A Comparative Edition of Dhammapada
A Comparative Edition of Dhammapada
A Comparative Edition of Dhammapada
of the
Dhammapada
© ânandajoti Bhikkhu
(2nd revised edition July, 2007 - 2551)
Table of Contents
Map.....iii
Preface.....iv
Acknowledgements.....v
Introduction.....vi
ii
iii
Preface
The present work gathers together all the Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA) parallels to the
Pàëi Dhammapada found in the surviving remains of the various Buddhist traditions,
and studies the principles underlying the way the collection has been organised and
assembled.
Part 1 of this book presents an abstract of the parallels to give a clear overview of how
the various versions relate to each other. There are detailed notes discussing such
matters as the titles of the chapters, the content and sequence of the verses, and the
way the material has been collected and organised.
Part 2 is the main portion of the book and contains the text of the Pàëi Dhammapada
itself, along with all the parallels that have been collected here. When presented in this
way the complex relationships between the various texts becomes evident.
There is also a complete Comparative Index to the Dhammapada verses presented here,
which acts as a kind of comparative vocabulary of the texts, showing the morphology
of the words in the various recensions of the verses.
iv
Acknowledgements
I am very grateful to Professor R. S. Bucknell, who read through the Introductions and
Studies of both the main text and the Appendix, which helped me clarify the text. I am
also indebted to Dr. Andrew Glass and Ven. Anàlayo who read through the
Introduction and whose scholarship helped me correct a number of oversights, and
generally improve the text.
I would also like to thank the Head of the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies at
the University of Peradeniya, Dr. G. Somaratne, for being so supportive of the
publication of this work; and I am grateful to Mr. Kulatunga of Printel Private Limited
for undertaking to publish this work.
In compiling this work I have been greatly assisted by the labours of previous scholars,
amongst whom I should mention J. Brough (The Gàndhàrã Dharmapada), F. Bernhard
(Udànavarga), M. Cone (Patna Dharmapada), O. von Hinˆber and K.R. Norman
(Dhammapada), K.L. Dhammajoti (The Chinese Version of Dhammapada), and the
unknown author of an article on The Origin of Dhammapada Verses (Buddhist Studies
Review 6, 2 - 1989), all of whom gave parallels to the various texts. During the course
of research for this work I was also able to find some other parallels that had not
previously been listed.
In preparing the main work I have had to prepare 4 major texts, and extracts from 4
others, and then compile it all. Although every care has been taken to ensure accuracy,
it is quite possible that there are still some mistakes in this edition. If anyone has any
corrections or additions that they could pass on, I could include them in any future
edition. Kindly write to anandajoti@gmail.com.
Anandajoti Bhikkhu
September, 2006/2550
v
Introduction
Texts of the early Buddhist tradition are preserved in Pàëi, Gàndhàrã, and various other
forms of Sanskritised Prakrit;1 besides being found in Chinese and Tibetan translation.
Of the MIA versions the only one that has come down to us in anything like a complete
recension is preserved in the Pàëi Tipiñaka,2 and it is certainly the Pàëi texts, mainly in
modern translations, that constitute the best known version of the early teachings,
which is not surprising as they belong to a living Buddhist tradition.
Of the Pàëi texts the Dhammapada is perhaps the best-loved collection of the Buddha's
teachings. There have been many editions,3 and almost innumerable translations of this
ever-popular text in nearly all modern languages.4 And in countries that have a
Theravàda tradition there is a copy of the book in most Buddhist homes, and many
people know at least some of the verses by heart.
Apart from the Pàëi Dhammapada, however, there are comparable collections of the
Dharmapadàni verses available in complete, or very nearly complete, editions in three
other MIA recensions, and these parallels can often throw light on the early teachings,
and act as a complement, and sometimes also as a corrective, to the Pàëi verses. There
are also parallels to individual verses found in other texts belonging to the early
Buddhist traditions of other schools.5
1
This term seems to me to be preferable to the usual Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit or Mixed
Sanskrit, which makes it sound as if we are dealing with forms of Sanskrit, whereas the
languages underlying all the early texts, including Pàëi, are forms of Prakrit that have been
Sanskritised to a greater or lesser degree.
2
The Tipiñaka, of course, contains texts of various ages, but undoubtedly in the four main
nikàyas it preserves a fairly reliable recension of the original teaching.
3
The main editions in Roman script were made by V. FausbŒll (1855, 2nd ed. London, 1900);
S. Sumangala Thera (London, 1914); D.J. Kalupahana (Lanham, 1986); J.R. Carter & M.
Palihawadana (Oxford, 1987); O. von Hinˆber & K.R. Norman (Oxford, 1994). I also made a
New Edition myself in 2002, which is the text used here.
4
For a survey of the Dhammapada translations up to 1989, see Russel Webb: The Dhammapada
- East and West (Buddhist Studies Review 6.2 1989: 166-175).
5
According to Bhikkhu Kuala Lumpur Dhammajoti, in The Chinese Version of Dharmapada
(Colombo, 1995, p. 26), there are "2 versions of the Dharmapada and 2 versions of the
Udànavarga in Chinese ... and two or three versions of the Udànavarga in Tibetan".
Moreover, there are parallels in the Jaina and Brahmanical traditions. Jaina Parallels have
been enumerated by W.B. Boll‚e, in his Reverse Index of the Dhammapada, Suttanipàta,
Thera- and Therãgàthà Pàdas with Parallels from the âyàraïga, Såyagaóa, Uttarajjhàyà,
Dasaveyàliya and Isibhàsiyàiü (Reinbek, 1983).
The Brahmanical parallels have been collected by W. Rau in his essay: "Bermerkungen und
nicht-buddhistische Sanskrit-Parallelen zum Pàli-Dhammapada", which was published in
Jÿànamuktàvalã. Commemoration Volume in Honour of Johannes Nobel... edited by Claus
Vogel (New Delhi, 1959).
None of these, however, have been dealt with here, as we are concerned in this work with the
relationship of the recensions of the verses in the various collections made in MIA.
vi
Introduction
Of the collections, the closest to the Pàëi is what is now known as the Patna
Dharmapada.6 All the editions are based on a manuscript found in a Tibetan Monastery
by Ràhula SaükÔtyàyana some time in the 1930s.7 The photographs of this manuscript
are now held in the K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute in Patna, which is how the
conventional name for the text has arisen.
The language of the verses that have been collected in the Patna Dharmapada is very
close to the Pàëi version of the text. The morphology is slightly more Sanskritised, but
anyone who can read Pàëi, and has even a passing acquaintance with Sanskrit, should
be able to read the text.
The same cannot be said of the Gàndhàrã Dharmapada, the scribe of which did not
regularly distinguish between short and long vowels; for the most part he didn't mark
the difference between assimilated conjuncts and the simplex, or preserve niggahãta
(anusvara) either; also the phonetic values of the text are considerably different to the
other recensions. It is a desideratum that some attempt be made to restore the phonetic
values of the text, so as to clarify the true nature of the language underlying the
written remains.
The basis for this text is a set of manuscript remains that were found in the Gandhàra
region in what is now Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China in the late 19th
century. There were initially a number of partial publications of this text which it
appears had been broken into three pieces and sold off to various European explorers.
One part found its way to France, another to Russia, and a third part, it appears, has
been irretrievably lost.8 According to Prof. Brough's estimate there must have been
approximately 540 verses in the text in total, but the verses in Brough's edition only
amount to 342, and many of those are very fragmentary.
The third major parallel to the text is not called a Dhammapada, but is known as the
Udànavarga. However, it is clearly a recension of the same Dharmapadàni material,
6
There are 4 editions of this text at present. The first, made by N. S. Shukla under the name
The Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dharmapada, was published in Patna itself in 1979; a much
more reliable version of the text was made by G. Roth, and published as a part of The
Language of the Earliest Buddhist Tradition, ed. by Prof. Heinz Bechert (GŒttingen, 1980);
the third was made by Margaret Cone as part of her doctrinal thesis, and published in the
Journal of the Pali Text Society, Volume XIII (Oxford, 1989); the fourth was made by K.
Mizuno in A Study of the Buddhist Sanskrit Dharmapada in Buddhist Studies Vol. 11 & 19
(Hamamatsu, 1982, 1990).
7
Exactly when is not clear, but it was probably during the trip to Tibet in 1934 or 1936.
