a history of indian literature. vol. ii. buddhist literature and jain literatureby maurice...

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A History of Indian Literature. Vol. II. Buddhist Literature and Jain Literature by Maurice Winternitz; S. Ketkar; H. Kohn Review by: Helen M. Johnson Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 56, No. 3 (Sep., 1936), pp. 371-373 Published by: American Oriental Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/593985 . Accessed: 12/06/2014 17:01 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . American Oriental Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the American Oriental Society. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 195.34.79.174 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:01:36 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Page 1: A History of Indian Literature. Vol. II. Buddhist Literature and Jain Literatureby Maurice Winternitz; S. Ketkar; H. Kohn

A History of Indian Literature. Vol. II. Buddhist Literature and Jain Literature by MauriceWinternitz; S. Ketkar; H. KohnReview by: Helen M. JohnsonJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 56, No. 3 (Sep., 1936), pp. 371-373Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/593985 .

Accessed: 12/06/2014 17:01

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

American Oriental Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal ofthe American Oriental Society.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.174 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:01:36 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: A History of Indian Literature. Vol. II. Buddhist Literature and Jain Literatureby Maurice Winternitz; S. Ketkar; H. Kohn

Reviews of Books 371

A History of Indian Literature. By MAURICE WINTERNITZ, Ph. D. Vol. II. Buddhist Literature and Jain Literature. Translated from the original German by Mrs. S. Ketkar and Miss H. Kohn, B. A., and revised by the author. Calcutta: UNIVERSITY

OF CALCUTTA. 1933.

The first half of Vol. II of Prof. Winternitz's Geschichte der Indischen Literatur, which treated Buddhist literature, was finished in 1912; and the second half, which treated Jain literature, was finished in 1920. Naturally, much new material had accumulated between those dates and 1932, the date of the latest additions to this edition, which made a complete revision desirable.

The publications on Buddhism during the intervening twenty years seem to have been well covered, though it is surprising to find no mention of the late D. B. Spooner's work.

The Jains, both gvetambars and Digambars, are now extremely active in publishing their texts and it is almost impossible to keep in touch with all the new volumes as they appear. A number of publications previously omitted, as well as new ones, are included in this edition. Also, a number of corrections and revisions of opinion-for the better-have been made. There are still some statements to which I would take exception. Prof. Winternitz (p. 432) says that " according to the tradition of the gvetambara Jainas themselves, the authority of their sacred texts does not go beyond the 1th century A. D." It is surely unreasonable to say that the Jain sacred texts date only from the council at Vallabhi, much less to say that " Jain tradition " supports that view. Indeed, the author himself proceeds to contradict the statement, so far as tra- dition is concerned, and admits that an earlier date must be con- ceded for most of the canon. The Jains themselves do not claim that all the canon originated at an early date, but there is no reason whatever to dispute their tradition that parts of it were composed by Mahavira's disciples.

Another statement that should have been revised, is only slightly modified-namely, that the Jain sacred texts are much " drier " and less interesting than the Buddhist texts. Whether something is interesting or not is purely subjective, but Prof. Winternitz himself gives various extracts and resumes which show a decided human interest; and the Buddhist canon certainly has as much tiresome repetition and uninteresting detail.

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Page 3: A History of Indian Literature. Vol. II. Buddhist Literature and Jain Literatureby Maurice Winternitz; S. Ketkar; H. Kohn

372 Reviews of Books

Notwithstanding the numerous items that have been added, some important ones have been overlooked, e. g. the Pafacasakagrantha (Bhavnagar 1912), which has much valuable information and is considered authoritative. Nemicandra's Pravacanasdroddhara (Devchand Lalbhai Fund series, 1922-26) is barely referred to in a footnote, though it is an invaluable work of reference. Many of the editions cited by Winternitz are out of print, and in some cases later editions have been overlooked. The Lokaprakdsa is being published by the DLF (- Winternitz, DPU), beginning in 1926. The Prasdrakasabhd edition (and also the Baroda one) of the Karmagranthas has long been unobtainable, but now the Atmd- nandasabha has a new edition of the first four books (1934). Their edition of the Kalpasiltra might also be mentioned. The Atmd- nandasabha should have been included in the societies active in publishing (p. 427 n). The Agamodayasamiti edition of the Jiatadharmakathd has long been out of print, but the Prasaraka- sabha has brought out a very good edition with a Gujardt! com- mentary (1928-29). The Agamodayasamiti series is no longer published in Mehsana, but in Bombay.

The discussion of the non-canonical Jain literature, both early and late, has been much expanded with a more just appraisement of its value and extent, and of the really great interest of its fiction. It is gratifying to the reviewer that Prof. Winternitz seems to have changed his opinion that the Trisastisaldkapurusacaritra can be of interest only to " pious Jains."

In appendices the author discusses the dates of the deaths of Buddha and Mahbvira and comes to the only possible conclusion- that they are entirely uncertain and that nothing can be proved. But it is puzzling to know why he considers the traditional date of Vira's death, 527 B. C., " as difficult to reconcile with the one and only firmly established fact, namely that Buddha and Mahavira were contemporaries and lived in the reigns of Kings Bimbisdra and Ajdtasatru, as they are with other traditions of the Jainas themselves." The date 527 B. c. does conflict with other Jain dates, but there is no difficulty about making Buddha and Vira contemporaries of these two kings, and many chronologists do so, and retain the date 527 B. C.

The translators are to be commended for their success in a work that involved many technical terms which are usually well ren- dered. On p. 463 "vollendeter Weiser (kevalin)" is mistranslated

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Page 4: A History of Indian Literature. Vol. II. Buddhist Literature and Jain Literatureby Maurice Winternitz; S. Ketkar; H. Kohn

Reviews of Books 373

"accomplished sage." Perhaps due to the fact that the author himself did not read the proof, some errors in the references have slipped in, e. g. p. 507 n, the Bloomfield volume was published in 1920, not 1930; and JAOS 45 should read AJP 45.

This volume, like its predecessors, is indispensable to Indologists.

HELEN M. JOHNSON. Fayetteville, Ark.

Chinese Art. Edited by LEIGH ASHTON. London: KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER, 1935. 111 pp; 24 plates.

This excellent little volume was written for the exhibition of Chinese art held last year at Burlington House by the Royal Acad- emy. Some observers have said that the book is better than the exhibition itself. It contains an introduction and an article on painting by Lawrence Binyon, one on sculpture and lacquer by Leigh Ashton, on the potter's art by R. L. iobson, on bronzes by A. J. Koop, on jades by Una Pope-iennesy, and on textiles by Leigh Ashton. There is a chronological table and a selected bib- liography, but no index, and Chinese characters are not given. Written for visitors to the exhibition, it is naturally popular in style, but the well-known authorities who have contributed articles have given a compact, historical account of the development of Chinese art which is surprisingly inclusive, and charmingly written.

The Twin Pagodas of Zayton. By G. EcKE and P. DEMIE'VILLE. Cambridge: HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1935. viii + 95 pages; 72 plates.

Zayton, a word which has been brought into English as " satin," was the name used by Marco Polo and other medieval travellors for a great seaport of southeastern China. For some time its location was disputed, but it has now been established that it is to be iden- tified with the modern Ch'fian-chou in the province of Fu-chien. Marco Polo called it one of the two greatest havens in the world of commerce, and Ibn Batuftah said that its harbour was the greatest in the world. Its glory was at its height at the beginning

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