Nirgrantha-1

Author(s): M A Dhaky, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Page 20

EDITING OF ANCIENT ARDHAMĀGADHI TEXTS IN VIEW OF THE TEXT OF
VIŠEŞĀVAŠYAKA-BHASYA?
K. R. Chandra
On the basis of a consideration of subject matter, style, and metrical form, scholars have formed an almost unanimous opinion that certain portions of the Jaina canonical literature in Ardhamāgadhi possess very old strata. On the same grounds these ancient portions bear similarity with the oldest portions of the Pāli Tripitaka. However, the concerned phonological, and to some extent the morphological forms of the language are not so archaic in these portions and in this respect the editions of these works differ among themselves.
In the Western scholars' editions, we notice that the intervocalic stops generally lost their conclusion as per the rules framed by Prakrit grammarians which, strictly speaking, were meant for the Mahārāstrī Prakrit. As a result, in these editions, not only the consonantal spelling of the words but occasionally the morphological forms of the later period also are encountered. A preference accorded to later forms consequently neglects the archaic, in point of fact original, and hence authentic, variants available in some manuscripts.
The same method is adopted by Indian editors though usually with lesser rigour and hence on a smaller scale. Therefore, noticeable disparity is discernible between the age of the work and its language. Hence the current form of the language available in the so far published editions is not authentic even when they do not affect the sense intended to be conveyed. This situation impels one to find out the reasons behind it.
For explaining the reasons behind this kind of disparity, in this paper, an attempt has been made in its proper-perspective based on the analysis of the language of the text of the Višeşāvaśyaka-bhāsya in its different editions and its variants in MSS. on the one hand and that of the language of older inscriptions and the Isibhāsiyāina edited by W. Schubring on the other hand.
The Visesavaśyaka-bhāsya is a versified exposition of the Sāmāyika-āvaśyaka and its corresponding niryukti (c. A. D. 525) by the learned caityavāsī or abbatial pontiff Jinabhadra gani ksamāśramana (ob. A. D. 588 or 594). He had also composed its commentary in Sanskrit which had remained unfinished since he did not live as has been reported by Kottārya vādi gani (c. A. D. 675-700) who completed the commentary.
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