Book Title: Vinaya Texts
Author(s): T W Rhys Davids, Hermann Oldenberg
Publisher: Oxford

Previous | Next

Page 2409
________________ 508 XII, 104. (only) remember (the words), men who follow (the teaching of the texts) surpass those who (merely) know (their meaning). LAWS OF MANU. 104. Austerity and sacred learning are the best means by which a Brâhmana secures supreme bliss ; by austerities he destroys guilt, by sacred learning he obtains the cessation of (births and) deaths. 105. The three (kinds of evidence), perception, inference, and the (sacred) Institutes which comprise the tradition (of) many (schools), must be fully understood by him who desires perfect correctness with respect to the sacred law. 106. He alone, and no other man, knows the sacred law, who explores the (utterances) of the sages and the body of the laws, by (modes of) reasoning, not repugnant to the Veda-lore. (Medh., Nâr.), 'who have not studied the Veda' (Nand.), means according to Gov. and Kull., 'those who have learned a little.' Granthinah, '(forgetful) students' (Kull., Nand.), means according to Medh. and Gov., 'students who learn the texts alone, but do not take very great trouble with them;' according to Nâr.,' men who know the text only.' Dhârinah, 'those who remember (the texts)' (Kull., Nand.), are according to Medh. and Gov., 'men who are very persevering in studying;' according to Nâr., 'those who know the meaning of the texts.' Nâr. takes gñânin, 'he who knows (the meaning of the texts),' in the sense of 'he who knows the Soul or Self.' 104. Yâgn. I, 200. 105. Sâstram,' the (sacred) Institutes,' i. e. 'the Veda, which has many Sâkhâs' (Gov., Nâr.), or 'the Veda and the Smriti' (Medh.), or 'the Smriti' (Kull.). Nand. reads siddhim, 'a complete knowledge or accurate performance,' instead of suddhim. The Puna copy of Nâr. stops with this verse, the remaining leaves being lost. 106. 'The utterances of the sages,' i. e. 'the Veda.' 'The body of the laws,' i. e. 'the Smriti.' 'The modes of reasoning' are, according to Medh. and Kull., the Mîmâmsâ of Gaimini; according to 'others' quoted by Medh., all the philosophical schools, excepting Digitized by Google

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 2407 2408 2409 2410 2411 2412 2413 2414 2415 2416 2417 2418 2419 2420 2421 2422 2423 2424 2425 2426 2427 2428 2429 2430 2431 2432 2433 2434 2435 2436 2437 2438 2439 2440 2441 2442 2443 2444 2445 2446 2447 2448 2449 2450 2451 2452 2453 2454 2455 2456 2457 2458 2459 2460 2461 2462 2463 2464 2465 2466 2467 2468 2469 2470 2471 2472 2473 2474 2475 2476 2477 2478 2479 2480 2481 2482 2483 2484 2485 2486 2487 2488 2489 2490 2491 2492 2493 2494 2495 2496 2497 2498 2499 2500 2501 2502 2503 2504 2505 2506 2507 2508 2509 2510 2511 2512 2513 2514 2515 2516 2517 2518 2519 2520 2521 2522 2523