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INFLUENCE OF BUDDHIST LOGIC ON ALANKĀRA SĀSTRA 1
By
ANANTALAL THAKUR, Darbhanga Kautilya describes logic as a lamp unto all the śāstrasand his claim is just. It is no wonder that the Alamkāraśāstra, which gradually became a veritable dialectic discipline, should have deep connections with it. But to a student of Alamkāra the predominence of the influence of the Buddhist logic on this śāstra in preference to the orthodox system of logic of the Akşapāda school seems to be a puzzle. Almost all the rhetoricians were Brahmins and there is no reasonable ground to hold that they were catholic in their outlook at all. Yet when occasions arise, they unhesitatingly quote Kārikās from the classics of Buddhist philosophy in support of their contention and use definitions and terminology adopted by the Buddhist logicians.
We propose here to quote some important and concrete instances and offer an explanation.
Of all the Rhetoricians Bhāmaha seems to be the foremost to accept the viewpoints set-forth in the Buddhist logic in his Kāvyālamkāra. He " defines and illustrates the eleventh dosa which arises from a faulty pratijñā, hetu or dpstānta, the treatment being based upon a discussion of such Nyāya-Vaiseșika (?) topics as the number and definitions of pramāṇas, definitions of pratijñā and its varieties, of hetu and its varieties, of dịştānta, etc. (History of Sanskrit PoeticsMM. Dr. P. V. Kane, 1951, p. 79). We should humbly point out that here Bhāmaha is indebted to the school of Dinnāga. And the fact has attracted the notice of modern scholars.
1 Read in the All-India Oriental Conference, Delhi, 1957. 2 yea: Haziran .........75721ffit har
Arthaśāstra. p. 28. Triv. Edn,
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ANANTALAL THAKUR
Dandin's first example of nyāyavirodha refers to the Buddhist Philosophy and the way of the Tathāgata ( Jinayāna) finds a mention in one of his illustrations. 3
Commentators on Dandin's Kāvyādarśa like Vädi Janghāla and Ratnasri are found to quote and refer to the Pramāņavārttika of Dharmakirtti. Ratnaśri was no doubt a Buddhist. But Vādi Janghāla was to all intents and purposes a Brahmin.
Anandavardhana in his Dhvanyaloka shows evidence of his close acquaintance with the works of Dharmakirtti. His
मुख्यां वृत्तिं परित्यज्य गुणवृत्त्यार्थदर्शनम् । यदुद्दिश्य फलं तत्र शब्दो नैव स्खलद्गतिः ॥
Dhvanyaloka I. 17 reminds us of
यत्र रूढ्यासदर्थोऽपि जनैः शब्दो निवेशितः । स मुख्यस्तत्र तत्साम्याद् गौणोऽन्यत्र स्खलद्गतिः ॥
Pramāņavārttika II. 37 Anandavardhana refers to the कृत्रिमसंबन्धवादिनः-Scholars who accept a conventional relation between words and their senses. Here the Buddhist thinkers must have been meant along with others and Abhinava the commentator refers to the Pramāņavārttika III. 91 here. He quotes the kārikā in full in a separate context (p. 542, Dhvanyālokalocana, Chowkhamba)". Abhinava. in his locana refers to another verse of Dharmakīrtti5. Of the two verses attributed to Dharmakirtti by Anandavardhana himself, viz. लावण्यद्रविणव्ययो न गणितः and अनध्यवसित .......the former is said to belong to the concluding portion of the Nyāyaviniscayavytti6.
Anandavardhana employs the terms like alten which are familiar with the Buddhist logicians. He is reported to have written a commentary on the Pramāņaviniscaya of Dharmakirtti also.
३ सत्यमेवाह सुगतः संस्कारानविनश्वरान् ।
Kávyādarśa III. 174 Vide also Kāvya III. 46. - शब्दाः संकेतितं प्राहुर्व्यवहाराय स स्मृतः ।
तदा स्वलक्षणं नास्ति संकेतस्तेन तत्र न ॥ Pramānavarttika, III. 91 नोपादानं विरुद्धरय तच्चैकमिति चेन्मतम् । तदज्ञानस्य विज्ञानं केनोपादानकारणम् ।
Pramāņavārttika, II. 263-4 6 cf. तथा चायं विनिश्चयवृत्त्यन्ते धर्मकीर्त्याचार्यस्य श्लोक इति प्रसिद्धिः । एतदर्थसंसूचकश्चापरोऽपि हि स्फुट एव तस्य इलोको विद्वद्भिः परिपठ्यते यथा-अनध्यवसित....
