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Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit

January 01, 1970

Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS) is a modern linguistic category applied to the language used in a class of Indian Buddhist texts, such as the Perfection of Wisdom sutras. BHS is classified as a Middle Indo-Aryan language. It is sometimes called "Buddhist Sanskrit" or "Mixed Sanskrit".

Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit
BHS
RegionNorthern India
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
IETFsa-bauddha[1]

Origin edit

Prior to this, Buddhist teachings are not known to have generally been recorded in the language of the Hindu elite. At the time of the Buddha, instruction in this language was restricted to Vedic study.[2] While Gautama Buddha was probably familiar with what is now called Sanskrit, his teachings were apparently first promulgated in local languages. At one point he ruled against translating his teachings into Vedic, saying that to do so would be foolish—Vedic was by that time an archaic and obsolete language.[3]

After the work of the ancient Sanskrit philologist Pāṇini, Sanskrit became the pre-eminent language for literature and philosophy in India. Buddhist monks began to adapt the language they used to it while remaining under the influence of a linguistic tradition stemming from the proto-canonical Prakrit of the early oral tradition.[4] While there are widely differing theories regarding the relationship of this language to Pali, it is certain that Pāli is much closer to this language than Sanskrit is.[5][6][7]

According to K. R. Norman, Pāli could also be considered a form of BHS.[8] However, Franklin Edgerton states that Pāli is in essence a Prakrit.[4]

Relation to Sanskrit and Pāli edit

In many places where BHS differs from Sanskrit it is closer to, or identical with, Pāli. Most extant BHS works were originally written in BHS, rather than being reworkings or translations of already existing works in Pāli or other languages.[9] However, earlier works, mostly from the Mahāsāṃghika school, use a form of "mixed Sanskrit" in which the original Prakrit has been incompletely Sanskritised, with the phonetic forms being changed to the Sanskrit versions, but the grammar of Prakrit being retained. For instance, Prakrit bhikkhussa, the possessive singular of bhikkhu (monk, cognate with Sanskrit bhikṣu) is converted not to bhikṣoḥ as in Sanskrit but mechanically changed to bhikṣusya.[10]

The term owes its usage and definition largely to the scholarship of Franklin Edgerton. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit is primarily studied in the modern world in order to study the Buddhist teachings that it records, and to study the development of Indo-Aryan languages. Compared to Pāli and Classical Sanskrit, comparatively little study has been made of Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, in part because of the fewer available writings, and in part because of the view of some scholars that BHS is not distinct enough from Sanskrit to comprise a separate linguistic category. Edgerton writes that a reader of a Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit text "will rarely encounter forms or expressions which are definitely ungrammatical, or at least more ungrammatical than, say, the Sanskrit of the epics, which also violates the strict rules of Pāṇini. Yet every paragraph will contain words and turns of expression which, while formally unobjectionable ... would never be used by any non-Buddhist writer."[11]

Edgerton holds that nearly all Buddhist works in Sanskrit, at least until a late period, belong to a continuous and broadly unitary linguistic tradition. The language of these works is separate from the tradition of Brahmanical Sanskrit, and goes back ultimately to a semi-Sanskritized form of the protocanonical Prakrit. The peculiar Buddhist vocabulary of BHS is evidence that BHS is subordinate to a separate linguistic tradition quite separate from standard Sanskrit (Edgerton finds other indications as well).[12] The Buddhist writers who used standard Brahmanical Sanskrit were small in number. This group seems to have been made up of converts who received orthodox Brahmanical training in their youth before converting to Buddhism, such as Asvaghosa.[4]

Many Sanskrit words, or particular uses of Sanskrit words, are recorded only from Buddhist works. Pāli shares a large proportion of these words; in Edgerton's view, this seems to prove that most of them belong to the special vocabulary of the protocanonical Buddhist Prakrit.[13]

Buddhist use of Classical Sanskrit edit

Not all Buddhist use Sanskrit as an hybrid form. Some translated works, such as by the Sarvāstivādin school, were completed in classical Sanskrit. There were also later works composed directly in Sanskrit and written in a simpler style than the classical literature, as well as works of kavya in the ornate classical style such as the Buddhacarita.[10]

Parallels edit

The terms "Buddhist Hybrid Chinese"[14] and "Buddhist Hybrid English"[15] have been used to describe peculiar styles of language used in translations of Buddhist texts.

