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Some Observations on the Jātakas
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
Extract
Though much has been written on the Jātakas or Buddha's Birth-stories, there is no consensus of opinion as yet about the exact signification of the term Jātaka as employed in Buddhist literature. One may correctly say, no doubt, with the late Professor Rhys Davids that the Jātaka proper is atītavatthu or the “story of the past”. It is precisely in this sense that the Bharhut labels designate many of the illustrations. Though this is generally the case with the Jatakas, Professor B. M. Barua contends for a definition of Jataka which embraces also the paccuppanna-vatthu, or the “story of the present”. He points out that according to the Culla-Niddesa, a work of the Pāli Canon, which cannot be dated earlier than the third century b.c., the term Jātaka is obviously applied alike to the story of the present and to that of the past, the undermentioned four Suttantas being mentioned as typical examples of Jātaka:—
(1) Mahāpadāniya.
(2) Mahā-Sudassanīya.
(3) Mahā-Govindiya.
(4) Maghādeviya.
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- Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1939
References
page 241 note 1 Buddhist India, pp. 192, 194; cf. also Introduction to Buddhist Birth-stories, revised ed., p. lxviii.
page 241 note 2 Cunningham, , Stūpa of Bharhut, pi. xxv, fig. 1, etc.Google Scholar; Davids, Rhys, Buddhist India, pp. 194 f.Google Scholar; Hultzsch, , Jātakas at Bharhut (JRAS., 1912)Google Scholar; Lüders, List of Brāhmī Inscriptions (El., vol. x ); Barua and Sinha, Barhut Inscriptions, section ii; N. G. Majumdar, A Guide to the Sculptures in the Indian Museum, pt. 1.
page 241 note 3 Calcutta Review, 1927, p. 57.
page 241 note 4 Niddesa, ii, p. 80.
page 241 note 5 Same as Mahāpadāna-Suttanta (D., ii, pp. 1 ff.).
page 241 note 6 Variant, , Mahā-Sudassana-Suttanta (same as in D., ii, pp. 160 ff.)Google Scholar.
page 241 note 7 Same as Mahā-Govinda-Suttanta (D., ii, pp. 220 ff.).
page 241 note 8 Same as Makhādeva-Sutta (M., ii, pp. 74 ff.).
page 242 note 1 D., ii, p. 35.
page 242 note 2 M., i, pp. 163, 240.
page 242 note 3 D., ii, pp. 169, 230; M., ii, pp. 45, 74.
page 243 note 1 The title suggested in the opening verses in Fausböll's, edition is Jātakaṭṭhavaṇṇā, and that in the Siamese edition, Apadānaṭṭhakathā (p. 1)Google Scholar: “Apadānaṭṭhalcathaṃ, bhante, kātabban ti visesato”, also Apadānassa 'ṭṭhavaṇṇanā (p. 2). But the title adopted for the present Siamese edition is Jātakaṭṭhakathā.
page 243 note 2 Gandhavaṁsa, , JPTS., 1886, p. 59Google Scholar.
page 243 note 3 Introduction to Buddhist Birth-stories, p. lx.
page 243 note 4 Papañca-sūdanīi, i, p. 57.
page 244 note 1 Fausböll, Jātaka, No. 245.
page 244 note 2 Even where the word atīte occurs, the text differs in language from that in the Jātaka-Commentary. Cf. Papañca-sũdanī, iii, p. 69, andFausböll, , Jātaka, iii, p. 376Google Scholar.
page 244 note 3 This is partially corroborated by the quotations of gāthās in the Milindapañhā from the Jātahas.
page 244 note 4 This was clearly anticipated by Davids, Rhys, Buddhist Birth-stories, Introd., p. lxGoogle Scholar.
page 244 note 5 The present Commentary, as already pointed out by Davids, Rhys, refers three times to an earlier aṭṭhakathā (Introd., p. lx)Google Scholar. See Fausböll, i, p. 62.
page 244 note 6 Introd., p. lx.
page 244 note 7 Fausböll, i, p. 1.
page 245 note 1 Ibid., i, p. 62: yaṃ pana Jātakaṭṭhakathāyaṃ . . . tam sesa-aṭṭhakathāsu n'atthi, tasmā idham eva gahetabbaṃ.
page 245 note 2 Siamese ed., i, p. 2: Purāṇa-Sīhaḷabhāṣāya Porāaṇaṭṭhakathāya ca ṭhapitaṃ taṃ na sādheti sādhūnaṃ icchiticchitaṃ. Tasmā tam upanissāaya Porāṇaṭṭhakathā-nayaṃ vivajjetvā viruddhatthe visesatthaṃ pakāsayaṃ. visesa-vaṇṇaṇaṃ seṭṭhaṃ karissām'aṭṭhavaṇṇaṇan ti.
