Preliminary Remarks on the New Edition of the Rasavāhinī

Abstract

This article discusses the need for a new and revised edition of the Rasavāhinī (Ras) composed by Vedeha Thera in Sri Lanka in the mid-thirteenth century. To this end, we discuss the current state of Ras research and key issues in the known editions, particularly the relationship with the Sinhala Saddharmālaṅkāraya (Sdhlk), written around the turn of the fourteenth to fifteenth century; and the Southeast Asian Ras manuscripts, which have not been sufficiently studied. Our study makes it clear that studying the Southeast Asian Ras manuscripts, in conjunction with Sdhlk, throw further light on the history of Ras transmission. We further propose new editorial principles that incorporate these materials, which we argue lead us closer to the text as intended by the original author.