Kāvyānusāsanaviveka, p. 363
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The Kavyanuśāsanaviveka of Jaina Hemacandra also is found to quote Pra. var. II. 57.
INFLUENCE OF BUDDHIST LOGIC ON ALAMKARA SASTRA
The Avaloka of Dhanika on the Dasarupaka of Dhananjaya uses terms like Anvāpoha (p. 251, Chowkhamba Edn., 1955), Svasamvedana (p. 210) , Vipratipatti (p. 219), nāntariyaka (p. 220) and avinābhava (p. 244)-of which some are exclusively terms of Buddhist logic.
Mahima Bhatta, the author of the Vyaktiviveka, being himself a logician shows closer connection with Buddhist logic. He quotes several verses from the Pramāṇavārttika as authority:
P. 65 (Chowkhamba edn.)
P. 74
P. 77
P. 407
तद्भावहेतुभावौ हि दृष्टान्ते तदवेदिनः । ख्याप्येते विदुषां वाच्यो हेतुरेव हि केवलः ॥
Pramānavārttika, III. 26.
तिरपि [ अर्थ ]संबन्धतः प्रमा इतिमणिप्रदीपप्रभयोर्मणिबुद्धयाभिधावतोः । मिथ्याज्ञानाविशेषेऽपि विशेषोऽर्थक्रियां प्रति ॥
Pramānavārttika, II. 57.
स्वज्ञानेनान्यधीहेतुः सिद्धेऽर्थे व्यञ्जको मतः । यथा दीपोऽन्यथा वापि को विशेषोऽस्य कारकात् ॥
Pramānavārttika, III. 262-3.
नासिद्धे भावधर्मोऽस्ति व्यभिचार्युभयाश्रयः । धर्मो विरुद्धोऽभावस्य सा सत्ता साध्यते कथम् ॥
Pramānavārttika, III. 190.
Ruyyaka, the commentator, identifies a quotation in the Vyaktiviveka with a passage in the Vadanyaya of Dharmakirtti
हसति हसति स्वामिन्युच्चैरुदत्यपि रोदिति | द्रविणकणिकाक्रीतं यन्त्रं प्रनृत्यति नृत्यति ॥
यदुक्तम्, तच्च न शब्दपुनरुक्तं पृथग्वाच्यम्, अर्थपुनरुक्तेन गतार्थत्वात् । न ह्यर्थभेदे शब्दसाम्येऽपि कश्चिद् दोषः । यथा
Vyaktiviveka, p. 288.
cf. The Vādanyāya JBORS, p. III where the verse is quoted in full—
हसत हसत स्वामिन्युचैरुदत्यपि रोदिति कृतपरिकरं स्वेदोद्गारं पूर्धावति धावति । गुणसमुदितं दोषापेतं प्रणिन्दति निन्दति धनलव परिक्रीतं यत्रं प्रनृत्यति नृत्यति ॥
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ANANTALAL THAKUR
The definitions of inference and syllogistic reasoning in the Vyaktiviveka are evidently borrowed from the Nyāyabindu of Dharmakirtti : Vyakti°, p. 78 TETSFIT CHIA TH1781
cf. Nyāyabindu II. 3. Ibid, pp. 65 & 105 feqfettura urefqarah 1
cf. Nyāyabindu III. I. Another passage supporting the view of the Buddhist logicians that there are only two types of cognitive organ seems to have been quoted from some standard work? of Buddhist logic.
The expression g:exuala THTA (Vyaktio p. 322) is traced to the Saugata prakriyā by Ruyyaka. Again terms current in the authoritative works on Buddhist logic like Sarvopasamhāravyāpti (p. 376), Vyāpakaviruddhopalabdhi (p. 85), Asambhavo lakṣaṇadoṣaḥ (p. 79), anyathānupapatti, (p. 112), etc. are often met with in the Vyaktiviveka.
