⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−− Upajāti
(Ṛddhi)
tataḥ kumāraḥ khalu
gacchatīti śrutvā striyaḥ preṣya-janāt-pravṛttim |
⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−
didṛkṣayā harmya-talāni
jagmur-janena mānyena kṛtābhyanujñāḥ || 3.13
3.13
Then the women, hearing from their
servants
The news that the prince was on his
way,
Went, wishing to see him, onto the
roofs and balconies
-- With assent from their masters.
COMMENT:
The four elements in today's verse are
the prince, the women, their servants, and their masters. But who
represents who?
The prince, the main protagonist, is
the Buddha.
The women who wish to see the prince
are, following on from yesterday's verse, those individual
practitioners (whose sex or family background is of no consequence)
who wish to realize the state of buddha.
But who are the
information-transmitting scivvies (preṣya-jana, lit. “people to
be summoned”), and who are the authorization-conferring powers that be (jana mānya, lit. “people to be esteemed”)?
The phrase kṛtābhyanujña,
“having been given assent,” also appeared in 3.6, followed by ājñāpayati sma, "issued his command," (another phrase from the root √jñā) in 3.7:
And so in majestic action on the royal road, a majesty-possessing heir-apparent with an amenable assembly in his train, / Having alighted at the proper time from atop his elevated perch, approached, with his assent (kṛtābhyanujñaḥ), a protector of men. // BC3.6 // Then the king, tears welling, gazed long upon his son, kissed his head,/ And issued his command (ājñāpayati sma), with the word “Go!” But with his heart, because of attachment, he did not let him go. // BC3.7 //
These uses of abhy-anu-jña and ā-√jñā
bring back to mind the title of Saundara-nanda Canto 18, ājñā-vyākaraṇaḥ, which I found
so difficult to translate. Eventually I went for “Knowing
Affirmation,” but the title could equally be translated as “Declaration
of Assent.”
In Saundara-nanda Canto 4 ājñā is used
in the sense of “permission," in the context, as in today's verse, of a woman seeking the
permission of the master of her house (who in this case was Nanda):
Thinking in that moment of the importance of the Worthy One to the master of the house, and through her own devotion to the Worthy One, / She stood before Nanda, intending to speak. And then, with his permission (tad-ājñayā), up she spoke: // SN4.29 //
Looking for clues
in Saundara-nanda mahā-kāvya, Aśvaghoṣa's Epic Story of
Beautiful Joy, I think Nanda is portrayed as one whose wish to
realize the state of buddha causes him, through the making of
constant effort, eventually to succeed in that aim; whereupon the
Buddha affirms that his enlightenment is genuine and therefore
authorizes him to be a servant -- a lamp-carrying scivvy. Hence:
Therefore forgetting the work that needs to be done in this world on the self, do now, stout soul, what can be done for others. / Among beings who are wandering in the night, their minds shrouded in darkness, let the lamp of this transmission be carried. //SN 18.57 //
VOCABULARY
tataḥ: ind. from that, then, thence
kumāraḥ (nom. sg.): m. the prince
khalu: ind. indeed!
gacchati = 3rd pers. sg.
gam: to go
iti: “....,” thus
śrutvā = abs. śru: to hear, learn of
striyaḥ (nom. pl.): f. woman
preṣya-janāt (abl. sg.): m. servants
(collectively) , household
preṣya: mfn. to be sent or dispatched
; m. a servant , menial , slave
pra- √iṣ: to drive on , urge ,
impel , send forth ; to invite , summon , call upon
jana: m. person, people; often ifc.
denoting one person or a number of persons collectively , e.g.
pravṛttim (acc. sg.): f. moving
onwards ; coming forth; news , tidings
didṛkṣayā (inst. sg.): f. ( √
dṛś Desid.) desire of seeing
harmya-talāni (acc. pl.): n. the flat
roof or upper room of any mansion or palace
jagmur = 3rd pers. pl.
perfect gam: to go
janena (inst. sg.): m. people
mānyena (inst. sg. m.): mfn. to be
respected or honoured , worthy of honour , respectable , venerable
kṛtābhyanujñāḥ (nom. pl. f.):
having received permission
abhyanujñā: f. assent , approval ;
authorization
郭邑及田里 聞太子當出
尊卑不待辭 寤寐不相告
尊卑不待辭 寤寐不相告
No comments:
Post a Comment