8
A transcription of the material in France was published by •. Senart under the title Le
manscrit kharoùñhã du Dhammapada: les fragments Dutreuil de Rhins (Journal Asiatique,
1898); a 2nd edition of this material was made by B. Barua and S. Mitra in 1921, under the
title Prakrit Dhammapada (University of Calcutta Press); a 3rd edition of the same material
was made in 1945 by Prof H.W. Bailey under the title The Khotan Dharmapada (Bulletin of
the School of Oriental and African Studies, volume xi, London). But it was not until Prof.
John Brough's edition, entitled The Gàndhàrã Dharmapada that all the remaining parts of the
text were collated and published in London in 1962 (School of Oriental and African Studies,
London; reprinted by Motilal Banarsidass in Delhi, 2001).
vii
Introduction
even if the collection has been greatly expanded. The Sanskrit remains of the text are
fragmentary, but owing to the fact that there are many fragments to compare, it has
been possible to restore the verses to a much greater degree than with the Gàndhàrã.9
The text is evidently much more Sanskritised than the other versions we have discussed
so far, but the degree of Sanskritisation is not standardised throughout and the text
contains something of a mixture in terms of its language. The metre of the text is also
a mixture of early and late forms, as I have shown in a separate study.10
Of the incomplete parallels, two chapters from yet another Dharmapada have been
preserved in the Mahàvastu, one of the earliest of the Sanskritised Prakrit texts; one of
the chapters is named as the Sahasravarga, and appears to be the whole of the chapter;
the other is a selection that comes from an unnamed Bhikùuvarga. Parallels also exist
in the Divyàvadàna edited by E.B. Cowell & R.A. Neil (Cambridge 1886); the Gilgit
Manuscripts edited by Prof. Nalinaksha Dutt (Calcutta, 1950); and the Avadàna-èataka,
edited by J.S. Speyer (St. Petersburg, 1902, 1906).
In preparing this Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada I have used the Pàëi
Dhammapada as the basis, and collected the rest of the material around it. This should
not, however, be taken as implying that the Pàëi is the standard from which the other
versions have more or less departed; nor should it be thought to imply that the Pàëi
edition is the original, or even the earliest version.11
* * *
In re-presenting this material my primary aim has been to present matter that actually
throws substantial light on the verses in question. Because of this I have not presented
every fragment that could possibly have been parallel to each of the verses, considering
that it actually adds little to our understanding of the verses, but have normally only
admitted material when it is at least parallel to a quarter verse.12
9
Chapter xxix was published by R. Pischel in 1908; part of chapter xxii, and chapters xxix -
xxxii were published by L. de la Vall‚e Poussin in 1912; N.P. Chakravarti in Paris in 1930
published chapters i - iii; v - xxi; and B. Pauly published chapter xxxiii in 1961; but the first
complete edition of the remains of the Sanskrit text were published by Dr. Franz Bernhard in
1965 in Gottingen.
10
See www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Buddhist-Texts/S1-Udanavarga/ for two studies of the
Udànavarga relating to its prosody and to the Sanskritisation of the text.
11
Even if we could determine with certainty the relative ages of the various recensions of the
Dharmapadàni material, that would tell us almost nothing about the genuineness of the verses
contained in them. It may be that a verse that has been heavily Sanskritised reflects an
authentic saying of the Buddha; and another verse in an early form of Pràkrit is intrusive. As
all the recensions are in fact collections of already extant verses we can be quite sure they
contain material of various ages.
12
What counts as a parallel is often a purely subjective judgement, and no doubt others may
disagree occasionally with what has been included and what excluded; however, there seems
to be no way to avoid this. Similarly, given the great mass of material at hand, there may be
some inconsistencies in the presentation. For these failings I can only beg the reader's
indulgence.
viii
Introduction
Similarly, I have not reproduced every parallel to every verse, which would entail an
enormous amount of redundancy, but have reproduced the parallels at the place where
they are closest to the Pàëi verse, so that if there is a parallel that is equal to all four
lines of one of the Pàëi verses, and later is found equal to three lines of another verse,
it is only reproduced on the first occasion.13
Presenting the material in this way should throw much light on the Pàëi verses, and the
relationship they have to the other versions. However, it does not reveal the whole
picture, as the other texts sometimes have many verses that could be regarded as
parallel to one of the Pàëi verses, owing to repetition of a verse with the replacement
of keywords. This applies especially to the Udànavarga.
To help rectify this situation, in the Appendix some important verses that have found
their way into the parallel versions, but are missing in the Pàëi recension, have been
gathered together, and are presented from four different angles. The first follows the
parallels to the Pàëi with their variants, then the Patna, Gàndhàrã, and Udànavarga
texts with their parallels in turn. This shows both the texts and parallels to the verses in
all the editions, and also reveals how the verses have been organised in the various
versions. 14
13
This was an essential policy to adopt, as there are many series of verses in all the editions
that simply extend the number of verses by substituting keywords. If every parallel line had
been printed everywhere it occurs, the situation would have been confused, I feel, rather than
clarified.
14
Time permitting, I hope to produce a similar collection using the Udànavarga as the basis,
which has the advantage of being the largest collection of verses, and therefore offering the
largest amount of material to compare.
ix
Introduction
The text of the Dhammapada in this new edition has been established through a
comparison of the Sinhalese, Burmese, Thai, and European editions.
Chapter and verse numbers have been added to the parallels, alongside the
sequential numbers.
I have somewhat simplified the punctuation to bring it into line with the parallel
versions.
Patna Dharmapada edited by Margaret Cone (JPTS Vol XIII, Oxford 1989)
(reproduced by permission of PTS).
I am grateful to Prof. K.R. Norman, who sent a few small corrections to be made to
the printed text. These include the accidental omission of a half-verse (145cd), and a
repetition of a quarter-verse (149b).
Chapter and verse numbers have been added to the parallels, alongside the
sequential numbers.
The use of the avagraha (elipsis sign) in the original has been replaced with " ' ".
The vowel ri sign in Sanskrit is written with a ring underneath, not with a dot e.g.
dÔùñà (not dçùñà).
Line breaks in the original manuscript, which were noted in the text by the first
akùara being written in bold type, have been omitted.
Uncertain readings are marked with red coloured italic text.
Dr. Cone occasionally discussed uncertain readings in the notes, these discussions
have had to be omitted, and the akùaras in question are marked with red coloured
italic text.
Missing words and akùaras that were marked by empty square brackets " [ ] " are
here marked by elipsis " . . . "
A few characters that Dr. Cone (in private correspondence) said she thought had no
semantic meaning, have also been omitted.
x
Introduction
Chapter and verse numbers have been added to the parallels, alongside the
sequential numbers.
In his edition Brough provided titles for the last 13 vaggas of the text; he put them
in square brackets and wrote them in Sanskrit. Here the brackets have been
retained, but the Sanskrit has been replaced by Prakrit, which is more in keeping
with the nature of the work.
Uncertain readings which were marked with italic text are here marked with red
coloured italic text.
Brough sometimes entered conjectural readings into the text, and placed them in
square brackets. The square brackets have been removed here, and they have been
marked with green coloured italic text.
Brough occasionally made suggestions in his footnotes for correcting mistakes in
the readings in his footnotes; here I have inserted them into the text: they are also
marked with green coloured italic text. The footnotes themselves, which were in
any case very few in number, have had to be dropped.
Changes in presentation:
The numbering of the chapter titles has been changed from Roman to Arabic
numerals (e.g. 33: Bràhmaõavarga, not XXXIII: Bràhmaõavarga), which is the way
they appear at the end of the chapters in the original edition anyway.
The sequential numbers have been omitted.
The vowel ri sign in Sanskrit is written with a ring underneath, not with a dot, e.g.
dÔùñvà (not dçùñvà or dçiùñvà).
Uncertain readings are marked with red coloured italic text.
Verses which had 2 irreconcilable versions have been given separate numbering (as
[a], [b]), rather than printed side by side.
xi
Introduction
Divyàvadàna edited by E.B. Cowell & R.A. Neil (Cambridge 1886). The transliteration
of this text has been modified to accord with the other texts presented here.
Excerpts from the following have been transliterated by the present writer:
Method of Presentation
When lines in a verse of one of the parallels are not found in the Pàëi Dhammapada, I
have included those lines, so as to represent better the form of the original, but have
placed them in square brackets [ ], and they are written in grey coloured text.
