Buchbesprechungen Comptes Rendus Book Reviews

This document is a book review of Willem B. Bollée's 1995 publication, "The Nijjuttis on the Seniors of the Svetämbara Siddhanta: Ayäranga, Dasaveyāliya, Uttarajjhāyā and Süyagada, Text and Selective Glossary." The review, written by Herman Tieken, focuses on the significance and execution of Bollée's work in presenting these Jain texts.

Key Points from the Review:

• Context of Nijjuttis: The review explains that Nijjuttis are collections of verses that accompany the main texts of the Svetämbara Jaina canon. They are further explained by commentaries like the cunni and older tika. The traditional list of Nijjuttis includes others that are lost, but also Pinda-N and Oha-N, which are distinct topic-specific tracts.

• Bollée's Edition: This book is a sequel to Bollée's 1994 edition of Pinda-N and Oha-N. Bollée's new edition of Āyāra, Dasaveyāliya, Uttarajjhāyā, and Sūyagada Nijjuttis primarily draws from existing printed editions of the cunni and tika, with an additional source being Niryukti-samgraha.

• Criticisms of the Edition:

  • Added Value: Tieken finds it difficult to judge the added value of Bollée's edition due to his own limited access to a crucial recent compilation of all ten Nijjuttis.
  • Narrow Scope: Bollée's task as an editor is seen as narrow, primarily serving as a corpus for a selective word index. This index, while useful for lexicography, limits its function as a tool for tracing parallel passages.
  • Textual Basis and Emendations: The texts are based on tika commentaries, with cunni variants noted but not discussed in relation to tika variants. Bollée occasionally introduces emendations not supported by existing sources, often justifying them by meter. Tieken questions this approach, suggesting that meter should not override grammar.
  • Parallel Passage Identification: The identification of parallel passages is deemed haphazard, and Bollée's omission of consulting Aṇuogaddāra is noted as a significant oversight, given that ĀyāraN 4 is equivalent to Aṇuogaddāra 8 (1).
  • Higher Text Criticism: Matters of higher text criticism are largely ignored, and Bollée fails to cite relevant articles on the topic, such as those by Bansidhar Bhatt. Tieken believes that publishing Nijjuttis out of context might hinder such studies.
  • Readability: The reviewer laments that Bollée has done little to facilitate reading the Nijjuttis, which are inherently difficult. He suggests that devices like those used by Leumann in his edition of DasaveyāliyaN to aid segmentation should be considered.
  • Discussion of Nature and Function: Tieken regrets Bollée's reluctance to discuss the nature and function of Nijjuttis or suggest future research avenues, taking this opportunity to offer his own insights.

• Tieken's Insights on Nijjuttis:

  • Structure: The framework of a Nijjutti includes a table of contents listing the titles of the main text's sections and keywords indicating their content. These keywords, often descriptive rather than direct quotations, are seen as aids for exegesis, not memorization, assuming the main texts were already in written form.
  • Table of Contents: Titles are often based on words found in the text. The framing of these tables of contents requires further investigation. This part of the Nijjutti is crucial as it serves as the direct link to the main text, with much of the rest of the Nijjutti's content stemming from these tables.
  • Nikṣepa and Stories: The analysis of words (Nikṣepa) and synonyms is primarily limited to titles. Illustrative stories are used to elaborate on the aspects or synonyms of words from the titles, highlighting the importance of stories in Jain doctrine and practice.
  • Absence of Nijjuttis: The absence of Nijjuttis for texts like Thāṇa (with numerical arrangement) or narrative texts is explained by their inherent structure already aligning with the ideal mode of exposition implied by Nijjuttis.
  • Methodology and Terminology: While some terms in Nijjuttis resemble those in Nyāya, Tieken doesn't believe Nyāya is the sole source of inspiration. He suggests that "yuktis" or methods of exposition, which include tables of contents and stories, might be the origin of the term "nijjutti," implying "exegesis by using yuktis."
  • Suitability for Research: Despite the criticisms, Tieken acknowledges that Bollée's editions are well-suited for investigating the language and meter of the Nijjuttis.

The second part of the provided text reviews U.R. Anantha Murthy's novel "Samskara." This review is entirely separate from the discussion of the Jain text and focuses on the literary significance and reception of a Kannada novel, its translation into German, and its cultural impact. It highlights the scarcity of good Kannada literature translations in the West and discusses the novel's controversial themes and its critique of traditional Hindu society.