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Klaus Bruhn
may cover several folios (see § 6 on « large varnakas »). Varnaka-repetition in Ant. is no uniform strategy.
(Variation units:) Here we distinguish between three different types which are marked by raised figures (hero-VAR 1-2-3). Figure 1 means that only the name of the hero is given in the text. Figure 2 refers to the technical instruction to repeat the story with a new name for the hero and with some additional substitution: evam (follows the new name for the hero), navaram (follows the additional substitution). Figure 3 says that initially the semblance of a true story is created: tenam kālenam (follow a few words of text). However, there is no complete story, and what matters are only the instructions for repetition (with substitution) which appear at the end of the unit. There are also intermediate cases, but instead of employing double or triple figures we have used in all these cases figure 2 (which is thus slightly ambiguous).
On the whole, the persons designated by us as heroes (heroines) are in the centre of the stories. But the main point is that these heroes or pseudo-heroes (Gautama etc.) reach salvation. This happens either in this existence or (Varga I) after an intermediate divine existence in Mahāvideha. The two formulas are not restricted to Ant. 25 There existed « mokşa-accounts > with two allomotifs: (i) liberation in this existence, (ii) reincarnation as a god and liberation in Mahāvideha.
All references contain the risk of chain formations (text A refers to text B, and text B to text C). The problem becomes acute when we have to say « which » story is to be repeated according to the instructions of a variation unit. There is sometimes an element of double referencing when a series of variations follows after a single case (e.g. compare lines 223-224: repetition of III 9? of I 1?).
§ 8. Further Specifications
Before concluding the treatment of Ant. we have to mention a few points which are not (or not directly) connected with repetition.
The work consists of vargas, adhyayanas, and sūtras. The rationale of sütra-division is a more general problem. For the adhyayanas we refer the reader to § 6, fig. 2 (right hand side), and to the end of the present section. Here we shall merely discuss the varga division. One might expect that each varga consists of one narrative unit followed by variation cases (i.e. 1+Nadhyayanas). This, however, is not the case, as made clear by figs. 1-2. The jai-phrases form a technical detail which is connected with the vargas. Ant. as such, all of its eight vargas, and all the initial adhyayanas (I, 1; II, 1, etc.) are introduced by jai-phrases. (We will ignore one or two possible irregularities in the case of the
25. See infra, B. BHATT § 4.
