[Buddha-l] Pali and Asoka

[Bankei]

Hi Jayarava

Interesting post. Sorry I don't have much to add, but....

Have you looked at the work of Prof K. R. Norman a specialist in early
Indian languages. The PTS has a few volumes with his articles.

Have you also looked into the early inscriptions of Sri Lanka. I beleive
there are many dating from the 2nd or 1st century BC onwards.

Regards

Bankei

2009/1/18 Jayarava <jayarava at yahoo.com>

> I have been browsing through Cardona and Jains 'Indo-aryan Languages' and
> Salomon's 'Indian Epigraphy'...
>
> It seems that the Pāli language of the Tipitaka most resembles the prakrit
> of the Asokan inscription at Girnār (in modern day Gujurat), although it
> makes sporadic use of Magadhisms. That is to say that Pāli as we know it is
> essentially a western Indian dialect. This raises the issue of why the
> western dialect was used for the scriptures when everyone involved in them,
> from the Buddha down to Asoka, having lived in Magadha most likely spoke an
> eastern dialect. (Doesn't it?)
>
> In Asoka's heartland the inscriptions are all in Magadhi (ie the prakrit of
> the Magadha region). However with the death of Asoka and the collapse of the
> Mauryan dynasty, inscriptions in this language cease - apparently they cease
> abruptly and completely. Eventually inscriptions are found in the western
> dialect as far afield as Orissa and Amarāvati suggesting that the western
> dialect spread from it's original homeland and became a lingua franca "by
> the last two centuries BCE". Presumably this had something to do with
> filling the power vacuum left by the Mauryans?
>
> If the texts were transmitted to Sri Lanka during Asoka's lifetime why
> weren't they in the language that he most likely spoke? Gujurat was a bit of
> a back water at this time if the history books are anything to go by. Asoka
> inscribed his words in Magadha and at the frontiers of his kingdom, but not
> much in between - Gujurat was at the edge of his realm.
>
> Seems to me there are three possibilities:
>
> 1. The texts were originally remembered in Magadhi (or at least an eastern
> dialect of some description), but some Buddhists (perhaps after a schism or
> due to missionary activity) went to Girnār and translated the texts into the
> local dialect. The texts were then transmitted from Girnār to Sri Lanka
> during Asoka's time.
>
> 2. The texts were transmitted to Sri Lanka in Magadhi during the life of
> Asoka, but later translated into the western dialect in Sri Lanka.
>
> 3. The texts were translated from Magadhi into the western dialect when it
> became the lingua franca of Northern India. The history of this is far from
> clear to me, but definitely some time after Asoka died. Perhaps a generation
> or two - how long does it take for a language to change? The texts were
> subsequently transmitted to Sri Lanka in Pāli.
>
> I know of no evidence to support option 1. and I gather Frauwallner thought
> Mathura was the likely launching point.
>
> Option 2 seems pretty unlikely - Sri Lanka is a long way from Magadha, with
> South Indian languages intervening. The Sinhalese script diverged from
> Brahmi by the 3rd century BCE suggesting that they were not part of the
> mainstream even then. I can't think of why they would suddenly change the
> language of the texts to another foreign language. They seem unlikely to
> want to change the language at all, but if they did it would seem that
> Sinhalese was a more likely candidate for them to choose. And again I know
> of no evidence to suggest that such a translation took place in Sri Lanka.
>
> Which leaves option 3. even though it conflicts with the traditional
> narratives of the history. The texts were transmitted some time after the
> death of Asoka - I'm guessing at least two generations - sometime in the
> early to mid 2nd century BCE.
>
> Is this news to anyone but me?
>
> There was apparently a major revision of the Sri Lankan Canon in the 12th
> century based on Burmese grammars - heavily influenced by Sanskrit
> grammarians. Could this account for a option 2. scenario?
>
> Is there a 4th option to explain the information?
>
> Best wishes
> Jayarava
>
>
>
>
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