[INDOLOGY] Two terms

Rolf Heinrich Koch rolfheiner.koch at gmail.com
Wed Sep 14 19:26:04 UTC 2016


Dear Artur

regarding your question vāḷa = snake in Pāli-sources  please see two 
references from the Jātakas according to

W. Geiger (1916), Pāli. Literatur und Sprache, p. 66: vāḷa "Raubtier, 
Schlange" Jā. VI 497 (13) and JāCo. I 99 (14).

Best

Rolf Heinrich Koch


Am 14.09.2016 um 13:01 schrieb petra kieffer-pülz:
> not to my knowledge.
>
> Best,
> Petra
>
> Am 14.09.2016 um 12:49 schrieb Artur Karp:
>
>> > the word vāḷa means predators in other contexts too
>>
>> Dear Petra,
>>
>> Are there any contexts in which vāḷa could mean serpents?
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Artur Karp
>>
>> 2016-09-14 10:51 GMT+02:00 petra kieffer-pülz <kiepue at t-online.de 
>> <mailto:kiepue at t-online.de>>:
>>
>>     Dear Artur,
>>
>>     the Sinhala Thūpavaṃsaya has been translated by S. Berkwitz, The
>>     Enshrining of the Relics.
>>     On p. 131f. you'll find the translation of this passage as follows:
>>
>>     "Dear boy! The enshrining of the relics has been done by King
>>     Ajātaśatru. Create a suitable defense for them." The deity
>>     Viśvakarma, who heard those words, came and prepared a device
>>     outfitted with figures of wild beasts, and created a device in
>>     the relic chamber out of wooden forms that held shining swords of
>>     crystal and that whirled around with a speed equal to that of the
>>     wind."
>>
>>     By the way the word vāḷa means predators in other contexts too.
>>     Thus we have diwans (pallaṅka) the feet of which are decorated
>>     with figures of beast of prey (Vin IV 299,21f.).
>>
>>     Best,
>>     Petra Kieffer-Pülz
>>
>>     Am 14.09.2016 um 08:45 schrieb Artur Karp:
>>
>>>     Dear List,
>>>
>>>     Would anyone take pity on me and translate this bit of the
>>>     Sinhalese text for me?
>>>
>>>     [Sent by Rolf Heinrich Koch:]
>>>
>>>     "daruva, Ajātaśatru rajjuruvan visin dhātu nidhānaya karavana
>>>     lada, topi da īṭa sudusu ārakṣāvak karav" yi kiya.
>>>     e bas äsū Viśvakam divyaputra avut vyālarūpa yukta yantrayak
>>>     yodā daṇḍin neḷā karana lada dūpayan dhātu garbhayehi ävāṇa
>>>     puhupat kaḍugena vānavēgayak hā samāna vēgayen sisārā divannā vū
>>>     yantrayak mavā,...
>>>
>>>     Sinhala Thūpavaṃsaya (2007) p. 109sq.
>>>
>>>     In advance, etc.
>>>
>>>     I would be especially grateful for the meaning of vyālarūpa -
>>>      as it is understood in the text: in the form of ferocius
>>>     animal(s) [like tigers or lions]or serpent(s)?
>>>
>>>
>>>     Artur
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>     2016-09-12 17:19 GMT+02:00 Rolf Heinrich Koch
>>>     <rolfheiner.koch at gmail.com <mailto:rolfheiner.koch at gmail.com>>:
>>>
>>>         I am just working on Sinhalese sources of the Buddhacarita.
>>>
>>>         Regarding /vāḷasaṅghātayantan t/he Sinhala Thūpavaṃsaya reads:
>>>
>>>
>>>         "daruva, Ajātaśatru rajjuruvan visin dhātu nidhānaya
>>>         karavana lada, topi da īṭa sudusu ārakṣāvak karav" yi kiya.
>>>         e bas äsū Viśvakam divyaputra avut vyālarūpa yukta yantrayak
>>>         yodā daṇḍin neḷā karana lada dūpayan dhātu garbhayehi ävāṇa
>>>         puhupat kaḍugena vānavēgayak hā samāna vēgayen sisārā
>>>         divannā vū
>>>         yantrayak mavā,...
>>>
>>>         Sinhala Thūpavaṃsaya (2007) p. 109sq.
>>>
>>>         Best
>>>
>>>         Heiner
>>>
>>>
>>>         www.rolfheinrichkoch.wordpress.com
>>>         <http://www.rolfheinrichkoch.wordpress.com/>
>>>
>>>
>>>         Am 12.09.2016 um 15:03 schrieb Seishi Karashima:
>>>>         Dear colleagues,
>>>>
>>>>         Almost identical passages are found in the /Thūpavaṃsa/:
>>>>         /The chronicle of the Thūpa and the Thūpavaṃsa: Being a
>>>>         Translation and Edition of Vācissaratthera’s Thūpavaṃsa/,
>>>>         by N.A. Jayawickrama, London 1971: Luzac (Sacred Books of
>>>>         the Buddhists / Pali Text Society, v. 28; Unesco Collection
>>>>         of Representative Works), pp. 182f.
>>>>
>>>>         Jayawickrama translated the passages in question as follows:
>>>>
>>>>         Sakka, the king of the deities addressed Vissakamma:
>>>>         'Ajatasattu, my dear, has done the enshrining of the relics
>>>>         ; you provide protection there', and despatched him. He
>>>>         came and set up *a contraption with a number of figures of