It should also be pointed out here that a verse that is only partially paralleled in the
Dhammapada may find a complete parallel elsewhere in the Pàëi Tipiñaka, though it
appears that normally when a verse as a whole is absent from the parallels it is also
absent from the rest of the Canon.
I have occasionally included more than one parallel where it seemed to me that the
inclusion was justified by the light it throws on the Pàëi verse. But normally I have only
chosen the closest parallel to the Pàëi verse that I could find - this applies particularly
to the Udànavarga, where there are often a number of parallels to choose from.
The layout adopted in regard to the parallels has been maintained throughout this
presentation:
Pàëi Patna
Gàndhàrã Udànavarga
This layout has normally been preserved even when it leads to a lot of white space, as
it makes referencing a lot easier if one is looking for a parallel from a particular text;
also it seems useful to be able to see where no parallel exists in any of these texts.
There are a few parallels from other sources, the Mahàvastu, Divyàvadàna,
Avadànaèataka, & Målasarvàstivàdivinaya; these have normally been omitted from the
table if no parallel has been found, but when they are included the layout is expanded
thus:
xii
Introduction
Pàëi Patna
Gàndhàrã Udànavarga
However, occasionally when there are parallels from one of these sources but not from
the Gàndhàrã and Udànavarga, then the layout looks like this:
Pàëi Patna
I have given the reference numbers by chapter and verse number to the 3 main
parallels, even though Brough's edition of Gàndhàrã and Cone's edition of Patna give
only sequential numbers,15 as this allows us to see at a glance whether verses in the
parallels are, for instance, at the beginning of a chapter.
15
In these cases I give the sequential numbers also; Udànavarga has sequential numbers, but
these have been omitted here, as any quotation can easily be found under the chapter and
verse number.
xiii
Introduction
xiv
Part 1: A Study of the Dhammapada
Collection
1: Chapters
In the Gàndhàri Dharmapada there are 26 chapters, of which a number are absent or
fragmentary. Prof. Brough gives 344 extant verses, some of which are in a fragmentary
state, and estimates that the collection would originally have stood at 540 verses or
thereabouts.
In the Udànavarga there are 33 chapters, having 1050 verses in Dr. Bernhard's edition,
but many of these have irreconcilable versions (here marked with a, b), or have been
numbered A, B, C, D, etc., so that the number printed is actually considerably greater
than that (approx. 1100).
The following table gives the chapter numbers and titles of the Pàëi Dhammapada and
the parallels in the other collections:
16
Brough gave titles to a number of chapters that lacked them, and put them in square
brackets, in most cases the title seems certain.
1
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
The Patna Dharmapada has, besides those listed, the following nine chapter titles that
find no parallel in the Pàëi: 5: Attha; 6: øoka; 7: Kalyàõã; 13: Saraõa; 14: Khànti;
15: âsava; 16: Vàcà; 18: Dadantã; & 22: Uraga.
The Gàndhàrã Dharmapada has, besides those listed, the following four chapters
titles: 12: Thera; [15: Bahoùuda]; [20: øila (?)]; [21: Kica (?)]; and Chapters 23 - 26 are
lost along with their names.
The Udànavarga, besides those listed, has the following nineteen chapters
titles: 1: Anitya; 2: Kàma; 6: øãla; 7: Sucarita; 8: Vàca; 9: Karma; 10: øraddhà;
11: øramaõa; 13: Satkàra; 14: Droha; 15: SmÔti; 17: Udaka; 19: Aèva; 21: Tathàgata;
22: øruta; 24: Peyàla; 25: Mitra; 26: Nirvàõa; & 27: Paèya.
We can see from this that there are parallel chapter titles to most of the Pàëi chapters,
and some of the categories seem very well established, such as 1: Yamaka;
2: Appamàda; 3: Citta; 4: Puppha; 5: Bàla; 8: Sahassa; 20: Magga; 24: Taõhà;
25: Bhikkhu; & 26: Bràhmaõa.
However, there are no parallels to these 4 chapters titles: 13: Loka; 14: Buddha;
19: Dhammaññha; & 22: Niraya; also 6: Paõóita & 23: Nàga may also not find parallels,
as Brough's titles are only a guess, working from the extant contents of the work.
It is interesting to note that it is clearly the opening and end chapters in the Pàëi that
are paralleled; and the same can be said about the Patna Dharmapada, in which the
first four chapters and three of the last four chapters find parallels in the Pàëi. Again
with the Gàndhàrã Dharmapada, chapters 1-3; 5-11; 13-14; 16-19 all find parallels in
the Pàëi; in this case, however, we do not know how the collection closed because the
material is lost.
Udànavarga breaks from this pattern in the opening, but has the last 6 chapters
paralleled.
The fact that there are parallels to most of the chapter titles, however, tells us little
about what is collected within those chapters. We need therefore to look more closely
at the contents of each chapter to gain a better overall view of the collection.
17
The naming of this chapter as Prakiõakavaga is only a guess by Brough, as the remaining
contents do not seem to suggest a theme.
2
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
2: Contents
One of the most striking things about the Pàëi Dhammapada is that nearly all of its
verses (95%) are found in at least one of the other collections, and not infrequently in
all of them. Given the fragmentary nature of the Gàndhàrã Dharmapada, and its close
resemblance to the Pàëi where it does exist, we could expect that the figures would be
even higher if we had more of that text available.
Below are tables covering the twenty-six chapters in the Pàëi Dhammapada, with the
information relating to the correspondence between chapter and verse abstracted, so
that it is possible to see at a glance the correspondences in the four main collections.18
Following each of the tables I have made a few notes highlighting certain aspects they
bring out in regard to content and sequence, together with other explanatory notes
whenever necessary.
There are certain verses in the Pàëi collection that find no parallel in any of the other
collections; in that case I have also inspected the Pàëi Canon itself to see whether they
are parallels there, and I give the findings in the notes that follow the tables.
Where the verses only partially parallel the Pàëi, this is noted by indicating the quarters
that are parallel (as a, b, c, d, etc). Where parts of two verses together make up a
parallel, this is also clearly indicated.
Parts of the Gàndhàrã Dharmapada are, unfortunately, badly damaged or lost, so that
sometimes we no longer know the contents of the whole verse, and therefore how well
it parallels the Pàëi. The verses affected in this way have therefore been marked with
an asterick in the tables that follow.
The total number of verses in the Pàëi and the parallels in the other collections are
noted at the bottom of each table.
1: Yamakavagga
18
Normally the information concerning the Mahàvastu and the other texts is not presented
here, as they are generally not collections of verses, and only contain incidental parallels (the
Mahàvastu contains a Sahasravarga, and maybe a Bhikùuvarga, and the information
concerning these chapters is summarised).
3
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
20 18 14 17
It is clear, when looking at this table, that although the Yamaka category is well
established, which verses belong to it is not. In the parallels most of the verses
appear, but roughly half of them have been collected under different rubrics.
There are no good parallels to the verses 17 - 18 of the Pàëi collection, and these
also find no parallel elsewhere in the Canon.
Patna is quite close to the Pàëi, having the first eight verses in common, albeit in
different order.
Gàndhàrã has twenty-three verses collected in its Yamakavaga, but only ten parallels
from that chapter (it is very possible that other pairs appeared in different chapters,
the contents of which have been lost).
Udànavarga knows of all but three of the verses, but only six are in its Yugavarga.
2: Appamàdavagga
12 10 11 12
4
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
In the 2nd chapter the agreement is very high, there being thirty-three out of a
potential thirty-six parallels, and all but three of them belong to an Appamàda
chapter.
The Pàëi, Patna, and Udànavarga chapters all open with the same three verses, but
after that the sequence breaks down.
3: Cittavagga
11 9 6 10
All of the verses find a parallel in one or other of the collections, and nearly all are
in a Cittavagga (four are in other vaggas).
The Gàndhàrã Dharmapada, it should be stressed, is very badly broken in its
Citavaga and may have contained other parallels that are lost.
4: Pupphavagga
5
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
16 16 14 16
The collection of verses having a simile about flowers seems to have been well
established, and there are good parallels not only to the chapter name, but to the
contents also.
