No. 28.— 1884.] first fifty jatakas. 



147 



Commentary on the Jatakas. In introducing one of these, 

 it is said that he belonged to the Mahimsasaka sect. The 

 words are Mahimsasaka vamsamhi sambhutena yasassind. 

 Now this Mahimsasaka sect is one which has separated 

 in India from the Theravada sect. In the Mahavamsa, 

 chap. V., gatha 6th, this matter is thus narrated : — 

 Punapi tkera vddehi Mahimsasaka bhikkhavo Vajji puttaka 

 bhikkhu ca duvejdtd ime khalu— "Again from the Thera 

 vadaka bhikkhus, there was a separation of two sects called 

 Mahimsasaka and Vajji puttaka." The name Mahim- 

 sasaka is thus given to a sect which separated from the 

 orthodox faith. If one of those who thus requested the 

 author was of the Mahimsasaka sect, it may be presumed 

 that the rest were also of the same sect. Therefore it 

 may be inferred that this Commentary was the work of a 

 priest of the Mahimsasaka sect. 



6. In Buddhaghosa's Commentaries on any discourse of 

 Buddha, he first states the method he proposes to follow 

 in writing the Commentary. But in the Jataka Attha 

 Katha it is only stated that the Commentary will be written 

 in conformity with the exposition current among the 

 inmates of the Mahavihara ; but the method in which it 

 will be written is not mentioned. 



7. Those who have studied Pali works will also find 

 that the Pali of the Jataka Commentary is different from 

 that of Commentaries he attributed to Buddhaghosha. 



For the foregoing reasons it cannot be said with certainty 

 that the Commentary on the Jatakas is the work of Buddha- 

 ghosha, and the name of the author is not mentioned 

 in it, and, therefore, we cannot say who else, if any, 

 wrote it. 



Date of Buddhaghosha. — If the translation be Buddha- 

 ghosha's, the date is fixed as follows:— Buddhaghoshacarya 

 translated the Sinhalese Commentaries into Pali during the 

 reign of Mahauama. Mahanama began to reign in the year 

 of Buddha 953, that is, about the year 410 of Christ. 

 Buddhaghosha com menced writing the work called Saman- 

 tapasadika in the twentieth year of Kiug Mahanama, that 

 is in the year 973 of Buddha. That Commentary was com- 

 pleted in one year. Though it is not said when, it is possible 

 that the Jatakattha Katha was also written about this time. 



28-85 d 



