Comparative Dhammapada - Study 02-01

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A Study of the Dhammapada Collection

2: Contents (Chapters 8 - 14)

8: Sahassavagga

Pāḷi	Patna	Gāndhārī	Udānavarga
8.1 Sahassa	21.1 Sahasra	19.2 Sahasa	24.1 Peyāla (bcd)
8.2 Sahassa		19.4 Sahasa
8.3 Sahassa	21.2 Sahasra	19.5 Sahasa	24.2 Peyāla
8.4 Sahassa	21.3 Sahasra	19.1 Sahasa	23.3 Ātmavarga
8.5 Sahassa	17.14 Ātta		23.4 Ātmavarga
8.6 Sahassa	17.15 Ātta		23.5 Ātmavarga (abc)
8.7 Sahassa	21.4 Sahasra	19.6ab & 19.16 Sahasa
8.8 Sahassa	21.5 Sahasra	19.15ab & 19.16 Sahasa	24.16 Peyāla
8.9 Sahassa	21.6 Sahasra	19.17 Sahasa	24.30 Peyāla
8.10 Sahassa		11.11 Suha
8.11 Sahassa	21.15 Sahasra		24.3 Peyāla
8.12 Sahassa	21.16 Sahasra		24.4 Peyāla
8.13 Sahassa	21.17 Sahasra	19.12 Sahasa	24.5 Peyāla
8.14 Sahassa	21.18 Sahasra	19.13 Sahasa	24.6 Peyāla
8.15 Sahassa	21.20 Sahasra		24.15 Peyāla
8.16 Sahassa	21.19 Sahasra	19.14 Sahasa	24.14 Peyāla
16	14	11	13

Although Udānavarga doesn't have a Sahasravarga, its Peyālavarga (a name unknown to the other collections) contains many of the verses.
The Pāḷi sequence 11 - 14 is paralleled in both Patna and Udānavarga, and 2 of the verses appear in sequence in Gāndhārī also.
Mahāvastu has eleven parallels, they are to verses: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, & 16.

9: Pāpavagga

Pāḷi	Patna	Gāndhārī	Udānavarga
9.1 Pāpa	7.1 Kalyāṇī		28.23 Pāpa
9.2 Pāpa	7.2 Kalyāṇī	13.7 Yamaka	28.21 Pāpa
9.3 Pāpa	7.3 Kalyāṇī	13.8 Yamaka	28.22 Pāpa
9.4 Pāpa	7.7 Kalyāṇī		28.19 Pāpa
9.5 Pāpa	7.8 Kalyāṇī		28.20 Pāpa
9.6 Pāpa	11.20 Bāla	13.9 Yamaka	17.5 Udaka
9.7 Pāpa	11.21 Bāla	13.10 Yamaka	17.6 Udaka
9.8 Pāpa	7.21 Kalyāṇī		28.14 Pāpa
9.9 Pāpa	7.11 Kalyāṇī		28.15 Pāpa
9.10 Pāpa	7.20 Kalyāṇī		28.9 Pāpa
9.11 Pāpa	15.14 Āsava
9.12 Pāpa			9.5 Karma
9.13 Pāpa			1.25 Anitya
13	11	4	12

There are many parallels from the verses in the Udānavarga Pāpavarga, but the sequence is very different.
In Patna the Kalyāṇīvarggaḥ corresponds closely to the Pāpavagga, and has the opening three verses in common.
The Pavuvaga in Gāndhārī 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. Daṇḍavagga

Pāḷi	Patna	Gāndhārī		Udānavarga
10.1 Daṇḍa	12.8 Daṇḍa (acd)			5.19 Priya (acd)
10.2 Daṇḍa	12.8 Daṇḍa			5.19 Priya
10.3 Daṇḍa	12.9 Daṇḍa			30.3 Sukha
10.4 Daṇḍa	12.10 Daṇḍa			30.4 Sukha
10.5 Daṇḍa	12.3 Daṇḍa			26.3 Nirvāṇa
10.6 Daṇḍa	12.4ab & 12.5cd Daṇḍa		26.5 Nirvāṇa
10.7 Daṇḍa	12.6 Daṇḍa (abc)		1.17 Anitya
10.8 Daṇḍa			9.12 Karma
10.9 Daṇḍa			28.26 Pāpa
10.10 Daṇḍa			28.28 Pāpa
10.11 Daṇḍa			28.27 Pāpa (cdab)
10.12 Daṇḍa		13.11 Yamaka (cd)	28.29 Pāpa (abc)
10.13 Daṇḍa	12.1 Daṇḍa		33.1 Brāhmaṇa
10.14 Daṇḍa	12.2 Daṇḍa	2.30 Bhikhu	33.2 Brāhmaṇa
10.15 Daṇḍa			19.5 Aśva (ad)
10.16 Daṇḍa	18.3 Dadantī (abcd)		19.2 Aśva (abcde)
10.17 Daṇḍa			17.10 Udakavarga
17	10	2	17

In Patna there is sequential correspondence for the Pāḷi verses 2 - 4, and it also knows of a Daṇḍavarggaḥ.
The Udānavarga has parallels to virtually all the verses, but they are dispersed throughout that collection.

