Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3Eliot, Charles
Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3
Eliot, Charles
Asia -- Religion; Buddhism; Hinduism
[Footnote 247: It is remarkable that the Baudhâyana-dharma-sûtra
enumerates going to sea among the customs peculiar to the North (I. 1,
2, 4) and then (II. 1, 2, 2) classes making voyages by sea as the
first of the offences which cause loss of caste. This seems to
indicate that the emigrants from India came mainly from the North, but
it would be rash to conclude that in times of stress or enthusiasm the
Southerners did not follow their practice. A passage in the second
chapter of the Kautilîya Arthaśâstra has been interpreted as
referring to the despatch of colonists to foreign countries, but it
probably contemplates nothing more than the transfer of population
from one part of India to another. See Finot, _B.E.F.E.O._ 1912, No.
8. But the passage at any rate shows that the idea of the King being
able to transport a considerable mass of population was familiar in
ancient India. Jâtaka 466 contains a curious story of a village of
carpenters who being unsuccessful in trade built a ship and emigrated
to an island in the ocean. It is clear that there must have been a
considerable seafaring population in India in early times for the Rig
Veda (II. 48, 3; I. 56, 2; I. 116, 3), the Mahabharata and the Jâtakas
allude to the love of gain which sends merchants across the sea and to
shipwrecks. Sculptures at Salsette ascribed to about 150 A.D.
represent a shipwreck. Ships were depicted in the paintings of Ajanta
and also occur on the coins of the Andhra King Yajñaśrî (_c_. 200
A.D.) and in the sculptures of Boroboedoer. The Dîgha Nikâya (XI. 85)
speaks of sea-going ships which when lost let loose a land sighting
bird. Much information is collected in Radhakumud Mookerji's _History
of Indian Shipping_, 1912.]
[Footnote 248: Voyages are still regularly made in dhows between the
west coast of India and Zanzibar or Mombasa and the trade appears to
be old.]
[Footnote 249: See Jâtaka 339 for the voyage to Baveru or Babylon.
Jâtakas 360 and 442 mention voyages to Suvaṇṇabhûmi or Lower
Burma from Bharukaccha and from Benares down the river. The Milinda
Pañha (VI. 21) alludes to traffic with China by sea.]
[Footnote 250: Râm. iv. 40, 30.]
[Footnote 251: Pelliot, _Founan_, p. 254. The Western and Eastern Tsin
reigned from 265 to 419 A.D.]
[Footnote 252: Pelliot, _Founan_, p. 254. Most of the references to
Chinese annals are taken from this valuable paper.]
[Footnote 253: The inscription of Mi-son relates how Kauṇḍinya
planted at Bharapura (? in Camboja) a javelin given to him by
Aśvatthâman.]
[Footnote 254: This is the modern reading of the characters in Peking,
but Julien's _Méthode_ justifies the transcription Kau-ḍi-nya.]
[Footnote 255: See S. Lévi in _Mélanges Charles de Harlez_, p. 176.
Deux peuples méconnus. i. Les Murunḍas.]
[Footnote 256: _Nanjio Catalogue_, p. 422.]
[Footnote 257: I-Tsing, trans. Takakusu, p. 12.]
[Footnote 258: _Corpus_, I. p. 65.]
[Footnote 259: _Corpus_, I. pp. 84, 89, 90, and _Jour. Asiatique_,
1882, p. 152.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account