Reflection on the Word and Meaning
A Critical Edition and Translation of Ratnasrijnana's Sabdarthacinta with his Sabdarthacintavivrti 1.16-2.47
by Mahesh Deokar and Dragomir Dimitrov
The Sabdarthacinta or Reflection on the Word and Meaning represents a highly intriguing treatise on Sanskrit grammar. It was composed in the mid-10th century by Ratnasrijnana, a prodigious Sinhalese Buddhist scholar who went by the name of Ratnamati during his early career, before becoming known as Ratnasrijnana and still later as Upatissa. Despite Ratna’s work occupying a central position in the Candra system of grammar, established by Candragomin (ca. 5th century AD), and exerting a significant influence on grammatical thought in South and Southeast Asia, it remained forgotten for many centuries. In order to rescue Ratna’s “reflections” from oblivion, it was necessary to use the only surviving textual witness, a heavily damaged palm-leaf manuscript discovered in Nepal and kept in Calcutta for a long time. The text was recovered entirely with the help of Ratna’s own commentary called the Sabdarthacintavivrti and Dhammasenapati’s Karika (ca. 12th century) which was found to contain an unacknowledged, very precise Pali translation of the Sanskrit text. Besides the editio princeps of the Sabdarthacinta printed in Latin script, Dragomir Dimitrov and Mahesh Deokar present the first critical edition and an English translation of the surviving part of Ratna’s autocommentary (Sabdarthacintavivrti 1.16-2.47), an English rendering of the main treatise as well as two appendices with the Sabdarthacinta typeset in Devanagari script and a facsimile edition with a diplomatic transcript of the Sabdarthacintavivrti. Now that Ratna’s magnificent contribution to Indian grammar has risen like a phoenix from the ashes, no serious student of Sanskrit and Pali grammar should ignore it.
The Sabdarthacinta or Reflection on the Word and Meaning represents a highly intriguing treatise on Sanskrit grammar. It was composed in the mid-10th century by Ratnasrijnana, a prodigious Sinhalese Buddhist scholar who went by the name of Ratnamati during his early career, before becoming known as Ratnasrijnana and still later as Upatissa. Despite Ratna’s work occupying a central position in the Candra system of grammar, established by Candragomin (ca. 5th century AD), and exerting a significant influence on grammatical thought in South and Southeast Asia, it remained forgotten for many centuries. In order to rescue Ratna’s “reflections” from oblivion, it was necessary to use the only surviving textual witness, a heavily damaged palm-leaf manuscript discovered in Nepal and kept in Calcutta for a long time. The text was recovered entirely with the help of Ratna’s own commentary called the Sabdarthacintavivrti and Dhammasenapati’s Karika (ca. 12th century) which was found to contain an unacknowledged, very precise Pali translation of the Sanskrit text. Besides the editio princeps of the Sabdarthacinta printed in Latin script, Dragomir Dimitrov and Mahesh Deokar present the first critical edition and an English translation of the surviving part of Ratna’s autocommentary (Sabdarthacintavivrti 1.16-2.47), an English rendering of the main treatise as well as two appendices with the Sabdarthacinta typeset in Devanagari script and a facsimile edition with a diplomatic transcript of the Sabdarthacintavivrti. Now that Ratna’s magnificent contribution to Indian grammar has risen like a phoenix from the ashes, no serious student of Sanskrit and Pali grammar should ignore it.
- By (author) Mahesh Deokar
- By (author) Dragomir Dimitrov
Other Titles in this Series
Similar Books
«Solazoxa festa, stradolze e stracomplia»
Festschrift für Raymund Wilhelm zum 65. Geburtstag mit Beiträgen zu Diskurstraditionen und mittelalterlicher Philologie
Volume 249
A Collaborative Tapestry in Honour of Shirley Ann Brown / Une fresque brodée en l’honneur de Shirley Ann Brown
The Bayeux Tapestry Seen by her Colleagues and Friends / La Tapisserie de Bayeux vue par ses collègues et amis
Behind the Scenes of Medieval Roofs
An Overview of the Roofing Systems of Italian Churches
Volume 90
Cahiers de recherches médiévales et humanistes – Journal of Medieval and Humanistic Studies
Volume 51
Exploring Himalayan Cultural and Textual Heritage
The Legacy and Impact of René Nebesky-Wojkowitz
Volume 35
Innovation and Medieval Communities
The Circulation of Ideas and Practices in and out of the Town (1200-1500)
Volume 63
John Dunstaple Reading Boethius
John Dunstaple’s Annotations to Boethius’s “De institutione musica” in the Manuscript Oxford, Corpus Christi College Library, MS 118
Medieval Debates on Foreknowledge: Future Contingents, Prophecy, and Divination
Acts of the XXVII Annual Colloquium of the SIEPM, Trento 12-15 September 2023
Volume 31
Medieval Yeghegis, Armenia
History, Archaeology, Society. Local Multiplicities and Global Connections of a Rural Centre on the Silk Road(s)
Nicholas of Lyra’s Commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew and Luke
Franciscan Exegesis in a Time of Crisis
