梵语版欧几里得《原本》Rekhāga■ita初探

A Preliminary Study on the Rekhāga■ita,the Sanskrit Version of Euclid’s Elements

历史上欧几里得《原本》曾在11世纪由毕鲁尼试图介绍入印度,但遭受挫折。其阻力来自两方面:印度传统的文言至上观念和数学的实用学科的定位。后来,受伊斯兰文化影响和君王个人的兴趣,《原本》终于18世纪由伽嘎那闼从阿拉伯语译本翻译成梵语。此译本于20世纪初经图利韦丁校注后得以出版。对梵语版《原本》Rekhāganita的初步解读后发现,译者在行文、用词等方面努力淡化《原本》的异域色彩,力图使之融入印度传统。然而从留存抄本的较差状态可以看出,梵语版《原本》最终未能在印度产生显著影响。推测其原因有传统的阻力,但也有译者的因素,如其未能很好地理解和强调出《原本》的特点,即在逻辑演绎方面的训练功用。

Euclid’s Elements had been once attempted to introduce to Indian by al-Bīrūnī in the 11 th century. This attempt was failed because of the two kinds of resistance from the Indian tradition: the emphases of the WORDS and the view of the mathematics as a practical knowledge. Later,because of the Islamic influence and the interest of the King Jayasimha,the Elements was translated from Arabic to Sanskrit by Jagannātha in the 18 th century. The translation was edited and published by K. Trivedin in the early 20 th century. After examining the beginning part of the Rekhāganita,the Sanskrit version of the Elements,we find that the translator made an effort to weaken the exotic custom of the original work and make the translation integrate well into the Indian tradition through the composition and the choice of the word. However,the bad situation of the manuscripts of the Rekhāganita left reveals that the work hardly has the influence upon the Indian intellects. We suppose that it is caused by the traditional resistance as well as the failing of the translation for Jagannātha did not understand and emphasis the character of the Elements ― the use for teaching the logical deduction.