Inflections of dā, pra-dā, pra-yam and
Their Suppletion in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra
KASAMATSU Sunao
1. Introduction
There have been many studies concerning the problem of the aorist forms and strata in BHS literature. Scholars pointed out that older strata of texts use aorists and the younger groups use imperfect or perfect forms.
In a recent paper, I proposed a new analysis as follows: The root sthā to stand forms a root aorist (3 sg. asthāt) in Vedic literature. While we can find a few cases of root aorist
aṭṭhā (<*asthāt) in the gāthā-portion of Pāli canonical texts, the s-aorist form aṭṭhāsi is
fairly common in canonical and non-canonical Pāli texts. The form asthāsi is common in both the gāthā- and prose-portion of the Mahāvastu too and is retained in the gāthā-portion of Saddhp. That is the same as the Middle Indo-Aryan languages which use the forms of the s-aorist frequently. In the prose portion of Saddhp, the Kashgar recension shows
asthāsīt almost consistently. Perhaps the Lotus Sutra used the s-aorist forms for sthā
origi-nally. On the contrary, parallel passages found in KN and WT read asthāt. It may safely be assumed that the Nepalese recensions have replaced the s-aorists with the root aorists, i.e., the classical Sanskrit forms. It is noteworthy to recall that Pāṇini II 4,77 pointed out that the roots gā, sthā, dā, dhā, pā and bhū make root aorists.
In the Devadatta-parivarta we can find the only inconsistent example, Kashgar 253b5
asthāt (=KN 263,15; WT 226,13). The difference in readings indicates the presence of
tex-tual strata in the Lotus Sutra. If we integrate other cases, it will be possible to examine the situation relating to editing the Lotus Sutra more accurately. The purpose here is to explore a little further into the problem.
2.
adāt, adāsīt or prādāsīt
2.1. Root Aorists in Vedic Literature and Canonical Pāli Literature
Aorists of the root dā to give were originally formed as adāt etc. as Pāṇini pointed out: RV X 85,41 cd rayíṃ ca putrā́ṁś cādād agnír máhyam átho imā́m Agni gave me wealth
and sons, and then, this [bride] . One form of the root aorist remains in old Pāli canonical texts, for example: Sn 303 tato ca rājā saññatto brāhmaṇehi rathesabho . . . ete yāge
yajitvāna brāhmaṇānaṃ adā dhanaṃ And then, convinced by the brahmins . . . the king,
lord of charioteers gave wealth to the brahmins, after having performed these sacrifices .
2.2. s-aorist adāsi in Pāli Literature and Mahāvastu
The form adāsi, based on s-aorist, is attested generally in Pāli literature: SN I: 213,1–2p
tena kho pana samayena aññataro upāsako Sukkāya bhikkhuniyā bhojanam adāsi At that
time a certain lay man gave food to the bhikkhunī Sukkā ; SN I: 213,6–9 m puññaṃ vata
pasavi bahuṃ / sapañño vatāyam upāsako / yo Sukkāya adāsi bhojanaṃ / sabbaganthehi
vippamuttiyā ti Oh, he engendered much merit; oh, this lay man is wise, who gave food to
Sukkā for release from all the knots . As same as in the later literature: Milindapañha 7,23– 24 Sādhu bhante, manussaloke uppajjissāmīti paṭiññaṃ adāsi Very good, revered sir, I will arise in the world of men ̶ he gave his consent .
In the Mahāvastu the form adāsi occurs 18 times in both the verse- and prose-portions: I: 53,1–2p anuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhiṃ prārthayamāno prāsādaśatasahasraṃ ratnamayaṃ
ahaṃ cakravartī santo Samitāvino adāsi // Longing for unsurpassed perfect
enlighten-ment, I, as a universal king presented gave a hundred-thousand palaces made of precious substances to Samitāvin ; I 234,12m sā hrṣṭā saṃvrttā adāsi utpalāṃ She, transported with joy, gave him the lotuses (Jones) . But there is no attestation for adā, adāt, prādāt or
prādāsīt.
