Epigraphia Indica Vol 29

SR No.: 032583
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1951
Total Pages: 432
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 21 MB

Page 249

134 EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
(VOL. XXIX "In verse I, should not javana be taken in the technical seuse, as described in Rhys Davids-Stede, Pali Dictionary, s. v.? It is a puzzle to me that the term does not appear to occur in Buddhist Sanskrit. I would suggest the meaning here is "of immeasurable intelligence" (or "power of perception"?).
"The last verse refers to the legend that Mahakali attained Nirvāņa, but after it his body was preserved by magic, and he entered the Gurupāda mountain, where he awaits the coming of Maitreya. Hiuan Tsang's account of it differs slightly from this and from the verse, in making his Nirvana be deferred till the meeting with Maitreya. For the canonical accounts Bee Watters, On Ydan Chwang, II, 144, and much more fully in J. Przyluski, La Legende 'Acoka 167 ff. (Is this latter important work not available in Indian Libraries ?) Dr. Chhabra is clearly not satisfied with his own translation and has not seen the significance of adhisthaya, which refers to adhisthana, the magic spiritual power of Buddha, by which he causes things to endure, or a Bodhisattva to explain the most esoteric points of doctrine. For references see La Vallée Poussin, L'Abhidharmakośa de Vasubandhu, ch. iii, 31, and ch. vii, 119 and E. Lamotte, Notes sur la Bhagavadgitā, 56 ff., and Suzuki, Studies in the Larkāvatārasūtra, 377.
"Despite the last, I think it is unusual to find the power attributed to anyone except the Buddha. It is, of course a specifically Mahāyāna doctrine, and the Hinayāna adopted it from them. I take it that the verse means "This Kabyapa, who passed into Nirvāṇa and yet kept his body in existence by his magic power just for the good of the world, resides (lit. shines) in the Beautiful Gurupāda mountain; i. e. inside the mountain, not on it."
I have nothing to add, except one remark in connection with Dr. Johnston's explanation of the last verse. It might be considered right provided the s8='yam of the original be taken as referring to Kābyapa himself. It is, on the contrary, presumed that we are concerned hure with the statue and the inscription on its pedestal. And when the latter says 80='yam-abhali Käsya pah, it obviously alludes to the stone image of Käsyapa,' and not to Käsyapa as a person. Such being the case, would it not be correct to say on the mountain, not inside it rather than 'inside the mountain, not on it'?
Further, I am inclined to connect Gurupäde girau ramyê with nirurita) and not with 87'yam=ābhāti." The difference it makes is as obvious as it is consequential. According to the latter construction, the statue must necessarily have been set up on the Gurupāda hill itself. whereas according to the former it might have been established anywhere else as well. In fact, the possibility of its having been erected in the vicinity of the village of Silao, if not at Silao proper, has already been shown.
B.-Chandrabandi Rock Inscription, Saka 803. This inscription has been edited by the late C. R. Krishnamacharlu. It is a Kannada record and pertains to the Jaina faith. It consists of only six lines, the last two of which comprise the following Arya in Sanskrit:
अनवरतशास्त्रदानप्रविमलचारित्रजळघरश्चित्रम् ।
sfcftavefreni gune siterai (st) arata: It has been pointed out that the inscription is virtually a label to the image' (ibid., p. 328). • Ibid., p. 333, note 12.
Ibid., p. 327, para. 1, p. 331, para. 2.
• The Kannada Inscriptions of kopbal (Hyderabad Archaeological Series, No. 12, Calcutta, 1935), pp. 6-7, plate I (b).
It may be pointed out that the sign of medial (long) is not distinguishable from madial (short) i in this inscription, and that the rule of sandhi has not been observed in buryyde iri..