History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c17.s1.19

c17.s1.19

This passage, as well as that previously quoted, seems to be very corrupt, and has a number of variant readings. Among these an alternative for the second half of verse 30 may be of significance. As well as the reading *śaktyā jīvanti karpaṭāḥ* there is the variant *Śākyā puṣṭi-kalaṃśakāḥ*.² The word *puṣṭi-kalaṃśakāḥ* here seems to be out of place, since it occurs again at the end of verse 32, where it is probably a corruption of *puṣṭi-vināśakāḥ*. On comparing these two versions, both of which are probably corrupt, we are tempted to offer the tentative reconstruction: *Ye viśrāddhaka-nirgranthāḥ Śāky’-Ājīvika-karpaṭāḥ*. This, with the first half of the following verse, might be translated: "The nirgranthas, who perform no *śrāddha*, the Buddhist (*Śākya*) and Ājīvika ragged mendicants (and) they who do not live according to dharma are the *nagna* people etc."