Patna has sixteen verses in its Puùpavarggaþ, and fifteen are parallel to its Pàëi
counterpart; Gàndhàrã Puùpavaga has fifteen verses and thirteen are parallel to the
verses in the Pupphavagga.
The sequence 11 - 14 finds a parallel in Patna and Udànavarga, and partly so in
Gàndhàrã.
5: Bàlavagga
16 13 2 16
Gàndhàrã's Balavaga is one of the lost chapters, and there are therefore only two
verses parallel to the Pàëi in this chapter, that have been collected in its
Paõidavaga.
The sequence 6 - 9 is paralleled in Patna and Udànavarga; as is the sequence 13 -
16, but in the latter the division of the verses does not agree with the parallels,
which however, agree with one another.
6
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
6: Paõóitavagga
14 13 7 13
The parallels to the Pàëi Paõóitavagga in the Patna Dharmapada are mainly to be
found in its Atthavarggaþ and âsavavarggaþ.
The last five verses are sequential in both collections.
Only six of the Pàëi verses are paralleled in the Gàndhàrã Dharmapada, which is a
bit surprising, as it has nineteen verses collected in its Paõidavaga.
The Udànavarga parallels are scattered throughout that collection.
7: Arahantavagga
10 9 9
7
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
The Gàndhàrã had an Arahavaga, but it is lost, together with all the verses it
contained.
Neither Patna nor Udànavarga know of the rubric, and the parallels are scattered
throughout those collections.
There is no good parallel to 6, but compare Udànavarga 17.12.
8: Sahassavagga
16 14 11 13
9: Pàpavagga
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
13 11 4 12
There are many parallels from the verses in the Udànavarga Pàpavarga, but the
sequence is very different.
In Patna the Kalyàõãvarggaþ corresponds closely to the Pàpavagga, and has the
opening three verses in common.
The Pavuvaga in Gàndhàrã is one of the chapters that we know is lost, so there are
only a few parallels in that collection, coming from its Yamakavaga.
10. Daõóavagga
17 10 2 17
In Patna there is sequential correspondence for the Pàëi verses 2 - 4, and it also
knows of a Daõóavarggaþ.
The Udànavarga has parallels to virtually all the verses, but they are dispersed
throughout that collection.
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
11. Jarà
11 5 6 10
12. Attavagga
10 10 5 10
19
Brough's suggestion that the Udànavarga Anityavarga is its equivalent to the Pàëi Jaràvagga
does not seem to be borne out by the evidence presented here, as there are only 4 parallels
between the two collections.
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
Both Pàli and Patna have well-defined Attavaggas, with Patna being the more
extensive of the two.
Udànavarga also has an âtmavarga, but only four out of twenty-six verses are
parallel to verses in the Pàëi Attavagga, though many of them are variations of Pàëi
12.4.
13. Lokavagga
12 9 4 11
Here we can see that although a number of the verses are found in both Patna and
Udànavarga, the Lokavagga rubric is unique to the Pàëi collection.
The first two verses are found in the Apramàdavargas of the other collections.
14. Buddhavarga
11
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
18 14 1 16
The verses in this chapter are dispersed in the Patna and Udànavarga collections.
We might have expected more than one of the verses from the Pàëi Buddhavagga to
be paralleled in the Udànavarga Tathàgatavarga, but such is not the case.
The fact that all but one verse is not found in Gàndhàrã would seem to suggest that
that is one of the missing chapters from that collection.
The absence of parallels to the last two verses is striking here; they also find no
parallel in the Canon.
15. Sukhavagga
12 9 9 10
16. Piyavagga
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
12 5 2 10
There are very few parallels in the Gàndhàrã collection here, and it may be that a
Piyavaga has been lost.
The category is established in the Udànavarga, but absent from Patna, and there are
very few parallels from that collection.
Again we have two verses in the Pàëi that fail to find exact parallels elsewhere in
these collections, but perhaps it is easier to explain this time, as the verses in
question are variations of a succession of verses, which all have the same structure,
with a change of keyword. Neither of them is paralleled in the Canon either.
17. Kodhavagga
14 12 9 14
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
The Pàëi sequence 8 - 10 is also sequential in Gàndhàrã and Udànavarga, though the
division of the verses differs in the latter. Two of the three verses are also
sequential in Patna.
Pàëi sequence 11 - 14 is also found in Patna, and 11 - 13 occurs also in Udànavarga.
18. Malavagga
21 13 4 12
The sequence 12 - 14 finds no parallel in the other collections, or in the Canon; nor
do they mention mala or a synonym for mala, so it very much seems that they are
intrusive here.
There is no parallel for 3, either amongst the other collections or in the Canon.
Patna is the only other collection that has a Malavarga, although it is possible that
there was also one in Gàndhàrã, which has been lost.
The sequence 7 - 9 is also found in Patna; and the pair 10 - 11 also occurs in all
three parallel collections.
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
19. Dhammaññhavagga
19.1 Dhammaññha
19.2 Dhammaññha
19.3 Dhammaññha
19.4 Dhammaññha 2.19 Apramàda 7.5 Apramadu 4.21 Apramàda
19.5 Dhammaññha 12.1 Thera 11.11 øramaõa
19.6 Dhammaññha
16.12 Vàcà
(abc)
19.7 Dhammaññha 16.11 Vàcà 12.5 Thera 29.10 Yuga
19.8 Dhammaññha 16.12 Vàcà (cd) 12.6 Thera (d)* 10.7 øraddhà (cd)
19.9 Dhammaññha 13.20 øaraõa 12.7 Thera 11.13 øramaõa
19.10 Dhammaññha 13.21 øaraõa 1.1cd & 12.8cd Brammaõa 33.8 Bràhmaõa
(cd)
19.11 Dhammaññha 2.17 Bhikhu 32.18 Bhikùu
19.12 Dhammaññha 2.18 Bhikhu (bcd) 32.19 Bhikùu (abd)
19.13 Dhammaññha
19.14 Dhammaññha
19.15 Dhammaññha
19.16 Dhammaññha 15.11 âsava 2.15 Bhikhu (acd) 32.31 Bhikùu
19.17 Dhammaññha 15.12 âsava 2.16 Bhikhu 32.32 Bhikùu
17 8 10 10
We can see that none of the other versions knows of a Dhammaññhavagga,20 and the
verses are pretty much scattered throughout the other collections.
Again we find that some of the verses in this chapter are unrepresented in the
parallels, with two sequences of three verses being absent from the other
collections. These also find no parallel in other parts of the Canon.
20. Maggavagga
20
Brough in his Introduction says that the Dhammaññhavagga, Theravaga, and øramaõavargas
are equivalent in the 3 collections he had access to, but this is certainly not correct.
15
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
17 15 11 16
Although the Maggavagga seems very well established and there is close agreement
between the Pàëi and Patna texts, the Gàndhàrã and Udànavarga material only
agrees partially.
The sequence 5 - 8 is followed in Gàndhàrã and Udànavarga (with an addition in
the latter), but one of the verses is missing in Patna.
The sequence 11 - 16 is followed in Patna, and the sequence in two groups in
different chapters is also followed by Udànavarga, but the verses are scattered in
Gàndhàrã.
21. Pakiõõakavagga
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
16 10 14 16
It is perhaps not surprising that there is little agreement about what belongs to a
Miscellaneous chapter, which the Pàëi, Gàndhàrã (perhaps), and Udànavarga
collections have.
The sequence 7 - 12 is found in Gàndhàrã and also in Udànavarga, but there are
many additions in the latter which intervene. Three of the verses are found
sequentially in Patna also.
22. Nirayavagga
14 11 8 11
None of the other collections knows of a Nirayavagga, and the verses are therefore
scattered throughout those editions.
The sequence 11 - 13 is followed in Patna.
The last verse in the Pàëi, which is the reverse of the preceding verse, is not
paralleled elsewhere, and is not found in the Canon either.
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
23. Nàgavagga
14 11 4 12
Gàndhàrã may have had a Nagavaga, the fragments that remain being too few to be
certain; but the category is unknown to Patna and Udànavarga.
5 is not found in any of the other collections, and has no Canonical parallel either.
The sequence 2 - 4 agrees with Patna, and also the sequence 12 - 14, but it breaks
down in the last verse.
