Dhammapada in Sanskrit

Giridharan

Dear All!

My Salutations to all of you!

I gave a posting more than 4 years ago in this Website’s forum (http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/11969/dhammapada-in-sanskrit) seeking a sponsor for bringing out Dhammapada in Sanskrit version in audio format. I received and still keep receiving mails from many keen and appreciative scholars and enthusiasts (but none interested in sponsoring) asking for the copy of the Sanskrit version of Dhammapada that I have.

I would like to inform all that what I possess is a handwritten copy of Sanskrit Dhammapada in Malayalam Script (and not in Devanagari or in transliterated English format). As you may know that there was a custom of maintaining Sanskrit and even Pāli writings in India since ancient times in the scripts of local vernaculars (and not necessarily in Devanagari), as all the vernaculars (except the Dravidian Tamil language) can absorb Sanskrit in toto in their respective scripts. I am unable to spare time to re-write the Version that I have in transliterated English format or in Devanagari Lipi.

And my main intention was (and still is) to record in audio format chanting of this excellent Sanskrit version of Dhammapada - each verse followed by its English translation so that anyone can peacefully sit and listen and also grasp the purport of each stanza. None today has time or patience for reading and I feel we should do something for the coming generation who are (somewhat) interested only in audio. I have two versions of Sanskrit Dharmapada, and both seem to be independent works of translation of Pāli into Sanskrit with minor variations mutually. I have no information about the authors who did the conversion into Sanskrit and their period. Of course translation of Pāli verses into Sanskrit was not a very challenging or tough job for a good Sanskrit scholar and so probably the persons who did the translation might not have felt it that important to give their names anywhere.

To give an example, here is the Sanskrit version of the famous verse that Lord Buddha uttered after he got Nirvāṇa - which occurs in Jarā Vagga.

अनेकजाति संसारे सन्धाविष्ये अनिर्विशन्।
गृहकारकं गवेषन्तो दुःखा जाति पुनः पुनः॥
गृहकारक! दृष्टोसि, पुनर्गेहं न करिष्यसि।
सर्वास्ते पार्शुका भग्ना गृहकूटं विसंस्कृतम्।
विसंस्कारगतं चित्तं तृष्णानां क्षयमध्यगाम्॥

aneka jāti saṁsāre sandhāviṣye anirviśan |
gṛhakārakam gaveṣanto duḥkā jātiḥ punaḥ punaḥ ||
gṛhakāraka dṛṣṭosi, punar geham na kariṣyasi |
sarvāste pārśukā bhagnā gṛhakūṭam visamskṛtam |
visamskāragatam cittam tṛṣṇānām kshayamadhyagām ||

And the first verse of Yamaka Vagga, the first chapter of Dhammapada in Sanskrit is this:

मनःपूर्वङ्गमा धर्मा मनः श्रेष्ठा मनोमया।
मनसा चेत् प्र्दुष्टेन भाषते वा करोति वा।
ततस्तं दुःखमन्वेति चक्रमिव वहतः पदम्॥

If anyone is interested to help me and sponsor (only) the expenditure for recording and also if someone has a proper outlet for publishing in the Web for the benefit of all (not with any commercial motive), he or she is still welcome to write to me in drurgiridharan@gmail.com

Thank you.
May all be happy!

Dr.Giridharan.U.R.

federica

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