2.3. adāsi or adāt in Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtras
All readings found in the Kashgar manuscript show adāsīt or prādāsīt as far as can be con-firmed. On the other hand, KN and WT give adāt throughout with one exception: KN XI: 250,2 (=WT 214,25) adāsīt (=Kashgar 241a6 and Kolkata 112a5 ⇔ Gilgit B 236,1 and Pe-king 213,13).
KN XI: 249,13–250,3p
atha khalu bhagavān Prabhūtaratnas tathāgato . . . śākyamunes tathāgatasya . . . tasminn eva siṃhāsane rdhāsanam adāsīt. . . . And then the Lord Prabhūtaratna,
Tathāgata . . . ceded to the Lord Sākyamuni, Tathāgata . . . half of the lion-seat (=WT 214,22–25p;
Kashgar 241a4–6; Kolkata 112a4–5 [adāsīt] ⇔ Peking 213,10–13 [adāt] ~Gilgit B. 235,29–236,1 [adāt.]).
KN gives no footnote but we can assume it adopted the reading from the Kashgar manu-script. Peking 255,7 (=Kashgar 291a1 ⇔ KN 302,9, WT 257,12, Gilgit A 103,11 and Kolka-ta 135a4) shows only another example of adāsīt despite all the other texts which read adāt. All these examples are found in stock phrases with ardhāsanam or sādhukāram + adāt,
adāsīt or prādāsīt. It is noteworthy that the occurrences of pra-dā are confined to the later
strata of the Lotus Sutra, i.e., chapters XXI–XXVI.
2.4. adāt in Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa
As far as I have been able to determine, all aorists of dā are made from the root aorist in the text, e.g.: Vimalakīrti-n. I: 8,15 evam ukte bhagavān ratnākarāya licchavikumārāya
sādhukāram adāt When this was said, the Blessed One gave his approval to young
Lic-chavi Ratnākara . Other examples are: VII: 79,1–2; VIII: 89,16; XII: 124,17. While it is one of the oldest Mahāyāna-Buddhist Sutras, only one manuscript of the text survives; it was written in 12th century.3) Readings would have been influenced by Sanskritization as the text was copied.
3.
pra-dā and pra-yam
3.1. pra-dā and pra-yam in Vedic literature
In certain cases, phenomena of suppletion are attested in Vedic literature (cf. Gotō 2013: 82). Instead of dadāti gives , the pres. pra-yacchati offers, presents is preferably used: KS VI 2: 51,7–8p priyám evá dhā́māgnáye prā́dāt. sò smā annā́dyaṃ práyacchaty. annādó
bha-vati yá eváṃ véda Verily he gave favorite residence to Agni. He (i.e., Agni) offered him
Table.
Kashgar KN (WT) Gilgit Kolkata Peking
241a6 adā(sī)t XI: 250,2 (214,25) adāsīt B. p. 236,11) adāt 112a5 adāsīt p. 213, l.13 adāt
291a1 (adā)s(ī)t XIV: 302,9 (257,12) adāt A. p. 103,11 adāt 135a4 adāt p. 255, l.7 adā(sī)t 382b3 prradāsīt XXI: 397,5 (335,15) adāt A. p. 156,26 adāt
(=B. p. 283,22)
177a5 adāt p. 333,11–12 adāt missing2) XXII: 421,14 (351,15) adāt A. p. 169,3 adāt 189a6 adāt p. 349,31 adāt
food. He, who knows thus, becomes an eater of food (=KpS IV 1: 44,9–11p).
The phenomenon is also observed in the later literature, for example: MBhār I 51,15
bālābhirūpasya tavāprameya varaṃ prayacchāmi yathānurūpam / vrṇīṣva yat te bhimataṃ hrdi sthitaṃ tat te pradāsyāmy api ced adeyam // I give a choice for you, beautiful boy, oh
the man of immeasurableness. Choose your choice in your heart. I will give it, though it cannot be given .
