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Historical Gleanings

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Historical Gleanings PREFACE ' H E r ent t re at ise is a c olle c t ion o f six e ssa s T p e s y , sub e ct s o f hi t o ric m r d e aling Wit h j s al i po t ance . Mo st of t he m h a v e be e n p ublishe d in t he Jour n als an d Pro c e e ding s o f t he Asiat ic So c ie t y of Be n al I ha e re ise d t h rin an g . v v e p t e d e ssays d rifi d th r re n c m ank ul t r I a t h o D . B . M . ve e e e fe e s . f B ar a i r r u , D . L t t . M . A. f o t he fo e Dr r ndr t L B a A. L w ord , and t o . N e a N a h aw , M . , f or his kindn e ss in in clu ding t his i in hi Calc ut t a O rie nt al erie s t re at se s S . ’ 24 UKEA S STREET , S , C C U S M A I A A AR A L . AL TTA , L CH N W 2 Au s 1 92 . gu t , CONTENTS A CH PTER I . Taxila as a seat of learning in Sanskrit and Pali Literature CHAPTER II . The wandering teachers in the time of the Buddha II CHAPTER I . Influenc e of the five heretic al teac hers on Jainism and Buddhism CHAPTER IV . ’ Buddhaghosa s c ommentaries CHAPTER V. The Lic chav is in Anc ient India CHAPTER VI . B and Ni a t has uddha Q g n INDE" FO REWO RD MR o f . B . C . Law , author the following monographs , has shown me much kindn ess in asking me to write a f f e w o . words as to what I think his writings Mr Law , w d who is already well kno n to us , nee s no introduction . He is a devoted student of Buddhism and Buddhist Literature . Most o f the monographs included in this book are reprints o f articles contributed to the Journals and Proceedings o f the Asiatic So c iety o f ’ c Bengal . These will go at on e to show that Mr . Law s d researches have been confine to Buddhist literature , a particularly that in P li , and that his is mostly a compilation work . However thankless such a task has mav appear to the general reader , it an immense f o r di value as supplying materials In an history , and to me , at least , it is of paramount importance . Though libl abo u t di is people talk g y ancient In an history , it those actually working in the field who can realise how uncertain the data are and how scanty the materials n which have hitherto been collected . We are o t to remain idl e under the impression that there is no further o f l need for the work col ection and compilation , nor should we belittle the impor tance o f the works of those like Mr . Law , who have honestly and assiduously been lab ouring hard to bring together and publish the refer e noc e from a particular literature bearing upon a particular te pic . I am far from saying that Mr . Law is the first to find o ut all the references noticed in his monographs and none need be surprised that o n certain ppint s o ur views concur as we worked together f o r " W FORE ORD . sometime and were interested in the same subject . But I must draw attention to his list of wandering ’ teachers o f Buddha s time which has a very important so tale to tell . We have long been under the belief that there we re no other wise men in ancient India than the originators o f what we used to call the six ’ o f f schools Hindu Philosophy . Mr . Law s list o wander v and ing teachers will ser e to disillusionize many , convinc e them that there were no t six but sixty power ’ ful sc hools o f thought in existence in Buddh a s time and H is mentioned in Buddh ist literature . monograph on Buddhag ho sa and his commentaries is a well-thought out essay and I hope he will gradually develop it into a larger treatise . His other essays are also interesting has and well written . I understand that Mr . Law taken care to revise his monographs and verify the references . L1 N I V ER SITY o r CA LCUTTA , B M BAR A . U . u us 1 22 " A 9 . g t , H ISTO R ICAL GLEAN IN GS. A E CH PT R I . TA"ILA AS A SEAT O F LEAR NING IN SAN SKRI T AND PAL LI ER A R E I T TU . ' Taxila has been frequently referred to in Pali Litera ture as a centre of learning in Ancient Indi a . Pupils from diff erent parts of India used to visit the place A t o to learn various arts and sciences . ccording ‘ Dhamma ad a h akatha Pase nadi of Ko sala p tt , , the king , e ‘ J n . i was educat d at Taxila vaka , the renowned physicia o f Bi a w as at the court King mbis ra , educated in 2 and s medicine surgery here . Princes from variou 3 kingdoms used to be sent to this place f or education . 4 In o ne place there is a reference to a young man o f a a the L lha country going to Taxila for education . L lha a f it i o a . As s is the P li form R lha to identificat on , and l l I agree with Mr . N a a Dey who in his Notes o n the History of the district of Hugli o r the Ancient a ’ l 1 1 0 6 4 9 . 0 V o . R lha New series , VI , , p ) writes It should be borne in mind that the princess Supp adev i w as carried away by a lion at Lalha while she w as proceeding from Vanga ' t o Mag adha (Modern a a ve Beh r) , and therefore L lha must ha been situated t h be ween Vanga and Mag ad a and no t in Kalinga . The a o r a o f identification of L la L ta , the native country l . 2 1 P . T . t . 1 S Edi ion , p . 2 a a t e 3 . M ah av agg a (Vinaya Pit k e di e d by Old nb e rg) VIII . 3 1 1 0 45 . at a a Faiisb oll . 259 . 6 21 7 J k ( ) , Vol I , p , Vol V , pp , , . 447 . 1 Ibid , Vol I , p 2 I O I I H ST R CAL GLEAN NGS . V1 Guie rat at ] aya , with by some writers cannot be all ” correct . In several places in the Pali Jatakae "there are references to highly renowned teachers living at t o Taxila and the various subjects taught there . In ' o ne of a the J takas , a very beautiful picture of the . li o f has a student fe those days been drawn (J taka , p . A so n of the King of Benares went to arts axila from a renowned teacher . He 1 ’ c arrie gold coins as teacher s fee . In those days,there were two classes of pupils—(i) those who used t o pay f or their education ; (ii) those who s erved the1 r teacher during the day-time in lieu o f . payment and received lessons during the night . The paying pupils used to live in the house of their teacher s n al like his eldest o . Corpor punishment for offences w as not unknown in those days : there is a reference an to a prince being beaten by his preceptor for offence . ‘L For Citt asambhfi t a Jat aka the , it appears that lessons onl were given to the upper classes y , namely , to the ‘ a Ksat ri as h as d Br hmins and y , for it been sai there that two Candala youths disguised as Brahmins were ll learning sciences from a teacher , but were expe ed t ou . when found Of the subjects taught , the three Vedas a nd eighteen Vijj as are frequently mentioned . The a three Vedas are the Rigveda , S maveda , and Yajurveda . The Atharv av e da as the fourth Veda has been men s a a k lac e s t io ne d nowhere in the P li J ta as . In many p pupils have been described as learning sipp as (si as) o nl si a y , but the word pp appears to have been used in f the comprehensive sense o learning . 1 ata a Faiisb ofi . 347 . 402 463 3 1 7 . J k ( ) , Vol VI , p , Vol I , pp , , ' 2 21 s Ibid , p . [ 3 i . 4 v . 1 . 347 . 4 7 . 77 bid , Vol II , p , Vol I , p p ; Vol , pp , ‘ TAe A A s F I 3 A SEAT O LEARN NG .
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