Re: Question on Jātaka 277

Dear Bryan,

Perhaps this ṭīkā is wrong. The word romaka is also found in Sanskrit and MW gives it as “a kind of saline earth and the salt extracted from it” and notes that the word is derived from the place name Rumā, which is apparently near Sambhar in Rajasthan. U Houq Sein’s Pali to Burmese dictionary agrees (trans. “romaka: salt located in the village of Rumā”). Of course, this meaning doesn’t seem to fit the Romakajāta. However romaka could simply mean “of/from Rumā”. Therefore, you could read the commentary as “romaka means ‘O one who was born in Rumā’ (romakāti rumāya uppanna). In other words, in the root text the ascetic might be addressing the bodhisatta as someone who has come from the village of Rumā. Perhaps you could even consider Romaka the bodhisatta’s name in this particular rebirth (a name which implies he is from the village of Rumā). Of course, this speculation could easily turn out to be wrong and it needs more research.

Incidentally, why did Lüders reject the translation “feathered”?

Regards,
Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: bryan.levman@...
Sent: Sat, 14 Apr 2012 05:34:59 -0700 (PDT)
To: palistudy@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [palistudy] Question on Jātaka 277

Dear Ven. Yuttadhammo,

No, I missed this. Here it refers to a type of salt (originating in a Roman country, per the tika) which I don't think makes sense in the Jātaka context. But thanks for pointing it out,

Metta, Bryan

________________________________
From: Yuttadhammo <yuttadhammo@...>
To: palistudy@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 11:58:10 PM
Subject: Re: [palistudy] Question on Jātaka 277

Dear Bryan,

Did you see the instance of romaka.m in the vinaya?

"dve loṇāni — sāmuddaṃ kāḷaloṇaṃ. aparānipi dve loṇāni — sindhavaṃ,
ubbhidaṃ. aparānipi dve loṇāni — *romakaṃ*, pakkālakaṃ."

(parivārapāḷi, ekuttarikanayo, dukavāro)

The tika says "Romajanapade jātaṃ *romakaṃ*. *Pakkālakan*ti
yavakkhāraṃ."

Best wishes,

Yuttadhammo

On 04/14/2012 06:59 AM, Bryan Levman wrote:
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> Does anyone know the meaning of the word "romaka"? It occurs in Jātaka
> 277 and is usually tranlsated "feathered" (from Pāli roma/loma
> meaning "hair"), but there are so many variants, that it is evident
> the word was not understood by the scribes and/or bhāṇakas. Here is
> the verse and the commentary:
>
> ♦ 79.
> ♦ “vassānipaññāsa samādhikāni [var. Bi, samīdhītāni, Bd, samadhikāni],
> vasimhaselassa guhāya romaka [var. Bid, romakā],
> asaṅkamānāabhinibbutattā [var. Bi, abhinippaticittā,
> Pd, abhinibbūticittā],
> hatthattam [var. Ck, hatthattham, Cs Bd, hattatthaṃ] āyantimamaṇḍajā
> pure.
> For fifty years we have lived (vasimha, 1st pers. plural aorist?) in
> this cave of rock,
> O feathered ones (romakā; Lüders does
> not think it means “feathered” per 1954: 32, footnote 4). Formerly
> they came, the
> egg-born ones, not hesitating, with a calm mind, taking my hand.
>
> Commentary:
> ♦ tatthasamādhikānīti [var. samadhitāniti, samādhikāniti] samādhikāni
> [mama adhikāni]. romakāti[ropakā]rūmaya uppanna [dumāya
> uppanna/uppannā],sudhotapavāḷena [var., -lena]samānavaṇṇanettapādatāya
> [sahanavaṇṇe
> netta pādamakāya] bodhisattaṃ pārāvataṃ [var. pārāpataṃ,
> pārāsataṃ] ālapati.asaṅkamānāti evaṃ atirekapaññāsavassāni imissā
> pabbataguhāya vasantesu amhesu ete aṇḍajā ekadivasampi mayi āsaṅkaṃ
> akatvā abhinibbutacittāva [abhinibbutacitā] hutvāpubbe mama hatthattaṃ
> [hatthatthaṃ] hatthappasāraṇokāsaṃ[pasāraṇokāsaṃ] āgacchantītiattho.
> samādhikāni means abundant. romaka means “Born from a
> tree (romaka/ropakā/rūmaya/dumāya? or born with feathers?), he
> addresses the
> bodhisattva who is a pigeon, with the same feet, eyes and colour with
> thoroughly clean sprouts(?pavāla).”
> Lüders call this “unverständlich” and I agree.
> asaṅkamānā means thus, for more than fifty years, when we were
> dwelling in this mountain cave, these egg-born (birds) each day had no
> fear of
> me and were perfectly tranquil formerly, and came and took my hand
> whenever it was stretched out.
> The word has four different forms: romaka, ropaka, ruumaya and dumaaya
> in the different recensions, so it seems like no one was quite sure of
> its meaning. The commentator's explication of the word does not seem
> to make sense (unless I am translating it wrong). Any help would be
> appreciated,
>
> Metta, Bryan
>
> Lüders, H. 1954. Beobachtungen über die Sprache des Buddhistischen
> Urkanons. Berlin: Akademie - Verlag.