________________
E. Leumann, An outline of the Avaśyaka Literature
Of course, the explanation given in a theological sense puts more into the words than they actually say. On the other hand, something would be lacking if we render the first two of the four questions simply etymologically as “Are you well? How is it carrying on?"
More similar ways of greeting can be found among the Buddhists. The shorter ones read: used in the Paccavekkhanā (Frankfurter's Handbook of Pāli p. 83) for one's own wish: yātrā' ca me bhavissati anavajjatāca phāsu-vihāroca, in Petavatthu IV 1, 44 and with Aśoka (cp. Minayeff's Pāli-Grammatik p. XVI, transl. p. XVIII): [Petav.] app'ābādhatam ca phāsu-vihāram ca pucchi and [Aśoka) āha app'ābādhatam ca phāsu-vihālatam ca.
Among the enlarged formulas, the most common is (cp. Burnouf “Lotus” p. 426 f. & 720 f.): app'ābāham' app’ātankam? lah’utthānam balam* phāsu-vihāram pucchati, alp'ābādhatām' pariprcchaty alp'ātankatām- ca laghûtthānatām ca yātrā-balam
ca sukhasparsa-vihāratām. ca. A related variant contains instead of 5, the words sukham cânavadyatām ca sparsa-vo. Noteworthy is the wording in Jāt. 544,26 & 27 that varies the contents of the greetings poetically:
kacci yāpanīyam bhante? vātānam avisaggatā? || 26 kacci akasirā vutti? labhati pinda-yāpanam?
app'ābādho v'asī kacci? cakkhum na parihāyati? || 27 Here in the commentary the word yāpanīyam has been paraphrased as sarīram paccayehi yāpetum sakkā.
During the preceding handling of Āv. III, the presentation of various commentarial passages, which should impart an understanding of the wording, was necessary. Furthermore, the commentaries actually contain much noteworthy information that concerns the veneration as a ceremony. The most important of all this also should be made known here so that the reader gets a complete picture of what the tradition teaches about a particular part of the Avaśyaka. Since the preceding in the tradition has been put at the end as a more specialized (and, by far, shorter) part, our task, then, is to take on the more general part that serves as a preparation for it. In the Niryukti it appertains to stanzas XII 1-121. Of these, we are translating those that are relevant and of importance and are showing, through a selection of related commentarial passages, what amount of detailed explanations can be gained from the tradition, which, by the way, often do not harmonize among themselves.
As usual, the Niryukti contents will, firstly, be sketched (in 1 f.) and then elaborated on (in 3-121). In fact, the relationship between 19 & 3, assumed by the commentaries, is questionable. On the other hand, the nine questions in 10 & 2 clearly find their answer, one after the other, in 4-121. The allocation is Question 1: 4-99' Question 4: 104 f. Question 7: 107-110 2: 100 f. 5: 106
8: 111-118 “ 3: 102 f.
6: 1066
9: 119-121 19. A. Vandanaka, B. Citi-karman, C. Kști-karman, D. Pūjā-karman, E. Vinaya-karman (are different terms of veneration).
C & E, however, which are supposed to be synonyms of vandanaka are understood in the angabāhya-list in the Digambara literature (cp. above, p. 1'n.) as special Avasyakaparts and have been accommodated in place of Av. VI & V! Everywhere that list recurs, we find, instead of the Avaśyaka, namely, the titles I. Sāmāyika
| IV. Pratikramana II. Caturvimsati-stava V. Vainayika III. Vandana
VI. Kști-karman
28
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
