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Uposatha and Posaha in the Early Histories of Jainism......
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Mahāyāna literature expanded exponentially in the years after its advent. We also have strong evidence, in the form of the Vedas, that oral transmission of memorized texts maintains linguistic material with remarkable uniformity, a fact that does not apply at all to any manuscriptural tradition extant in the world today. Manuscripts are also subject to copy errors and environmental degradation. While errors and emendations may have crept into the Jaina literature in the years after it was written down, we can be much more certain
that they did not make their way into memorized texts before that. 12. I assume this is the case; however, I do not presently have access to
vol. III of Supārsvanāthacarita referenced by the
Pāiasaddamahaņņava (618). 13. Acāranga Sūtra, Beawar, Rajasthan: Sri Agama Prakashan Samiti,
p. 22.
14. The Buddhist vinaya also speaks of the uposatha and poșadha meals,
which make little sense if there is to be a fast. 15. This point also furthers my suggestion, made elsewhere, about the
etymology of posaha derived from poşadha, conjecturally meaning yasmin dine poșar dhiyate, on which day nourishment is put or placed, therefore poşam (food) + dhā (put) = poșadha. The contraction of dhā to dha in the final member of a compound, a form of samprasāraņa, is altogether common in Sanskrit. We might also note here that the shift from tha to dha in MIA is not at all usual, especially since nasalization of dentals is a far more frequent
occurrence, but dha -> ha is standard. tha -> ha is possible as well. 16. At AS 2.1.2, sūtra 334, p 18 of Beawar edition: Sramaņa pārca
prakāra ke hote hair. (1) nirgrantha (jain), (2) śākya (bauddh), (3)
tāpas, (4) gaurika aura (5) ājivika (gośālakamatīya). Bibliography Primary Sources 1. Acaranga Sūtra. Beawar, Rajasthan: Sri Agama Prakashan Samiti,
p. 22. 2. Jacobi, Hermann. 1964-68 [1884). Gaina Sūtras, The sacred books
of the East ... vol. XXII, XLV;. Oxford, The Clarendon press.
Reprint by Delhi, Motilal Banarsidas. 3. Kārttikeyasvāmin. 1974. Svāmīkārttikeyānuprekņā. Chabara, ed.
Jaipur: Vira Pustaka Bhandara.
