[Buddha-l] RE: seeking the Pali and Sanskrit term for"holy/religious/, sacred objects"

[Richard Nance]

On 11/2/05, Stephen Hodge <s.hodge at padmacholing.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:


> And we can proceed to the ultra-pedantic and refer to Edgerton (BHS Dic
> p331) who by including pari.skaara (which he too defines as "equipment,
> utensils, personal belongings") implies that these are specifically Buddhist
> meanings not present in the standard Sanskrit usage.  Your move :)

I'm going to forfeit (I don't enjoy games of this sort at all). Before
I do, however, I'll offer this as a last remark: as you know very
well, Edgerton is saying that the term pari.skaara, when found in
Buddhist texts, may mean what he suggests it to mean. But the fact
that a term or phrase appears in a Buddhist text doesn't entail that
the term or phrase has a "Buddhist meaning" in that context. The term
or phrase may very well mean what it means in standard Sanskrit usage.
 Personally, I see no problem with thinking of powders, perfumes, and
the like as "ornaments" or "adornments." If you prefer "equipment /
things," fine; your suggested translation is perfectly defensible. I'd
like to think that my own revised version is likewise perfectly
defensible. But if you need to claim victory in this contest of
pedantry, I'll be happy to cede it: you win. You're more pedantic than
I am, Stephen. Lucky man.

Now, hopefully, we can both turn our attention away from this
kaakadantapariik.saa and onto something more useful.

Best wishes,

R. Nance