi yathatite "py adhvani tena vinipatitasarirenapy atraiva. In his edition, Mukhopadhyaya adds the words bahujanahitam krtam. Strong translates: "This is not the only time, Ananda; in a previous life too, in a body that is now no more, Upagupta worked right here for the benefit of many people" (p. 175). Vinipatitasarira is a body which has fallen into a bad existence. Ch. 2 has: "In the past, long ago, he was born into a bad way of existence (gati) and worked for the benefit of many people" (149c11-12). P. 355.4: avakrstavakrstasya kunapasya hy amedhyata / medhyah (MSS. medhya) kamopasamharah kaminah subhasamjninah. Strong translates: "A corpse that is clearly vile is impure; what is pure is the suppression of desire by one who has desires but knows what is good" (p. 182). Probably one should read medhya kamopasamhara: "The impurity of the very vile corpse is pure and produces desire for the lover who thinks it to be beautiful". For the meaning of upasamhara see Edgerton's Dictionary of Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit s.v. Ch. 2 has: "Noble 6 See also Heinrich LUDERS, Bruchstucke der Kalpanamandirika des Kumaralata, Leipzig 1926, p. 75 and 130. 7 I have been unable to consult Heinrich ZIMMER's translation of Divyavadana p. 348.19-365.5 (Karman, ein buddhistischer Legendenkranz, Munchen 1925, p. 175-194).

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110 J. W. DE JONG or low-born, all have a stinking corpse. When a fool sees it he produces a view of purity. When a wise man sees it, he produces a view of impurity" (158c1-2). P. 355.27: amarabudhajanasahitam jinam. Read amarabudhajanamahitam. Ch. 2 has: "To be honoured among gods and men" (158c22). P. 357.21: ayam Maro bhagavacchasane mahantam vyaksepam karoti kimartham ayam Bhagavata na vinitah pakyati mamayam vineyah tasya ca vinayat sattvanugrahad aham Bhagavata 'laksanako, buddho nirdistah. It is difficult to translate tasya ca vinayat sattvanugrahad. Probably one should read tasya ca vaineyasattvasyanugrahad: "as a favour to that being which is to be converted". Ch. 2 has: "The Buddha predicted that I would be a Buddha without marks in order to render favour to beings which are to be converted" (159b4-5). P. 358.7: atha Maras tam kunapam apanetum arabdhah param api ca svayam anupravisya pipilika ivadrirajam apanayitum na sasaka, asamartho vaihayasam utpadya uvaca. For param... anupravisya Ch. 2 has: "Using very much force" (159b16-17), but it is difficult to see how the text can be emended. Mukhopadhyaya emended asamartho to samarso and utpadya to utpatya. Both corrections are confirmed by the two Chinese translations. P. 359.9: atha kamadhatvadhipatir Maro nasty anya gatir anyatropaguptakad eveti jaatva sarvam utsrjya sthaviropaguptasamipam upetya padayor nipatyovaca. Read garvam utsriya. Ch. 2 has: "having given up his proud mind" (159c21). See also Ch. 1: "exempt de pensees malveil-. lantes et orgueilleuses" (Przyluski, p. 357). P. 364.11-18. This passage is missing in the two Chinese translations and is clearly a later addition. P. 374.6: srutva ca rajnamarsajatena pancastrisatani kitikaih samvestya dagdhani. Burnouf emended kitikaih to kastakaih. In his Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary, Edgerton writes: "Perhaps same word as Pali kitaka, in Pv. i.9.2 and 4, something (acc. to comm. [hot] copper plates) into which the clothing of the petas is changed. ... There is also a Pali kitika, Vi. ii, 152.26 and 153.5, perhaps also some sort of covering, but very obscure". Ch. 2 has "bamboo screen" (133c15). D. S. Sircar translates it by "matting screen" (Indian Epigraphical Glossary, Delhi 1966, p. 159). In Vinaya ii,152.26, I. B. Horner renders parittanakitika by "a protecting screen" and samsaranakitika by "a moveable screen" (The Book of Discipline, Volume V, London 1963, p. 214 and 215). P. 377.10: tatah sakarunair vacanais tam bhik suh kramam yacati sma masam yavat saptaratram anujnatah. Ch. 2 has: "Then, weeping, the

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THE ASOKA LEGEND 111 monk asked: You must give me a month's delay"" (p. 134a 24-25). Read krandan yacati?. P. 377.11-13: sa khalu ... samvrttah. Passage missing in the two Chinese translations. P. 379.28: nathasya sampurya.manoratham ca vaistarikan dharmadharan kurusva. Ch. 2 has: "You must fulfil the wish of the Bhagavat and far and wide raise sarirastupas" (134c17). Read dhatudharan, cf. 388.4: samantad vaistarika dhatudharah krtas ca. P. 381.5: yatra kotih paripuryate tatra dharmarajikam pratisthapayitavyam / tasmin samaye Taksasilayam sattrimsatkotyah, tair abhihitam / satrimsatkarandakan anuprayaccheti / raja cintayati / na yadi vaistarika dhatavo bhavisyanti / upayajno raja / tenabhihitam / pancatrimsatkotyah sodhayitavyah. Burnouf thought that the term koti refers to gold coins (Burnouf, p. 373, n. 1). Strong writes that the Chinese text and other sources make it clear that the figure refers to population and not to wealth (Strong, p. 220, n. 26). However, Ch. 1 mentions a koti of ounces of gold (Przyluski, p. 243, n. 2). The expression kotih paripuryate "A koti is amassed" must refer to gold and not to people. The verb sodhayati means "to remove" or "to pay". Ch. 2 has "to remove" (135a 20), cf. Przyluski who translates it by "confisquer". Ch. 1 has: "On va supprimer dans votre royaume trente-cinq koti de personnes" (Przyluski, p. 243), and Strong translates accordingly: "he would have to have thirty-five hundred thousand of them executed" (p. 220). However, this meaning is not attested in the dictionaries. P. 396.13: sa pratyahata tasyaiva rajnah padamule nipatita / yavad amatya vismita ucuh. Sa refers to the small coin (kakani) which Asoka gave to the stupa of Bakkula. Burnouf has misunderstood this passage: "A ces mots les ministres furent frappes d'etonnement, et tombant aux pieds du roi, ils s'ecrierent" (Burnouf, p. 392). Strong follows Burnouf: "The ministers were amazed. They fell at Asoka's feet and said in awe" (Strong, p. 255). However, it is of course the kakani which fell at Asoka's feet: "She, being rejected, fell at Asoka's feet. Amazed, the ministers said". Ch. 1 has: "Le genie du stupa refusa et rendit (la piece) au roi" (Przyluski, p. 259). Ch. 2 has: "Then, from the stupa the twenty cowries arrived at the feet of Asoka" (138c14). P. 404.2: bodhivrk sasya ca caturdisam varam baddhva svayam eva ca varam abhiruhya. Burnouf translated vara by "estrade", cf. Edgerton, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary s.v. Strong follows Burnouf and renders it by platform". In his translation of Ch. 1 Przyluski has: "(le roi) fit construire une cloture des quatre cotes de l'arbre de Bodhi"