References edit

  1. ^ "Language Subtag Registry". IANA. 2021-03-05. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  2. ^ Hazra, Kanai Lal. Pāli Language and Literature; a systematic survey and historical study. D.K. Printworld Ltd., New Delhi, 1994, page 12.
  3. ^ Hazra, page 5.
  4. ^ a b c Edgerton, Franklin. The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit. Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 8, No. 2/3, page 503.
  5. ^ Edgerton, Franklin. The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit. Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 8, No. 2/3, page 502. "Pāli is itself a middle-Indic dialect, and so resembles the protocanonical Prakrit in phonology and morphology much more closely than Sanskrit."
  6. ^ Students' Britannica India. Popular Prakashan. 2000. pp. 145–. ISBN 978-0-85229-760-5.
  7. ^ Hazra, pages 15, 19, 20.
  8. ^ Jagajjyoti, Buddha Jayanti Annual, 1984, page 4, reprinted in K. R. Norman, Collected Papers, volume III, 1992, Pāli Text Society, page 37
  9. ^ Edgerton, Franklin. The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit. Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 8, No. 2/3, page 502.
  10. ^ a b T. Burrow (1965), The Sanskrit language, p. 61, ISBN 978-81-208-1767-8
  11. ^ Edgerton, Franklin. The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit. Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 8, No. 2/3, page 503. Available on JSTOR here.
  12. ^ Edgerton, Franklin. The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit. Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 8, No. 2/3, pages 503-505.
  13. ^ Edgerton, Franklin. The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit. Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 8, No. 2/3, page 504.
  14. ^ Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Volume One), page 154
  15. ^ Paul J. Griffiths, Journal of the Pāli Text Society, Volume XXIX, page 102

Further reading edit

  • Edgerton, Franklin, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary. ISBN 81-215-1110-0.

