Chips from a German Workshop, Volume 5: Miscellaneous Later EssaysMüller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)
Religion
Chips from a German Workshop, Volume 5: Miscellaneous Later Essays
Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)
Comparative linguistics; Folklore; Literature -- History and criticism; Mythology; Religions
140 Indra, the old Vedic god, has come to mean simply lord, and in the
_K_anda Paritta (_Journal Asiatique_, 1871, p. 220) we actually find
Asurinda, the Indra or Lord of the Asuras.
141 The numbers in Buddhist literature, if they once exceed a Ko_t_i or
Ko_t_î—_i. e._ ten millions—become very vague, nor is their value
always the same. Ayuta, _i. e._ a hundred Ko_t_is; Niyuta, _i. e._ a
hundred Ayutas; and Nayuta, _i. e._ 1 with 22 zeros, are often
confounded; nor does it matter much so far as any definite idea is
concerned which such numerals convey to our mind.
142 Tish_th_ati dh_riy_ate yâpayati dharma_m_ _k_a desayati. This is
evidently an idiomatic phrase, for it occurs again and again in the
Nepalese text of the Sukhavatîvyûha (MS. 26 _b_, l. 1. 2; 55 _a_, l.
2, etc.). It seems to mean, he stands there, holds himself, supports
himself, and teaches the law. Burnouf translates the same phrase by,
“ils se trouvent, vivent existent” (_Lotus_, p. 354). On yâpeti in
Pâli, see Fausböll, Dasaratha-jâtaka, pp. 26, 28; and yâpana in
Sanskrit.
143 Kiṅki_n_î_g_âla. The texts read kaṅka_n_î_g_alais _k_a and
kaṅka_n_îgalais _k_a, and again later kaṅka_n_îgalunâm (also lû) and
kaṅka_n_î_g_alânâm. Mr. Beal translates from Chinese “seven rows of
exquisite curtains,” and again “gemmous curtains.” First of all, it
seems clear that we must read _g_âla, net, web, instead of _g_ala.
Secondly, kaṅka_n_a, bracelet, gives no sense, for what could be the
meaning of nets or string of bracelets? I prefer to read
kiṅki_n_î_g_âla, nets or strings or rows of bells. Such rows of
bells served for ornamenting a garden, and it may be said of them
that, if moved by the wind, they give forth certain sounds. In the
commentary on Dhammapada 30, p. 191, we meet with kiṅkinika_g_âla,
from which likewise the music proceeds; see Childers, _s. v. g_âla.
In the MSS. of the Nepalese Sukhavatîvyûha (_R. A. S._), p. 39 _a_,
l. 4, I likewise find svarnaratnakiṅki_n_î_g_âlâni, which settles
the matter, and shows how little confidence we can place in the
Japanese texts.
144 Anuparikshipta, inclosed; see parikkhepo in Childers’ Dict.
145 The eight good qualities of water are limpidity and purity,
refreshing coolness, sweetness, softness, fertilizing qualities,
calmness, power of preventing famine, productiveness. See Beal,
_Catena_, p. 379.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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