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112 J. W. DE JONG (Przyluski, p. 267). In a note he explains that vara refers to an enclosure or a basin to retain water around the tree (p. 433, note). Ch. 2 has: "Around the bodhi tree Asoka raised a wall" (141a2). Probably vara is an earthen wall which Asoka mounts in order to bathe the tree with four thousand pitchers of milk. P. 407.17: tatas Tisyaraksita tatkalam alabhamana kruddha kathayati. Hertel emends tatkalam to tatkayam. Ch. 2 has: "Then, Tisyaraksita became angry in her mind because she did,not get her wish" (144c1). Undoubtedly, kalam is to be corrected to kamam. The Tibetan. translation has: ran-gi 'dod-pa'i rnam-pa (svakamakara?), cf. Peking edition p. 285a6. P. 415.17: tato muhurtam nrpa asvasitva kanthe parisvajya rasasrukanthah. Read ca sasrukanthah, cf. Tibetan translation: mgul-pa mchi-mar beas-pa (p. 295a6). P. 417.3: tyajamy aham tvam atipapakarinim adharmayuktam sriyam atmavan iva. Burnouf translates: "Je renonce a toi, femme couverte de crimes, femme injuste, tout de meme que le sage renonce a la fortune" (p. 413). Strong follows Burnouf: "You wicked woman, attached to unrighteousness, I now disown you the way a self-possessed sage renounces wealth" (p. 284). Adharmayuktam qualifies sriyam: "I reject you, very wicked woman, as a self-possessed man renounces unlawful wealth". Ch. 2 has: "You now have done evil. From now on I reject you just as a man whose deeds are good renounces unlawful gain" (147a20-21). P. 417.18: phalam hi maitrya sadrsam na vidyate. Both Ch. 2 (147b3) and the Tibetan translation (297b5: stobs) have read balam instead of phalam. P. 417.22-27: rajan na ... sadyah. These one and a half stanzas are taken from the Avadanakalpalata (59.160cd, 161), cf. IIJ 8, 1965, p. 238. P. 417.28: ity uktamatre purvadhikaprasobhite netrayugme pradurbabhuvatuh. This line is missing in the two Chinese translations and in the Tibetan translation. P. 418.1: yavad rajnasokena Tisyaraksita amarsitena jantugrham pravesayitva dagdha. Cowell and Neil suggest reading jatugrham, which is confirmed by the two Chinese translations and the Tibetan translation. Ch. 1 has "a house made of Hu glue" (Przyluski, p. 293, n. 2) and Ch. 2 "a house of laksa" (147b5). The Tibetan translation has rgya-skyegs-kyi khab-pa (297b5-6), which also renders laksagrha. There is therefore not 8 See Johannes HERTEL, Ausgewahlte Erzahlungen aus Hemacandras Parisistaparvan, Leipzig 1908, p. 252, n. 3.

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THE ASOKA LEGEND 113 justification for retaining jantugrha as suggested by Edgerton in his Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary s.v. P. 418.9: tatra casanipatitani ekasyam guhayam pravistany asaditani. Several words are missing so that this sentence has become incomprehensible. Probably one should read: tatra casani patita , panca mrgasatany ekasyam guhayam pravistany asaditani, cf. the Tibetan translation: der ser-ba bab-par gyur-la / ri-dags Ina-brgya phrug gcig-tu zugs-pa zig rned-pa (298al). Ch. 2 has: "There was thunder and lightning. Five hundred deer from fear entered into a cave. Then, the hunter saw the deer. He seized them and got all of them" (147b10-12). P. 425.8: bhutesu samsargagatesu nityam drstvapi mam naiti yatha vikaram. Read samsargaratesu. Ch. 1 has: "Pour toute espece d'etres vivants, se reunir est une joie" (Przyluski, p. 276). Ch. 2 has: "All living beings always rejoice in reunion" (143a3). P. 426.22: buddhya khalv api namitah sirasitah prajnabhimanodayam. The text is clearly corrupt, cf. Edgerton's Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary s.v. sirasitah. In any case one must certainly read prajnabhimana vayam. Ch. 2 has: "Originally, I had pride in my wisdom" (14369). J. W. DE JONG Canberra, A.C.T. 2600 (Australia) Faculty of Asian Studies Australian National University P.O. Box 4.