24. Taõhàvagga
24.1 Taõhà 9.1 Tahna 3.3 Tasiõa (d)* 3.4 TÔùõà (abd)
24.2 Taõhà 9.2 Tahna 3.9 TÔùõà
24.3 Taõhà 9.3 Tahna 3.10 TÔùõà
24.4 Taõhà 9.4 Tahna (ab) 7.17 Apramadu 3.11 TÔùõà
24.5 Taõhà 9.20 Tahna 3.16 TÔùõà
24.6 Taõhà 13.22 øaraõa
24.7 Taõhà
24.8 Taõhà 9.12 Tahna 3.5 TÔùõà
24.9 Taõhà 9.13 Tahna 3.6 TÔùõà
24.10 Taõhà 9.13 Tahna (ab) 3.6 TÔùõà (ab)
24.11 Taõhà 9.15 Tahna 3.2 Tasiõa (d)* 27.29 Paèya
24.12 Taõhà 9.7 Tahna 11.8 Suha 2.5 Kàma (abd)
24.13 Taõhà 9.8 Tahna 11.9 Suha 2.6 Kàma
24.14 Taõhà 11.10 Suha
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
26 18 7 21
Although the Taõhà category is well-established and occurs in all the parallels
(though the Gàndhàrã edition is fragmented at this point), again what it contains is
not.
There are four verses in the Pàëi that are not paralleled in the other editions, and
they are not found elsewhere in the Pàëi Canon either.
The sequences 2 - 4 and 23 - 26 also occur in Patna and Udànavarga,21 with the
exception of the last verse.
25. Bhikkhuvagga
25.1 Bhikkhu
25.2 Bhikkhu 4.2 Bhikùu 2.2 Bhikhu 7.11 Sucarita
(abcde)
25.3 Bhikkhu 4.3 Bhikùu 2.3 Bhikhu 32.7 Bhikùu
25.4 Bhikkhu 4.5 Bhikùu 2.4 Bhikhu 8.10 Vàca
25.5 Bhikkhu 13.11 øaraõa 2.14 Bhikhu 32.8 Bhikùu
25.6 Bhikkhu 4.6 Bhikùu 2.11 Bhikhu 13.8 Satkàra
25.7 Bhikkhu 4.7 Bhikùu 2.12 Bhikhu
25.8 Bhikkhu 2.29 Bhikhu 32.17 Bhikùu
25.9 Bhikkhu 4.10 Bhikùu 2.20 Bhikhu 32.21 Bhikùu
25.10 Bhikkhu 4.8 Bhikùu 2.26 Bhikhu 26.12 Nirvàõa
25.11 Bhikkhu 2.28 Bhikhu
25.12 Bhikkhu 2.19 Apramàda 2.25 Bhikhu 31.31 Citta (bc)
(bcd)
25.13 Bhikkhu 4.13 Bhikùu 2.8 Bhikhu
25.14 Bhikkhu 4.11 Bhikùu 2.5 Bhikhu 32.9 Bhikùu
21
Udànavarga has 3 other parallels with the substitution of mànadoùà, lobhadoùà, and
tÔùõàdoùà in the 2nd line.
19
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
23 18 17 17
We can see again here the close connection between the Pàëi and Gàndhàrã
collections, with fifteen verses in the latter also being found in its Bhikhuvaga,22
and only one from elsewhere in that collection.
Udànavarga also has a Bhikùuvarga, but only about half of its parallels occur in that
chapter, even though it has no fewer than eighty-two verses.23
The two verses that find no parallel also have no parallels in the Canon, but the 1st
verse is paralleled in Mahàvastu, which also has parallels to the following verses: 2,
3, 5, 9, & 10.
26. Bràhmaõavagga
22
The Gàndhàrã Bhikhuvaga has 39 verses, but the extra verses are mainly parallel to what is
now the Uragasutta of Suttanipàta in Pàëi.
23
26 of these parallel the Uragasutta, but that still leaves a large collection of verses, of course.
20
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
41 15 30 39
The last chapter in the collection is also the one showing the strongest
correspondence in chapter title and contents in the parallels, with only one verse
being found under another rubric, Udànavarga's parallel to 26.6.
Patna's Bràhmaõavarggaþ is comparatively small, having only sixteen verses, but
fourteen of them are parallel to the Pàëi.
Udànavarga's Bràhmaõavarga, is its largest collection of verses, having eighty-
three verses in that chapter. Only two parallels to the Pàëi are missing here, and one
of those is found in its related øramaõavarga.
Perhaps surprisingly, no sequences seem to occur in the parallels.
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
We can summarise the tables thus: the Pàëi Dhammapada has 423 verses, of which 23
do not find a parallel (5%); it is interesting that all of the verses which fail to find a
parallel in the other editions also have no parallel in the rest of the Canon.
There are 304 parallels in the Patna Dharmapada, of which 29 are partial; 214 in
Gàndhàrã, of which 41 are partial; & 370 in the Udànavarga, of which 56 are partial.
That gives a total of 888 parallels of which 126 are partial (14%).
Or, to put it another way, there is a close resemblance in the parallels for 86% of the
verses. Many of the others differ only by a line or so. In fact 165 verses (39%) find
parallels in all the other collections, despite the fact that the Gàndhàrã collection is
fragmentary.
22
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
3: Collocation
Below I examine the chapters where collocation seems to occur on the keyword
occurring in the title, and will discuss the other chapters in the next section on Themes.
In what follows the verses that do not have the keyword are placed in brackets, and are
discussed in the notes that follow.
Special attention has been paid to the grouping of the verses in the commentary and
the parallels in this section, as this throws light on how a verse that is lacking a
keyword has entered into the collection. I also discuss the verses which seem to be
intrusive, and wherever possible offer explanations for their appearance in the
collections.
2. Appamàdavagga: 1ac; 2b; (3); 4d; 5a; 6c; 7c; 8a; 9a; 10ac; 11a; 12a.
3 does not mention appamàda but it is in the sequence 1 - 3 which occurs in the
commentary, and also in Patna, and Udànavarga, and has come into the chapter
through that connection.
3. Cittavagga: 1a; 2c; 3cd; 4cd; 5c; 6a; 7a; 8b; (9); 10c; 11c.
Citta doesn't occur in 9, but its synonym viÿÿàõa does, and its subject matter (the
fragility of the body) is similar to 8, so that they seem quite naturally to form a
pair, even though they are not joined together in the other collections or in the
commentary.
4. Pupphavagga: 1d; 2d; 3c; 4a; 5a; 6a; (7); 8a; 9a; 10a; 11a; (12); (13); (14); (15); (16).
The verse 7 seems a bit intrusive as it doesn't mention puppha, or have anything to
do with flowers; nor does it appear to be part of a sequence, although the pair 6 - 7
is paralleled in Udànavarga.
The verses 11 - 14 are a sequence occurring also in Patna (where they open the
Pupphavarggaþ); and Udànavarga (three of the verses are also paralleled in
Gàndhàrã), and have been attracted into the collection by the word puppha
occurring in the 1st verse of the sequence.
Similarly, 15 & 16 are a pair, occurring in all editions; the mention of a lotus
(paduma) is the link to flowers in this case, but puppha is not mentioned, so that it
appears that these verses have come into the chapter through having thematic
connection.24
5. Bàlavagga: 1c; 2d; 3b; 4acd; 5a; (6); 7a; (8); (9); 10ad; 11b; 12c; 13bc; (14); 15e; (16).
5 & 6 are a pair occurring together in all the collections, though they are treated
separately by the commentary.
7 - 9 is a sequence, the first verse of which has bàla in its opening line, and occurs
also in Patna, and Udànavarga (the Balavaga is known to have existed in Gàndhàrã,
but the verses are missing from the extant collection).
13 - 16 are a sequence also occurring in Patna and Udànavarga, bàla occurring in 2
of the verses.
24
This chapter, then, is on the borderline between being classified here as having been
organised through collocation; and in the next section, organised by theme.
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
6. Paõóitavagga: 1d; (2); (3); 4d; 5d; 6d; 7d; 8d; (9); (10); (11); 12b; 13d; (14).
1 - 3 are not found in sequence in the other collections, and are separated by the
commentary, but they are certainly thematic, and seem to have formed a group in
the Pàëi tradition. The keyword occurs in the first of these verses.
9 - 11 appear to be intrusive. 9 might have been better collected under the
Dhammaññha rubric, dealing as it does with the righteous man (dhammika); 10 & 11,
which are a pair in the commentary, and also in the Patna and Udànavarga
collections, might have been better placed in the Arahantavagga, given thematic
considerations.