11. Jarā

Pāḷi	Patna	Gāndhārī	Udānavarga
11.1 Jarā	13.18 Śaraṇa	10.? Jara	1.4 Anitya
11.2 Jarā			27.20 Paśya
11.3 Jarā	14.21 Khānti	10.? Jara	1.34 Anitya
11.4 Jarā		10.?ab & 10.?cd Jara	1.5 Anitya
11.5 Jarā		17.11 Kodha	16.23 Prakirṇaka
11.6 Jarā		10.? Jara	1.28 Anitya
11.7 Jarā	12.15 Daṇḍa
11.8 Jarā			31.6 Citta
11.9 Jarā			31.7 Citta
11.10 Jarā	13.14 Śaraṇa		17.3 Udaka
11.11 Jarā	13.15 Śaraṇa	139b Jara	17.4 Udaka
11	5	6	10

Although the Gāndhārī Jaravaga is badly damaged, Brough nevertheless lists no fewer than twenty-four verses found in that chapter; it is surprising, therefore, that there are not more parallels to be found therein.
Patna doesn't have a Jarāvarggaḥ, and parallels to only half of the verses are found in that collection.
Most of the verses occur in the Udānavarga, but not in a Jarāvarga.Brough's suggestion that the Udānavarga Anityavarga is the equivalent to the Pāḷi Jarāvagga does not seem to be borne out by the evidence presented here, as there are only 4 parallels between the two collections.⁰¹

12. Attavagga

Pāḷi	Patna	Gāndhārī	Udānavarga
12.1 Atta	17.7 Ātta		5.15 Priya
12.2 Atta	17.12 Ātta	14.4 Paṇida	23.7 Ātma
12.3 Atta	17.13 Ātta		23.8 Ātma
12.4 Atta	17.16 Ātta		23.11 Ātma
12.5 Atta	17.2 Ātta		28.12 Pāpa
12.6 Atta	17.1 Ātta	20.9 Śila?	11.10 Śramaṇa
12.7 Atta	10.11 Mala	16.6 Prakiṇaka?	28.16 Pāpa
12.8 Atta	17.10 Ātta	15.16 Bahoṣuda	8.7 Vāca
12.9 Atta	17.3 Ātta		28.11 & 28.12ab Pāpa
12.10 Atta	17.20 Ātta	16.7 Prakiṇaka?	23.10 Ātma
10	10	5	10

Both Pāli and Patna have well-defined Attavaggas, with Patna being the more extensive of the two.
Udānavarga also has an Ātmavarga, but only four out of twenty-six verses are parallel to verses in the Pāḷi Attavagga, though many of them are variations of Pāḷi 12.4.

13. Lokavagga

Pāḷi	Patna	Gāndhārī	Udānavarga
13.1 Loka	2.18 Apramāda	7.12 Apramadu	4.8 Apramāda
13.2 Loka	2.14 Apramāda	7.1 Apramadu	4.35 Apramāda
13.3 Loka	13.9 Śaraṇa	20.7 Śila?	30.5 Sukha
13.4 Loka	14.20 Khānti		27.15 Paśya
13.5 Loka			27.17 Paśya (bcd)
13.6 Loka	2.7 Apramāda	7.13 Apramadu	16.5 Prakirṇaka
13.7 Loka			16.9 Prakirṇaka
13.8 Loka			27.5 Paśya
13.9 Loka	13.17 Śaraṇa (abc)		17.2 Udaka (abc)
13.10 Loka	16.20 Vācā		9.1 Karma
13.11 Loka	16.16 Vācā (abc)		10.2 Śraddhā
13.12 Loka	18.12 Dadantī (bcd)
12	9	4	11

Here we can see that although a number of the verses are found in both Patna and Udānavarga, the Lokavagga rubric is unique to the Pāḷi collection.
The first two verses are found in the Apramādavargas of the other collections.

14. Buddhavagga

Pāḷi	Patna	Gāndhārī	Udānavarga
14.1 Buddha	15.16 Āsava		29.52 Yuga
14.2 Buddha	15.17 Āsava		29.53 Yuga
14.3 Buddha	14.6 Khānti		21.9 Tathāgata
14.4 Buddha	18.8 Dadantī (abd)		16.5 Prakiṇaka?
14.5 Buddha	19.16 Citta		28.1 Pāpa
14.6 Buddha	14.1 Khānti		26.2 Nirvāṇa
14.7 Buddha			31.50 Citta
14.8 Buddha	9.9 Tahna		2.17 Kāma
14.9 Buddha	9.10 Tahna		2.18 Kāma
14.10 Buddha	13.1 Śaraṇa		27.31 Paśya
14.11 Buddha	13.2 Śaraṇa		27.32 Paśya
14.12 Buddha	13.3 Śaraṇa		27.33 Paśya
14.13 Buddha			27.34 Paśya
14.14 Buddha	13.4 Śaraṇa		27.35 Paśya
14.15 Buddha	5.15 Attha	11.12 Suha	30.27 Sukha
14.16 Buddha	5.4 Attha		30.22 Sukha
14.17 Buddha
14.18 Buddha
18	14	1	16

The verses in this chapter are dispersed in the Patna and Udānavarga collections.
We might have expected more than one of the verses from the Pāḷi Buddhavagga to be paralleled in the Udānavarga Tathāgatavarga, but such is not the case.
The fact that all but one verse is not found in Gāndhārī 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.

last updated: September 2007