Studies in the Origins of Buddhism c23: Appendix II. On the Home of Pali

Studies in the Origins of Buddhism c23

Language: English

Appendix II. On the Home of Pali

c23.1

In the commentaries the word “Pali” frequently means a “canonical text”.¹ It has even been suggested that the word has been ultimately derived from “Dhammapaliyāyo” through the intermediate stages of °Pāliyāyo-Pāli.² As to the language of the “Pali-canon”, the commentaries tell us that it is Māgadhī. Now Aśokan Māgadhī shows at least two of the three distinctive features of “literary” Māgadhī³ viz., nominatives in *e* in place of *o*, and the use of *l* in place of *r*.⁴ Both of these “Māgadhisms” are absent in canonical Pali except at a few places.⁵ It is clear, thus, that the present Pali canon cannot be considered linguistically identical with the canon said to have been compiled at Pāṭaliputra in the reign of Aśoka.

c23.2

¹ Dhs. A, 157, 168; Dhp. A, IV. 93. The word ‘Pali’ is found only in the commentaries, not in the Piṭakas (PTSD).

c23.3

² J. Kashyap: Pāli Mahāvyākaraṇa—pp. Nine-Eleven.

c23.4

³ Grammatik. p. 23.

c23.5

⁴ e.g., see the Dhauli version of the First Separate Rock Edict (Sircar-Select Ins. I. pp. 41 ff), or the Barabar Hill cave Inscriptions of Aśoka (Ib. pp. 78-79).

c23.6

⁵ Such as in the course of DN. 2 (Sāmaññaphala°) or Kv. 1 (Puggalakathā).

c23.7

As to the basic dialect of Pali, scholars have advanced a number of conflicting identifications,⁶ and though the controversy has been reviewed more than once⁷ few definitive results have been achieved.

c23.8

⁶ See Lévi—JA. 1912, s. 10, t. XX, p. 495ff; Konow—ZDMG. 1910, pp. 114ff; Grierson—Bhand. Comm. Vol. pp. 117ff; N. Dutt—Early History of the Spread of Buddhism—p. 249ff; S. K. Chatterji—Origin ard Development of the Bengali Language, I. 55ff; Oldenberg V. P. I. Intr, 1ff; PTSD—Foreword; Geiger—Pali Literatur und Sprache—pp. 1-5; Bapat. I.H.Q. 1928, 23ff; Keith. I.H.Q. 1925, 501ff; Mrs. Rhys Davids—Sakya p. 429ff.

c23.9

⁷ e.g., by Keith in Buddhist Studies (Law); Winternitz—Ind. Lit. II. App. II.

c23.10

Now Dr. Barua has proved after a careful examination of the evidence that the sound-system and grammatical forms of the language of the Girnar version of Aśoka's Rock Edicts are strikingly similar to those of Pali.⁸ Further, that judged by the sound-system and syntax, the language of the old Brāhmī inscriptions in the Khaṇḍagiri and Udayagiri caves is very nearly Pali.⁹ This suggests that Pali represents the literary development of some Central Indian dialect. This conclusion accords very well with the traditional account of the introduction of Buddhism into Ceylon, which, we are told, was the work of Mahinda during the reign of Aśoka.¹⁰ It may be remembered that Mahinda is supposed to have come to Ceylon from the region of Ujjenī and the west coast.¹¹

Linked texts (4)

Kathāvatthu — Moggaliputta Tissa, Pāli
Dīghanikāya — Pāli
Mahāvaṃsa — Pāli
Separate Rock Edict I (Kaliṅga) — Prakrit