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Secondary sourceBook1921

Prakrit Dhammapada

Beni Madhab Barua · 1921

A 1921 scholarly edition presenting the Dhammapada sayings in Prakrit, used to compare early wordings of the Buddha's teachings.

A modern scholarly edition comparing early wordings of sayings attributed to the Buddha, not his own writing.

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Prakrit DhammapadaPDF · 334 pages
Beni Madhab Barua and Sailendranath Mitra, Prakrit Dhammapada, 1921. University of Calcutta.

About this source

What it is

This is a scholarly book published in 1921 by Beni Madhab Barua and Sailendranath Mitra, presenting the Dhammapada sayings in the Prakrit language based on a manuscript studied by M. Senart. It includes the text, a translation, and notes, and was published by the University of Calcutta.

Why it matters

The Dhammapada is one of the most famous collections of sayings attributed to the Buddha. This edition helps scholars compare different ancient versions of these sayings in different languages, showing how the Buddha's teachings were preserved and transmitted across centuries and regions.

Look closer

  • Why might scholars want to compare several versions of the same sayings in different languages?
  • What does this kind of careful scholarly work tell us about how religious texts survive over time?
  • What is missing if we only have translations and copies, rather than anything written by the Buddha himself?

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