The focus of the present research is to reconstruct the original meaning of the culturally dense term Ved. dákṣiṇā / Pa. dakkhiṇā, which, in the late Vedic language, specifically means the gift due to the priest who officiates the rite in favour of a patron. The discussed data make it possible to postulate a com- pletely different meaning for this term in the early Vedic texts, where it is used to evoke an 'auspicious condition' prototypically proper to a successful leader, both as an effect of previous glorious deeds and as a possible cause of further prosperity. We propose that in the Vedic context this term should be translated as 'magnificence', in which we distinguish two facets, namely: a more abstract one, that is magnificence in potency, as a result of past merits and often associated to the gods' favour, and magnificence in action, i.e. the (sometimes material) outcome of such a condition. The latter may become the crucial ingredient of a simple devotional act of offering. Albeit with the expected differences, we find also in Pali sources a comparable emphasis on such an act of offering, in particular when addressed to a worthy recipient. Indeed, retrofitting the late meaning of dakṣiṇā/dakkhiṇā to the earlier cul- tural and linguistic stages leads to a miscomprehension of many relevant pas- sages and pivotal features of both Vedic and early Buddhist ancient religious and political ideology. This is why we dedicate the last part of the paper to investigating how this assumed notion of 'magnificence' matches with what we know about the most ancient Indo-Aryan societal forms and with what is assumed about the evolution of these forms. We hope in this way to be able to add a crucial element to the interpretation of the cultural dynamic at work between the Buddhist and Vedic cultures, a dynamic characterised by some unresolved tensions such as preservation versus innovation and identity con- struction versus syncretic strategies.
Die vorliegende Studie bietet im Wesentlichen die Edition und annotierte Übersetzung einer historischen Inschrift in der Versammlungshalle des Klosters Dgung 'phur in Spu rang (Mnga' ris, Westtibet). Die Inschrift behandelt religiöse und politische Ereignisse in der Geschichte Westtibets bis zum Anfang des 17. Jahrhunderts. Der einleitende Teil der Arbeit enthält die Beschreibung der allgemeinen Charakteristika der Inschrift, die Zusammenfassung ihres Inhalts, sowie Überlegungen zu ihrer Datierung und dem in der Inschrift als "Gründer" von Dgung 'phur bezeichneten Mgon po skyabs. ; This study essentially provides the edition and annotated translation of a historical inscription in the assembly hall of Dgung 'phur Monastery in Spu rang (Mnga' ris, Western Tibet). The inscription deals with religious and political events in the history of Western Tibet up to the beginning of the 17th century. The introductory part of the study includes a description of the inscription's general characteristics, a summary of its contents, an enquiry into its date and a discussion of the magistrate Mgon po skyabs, whom the inscription identifies as the "founder" of Dgung 'phur.
