--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "Jim Anderson" <jimanderson.on@...>
wrote:

>Mahinda : Are you thinking of an accusative absolute? >>
>
> Jim:
> Yes, but only after Lance Cousins said " I would call that

construction

> 'accusative absolute'. " (his words).

I have much respect for Lance Cousins, but would not hesitate to
form my own judgement on an issue. While working on the Dhammapada
and its commentary (since published by OUP/USA), I realized how even
the brightest Pali scholars have on occaion tripped. So I won't be
overawed, nor would I reject a scholar's opinion out of hand. The
possibilty of this being an acc. abs. is admitted.

> Now I have never seen the accusative
> absolute being described in any of the Pali grammars I'm aware of -

The late O.H. de A. Wijesekaera,Sri Lankan scholar (incidentally my
Skt teacher) describes it in his Syntax of the Cases in the Pali
Nikayas, (Post Graduate Inst. of Pali & Buddh. Studies, Colombo
1993) p. 70 f. Just this morning I found that he alludes to this
very passage on p.240. He translates, "When worshipped by the Ven.
MK .. the funeral pyre of Bl One blazed forth by itself" and adds,"
(here) .. the loc. vandite canot be strictly regarded as as
absolute, for the construction can stand even if it were the nom
vandito."

> The relevant D II 164 passage is: ". . .bhagavato paade sirasaa

vandi.msu.

> vandite ca pana aayasmataa. . ." Ole Pind says there shouldn't be

a period

> after 'vandi.msu". Hence, ". . .they honoured the feet of the

Bhagavant with

> the head and, furthermore, while (the feet) were being honoured by

the

> Venerable. . ." or " . . .when (the feet were) worshipped by. . ."

The

> problem with an understood "citake" in a locative absolute

construction is

> that the object of honouring has shifted from the feet to the

pyre.

The pyre with the body of the Buddha inside. Not much of a shift.

The pnctuation question is difficult to resolve because MSS were
notoriously inattentive to punctuation.

I would, for now, assume that
(1)the loc. abs. or a simple locative of time (vandite: after the
act of worship) explains the Mahaprinibbana Sutta passage. But the
acc. abs. construction cannot be ruled out.

(2) In the JA psg, the elliptical loc. abs. vandite (bhagavati)is
more likely, because (a) there is another similar text where the
assumed bhagavati is explicitly present and (b) it suits the context
well. Context being the situation where some relatives of the Buddha
were reluctant to pay homage to their younger relation, but had to
do so when King Suddhodana himself paid homage.

Dear Jim, many thanks for the trouble you took to forward the
exchange of messages in your grammar group and for inviting me to be
a member. But I find that responding to messaages in this group
already consuming too much of my time, which I would gladly spend on
some other activities I am presently engaged in ( where
incidentally, grammar is such a nuisnace to a writer in modern
Sinhalese).
Best wishes.
Mahinda