One Kārikā from Dharmakirtti's Pramāņavārltika is found quoted in the Śrngāraprakāśa of Bhoja. 8 Mammata's definition of inference definitely smacks of Buddhist influence: p. 696 BTTN Agri 4 Ayara : पक्षधर्मान्वयव्यतिरेकित्वेन त्रिरूपो हेतुः साधनम् ॥
Kavya Pra. BORI, 1950 The Alamkārasarvasva (Pp. 12-13) of Ruyyaka while refuting Mahimabhatta's inclusion of suggestive sense in inference refers to the Buddhist view of invariable concomittance arising out of tādātmya (identity) and tadutpatti (causation). Jayaratha commenting on the same makes the point clearer. 9
The Tarala by Mallinātha on the Ekāvali of Vidyādhara also criticises Mahimabhatta on the same point and a discussion on the same theory of causation follows in it 10.
The Sāhityadarpaņa of Visvanātha is no exception to it. It defines Savikalpakajñāna just in accordance with the Buddhist logicians.
अभिलापसंसर्गयोग्यत्वविरहान्न च । सविकल्पकसंवेद्यः
• Sāhityadarpana, III.57 cf. effatutafahat gaifa: 4711 741 fedi a 4244 Nyāyabindu 1.5, 6.
Again Viśvanātha is found to quote Pra. Vār. III. 262-3 7951apft : etc. (S. D. Cal. p. 72 ) and to use the term apoha (p. 710 ).
7 न चान्यदर्शनेऽन्यकल्पना युक्ता, अतिप्रसङ्गात् । तस्य नान्तरीयकतायां स्यात् । न हि यथाविधसिद्धः teau fauna gaafa athra a daftar seg fagfaghaha a ya TATU, Vyaktio, p. 79.
8 fatisfa ggakhi...... Pramāņavārttika, II. 345. 9 Alāṁkrasarvasva-Pp. 12-13. 10 Ekāvalitarala, pp. 32-35
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________________ INFLUENCE OF BUDDHIST LOGIC ON ALAMKARA SASTRA 261 These internal evidences render it obvious that the relation between the two systems is more than casual. It was thought, though without sufficient ground, that the Buddhist philosophers like Dharmakirtti and others made important contributions to Indian Rhetorics. There are references to Sauddhodani--a rhetorician and Rahula-a dramaturgist. Bhamaha also has been called a Buddhist. But Mm. Dr. P. V. Kane could not accept the suggestion of Dharmakirtti being a rhetorician for want of sufficient proof 11. The contributions of Sauddhodani and Rahula do not seem to be great and grave doubt is entertained regarding Bhamaha's religious faith. Hence we are inclined to hold that the influence was indirect rather than direct though it was strong. It has been shown elsewhere that the school of Dinnaga is responsible to bring about drastic changes in all the speculative systems of India 12. It may also be said that the Buddhist Philosophers replaced blind faith by pure reason in Indian thought. The orthodox philosophers coming after Dinnaga and Dharmakirtti had to refashion their outlook and important additions aud alterations were made in every system. The Alamkarasastra also cannot be an exception. It has many things in common with the Buddhist philosophers-the relation between the words and their import being one such important topic. We find Buddhist thinkers making important contributions on this item. Thus independent works on this topic like the Sabdarthacintavivrti of Ratnasrijnana of Ceylon are heard of 13. The Buddhist definitions in almost all the cases were precise and their terminology very rich and all-embracing. Moreover as the land where Alamkarasastra thrived more than anywhere else. It was Kashmir where Buddhist Logic and Philosophy also flourished a bit earlier and formed an important item in the curriculum. Hence it is but natural that the rhetoricians should take recourse to the Buddhist means and methods of thought and quote from Buddhist works whenever they were found useful. It may be added in this context that Brahmanical logic for a time was overshadowed by its Buddhist counterpart to be revived subsequently by scholars like Vacaspati Misra and others. But the Buddhistic elements made a permanent impression on the Alamkarasastra in its hay days and continued to exert the same influence unabatingly even long after the decline of Buddhism in India. 14 11 History. Sans. Poetics 12 Introduction to the Ratnakirttinibandhavali-KPJ Institute, '57. 18 Kavyalaksana of Dandin, Mithila Institute, 1957, p. 143. 14 I am glad to note that Professor Sivaprasad Bhattacharya has written an illuminating article on the same subject-Neo-Buddhist Nucleus in Alamkarasastra, JASB, Vol. XXII, 1956 which came to my notice when the above note was prepared. It is hoped that this note will be accepted as a supplement to Prof. Bhattacharya's learned paper.