12 - 14 form a sequence in both the commentary and in Patna (but are absent from
Gàndhàrã, and dispersed in Udànavarga).
9. Pàpavagga: 1bd; 2ad; (3); 4abcd; 5a; 6a; (7); 8d; 9d; 10c; 11b; 12d; (13).
2 & 3 and 6 & 7 are pairs occurring in all the parallels.
12 & 13 are also a pair, differing from each other only in their closing line;
however, they are separated in Udànavarga.
12. Attavagga: 1a; 2a; 3a; 4ac; 5a; 6c; 7b; 8f; 9abcd; 10ac.
There is clear collocation on the word atta in all the verses here.
13. Lokavagga: 1d; 2d; 3d; 4c; 5a; 6c; 7c; 8a; 9c; 10c; 11a; 12c.
There is collocation on loka throughout.
14. Buddhavagga: 1c; 2c; 3d; 4d; 5d; 6b; 7f; (8); 9d; (10); (11); 12a; (13); (14); (15); 16a;
17b; (18).
8 & 9 form a pair, both in the parallels and in the commentary.
The sequence 10 - 14 is found in Udànavarga and Patna (where one of the verses in
missing), and in the commentary, though they would seem to belong more naturally
to a Saraõavagga as in Patna, than to a Buddhavagga. They have presumably come
into the collection at this point owing to the mention of the Buddha in 12.
15 doesn't mention Buddha, but has the synonymous epithet Purisàjaÿÿa.
17 & 18 form a pair in the commentary, though they are both absent from the
parallels.
15. Sukhavagga: 1a; 2a; 3a; 4a; 5c; 6d; 7d; 8d; (9); 10bd; 11e; (12).
9 seems to be intrusive here as it is not in a pair, a sequence, or concerned with
sukha in any way.
10 - 12 occur as a sequence in Patna, Gàndhàrã, and the commentary, and 2 of the
verses also occur as a pair in Udànavarga, so it seems that 12 has come into the
collection through that connection, though it does not mention sukha.
16. Piyavagga: 1c; 2abcd; 3abd; 4abc; (5); (6); (7); (8); 9d; (10); (11); 12d.
4 - 8 are part of a sequence which is the same verse with a change of keyword (all
synonyms for piya in this context: pema; rati; kàma; taõhà).
There seems to be no particular reason why 10 appears under this rubric.
11 - 12 are a pair, occurring as such in the commentary and also in their only
parallel in Udànavarga.
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
25. Bhikkhuvagga: (1); 2e; 3d; 4a; 5c; 6c; 7a; 8d; 9a; 10a; 11c; 12a; (13); 14b; (15); 16b;
(17); 18d; 19c; 20d; (21); 22a; 23a.
1 & 2 are a pair in the commentary, though the first verse doesn't appear in any of
the parallels.
The commentary groups all the verses 9 - 17 together under one story. As the verses
appear to be quite disparate, it is no surprise that this ordering is not followed in
the parallels.
14 & 15, however, do appear as a pair in all the other collections.
16 & 17 are also a pair in both Patna and Gàndhàrã.
20 & 21 are a pair in the commentary, but not in Patna, which has both verses but
separated.
26. Bràhmaõavagga: 1bd; 2b; 3d; 4d; 5d; 6a; 7abc; 8a; 9d; 10d; 11bd; (12); 13a; 14af;
verses 15 - 41 all end with the refrain tam-ahaü bråmi bràhmaõaü (which also
closes verses number 3, 4, & 9).
The only verse to account for in the concluding chapter, then, is verse 12, which
clearly forms a pair with verse 11, even though they are treated separately by the
commentary. They appear as a pair in Patna, and in reverse order in Udànavarga.
From this we can see that once pairs of verses and sequences are accepted the mode of
collection in these chapters has clearly been keyword collocation, and that this method
of organisation accounts for the following chapters, which amount to exactly half the
chapters in the Pàëi collection:25 Appamàda, Citta, Puppha, Bàla, Paõóita, Pàpa, Atta,
Loka, Buddha, Sukha, Piya, Bhikkhu, Bràhamaõa.
Obviously then, keyword collocation was a very strong organising principle in the
minds of the redactors, and in most of the remaining chapters the same will be seen to
hold true. This is so even though those chapters are more loosely collected, and may
better be termed thematic collections, though of diverse types as we shall see as we
deal with them in order.
4: Themes
7. Arahantavagga: (1); (2); (3); (4); (5); (6); (7); (8); 9c; (10).
There is no keyword collocation at all in the Arahantavagga, and the word only occurs
once, in verse 9, but the theme is clear enough, as they all describe the character of the
Arahant. Not surprisingly, there is no parallel to this chapter title in the other
collections, and the parallels to the verses, where they exist, are dispersed throughout
the various chapters.
25
My study of the Udàna produced the same result, with half the chapters being organised
through collocation.
Although I haven't analysed the other Dharmapada collections as yet, there is no doubt that the
same will hold true for them also.
25
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
8. Sahassavagga: 1a; 2a; (3); 4a; (5); (6); 7a; (8); (9); (10); (11); (12); (13); (14); (15);
(16).
The verses 3, 8, and 11 - 16 all include the number 100 (-sata, in vassasata), and so
are included here through thematic considerations (they also all occur in Patna's
Sahasravarggaþ).
5, 6 & 10 seem to be intrusive, as no numbers are mentioned, and they do not form
a pair or a sequence.
8 & 9 are a pair occurring also in Patna and Gàndhàrã (the two verses, though
clearly related, are separated by a long sequence of verses in Udànavarga).
10. Daõóavagga: 1a; 2a; 3b; 4b; 5d; (6); 7a; (8); 9a; (10); (11); (12); (13); 14c; (15); (16);
(17).
5 & 6 are grouped as a pair by the commentary, though they are separated by
another verse in both Patna and Udànavarga.
8 is thematic to the idea of punishment.
9 - 12 are grouped together by the commentary; they also occur together in
Udànavarga, though in a different order.
15 - 16 are concerned with being hit with a whip (kasà), which is linked by theme
to the rod or punishment (daõóa).
17 is intrusive, not mentioning a rod, nor being concerned with punishment.
The theme running throughout this chapter is that of punishment or retribution, and
nearly half the verses have collocation on the word daõóa.
11. Jaràvagga: (1); (2); (3); (4); 5c; 6b; (7); (8); (9); (10); (11).
3, 7 and 10 contain words related in their root to jarà.
What has brought the famous verses beginning anekajàti saüsàraü into this chapter
is not quite clear, unless it be the syntactic association of jàti with jarà.
Some of the verses seem to have come in because they concern the decline of the body,
even though jarà as such is not mentioned; cf. 2, 3, 4; but this is one of the loosest
themes in the collection. It is surprising, therefore, that Gàndhàrã also has a Jaravaga,
and one that is more than twice the size of the Pàëi, though there are only 5 parallels to
the Pàëi verses.
17. Kodhavagga: 1a; 2a; 3a; (4); (5); (6); (7); (8); (9); (10); (11); (12); (13); (14).
Collocation exists only in the first 3 verses of the chapter, though a Kodhavagga
seems well-established, occurring in Gàndhàrã and Udànavarga.
4 has the root connected verb kujjhati.
5 & 6 are hard to account for in a Kodhavagga, and as we might expect, occur in
different chapters in the parallels. They might have been better collected under the
Arahanta rubric.
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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
The verses 7 -10 are vaguely thematic, having a sequence concerned with blaming
(nindati).
11 - 14 are a sequence obviously related to the main theme, being concerned with
kopa, which also means anger.
Collocation is weak in this chapter, though the theme has, for the most part, been
maintained.
18. Malavagga: (1); 2c; (3); 4c; 5d; 6a; 7c; 8abc; 9abcd; (10); (11); (12); (13); (14); (15);
(16); (17); (18); (19); (20); (21).
1 - 4 are a sequence in the commentary, and are connected by repetition, but they
don't occur in the parallels.
10 & 11 are a pair occurring in all the parallels; corruptions (saükiliññha) in 10 is
the connection with stains (mala).
12 - 14 are not found in the parallels, but occur as a group in the commentary; the
listing of various vices, summarised as bad things (pàpadhamma) in 14 is the
connection to the main theme.