3.2. dā, pra-dā and pra-yam in Buddhist Texts
Aśvaghoṣa s Buddhacarita shows full suppletion: I 48ab prītaś ca tebhyo dvijasattamebhyaḥ satkārapūrvaṃ pradadau dhanāni / After paying reverence, he, pleased (in mind), gave
gifts to the best of the twice-born ; VI 61cd tat saumya yady asti na saktir atra mahyaṃ prayacchedam idaṃ grhāṇa // Then, dear sir, if there is no attachment for you, give me this [saffron-colored robe]. Get this [white garment of mine] .
Even if anu is attached to pra-yam, it is the same: Mv II 147,7–9 kumāro āha // yadi me
tāta aṣṭa varāṃ anuprayacchasi tato ahaṃ na bhūyo etam arthaṃ cintayiṣye // rājā āha // ākhyāhi me putra śīghraṃ kīdṛśāme aṣṭa varāṇi yānīcchasi. yadi śaktir vā balaṃ vā asti tato te pradāsyāmi / The prince said: If you give me eight boons, my father, then I will no
lon-ger consider this intention . The King said: Tell me quickly, my son, what these eight boons are, which you wish for. It there is the ability or power, then I will give them to you .
The Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa also uses the present stem of dā: III: 43,22–44,1 ahaṃ
ca . . . śatasahasramūlyaṃ muktāhāraṃ kaṇṭhād avatārya dadāmi / . . . pratigrhyemam, yatra te prasādo bhavati tasmai prayaccheti / And I . . . remove the necklace of pearl worth
hun-dreds of thousands of gold from my neck and give it to him . . . . Please accept this, and give it to whomever your compassion occurs .
3.3. dā, pra-dā and pra-yam in Saddhp
Although it is a slightly loose form, this phenomenon of suppletion is also found in the Lo-tus Sutra. For example: KN 74,7–75,6 (=WT 71,12–28) ahaṃ vo . . . tat pradāsyāmi. / . . . dehi
nas tāta . . . sa puruṣas teṣāṃ svakānāṃ putrāṇāṃ vātajavasaṃpannān gorathakān evānuprayacchet I will give you that [cart] . . . Father, give us [those carts] . . . The man
would give his sons the oxcart having a quickness like the wind (~Kashgar 79b6–80b7
ahaṃ yuṣmākaṃ . . . tat sarvaṃ dāsyāmi. . . . dadāhy4) asmākaṃ tāta iti. . . . sa puruṣas teṣāṃ
Dhāraṇī-parivarta we can find another example: KN 396,2=WT 334,20 dāsyāmaḥ (~Kash-gar 381b1 dāsyā)mo) . . . KN 397,5=WT 335,15 sādhukāram adāt ~(~Kash(~Kash-gar 382b3
sādhukāraṃ prradāsīt) . . . KN 397,9=WT 335,20 dāsyāmi (~Kashgar 382b7 has only
(dā)) . . . KN 401,2=WT 337,4 prayacchati sma (cf. Kashgar 384a6 illegible).
It must be noted that the irregular finite verb pradeti is met with in Saddhp IV 49: Kash-gar 119b3–4 suduṣkaraṃ kurvati lokanāyaka upāyakauśalya prayojayanta・
hīnādhimuktā(ṃ) damayanta putrā(ṃ) damiyāna ca jñānam idaṃ pradeti The Lord of the
world performs the very difficult task, displaying his skillfulness; taming his sons of low disposition; after tamed them, he gives this knowledge ~KN 118,5–6=WT 110,25–111,3
suduṣkaraṃ kurvati lokanātho upāyakauśalya prakāśayantaḥ / hīnādhimuktān damayantu putrān dametva ca jñānam idaṃ dadāti //. Another noteworthy example is Kashgar 428a7 anuprayacchīt (~KN XXIV: 446,9=WT 366,20 dadāti sma).
