DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29591#0020
16 Charpentier, Uttaradhyayanasutra
been connected in some way with a public recitation of the Jina-
caritra, or Life of Mahavlra’ before king Dhruvasena of Ananda-
pura (a town not mentioned elsewhere)1 2 3. Now, as king Dhruva-
sena I of Valabhl is supposed to have succeeded to the throne in
526 A. D., and 993 — 526 is = 467 (B. C.), the actual year of
Mahavlra’s death, I think we are entitled to assume, that this
was the real date of the Council at Valabhi, and that it was in
some way protected by Dhruvasena". Devarddhiganin, the presi-
dent of the council, no doubt took down from the members all
the scriptures considered as canonical that did not at that time ex-
ist in written form, and we need not doubt that the whole exter-
nal form of the Siddhanta dates from about 526 A. D. In the
texts themselves there may perhaps have been introduced after-
wards one or another interpolation, but since that time the bulk
of the sacred scriptures has certainly not undergone any violent
alterations whatsoever.
What the exact method of the redactors was, we do not
know, as we cannot tell which parts of the canon are really old
and which may have been introduced into it or in some way al-
tered by them. But some conclusions may possibly be drawn
from the present shape of the texts themselves. It is well known
that the Jain scriptures abound in very extensive and flowery de-
scriptions e. g. of towns, temples, gardens &c., and likewise of
prominent persons, the so-called varnaka?sz. These varnaka s were
supposed to be the same in all passages where the same subject
was spoken of, at least in the same text. Thus for instance in
Kalpas. § 32 the bed of Trisala, the mother of Mahavlra, is described,
and in § 49 of the same text, where the bed is again spoken of,
the description is not repeated, but the word vannao (= varnakah)
is simply inserted instead, a direction to the former paragraph
being thus given. This is a very simple and easy example; but
as these varnaka’s are supposed to be the same throughout the
whole canon, it may often be extremely difficult to find out the
passage to which such a deictic vannao points, for it is not al-
1 Cp. the Commentaries to the Kalpas. § 148 (SBE. XXII, 270 n.).
2 For a full discussion of these matters cp. IA 42, 121 ff., especially p.
176 sq.
3 Such descriptions, although much less elaborate, also exist to a
certain extent in the old Buddhist writings.
been connected in some way with a public recitation of the Jina-
caritra, or Life of Mahavlra’ before king Dhruvasena of Ananda-
pura (a town not mentioned elsewhere)1 2 3. Now, as king Dhruva-
sena I of Valabhl is supposed to have succeeded to the throne in
526 A. D., and 993 — 526 is = 467 (B. C.), the actual year of
Mahavlra’s death, I think we are entitled to assume, that this
was the real date of the Council at Valabhi, and that it was in
some way protected by Dhruvasena". Devarddhiganin, the presi-
dent of the council, no doubt took down from the members all
the scriptures considered as canonical that did not at that time ex-
ist in written form, and we need not doubt that the whole exter-
nal form of the Siddhanta dates from about 526 A. D. In the
texts themselves there may perhaps have been introduced after-
wards one or another interpolation, but since that time the bulk
of the sacred scriptures has certainly not undergone any violent
alterations whatsoever.
What the exact method of the redactors was, we do not
know, as we cannot tell which parts of the canon are really old
and which may have been introduced into it or in some way al-
tered by them. But some conclusions may possibly be drawn
from the present shape of the texts themselves. It is well known
that the Jain scriptures abound in very extensive and flowery de-
scriptions e. g. of towns, temples, gardens &c., and likewise of
prominent persons, the so-called varnaka?sz. These varnaka s were
supposed to be the same in all passages where the same subject
was spoken of, at least in the same text. Thus for instance in
Kalpas. § 32 the bed of Trisala, the mother of Mahavlra, is described,
and in § 49 of the same text, where the bed is again spoken of,
the description is not repeated, but the word vannao (= varnakah)
is simply inserted instead, a direction to the former paragraph
being thus given. This is a very simple and easy example; but
as these varnaka’s are supposed to be the same throughout the
whole canon, it may often be extremely difficult to find out the
passage to which such a deictic vannao points, for it is not al-
1 Cp. the Commentaries to the Kalpas. § 148 (SBE. XXII, 270 n.).
2 For a full discussion of these matters cp. IA 42, 121 ff., especially p.
176 sq.
3 Such descriptions, although much less elaborate, also exist to a
certain extent in the old Buddhist writings.