Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja
Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja — what it is, what it added, and what we retired from it.
Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja — Sphujidhvaja, translated by David Pingree.
Edition consulted: 1978.
What kind of text this is
single critical edition
What it contributed
caste-added-at-translation — novel. Pingree documents Yavanesvara localising a Greek manuscript in AD 149/150 - Brahmanical deity equivalents, Siva/Lakshmi iconography, caste values stressed throughout.
The single strongest finding of the source project. Caste was inserted at a datable moment by a named translator, not derived from any technique.
soul-frame-is-indian-layer — contradiction. The reincarnation chapter may itself be a 3rd-c. Indian addition to the Greek text.
Cuts against our own framing. The soul/karma frame is an Indian contribution, not the original meaning - so it must be defended by the essence-test, never by antiquity.
elite-client-model — novel. The text assumes a wealthy client; lesser professions appear with opprobrium.
Explains the kings-and-ministers apparatus as a client list rather than cosmology.
Reading the text yourself
We quote and cite; we do not republish. Most translations in this corpus are in copyright, and the public-domain ones are better served by the Internet Archive than by a copy here. Citations give chapter and verse so any claim can be checked against your own edition.