15 & 16 are a pair occurring in Patna and Udànavarga, and also in the commentary;
probably the reason they occur here is a connection to the previous sequence, as
both mention måla (13d målaü khaõati attano; 16b målaghaccaü samåhataü)
though in ethically opposite senses.
17 mentions ràga, dosa, moha, and taõhà, all of which are quintessential
defilements.
18 & 19 are not a pair, but both mention faults (vajja), which is the connection
here.
20 & 21 are a pair in the commentary, though they are not found in the parallels;
the connection is presumably the mention of obstacles (papaÿca) in 20c.
Although there is good collocation in the first half of this chapter, it continues
according to the theme of stains or defilements.
19. Dhammaññhavagga: 1a; 2d; (3); (4); (5); (6); (7); (8); (9); (10); (11); (12); (13); (14;
(15); (16); (17).
1 & 2 are a pair in the commentary but are not found in the parallels. They are the
only verses to mention the righteous person (Dhammaññha).
The other verses, however, describe the same thing under different names, which
we can enumerate here (pairs are grouped together according to the commentary. 7
& 8; 9 & 10; 11 & 12 also occur as pairs in one or more of the parallels): 3ad;
paõóita; 4ae Dhammadhara; 5a & 6d thera; 7c & 8d sàdhuråpa; 9ad & 10d samaõa;
11ad & 12d bhikkhu; 13a & 14bd muni; 15ad ariya.
16 & 17 are a pair in the commentary and in the parallels, concerned with the
proper course of practice for a bhikkhu who is mentioned at 17c.
The theme in this collection is very loose, and one can't help thinking that a number of
the verses belong under different rubrics, as indeed they are found in the parallels,
which have no Dhammaññhavagga.
27
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
20. Maggavagga: 1a; 2a; 3c; (4); 5d; 6d; 7d; 8d; 9d; (10); (11); (12); 13c; (14); (15); (16);
17c.
4 is part of the sequence 1 - 4, which is grouped by the commentary; they are not
found in sequence in any of the parallels.
10 mentions the road (patha), which is the connection to path (magga).
11 & 12, which are a pair in the commentary and in all the parallels, speak about
clearing away the (metaphorical) forest (vana), thereby presumably clearing a path
for oneself, which must be the connection here.
14 - 16 are a sequence in 2 of the parallels, but are separated by the commentary;
One can't help feeling that 14 really belongs in the Bàlavagga.
Neither 15 nor 16 mention a path, and are really concerned with death, and might
have been better placed in Jaràvagga through thematic considerations.
22. Nirayavagga: 1a; 2d; (3); 4d; (5); 6d; (7); (8); (9); 10f; (11); (12); (13); (14).
3 is only vaguely thematic to this rubric, and may have been joined to the 2nd verse
by asaÿÿata which occurs in both (2b & 3d). It is not grouped together in a pair or
a sequence.
4 & 5 are a pair in the commentary, Patna, and Udànavarga (Gàndhàrã is damaged
at this point, and only one of the verses appears).
6 - 8 are a sequence in the commentary and appear as a sequence in reverse order
in Udànavarga.
9 seems a little out of place, despite its mention of pacchà tapati, being tormented
later, but it is probably this that has brought it into the collection at this point.
11 and 12 mention duggati, which is a synonym of niraya.
13 & 14 which are a pair, mention duggati in the first verse, and the contrasting
suggati (sic, m.c., = sugati) in the second.
The theme is well-established in this chapter, even though niraya itself in mentioned in
only 5 of the verses.
23. Nàgavagga: 1a; (2); 3c; (4); 5d; (6); (7); (8); (9); 10d; 11d; (12 ); (13); (14).
1 - 3 are a sequence in the commentary, and 2 & 3 appear as a pair in Patna and
Udànavarga.
4 may also be part of the sequence joined not by nàga, but by the theme of control
(danta).
6 appears to have no connection with the main theme of the chapter, and maybe
would have been better placed in the Bàlavagga (with its mention of the
synonymous manda); or the Pakiõõakavagga.
7d mentions hatthi, a synonym for one of the meanings of nàga.
8d has kuÿjara, another synonym.
9 - 11 are a sequence in the commentary, and in Patna - it is interesting to note that
they appear in the Jamavarggaþ in that collection, even though they are a sequence
of 3 verses and not a pair as would be expected.
28
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
The theme here is elephants, which accounts for 10 of the verses in this chapter.
24. Taõhàvagga: 1b; 2b; 3b; 4c; 5c; (6); (7); (8); (9); (10); (11); (12); (13); (14); (15);
16c; (17); 18b; 19a; 20c; 21d; 22c; (23); (24); (25); (26).
5 - 10 form a sequence in the commentary, though not in the parallels. They all deal
with the theme of craving, even though the word doesn't always appear; its root
synonym tasiõa occurs at 9a and 10a.
11, 12 & 13, and also 16 & 17 (both pair of verses appear as such in the
commentary and the parallels) include the word bandhana (bondage), which seems
to imply that the redactors took it as a synonym for taõhà.
14 is connected to taõhà by the mention of ràga.
15 seems out of place here, and with its mention of jàtijaraü may have found a
better home in the Jaràvagga.
16 & 17 are a pair in the commentary and in Udànavarga.
23 - 26 form a sequence in the commentary; and 23 - 25 also are sequential in Patna
and Udànavarga. They are concerned with ràga, dosa, moha, and icchà
respectively, which may be taken as manifestations of craving. Interestingly, the
Udànavarga, though missing icchà, has a parallel to the latter with the reading tÔùõà
as the alternative keyword.
The theme of craving seems to have been loosely maintained, through including
synonyms for taõhà on the one hand and manifestations of taõhà on the other.
We can see from this that some of the chapters have well-established themes, and even
though collocation doesn't always occur, nevertheless the theme prevails; on the other
hand some of the chapters are very loose. Quite a number of the verses might have
found better homes under diffferent rubrics.
1. Yamakavagga: the title is normally translated as The Pairs, but in fact when
examining it, it is clear that the verses are comprised not simply of pairs, but of
opposites, and ethical opposites at that. It is therefore the grouping of contrasting pairs
of verses that has served as the underlying organisational principle in this chapter. On
a cursory examination, this also appears to be the case in the parallel chapters in the
other collections.
21. Pakiõõakavagga:
There is no theme, of course, in a miscellaneous chapter!
But it is interesting to note that the first 2 verses mention sukha no less than 5
times, and might have been better placed in the Sukhavagga.
29
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
3 & 4 are a pair in all the collections. The chapters they are collected in have
different names âsava (Patna), Kica ? (Gàndhàrã, Brough adds a question mark as
the chapter title is unsure) and Apramàda (Udànavarga), presumably because of the
occurrence of pamatta in 3c).
5 & 6, which are a pair, are concerned with the aloofness of the true Bràhmaõa,
and might have been better placed in the Bràhmaõavagga.
7 - 12 form a sequence in Pàëi, Gàndhàrã (Maguvaga), & Udànavarga (SmÔtivarga),
and the last 3 verses are a sequence in Patna (Khàntivarggaþ). As the first verse
mentions contemplation of the Buddha, it might have been possible to place them in
the Buddhavagga.
16, with its mention of damayam attànaü, could have found a place in the
Attavagga.
We have now examined the Dhammapada collection from the point of view of its
chapter titles, specific contents, and organisational principles. Anyone even glancing at
these tables, I think, will be driven to the following conclusion, which was noted by
Brough a long time ago:26 it is really impossible that there could have been a primitive
Dhammapada, from which the others have evolved by way of addition and
rearrangement, this theory simply would not be able to account for the similarities and
divergences that now exist between the four collections.
Although there is some correspondence between the chapter titles in the four
collections, there is virtually no agreement, and certainly no regular agreement, about
the contents of the chapters. As with the Udàna,27 it appears that the two main guiding
principles must have been word-collocation and secondarily, thematic considerations.28
Half of the chapters show keyword collocation, provided we accept that verses
sometimes come into the collections in pairs or even longer sequences, and a number of
the others have collocation as a subsidiary organisational principle.
26
See his Introduction to The Gàndhàrã Dharmapada, pg 26 ff. Brough only had the Pàëi,
Gàndhàrã and Udànavarga to compare, but his conclusions still hold true after the publication
of the Patna Dharmapada.
