Note On Hemchandras Abhidhanchintamani And Sanskrit Karmavati

Here's a comprehensive summary of Nalini Balbir's "A note on Hemacandra's Abhidhānacintāmaņi and Sanskrit karmavāți" based on the provided text:

The article by Nalini Balbir discusses Hemacandra's Abhidhānacintāmaņi (AC), a significant Sanskrit synonym dictionary, and delves into the specific term karmavāți found within it.

Hemacandra's Abhidhānacintāmaņi (AC): A Jain Lexicon

• Significance: The AC is considered one of the two most famous Sanskrit synonym dictionaries, alongside the Amarakośa.
• Jaina Identity: While it broadly follows the tradition of its predecessor, the AC is distinctly a Jaina work. This Jaina stamp is evident in its inclusion of mythological information, particularly the list of Jinas in its first section (I.24ff.).
• Western Scholarship: The AC played a crucial role in the early discovery of Jainism by Western scholars, helping them recognize Jainism's distinct tenets from other Indian religions.
• Early Editions:
  • Henry Thomas Colebrooke (1765-1837) was the first to draw attention to the AC. His essay "Observations on the Sect of Jains" (1807) discussed its contents, particularly its descriptions of Jinas and Jaina cosmology.
  • An early lithographed edition of the AC, along with Hemacandra's Anekārthasamgraha, was published in Calcutta in 1807 under Colebrooke's supervision.
  • A more critical edition was later produced by Otto Böhtlingk and Charles Rieu in 1847, based on five manuscripts and a commentary. This edition was instrumental in making the AC accessible to scholars.
• Contents and Jaina Worldview: The AC is a comprehensive repository of Sanskrit words, but it also serves as a dictionary of Jaina concepts.
  • Section I (Devādhidevakāṇḍa): Focuses on the concept of Arhat, listing the 24 Jinas of the present era, their synonyms, parents, associated deities (yakṣas and yakṣis), emblems (lāñchana), and complexions. It also covers Jinas of past and future eras, and key figures in early Jaina history like gaṇadharas, kevalins, and śrutakevalins.
  • Section II (Devakāṇḍa): Deals with the Jaina conception of gods.
  • Section IV (Tiryakkāṇḍa): Presents the Jaina classification of life based on the number of sense organs and environment, detailing beings from one-sensed to five-sensed.
  • Section V (Nārakakāṇḍa): Outlines the Jaina view of hells.
  • Time (II.40cd-76): A significant portion of the AC is dedicated to time. It describes the "twelve-spoked wheel of time" (dvādaśāram kālacakram) and its divisions, often echoing passages from Hemacandra's Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra. It details time units from nimeṣa to kalpa, blending Jaina and pan-Indian concepts.

Sanskrit karmavāți

• Definition in AC: The term karmavāți (k.) is found in the AC (II.61) alongside pakṣa (fortnight), where it is equated with tithi (lunar day): "tithiḥ punaḥ karmavāți, pratipat pakṣatiḥ same" (a lunar day is karmavāți, pratipat and the fortnight are the same).
• Dictionary Entries:
  • The karmavāți definition in the AC led to its inclusion in major Sanskrit dictionaries like the Böhtlingk-Roth Sanskrit-German Dictionary ("a lunar day (because it demarcates sacred works)") and Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary ("demarcation or regulation of religious actions,' a lunar day"). Apte's dictionary simply lists it as "lunar day (tithi)".
• Authenticity and Usage:
  • The AC is the earliest known source for karmavāți, but its authenticity is supported by its presence in Jaina manuscript colophons and inscriptions, almost exclusively in the locative case: karmavātyām.
  • These later occurrences suggest karmavāți was a term used in dating practices, appearing in the usual format of era, year, month, fortnight, ordinal day, karmavātyām, name of the day, and asterism.
  • It is rarer than tithi or dina.
• Etymology and Meaning:
  • Hemacandra's auto-commentary explains karmavāți as "an enclosure of activities, because they are demarcated by it," suggesting a metaphorical meaning for vāți (orchard, enclosure).
  • Balbir proposes a more plausible etymology: karmavāți is a Sanskritization of a Middle Indian or vernacular form in -vāri, related to -vāra (day), possibly pakṣavāra or dinavāra. The feminine form -vāri might be influenced by its association with the feminine noun tithi.
  • This suggests karmavāți might be phonetically linked to terms like pakhavādi (Gujarati for pakṣa) and other compounds with -vāri or -vādi.
• Connection to "Practical" Time Units:
  • Balbir connects karmavāți to Jaina Prakrit terms like kamma-samvacchara (practical year) and kamma-māsa (practical month). These terms refer to time units (360-day year, 30-day month) used for everyday practical matters and civil calculations, as opposed to astronomical or ritualistic lunar or solar calendars.
  • The Arthashastra also uses similar concepts, including karma-samvatsara (354 days, likely a lunar year) and karma-māsa (30 days).
  • The Jaina tradition seems to have a more developed terminology for these "civil" or "practical" time units, including kamma-divasa (civil day), contrasting with tithi (lunar day).
• Distinction from tithi: While Hemacandra equates karmavāți with tithi, Balbir argues that they might have originally referred to distinct concepts: tithi being a lunar day and karmavāți a civil day. The use of both terms for the same date in different inscriptions supports this.
• Survival and Usage:
  • The term karmavāți appears to have a long life, attested until the mid-19th century, particularly in Western India and areas where Śvetāmbara orders were prevalent.
  • It might have been a technical term in daily use among scribes or astronomers, even without direct vernacular equivalents. Its presence in the AC could be due to Hemacandra preserving a "unicate" term.
• Appendix of Occurrences: The article includes a detailed appendix listing numerous occurrences of karmavāți in manuscript colophons and inscriptions from various catalogues, spanning from VS 1497 to VS 1920, providing specific examples of its usage in dating.

In essence, Balbir's article highlights the Abhidhānacintāmaņi as a crucial Jaina lexicon and meticulously investigates the term karmavāți, proposing that it refers to a "civil" or "practical" day, distinct from the lunar tithi, and tracing its usage and potential etymology within the Jaina tradition.