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In all probability it is 'nāya' which has been hyper-Sanskrtized as ‘nyāya’, in the sense of a popular maxim, because all ‘nyāyas' are the cath-words of some diminutive example-story, for example ‘vrddhās-kumārīvara-nyāya’: A poor old maid asks for a boon-'Putrā' me bahukṣīraghstamodanam kāñcana-patryām bhuñjiran (let my sons et enough of rice, ghee and milk from a gold bowl'. This ‘nyāya' is based on the story of an old maid who is granted only one boon. She makes it comprehensive enough to include a husband, sons, cows and riches.
Nāya has a natural transition in the old Hindi adverb nāim <nāem<nyāyena, denoting similitued. Cf. Jaham jaham mohi lai jāhim Mori ati kuțila karama variāim |
Tahar taham jani china choha chārio Kamațha-anda kī nāim 11 ,Where every my crooked Karman takes me, O Lord! take care of me as the mother-tortoise (living in water) takes care of her egs (laid on dry land).
The content of these lines may be converted in to : *Kamatha-aņda nyāya'.
References Haridhan in the beginning of his Samarāiccakahā describes dhammakahā. Asoka's R.E. XII Gir. The five samitis and three guptis are called pravacana-mātrkā-origin or alpha to omega of religious teachings. Leumann has compound has nāya with the parable of the telents in st. Matth 25 and st. Luke 19. Actually the parable of Talent at Matth. 25 is comparable with the one referred to in the Uttasajjhayaņs VII (14-15). The ņāya of the paddy grains may be compared with the parable of the Sower (Math.13). It may be assumed that the setthi indulged in digging the pond etc. under the influence of the Buddhists whose encouragement to such acts may be inferred from the welfare activities of the Buddhist Emperor Asoka as recorded in his edicts.
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