External links edit

    January 01, 1970
    buddhist, hybrid, sanskrit, modern, linguistic, category, applied, language, used, class, indian, buddhist, texts, such, perfection, wisdom, sutras, classified, middle, indo, aryan, language, sometimes, called, buddhist, sanskrit, mixed, sanskrit, bhsregionnor. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit BHS is a modern linguistic category applied to the language used in a class of Indian Buddhist texts such as the Perfection of Wisdom sutras BHS is classified as a Middle Indo Aryan language It is sometimes called Buddhist Sanskrit or Mixed Sanskrit Buddhist Hybrid SanskritBHSRegionNorthern IndiaLanguage familyIndo European Indo IranianIndo AryanMiddle Indo AryanBuddhist Hybrid SanskritLanguage codesISO 639 3 IETFsa bauddha sup id cite ref IANA 1 0 class reference a href cite note IANA 1 1 a sup Contents 1 Origin 2 Relation to Sanskrit and Pali 3 Buddhist use of Classical Sanskrit 4 Parallels 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksOrigin editPrior to this Buddhist teachings are not known to have generally been recorded in the language of the Hindu elite At the time of the Buddha instruction in this language was restricted to Vedic study 2 While Gautama Buddha was probably familiar with what is now called Sanskrit his teachings were apparently first promulgated in local languages At one point he ruled against translating his teachings into Vedic saying that to do so would be foolish Vedic was by that time an archaic and obsolete language 3 After the work of the ancient Sanskrit philologist Paṇini Sanskrit became the pre eminent language for literature and philosophy in India Buddhist monks began to adapt the language they used to it while remaining under the influence of a linguistic tradition stemming from the proto canonical Prakrit of the early oral tradition 4 While there are widely differing theories regarding the relationship of this language to Pali it is certain that Pali is much closer to this language than Sanskrit is 5 6 7 According to K R Norman Pali could also be considered a form of BHS 8 However Franklin Edgerton states that Pali is in essence a Prakrit 4 Relation to Sanskrit and Pali editIn many places where BHS differs from Sanskrit it is closer to or identical with Pali Most extant BHS works were originally written in BHS rather than being reworkings or translations of already existing works in Pali or other languages 9 However earlier works mostly from the Mahasaṃghika school use a form of mixed Sanskrit in which the original Prakrit has been incompletely Sanskritised with the phonetic forms being changed to the Sanskrit versions but the grammar of Prakrit being retained For instance Prakrit bhikkhussa the possessive singular of bhikkhu monk cognate with Sanskrit bhikṣu is converted not to bhikṣoḥ as in Sanskrit but mechanically changed to bhikṣusya 10 The term owes its usage and definition largely to the scholarship of Franklin Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit is primarily studied in the modern world in order to study the Buddhist teachings that it records and to study the development of Indo Aryan languages Compared to Pali and Classical Sanskrit comparatively little study has been made of Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit in part because of the fewer available writings and in part because of the view of some scholars that BHS is not distinct enough from Sanskrit to comprise a separate linguistic category Edgerton writes that a reader of a Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit text will rarely encounter forms or expressions which are definitely ungrammatical or at least more ungrammatical than say the Sanskrit of the epics which also violates the strict rules of Paṇini Yet every paragraph will contain words and turns of expression which while formally unobjectionable would never be used by any non Buddhist writer 11 Edgerton holds that nearly all Buddhist works in Sanskrit at least until a late period belong to a continuous and broadly unitary linguistic tradition The language of these works is separate from the tradition of Brahmanical Sanskrit and goes back ultimately to a semi Sanskritized form of the protocanonical Prakrit The peculiar Buddhist vocabulary of BHS is evidence that BHS is subordinate to a separate linguistic tradition quite separate from standard Sanskrit Edgerton finds other indications as well 12 The Buddhist writers who used standard Brahmanical Sanskrit were small in number This group seems to have been made up of converts who received orthodox Brahmanical training in their youth before converting to Buddhism such as Asvaghosa 4 Many Sanskrit words or particular uses of Sanskrit words are recorded only from Buddhist works Pali shares a large proportion of these words in Edgerton s view this seems to prove that most of them belong to the special vocabulary of the protocanonical Buddhist Prakrit 13 Buddhist use of Classical Sanskrit editNot all Buddhist use Sanskrit as an hybrid form Some translated works such as by the Sarvastivadin school were completed in classical Sanskrit There were also later works composed directly in Sanskrit and written in a simpler style than the classical literature as well as works of kavya in the ornate classical style such as the Buddhacarita 10 Parallels editThe terms Buddhist Hybrid Chinese 14 and Buddhist Hybrid English 15 have been used to describe peculiar styles of language used in translations of Buddhist texts References edit Language Subtag Registry IANA 2021 03 05 Retrieved 22 April 2021 Hazra Kanai Lal Pali Language and Literature a systematic survey and historical study D K Printworld Ltd New Delhi 1994 page 12 Hazra page 5 a b c Edgerton Franklin The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies University of London Vol 8 No 2 3 page 503 Edgerton Franklin The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies University of London Vol 8 No 2 3 page 502 Pali is itself a middle Indic dialect and so resembles the protocanonical Prakrit in phonology and morphology much more closely than Sanskrit Students Britannica India Popular Prakashan 2000 pp 145 ISBN 978 0 85229 760 5 Hazra pages 15 19 20 Jagajjyoti Buddha Jayanti Annual 1984 page 4 reprinted in K R Norman Collected Papers volume III 1992 Pali Text Society page 37 Edgerton Franklin The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies University of London Vol 8 No 2 3 page 502 a b T Burrow 1965 The Sanskrit language p 61 ISBN 978 81 208 1767 8 Edgerton Franklin The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies University of London Vol 8 No 2 3 page 503 Available on JSTOR here Edgerton Franklin The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies University of London Vol 8 No 2 3 pages 503 505 Edgerton Franklin The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies University of London Vol 8 No 2 3 page 504 Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism Volume One page 154 Paul J Griffiths Journal of the Pali Text Society Volume XXIX page 102Further reading editEdgerton Franklin Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary ISBN 81 215 1110 0 External links editBuddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary Franklin Edgerton Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit amp oldid 1220456716, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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