4. Conclusion
In Vedic literature and the Gāthā-portion of the Pāli canon the root dā shows the root aor-ists (e.g., 3. sg. adāt, →2.1). The s-aorist adāsi is frequently attested in non-canonical Pāli
texts and both the Gāthā- and prose-portion of the Mahāvastu (→2.2). This situation is
ba-sically the same as for the Middle Indo-Aryan languages. Perhaps the Lotus Sutra had the
s-aorist form for dā originally. The form adāsi is retained in the Kashgar tradition and
some Nepalese manuscripts (→2.3). Almost all parts of the eds. KN, WT and Nepalese
manuscripts show the root aorist form adāt. This is consistent with Pāṇini II 4,77 which points out the fact that the roots gā, sthā, dā, dhā, pā, bhū make root aorist forms. Thus we see that the Nepalese recensions have replaced the s-aorist forms by the root aorist forms, i.e., the classical Sanskrit forms.
It is noteworthy that Kashgar XXII: 382b3 and XXVII: 452a7, of the later parts of the Lotus Sutra (chapters XXI–XXVI), show the aorist of pra-dā (→3.3). This suggests that
layers of language are present.
In general, the Lotus Sutra retains suppletion roughly. The irregular examples are attest-ed in the Kashgar 119b4 pradeti (Saddhp IV 49) and Kashgar 428a7 anuprayacchīt. The former is almost same form as Pāli padeti. We can assume this as Prakritism preserved in the metric portion suggests that the metric portion belongs to older strata. The latter
this word-formation is inconsistent with the Kashgar III: 80b6–7 anuprayacchet and oth-ers.5) This indicates that a different dialect was used when editing chapter XXIV (Kashgar XXV) than the one used in other chapters.
Notes
1) Watanabe [1975: 236] adds the note So most of the Nep. MSS . 2) Its parallel, Lüshun B-16 Verso 2, reads sādhuṃkāraṃ dadati. 3) Yonezawa [2007] and Takahashi [2017: xxxi].
4) While KN and WT read dehi (cf. Gilgit A p. 30,30 pradehi), Kashgar dadāhi is a peculiar reading as Sanskrit. KN and WT show dadāhi only in metric portions: III 77c dadāhi (KN 88,8; WT 82,25; Kolkata 41b1; Peking 80,1; Kashgar 94a4; Gilgit A 38,29. Cf. Gilgit B 215,13 dāhi [+dadāhi]). These facts may
suggest that the metric- and prose-portions of the Kashgar manuscript belong to almost the same layer of language.
5) In general, the root anu-pra-yam serves to make a present stem even in the Kashgar manuscript: III: 80b6–7 anuprayacchet [Upamā]; III: 81a4 anuprayacchati [Upamā]; III: 88a7 anuprayacchati [Upamā]; XIV: 278b6 anuprayacchati sma [Sukhavihāra]. According to the rule of suppletion, anu-pra-dā conjugates in other stems: X: 224a7 anupradāsyāmi [Dharmabhāṇaka]; XII: 246b3 aprameyaṃ dānaṃ pradattam [Devadatta]; XII: 247a3 jyeṣṭhaṃ dharmam anupradāsyati [Devadatta]; XVII: 325a5 anupradātavyāni [Puṇyaparyāyanirdeśa].
Abbreviations
BHS: Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit. m: metric portion. p: prose portion. KN: Saddhp, edited by
Kern and Nanjo. KpS: KapiṣṭhalaKaṭhaSaṃṁhitā. KS: KāṭhakaSaṃṁhitā. MBhā: Mahā -bhārata. Mv: Mahāvastu. RV: Rg-Veda. Saddhp: Sanskrit text of Saddharma puṇḍarīka-Sūtra. Sn: Sutta-nipāta. SN: Saṃyutta-Nikāya. WT: Saddhp edited by Wogihara and Tsu-chida.
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Key words dā, pra-yam, root aorist, s-aorist, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit
(Associate Professor, National Institute of Technology, Sendai College)
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