27
See my Comparison of the Pàëi Udànas and the Sanskrit Udànavarga www.ancient-buddhist-
texts.net\Buddhist-Texts\C2-Udana-Parallels\index.htm.
28
These are not the same thing, though they do, of course, overlap - very often the verses
collected by collocation do not have a theme as such running through them, whereas those
collected by theme do not necessarily have a keyword repeated in the verses.
30
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
To reinforce this, we may note that some of the chapters in the Pàëi, like the
Lokavagga and Buddhavagga, which show collocation throughout, do not appear as
chapter titles in the other collections;29 and on the other hand some of the chapter
headings that show poor collocation in their contents, such as the Taõhàvagga &
Maggavagga, appear in all the collections.
It is interesting in this regard to compare the Dhammapada with some of the other
collections in the Tipiñaka, where the criterion has sometimes been length (Dãgha,
Majjhima), or theme (Saüyutta), or numbers (Aïguttara), but where the exact contents
that have been collected and organised under these rubrics appears to have been
similarly fluid amongst the various schools that arose after the parinibbàna of the
Buddha.
In the light of this it may be suggested that what was established at the 1st Council was
not a Canon as such, but a set of baskets (piñaka) for the collection of the materials that
were being memorised and passed on from teacher to pupil; and that the eventual
contents of these baskets, was very much according to the recensions made in the
various schools, which were more or less separated in time and location.
ânandajoti Bhikkhu,
November 2004
29
That is, as we now have them, it is possible that Gàndhàrã did contain one or both of these
rubrics, but that they have been lost.
31
A Study of the Dhammapada Collection
32
Part 2: The Comparative Dhammapada
Pàëi Patna
Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato siddhaü namaþ
Sammàsambuddhassa sarvabuddhadharmmàryyasaüghebhyaþ
Udànavarga
siddham
1: Yamakavagga
*****
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A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Målasarvàstivàdivinaya
(Gilgit III.ii.184)
àkroèan màm avocan màm
ajayan màm ahàpayan |
atra ye upanahyanti
vairaü teùàü na èàmyati ||
*****
Målasarvàstivàdivinaya
(Gilgit III.ii.184)
àkroèan màm avocan màm
ajayan màm ahàpayan |
atra ye nopanahyanti
vairaü teùàü praèàmyati ||
*****
34
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Målasarvàstivàdivinaya
(Gilgit III.ii.184)
na hi vaireõa vairàõi
èàmyantãha kadàcana |
kùàntyà vairàõi èàmyanti
eùa dharmaþ sanàtanaþ ||
*****
Målasarvàstivàdivinaya
(Gilgit III.ii.183)
pare 'tra na vijànanti
vayam atrodyamàmahe |
atra ye tu vijànanti
teùàü èàmyanti medhakàþ ||
*****
35
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
36
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
37
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
38
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
*****
39
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Yamakavaggo pañhamo.
2. Appamàdavagga
*****
40
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
41
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
42
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
43
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Appamàdavaggo dutiyo.
3. Cittavagga
*****
44
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
45
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
46
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Cittavaggo tatiyo.
47
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
4. Pupphavagga
*****
*****
*****
48
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
49
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
50
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
51
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
52
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Pupphavaggo catuttho.
5. Bàlavagga
*****
53
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Målasarvàstivàdivinaya
(Gilgit III.ii.185)
caraüè cen nàdigaccheta
èreyaþ sadÔèam àtmanaþ |
ekacaryàü dÔóhàü kuryànÒ
Ònàsti bàle sahàyatà ||
*****
*****
54
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
55
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
56
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
57
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
58
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
59
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Bàlavaggo paÿcamo.
60
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
6. Paõóitavagga
*****
*****
61
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
62
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
63
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
64
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
65
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Paõóitavaggo chaññho.
7. Arahantavagga
*****
66
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
67
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
68
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Arahantavaggo sattamo.
69
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
8. Sahassavagga
*****
*****
70
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
71
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
72
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
yo caikaü bhàvitàtmànaü
muhårtam api påjayet |
sà ekapåjanà èreyo
na ca varùaèataü hutaü ||
*****
*****
73
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
74
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
75
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Sahassavaggo aññhamo.
76
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
9. Pàpavagga
*****
*****
*****
77
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
78
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
79
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
80
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Pàpavaggo navamo.
10. Daõóavagga
*****
*****
81
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
82
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
83
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
84
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
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85
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
86
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Daõóavaggo dasamo.
87
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
11. Jaràvagga
ko nu harùo ko nu ànando
evaü prajvalite sadà |
andhakàrasmiü prakùiptà
[àlokaü na prakàèatha] ||
*****
*****
88
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
89
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
90
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Jaràvaggo ekàdasamo.
91
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
12. Attavagga
*****
*****
*****
92
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
93
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
94
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Attavaggo dvàdasamo.
95
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
13. Lokavagga
*****
*****
96
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
97
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
98
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Lokavaggo terasamo.
99
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
14. Buddhavagga
*****
*****
100
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
101
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
102
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
103
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
104
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
105
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
106
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Buddhavaggo cuddasamo.
Pañhamakabhàõavàraü.
15. Sukhavagga
107
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
108
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Avadànaèataka 1 pg. 57
jayo vairaü prasavati
duþkhaü èete paràjitaþ |
<upaèàntaþ> sukhaü èete
hitvà jayaparàjayam ||
*****
*****
*****
109
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
110
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Sukhavaggo paõõarasamo.
111
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
16. Piyavagga
*****
*****
*****
112
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
113
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
114
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Piyavaggo soëasamo.
17. Kodhavagga
*****
115
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
116
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
117
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
118
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
119
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Kodhavaggo sattarasamo.
18. Malavagga
*****
*****
*****
120
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
121
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
*****
122
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
*****
123
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
124
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
125
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Malavaggo aññhàrasamo.
19. Dhammaññhavagga
*****
*****
*****
126
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
127
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
128
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
129
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
*****
130
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Dhammaññhavaggo ekånavãsatimo.
131
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
20. Maggavagga
*****
*****
132
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
133
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
134
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
135
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
136
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Maggavaggo vãsatimo.
137
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
21. Pakiõõakavagga
*****
*****
*****
138
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
139
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Udànavarga 33.61
[màtaraü pitaraü hatvà
ràjànaü dvau ca èrotiyau |
ràùñraü sànucaraü hatvà]
anigho yàti bràhmaõaþ ||
*****
*****
*****
140
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
141
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
142
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Pakiõõakavaggo Ekavãsatimo.
22. Nirayavagga
*****
143
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
144
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
145
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
146
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
147
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Nirayavaggo dvàvãsatimo.
23. Nàgavagga
148
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
149
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
150
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Målasarvàstivàdivinaya
(Gilgit III.ii.185)
sa cel labheta nipakaü sahàyikaü
sàrdhaücaraü sàdhuvihàridhãram |
abhibhåya sarvàõi parisravàõi
careta tenàttamanàþ pratismçtaþ ||
*****
151
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Målasarvàstivàdivinaya
(Gilgit III.ii.185)
no cel labheta nipakaü sahàyikaü
sàrdhaücaraü sàdhuvihàridhãram |
ràjeva ràùñraü vipulaü prahàya
ekaè caren na ca pàpàni kuryàt ||
*****
Målasarvàstivàdivinaya
(Gilgit III.ii.185)
ekasya caritaü èreyo
na tu bàle sahàyatà |
alpotsukaè cared eko
màtaïgàraõyanàgavat ||
*****
152
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Nàgavaggo tevãsatimo.
153
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
24. Taõhàvagga
*****
*****
*****
154
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
*****
155
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
156
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
157
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
158
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
*****
159
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
160
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
Taõhàvaggo catuvãsatimo.
161
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
25. Bhikkhuvagga
*****
*****
162
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
163
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
164
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
165
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
166
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
167
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
168
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
169
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
Bhikkhuvaggo paÿcavãsatimo.
26. Bràhmaõavagga
*****
170
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*****
*****
*****
171
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*****
*****
*****
172
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
173
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
174
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
175
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
176
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
177
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
178
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
179
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
180
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
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*****
181
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
*****
*****
*****
182
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*****
*****
*****
183
A Comparative Edition of the Dhammapada
Bràhmaõavaggo chabbãsatimo.
184