The Gâtakamâlâ; Or, Garland of Birth-StoriesAryasura
Religion
The Gâtakamâlâ; Or, Garland of Birth-Stories
Aryasura
Gautama Buddha -- Pre-existence
On the other hand the Pâli text is of use to correct a passage of
_S_ûra. XXII, 33 c we should read dharmo hy apa_k_ita_h_ samyag
&c., cp. Fausb. V, 339, 22.
As I have already remarked, each story is introduced by a leading
sentence, expressing some religious maxim, which, according to Indian
usage, is repeated again at the end as a conclusion to the story, being
preceded by evam or tathâ, 'in this manner.' But, as a rule[20], the
epilogues are not limited to that simple repetition. They often contain
more, the practical usefulness of the story thus told being enhanced by
the addition of other moral lessons, which may be illustrated by it, or
by pointing out different subjects of religious discourses, in
connection with which our tale may be of use. Most of these epilogues,
in my opinion, are posterior to _S_ûra. Apart from the argument offered
by some remarkable discrepancies in style and language and the monkish
spirit pervading them, I think it highly improbable that, after the
author had put at the head and at the end of each _G_âtaka the moral
maxim he desires to inculcate upon the minds of his readers by means of
the account of a certain marvellous deed of the Bodhisattva, he should
himself add different indications for other employments to serve
homiletical purposes. It is more likely that these accessories are of
later origin, and were added when the discourses of _S_ûra had gained so
great a reputation as to be admitted to the Canon of Sacred Writings,
and had come to be employed by the monks as a store of holy and edifying
sermons for the purposes of religious instruction.
[20] With the exception of V and XV. In the conclusion of III and
XIII the leading text is repeated, and then more fully developed;
in that of the ninth _G_âtaka it is repeated in an abridged form.
On account of these considerations, I have bracketed in my translation
such part of the epilogues as seemed to me later interpolations. Yet I
did not think it advisable to omit them. They are not without importance
in themselves. They allow us an insight into the interior of the
monasteries and to witness the monks preparing for preaching. Moreover,
some of them contain precious information about holy texts of the
Northern Buddhists, which are either lost or have not yet been
discovered. In the epilogue of VIII there is even a textual quotation;
likewise in that of XXX, where we find the words spoken by the Lord at
the time of his Complete Extinction. As to XI, see my note on that
epilogue. In XII and XXI similar sayings of holy books are hinted at.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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