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850
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(SEPTEMBER, 1903.
is used to illustrate the extremely rare chance by which a living creature is born as a human being. But the partial recurrence of this verse in the Sütrālapkära of Ašvaghoga is unfortunately of no value as evidence in proving that Asvaghoga wrote the hymn in 150 verses. For the same expression recurs in the Suhrillekha of Nāgārjana, v. 59 (see Wenzel's trans., Journal of the Pali Text Society for 1886, p. 18). I have noted also a fourth recurrence of this simile in the Tibetan version of a work entitled Subhāsitarainakarandakakatha and ascribed to Sara. This reference will be now familiar to M. Lévi, who has himself discovered in Nepal the Sanskrit text of the work, and states that it consists merely of the verges which conclude the tales in the Drāvimsaty-Avadāna. The Sanskrit original here reads, according to the R. As. Soc. MS. of this Avadāna, as follows:
ata evāba bhagavan manugyam atidurllabham
mabårnnavalyugaechidre kūrimagrivarpaņopaman II Is it not probable that we have here saying ascribed to Buddha, which we may hope also to find in the Pali literature ? [I now learn from Professor Rhys Davids that it does occur in the Majjhima Nikaya: see the edition of Mr. Chalmers, III. p. 169.)
I must therefore leave the question of the identity of Mātrices and Ašvaghoşa in the same obscurity as before. Bat we may note that concerning the latter the Tibetan colophon to the Buddhacarita makes one small addition to onr knowledge, namely, that he lived in Säketa or Oudh. It reads : -
yul.a. ke takahigser mig mahi.budgeslon.slob.dpon Dan .dhags.mkhan.chen .po smink badan.ldan .pa .btsun .parta • dbyans.kyis .mdzad.pahi. Bans.rgyas . kyi • spyod pa. des .by .bahisñen.dags.chen. po las.sku .gdud.rams. par.bgo.bahi lep.ste.i.surtsa. brgyad .payons .su .rdzogs.
This is equivalent to : - Baketadesaks suvarnäksiputrabhikon licārya mahakavi - vägmin-bhadantñsvaghoqaracitasya Buddhacaritanāmainahakāvysaya bariravibhago nämästivimbo 'ddhyâyah.
I now append text and translation of the Epistle, craving a not too severe judgment of the translation, which might perhaps have been in parts a work of some difficulty eren to scholars possessed of a knowledge of Tibetan far beyond what I can pretend to. The text is for the most part that given in Mdo. XCIV., but I have made some slight corrections in orthography and added in the margin the various readings of Mdo. XXXIII. We may note that the latter inserts sv. 11-13 a second time after the second line of v. 36. I have not thought it worth while at present to cite or search for literary parallels. Toxt.
Translation. Rgyagarskaddu || Mahārājakanikalekhah In the Indian tongue: Mahārājakanikalekha. Bod.skad.du || Rgyal.po.chen .po.kani. In the Tibetan tongae ; Rgyal.po.chen.po. ks.le.sprins. pahis. bphrin yig!
ka • nika.la.sprijs.pahi • hphrin.yig. De • båinglegs • pa.thams.cad. la.pbyag. Reverence to all the Tathāgatas !
htshalo 1 | Bgrod.par.bgyi • hos.khyod • lags. na 1. Since you are worthy of (my) making fbkug.kyan.ma .mchis gaú. lags.tel
a journey, even if no invitation had Ima.gus.mslags.parnask. malags
been given, there is no want of respect, Irga dan. nad.kyi. bar.chad.bgyis |
no contempt : old age and sickness hinder.
11 Sic 1 road - (Tib, rgya.mihor, locativo).
prin beli 88.
*
brillas 88.