page 245 note 3 Fausböll, i, p. 1.
page 245 note 4 Siamese ed., i, p. 1:
“ Dhīrātidhīrehi āgamaññūhi viññūi
Apadānaṭṭhakathaṃ, bhante, kātabban ti visesato
Punappunādaren'eva yācito'haṃ yasassibhi
tasmāhaṃ sāpadānassa Apadānassa sesato,” etc.
page 246 note 1 Minor variants are not noticed here.
page 247 note 1 Epigraphia Birmanica, vol. ii, pt. 1, pp. iv–v.
page 247 note 2 For the list, see Epigraphia Birmanica, vol. ii, pt. 1, p. v, and the whole volume.
page 247 note 3 Bharhut title, Mugapakaya.
page 247 note 4 Cariyā-Piṭaka has Temiya-cariyā (fourth chapter, Adhiṭṭhānapāramitā).
page 247 note 5 Popular Burmese name, Temi-zat (= Temiya-Jātaka), Epigraphia Birmanica, ii, pt. 1, p. 1.
page 247 note 6 Ibid., ii, pt. 1, p. 29.
page 247 note 7 Ibid., ii, pt. 1, p. 76.
page 247 note 8 Ibid., ii, pt. 1, p. 88.
page 247 note 9 Ibid., ii, pt. 1, p. 38. The Talaings, or rather Mons, call it “ jāt-Mahos”.
page 248 note 1 Cariyā-Piṭaka, No. 5; Mahāvastu, iii, p. 197; not included in the scheme of 547.
page 248 note 2 Cariyā-Piṭaka, No. 28, wrongly identified with Saccaṃkira-Jātaka. The story is not to be found in Fausböll's Jātaka. See Cariyā-Piṭaka- Commentary, edited by Barua, D. L. for the PTS., pp. 231–3Google Scholar.
page 248 note 3 Mahāvastu, iii, p. 28; cf. Dharmaruci story Divyā, xviii.
page 248 note 4 Barua, , Barhut, bk. iii, pi. lxxx, 109Google Scholar.
page 248 note 5 Calcutta Review, 1927, p. 57.
page 249 note 1 Niddesa, ii, p. 80.
page 249 note 2 Beal, , Records of the Western World, i, p. lxxvGoogle Scholar.
page 249 note 3 The point is discussed by Barua, in Barhut, bk. i, p. 90Google Scholar, and fully in Indian Culture, vol. v, No. 2.
page 249 note 4 Applied by Rhys Davids, Introd., p. xlviii.
page 249 note 5 Applied by Barua, , evidently on the basis of the statement in the Cullaniddesa, ii, p. 80Google Scholar.
page 249 note 6 Buddhist India, p. 195.
page 250 note 1 Barua, , Barhut, bk. i, pp. 90–1Google Scholar. Cf. also Rhys Davids, Introd., p.lv, f.n. 1.
page 250 note 2 For an account of it, see Feer, Léon, Étude sur les Jātakas, pp. 62–5, 66–71Google Scholar.
page 251 note 1 e.g. Mahāvijaya's Priest (D., i, p. 143), Mahāgovinda (D., ii), Ghaṭikāra (M., ii, p. 53), and Pacetana's Wheelwright (A., i, p. 111). Cf. Buddhist India, p. 196.
page 251 note 2 e.g. Saccasavhaya-paṇḍita (No. 28) and Mahālomahaṃsa (No. 35), in addition to Mahāgovinda (No. 5).
page 251 note 3 e.g. Rakṣita- (Mahāvastu, i, p. 283); Hastināga- (i, p. 286); Ṛṣabha- (i, p. 288); Godhā- (ii, p. 64); Hārapradāna- (ii, p. 67); Vyāghrībhūtā Yaśodharā- (ii, p. 69); Siri- (ii, p. 89); Kinnarī- (ii, p. 94); Mrga- (ii, p. 234); Sakunta- (ii, p. 241); Kacchapa- (ii, p. 244); Surūpa-mṛgarāja- (ii, p. 255); Anangaṇa- (ii, p. 271); Vṛṣabha- (iii, p. 28); Vānara- (iii, p. 31); Puṇyavanta- (iii, p. 33); Vijitṇvi- (iii, p. 41); Supātra- (iii, p. 125); Padumāvatī- (iii, p. 155); Cundra-Sūrya- (iii, p. 172); Gaṅgapāla- (iii, p. 182); Dharmalabdha- (iii, p. 286); (i) Ājñātakauṇḍinya- (iii, p. 347); (ii) Ājñātakauṇḍinya- (iii, p. 349); Pañcabhadravargīya- (iii, p. 354), in addition to Mahāgovinda- (iii, p. 197).