On the Chronicles of Ceylon

More documents

Recommendations

Info

II. Literary Position – 53 with the edification of the tradition of meritorious and memorable deeds. Corresponding to the lives of the Buddhas and those of the Theras in the Buddhavaṁsa and the Apadāna respectively, we have in the Jaina Kalpa Sūtra the lives of the Jinas or Tīrthaṅkaras and those of the disciples of Mahāvīra. Both the Vaṁsa Brāhmaṇa and the Vaṁśas in the Upaniṣad are in prose. Whether prose had preceded verse or verse prose is still a disputed question. The alternation of prose and verse or of verse and prose is a phenomenon, which recurs even in the history of the Vaṁsa literature of Ceylon. [30] The earlier Indian prototypes of the Vaṁsa literature, mentioned above, are deficient in so far as they are wanting in the rājavaṁsa or rājaparamparā, while the Vaṁsa literature is mostly built on two paramparās, viz. rāja meaning the succession of kings and thera meaning the succession of elders. The rājavaṁsas or rājānvayas were developing in India side by side with the ācariyavaṁsa or ācariyaparamparās. The origin of the former must be traced in the ancient Itihāsas or royal anecdotes, particularly in the pre-Pāṇinian Mahābhārata. The rājavaṁsas or dynastic lists came to form a distinctive feature as much of the Pauranic recast of the Mahābhārata as of the Purāṇas themselves. The traditions and lineages of kings in both prose and verse, are met with in the Nikāyas including the Canonical Jātakas. Out of these earlier prototypes emerged the Vaṁsas of Ceylon as a distinct and remarkable type of historical or semi-historical literature.
II. Literary Position – 54 1. Dīpavaṁsa By the consensus of opinion this is the oldest known chronicle of Ceylon written in Pali. This text has been edited and translated by Oldenberg. This is, on the whole, a metrical composition with two prose passages, one of which is based upon a canonical text such as the Vinaya account of the Second Buddhist Council, 96 and the other is modelled evidently on the Jātaka Nidāna-kathā. 97 Whether these are later interpolations or remnants of the prose texts which were versified afterwards is still a disputed question. From the inclusion of the two prose passages within the present metrical form of the chronicle, no definite conclusion can be drawn either as to its original form or as to its literary position. Arguing on the authority of the Mahāvaṁsa Ṭīkā which is the literary product of a much later age, Oldenberg inclines to the view that ‘the author of the Dīpavaṁsa borrowed not only the materials of his own work, but also the mode of expression and even whole lines, word for word, from that Aṭṭhakathā’ (Sinhalese Aṭṭhakathā Mahāvaṁsa). 98 The same [31] line of argument has been followed by Geiger, Malalasekera, and others who have seriously discussed the 96 Dīpavaṁsa, IV, bet. Verses 46 and 47: Tena kho pana samayena vassasatamhi parinibbute Bhagavati Vesālika Vajjiputtakā bhikkhū Vesāliyaṁ dasa vatthūni dipenti, etc. Cf. Vinaya Piṭaka, II, p. 294. 97 Dīpavaṁsa, XII, bet. verses 29 and 30: Mārisa tvam pi Bhagavatā subyākato: anāgatamaddhāne Mahindo bhikkhu dīpam pasādayissati… Here the reminder, Kālo Mahāvīra dīpaṁ pasādetuṁ, cannot but remind the reader of the stanza: Kālo nu kho… 98 Ibid., p. 6.
Page 2 and 3:
On the Chronicles of Ceylon Bimala
Page 4 and 5: 3 3. Mahāvaṁsa 4. Extended Mahā
Page 6 and 7: 5 Preface [iii] In this treatise an
Page 8 and 9: I. Chonological Position - 7 1. Dī
Page 10 and 11: I. Chonological Position - 9 udagga
Page 12 and 13: I. Chonological Position - 11 Laṅ
Page 14 and 15: I. Chonological Position - 13 which
Page 16 and 17: I. Chonological Position - 15 by a
Page 18 and 19: I. Chonological Position - 17 Vinay
Page 20 and 21: I. Chonological Position - 19 Namas
Page 22 and 23: I. Chonological Position - 21 Chapt
Page 24 and 25: I. Chonological Position - 23 of an
Page 26 and 27: I. Chonological Position - 25 holdi
Page 28 and 29: I. Chonological Position - 27 Hemav
Page 30 and 31: I. Chonological Position - 29 Devā
Page 32 and 33: I. Chonological Position - 31 must
Page 34 and 35: I. Chonological Position - 33 The t
Page 36 and 37: I. Chonological Position - 35 conta
Page 38 and 39: I. Chonological Position - 37 It ma
Page 40 and 41: I. Chonological Position - 39 Here,
Page 42 and 43: I. Chonological Position - 41 refer
Page 44 and 45: I. Chonological Position - 43 Accor
Page 46 and 47: I. Chonological Position - 45 The a
Page 48 and 49: I. Chonological Position - 47 13. L
Page 50 and 51: I. Chonological Position - 49 Dharm
Page 52 and 53: I. Chonological Position - 51 of Vi
Page 56 and 57: II. Literary Position - 55 chronolo
Page 58 and 59: II. Literary Position - 57 Buddhava
Page 60 and 61: II. Literary Position - 59 The ques
Page 62 and 63: II. Literary Position - 61 So far a
Page 64 and 65: II. Literary Position - 63 Divyāva
Page 66 and 67: II. Literary Position - 65 Notwiths
Page 68 and 69: II. Literary Position - 67 6. Vaṁ
Page 70 and 71: II. Literary Position - 69 of other
Page 72 and 73: II. Literary Position - 71 The only
Page 74 and 75: II. Literary Position - 73 11. Late
Page 76 and 77: III. Historical Position - 75 histo
Page 78 and 79: III. Historical Position - 77 The t
Page 80 and 81: III. Historical Position - 79 two Y
Page 82 and 83: III. Historical Position - 81 the c
Page 84 and 85: III. Historical Position - 83 mouth
Page 86 and 87: III. Historical Position - 85 In ac
Page 88 and 89: III. Historical Position - 87 The s
Page 90 and 91: III. Historical Position - 89 The r
Page 92 and 93: III. Historical Position - 91 at th
Page 94 and 95: III. Historical Position - 93 the r
Page 96 and 97: III. Historical Position - 95 Bhāt
Page 98 and 99: III. Historical Position - 97 texts
Page 100 and 101: III. Historical Position - 99 were
Page 102 and 103: III. Historical Position - 101 With
Page 104 and 105:
III. Historical Position - 103 the
Page 106 and 107:
III. Historical Position - 105 miss
Page 108 and 109:
III. Historical Position - 107 be p
Page 110 and 111:
III. Historical Position - 109 bhik
Page 112 and 113:
III. Historical Position - 111 east
Page 114 and 115:
III. Historical Position - 113 From
Page 116 and 117:
III. Historical Position - 115 the
Page 118 and 119:
III. Historical Position - 117 Mah
Page 120 and 121:
III. Historical Position - 119 defe
Page 122 and 123:
121 Bibliography [vii] 1. Academy,
Page 124 and 125:
Bibliography - 123 49. Legend of th
show all

On the Chronicles of Ceylon

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?