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S.V. UNIVERSITY ORIENTAL JOURNAL [Vol. XXI-XXII
This means that the प्रकाश (thieves) and the अप्रकाश ( thieves) both are referred to in a similar way (सामान्योपादानं) as taskara in the stanza (द्विविधांस्तस्करान्विद्यात्) so that the प्रकाश thieves can be arrested (निग्रहार्थम्) like the अमकाश ones (तद्वत् ). Hence in what precedes this part of the passage one expects to find the reason why both the type of परद्रव्यापहारक and the अप्रकाश type of परद्रव्यापहारक are referred to तस्कर.
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The commentator says the reason is that the dealings of the type (ie. traders and others who might indulge in cheating the customers), are not beyond those of a thief, i.e. they are, in effect, similar to those of a thief. The activity (व्यवहार) of this larter type (ic. the forest-dwellers and others who act at night) is of course well known in the world (यथा लोकेऽन्येषामटवीरात्रिचराणामासः). The activity of the former, in so far as it results in depriving others of their wealth, is similar to these. Hence both are called by the common name तस्कर.
That the परद्रव्यापहारक of the अप्रकाश type who in IX, 257, are specifically mentioned as स्तेनाटविकादयः is called तस्कर in our stanza needs no explanation. What requires explanation is the calling of the deceitful merchants etc. as तस्कर Medhatithi justifies this by pointing out that the dealings of the latter are not at all different from those of the former. न अतितस्करव्यवहार thus in effect means तस्करसदृशव्यवहार.
The line, with a few additions in the parenthesis for the sake of clarity, may be read as प्रकाशतस्कराणां न अतितस्करव्यवहारः । यथा लोके अन्येषां (तस्कराणां) अटवीरात्रिचराणां (व्यवहार) आप्तः (तथैव तेषां प्रकाशतस्कराणां व्यवहारः) । तैः (अटवीरात्रिचरैः सह प्रकाशानां 'तस्कर' इति ) सामान्योपादानं तंद्वनिमहार्थं क्रियते ।
In the above discussion, the printed text as given in the editions of V.N. Mandalik (माकाशस्तस्कराणाम्) and Ganganath Jha प्रकाशस्तस्कराणाम् ) has been emended to प्रकाशं तस्कराणाम् on the line of the word प्रकाशं वंचका used in the next stanza ( IX, 257 ). If we, however, retain
MadhuVidya / 542
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