Saddharma Pundarika

Author(s): H Kern
Publisher: Oxford

Page 25

INTRODUCTION.
xxiii
copy a passage from it as quoted in the Catalogue of the Tripitakal:
"The translations of Ku Fa-hu, No. 138, and Kumâragiva, No. 134, are most probably made from two different texts. In the repository of the Canon, I (the author of the preface) have seen two texts (or copies of the text, of the Saddharma-pundarîka); one is written on the palm leaves, and the other in the letters of Kwei-tsz’, or Kharakar, Kumaragiva's maternal country. The former text exactly agrees with No. 138, and the latter with No. 134. No. 138 omits only the Gâthås of the Samantamukha-parivarta, chap. 24. But No. 134 omits half of the Oshadhiparivarta, chap. 5, the beginning of the Pañkabhikshusatavyâkarana-parivarta, chap. 8, and that of the Saddharmabhånaka-parivarta, chap. 10, and the Gathas of the Devadatta parivarta, chap. 12, and those of the Samantamukha-parivarta, chap. 25. Moreover, No. 134 puts the Dharmaparyâya-parivarta (the last chapter of the Satra) before the Bhaishagyaraga-parivarta, chap. 23. Nos. 138 and 134 both place the Dharani-parivarta next to the Samantamukha-parivarta, chaps. 24 and 25 respectively. Beside these, there are minor differences between the text and translation. The omission of the Gåthås in No. 134, chaps. 12 and 25, have since been filled in by some wise men, whose example I wish to follow. In the first year of the Zan-sheu period, A. D. 601, I, together with Gñânagupta and Dharmagupta, have examined the palm-leaf text, at the request of a Sramana, Shân-hhin, and found that the beginning of two chapters, 8th and 10th, are also wanting in the text (though No. 138 contains them). Nevertheless we have increased a half of the 5th chapter, and put the 12th chapter into the 11th, and restored the Dharaniparivarta and Dharmaparyaya-parivarta to their proper order, as chaps. 21 and 27. There are also some words and passages which have been altered (while the greater
i Sätra Pitaka, col. 45.
• In the Nepalese MSS. and the European translations the latter part of chap. xi.
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