>>>>         ferocious animals* and setting up inside the relic chamber
>>>>         (another contraption) which made the wooden figures bearing
>>>>         crystal coloured swords revolve with the speed of the wind,
>>>>         he had it all joined to one pin, had a rampart of granite
>>>>         in the form of a 'brick-hall' 6 built, and having it
>>>>         covered on top with a single (stone-slab) had earth thrown
>>>>         in and the ground levelled and had a granite thiipa
>>>>         established upon it. (/ibid. /p. 46).
>>>>
>>>>         Cf. also /Dīghanikāyaṭṭhakathāṭīkā Līnatthavaṇṇanā/, ed.
>>>>         Lily De Silva, London 1970: Luzac, vol. 2, p. 246, ll.
>>>>         14ff. /vāḷasaṅghātayantan ti //kakkhalaṃ paṭibhayadassanaṃ
>>>>         aññamaññapaṭib{h}addhagamanāditāya saṅghāṭitaṃ
>>>>         rūpakayantaṃ//yojesi. ten’ āha “kaṭṭharūpakānī”ti ādi/.
>>>>
>>>>         With best regards,
>>>>         Seishi Karashima
>>>>
>>>>         2016-09-12 21:42 GMT+09:00 Madhav Deshpande
>>>>         <mmdesh at umich.edu <mailto:mmdesh at umich.edu>>:
>>>>
>>>>             Hi Artur,
>>>>
>>>>                  I checked Google Images for "Nagayantra", and
>>>>             there are several interesting diagrams and designs for
>>>>             such Yantras, some of which are evidently found in Thai
>>>>             Buddhist temples.  Here is a link:
>>>>
>>>>             http://www.sak-yant.com/archive/108yant/payanakarach/yantpayanakarach.jpg
>>>>             <http://www.sak-yant.com/archive/108yant/payanakarach/yantpayanakarach.jpg>
>>>>
>>>>             Madhav
>>>>
>>>>             On Mon, Sep 12, 2016 at 8:32 AM, Artur Karp
>>>>             <karp at uw.edu.pl <mailto:karp at uw.edu.pl>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>                 > contraption
>>>>
>>>>                 :)
>>>>
>>>>                 any image of ?
>>>>
>>>>                 2016-09-12 14:29 GMT+02:00 Madhav Deshpande
>>>>                 <mmdesh at umich.edu <mailto:mmdesh at umich.edu>>:
>>>>
>>>>                     Hi Artur,
>>>>
>>>>                          It probably refers to some contraption
>>>>                     surrounded by a host of serpents. Serpents as
>>>>                     guardians of hidden underground treasures is a
>>>>                     reasonably common idea in Indian literature.
>>>>
>>>>                     Madhav
>>>>
>>>>                     On Mon, Sep 12, 2016 at 8:24 AM, Artur Karp
>>>>                     <karp at uw.edu.pl <mailto:karp at uw.edu.pl>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>                         Dear Madhav,
>>>>
>>>>                         The PTS,s Pali-English Dict.:
>>>>
>>>>                         *Vāḷa* - [cp. late Sk. vyāḍa, see Geiger,
>>>>                         /P. Gr/. § 54⁶] I. a snake Vism 312 (so
>>>>                         read for *vaḷa*).- 2. a beast of prey [...]
>>>>                         *vāḷa-miga*, a beast of prey, predaceous
>>>>                         animal, like tiger, leopard, etc. [...]
>>>>
>>>>                         When in search for the Elixir of
>>>>                         immortality Garuda enters the underworld,
>>>>                         he kills *two serpents* hidden under the
>>>>                         [eternally] revolving wheel. (Mbh. I, 29.
>>>>                         3-9).
>>>>
>>>>                         When the relics of the Buddha are hidden by
>>>>                         Ajatasattu in the underground chamber,
>>>>                         Vissakamma places over them, for their
>>>>                         defence the [eternally] revolving
>>>>                         *vāḷa–saṅghāṭa–yanta.*
>>>>                         *
>>>>                         *
>>>>                         If *vāḷa* would mean "snake, serpent", then
>>>>                         this could be one of the tropes linking
>>>>                         both the narrations.
>>>>
>>>>                         *Yanta *means "contrivance, artifice,
>>>>                         instrument, machine, mechanism" - in what
>>>>                         way could it be constructed/pegged together
>>>>                         - using serpents? Ataching it to serpents?
>>>>                         Giving it a serpentine look?
>>>>
>>>>                         Artur
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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