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14
KK Dixit
never However, even this part has got its own merlts and so by way of concluding let us make a critical evaluation of it as well
Some 240 pages of Prof Deleu's book provide us with a seat summary of the contents of Bhagavait In this connection the chapter division and sub-division into Satakas apd uddešakas bas been followed as in the original but the passages within an uddesaka bave been re-grouped by Prof Deleu himself
In the case of the later katakas 21-41 Prof Deleu's analysis makes possible a clear comprehension of the concerned formal structures and ag we have seen in these fatakas It is these formal structures that matter most, 10 addition, this analysis also enables one to grasp the essentials of the contents concerned for whatever they are worth. Hence the reader must be really thankful to Prof Deleu 60 far as the latter's performance in conDection with these small but significant later Jatakas of Bhagavatt is concerned The case is somewhat different with the early salakas 1-20 In tho case of these falakas the consideration of contents is the chief consideratrop even if the consideration of formal structure is not entirely negligible But towards these contents Prof Deleu adopts an attitude that is essentially unhistorical-virtually as unhistorical 89 that of the medleval commentator Abhayadeva, Thus it often happens that even when Prof. Doleu understands a passage correctly he fails to emphasize polnts that should Interest a historical minded student, and as is natural with all men there are cases when the learned professor simply misunderstands a passageoften repeating the folly of a Schubring of an Abhayadeva. Let us cite examples.
(1) The phrase kriyaya sprstah is of frequent occurence In Bhagavalt Abbayadeva always equates it with harmiana sprstah and translates it as Toucbed by the karmic physical particles An unhistorical minded media val Jaina scholar could not bobavo otherwise But as a matter of fact the phrase krigaya sprstah has its historical roots in the primitive man's understanding According to which a criminal act gets hold of the agent and retains bold of him so long as it is not avenged Kriya is a technical Jaine term meaning an evil act let us for the moment forget that a monk's Ideal conduct too is one type of kriya) but the Illustration of a popular phrase parallel to kriyaya sprstah 18 vairena sprsiak which too occurs in Bhagavati (p. 92a) In the course of historical evolution the Jains theoretictang must have argued to themselves that if an evil act can touch the agent It must do so through gonerating something physical which alone can do any touching. Thus came into existence the celebrated Jalna doctrine of the karmic physical particles, Considerations like these apo absont from Prof.
