Gandavyuha sutram

SR No.: 010189
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: P L Vaidya
Publisher: Mithila Institute Darbhanga
Publication Year: 1960
Total Pages: 491
Language: Hindi
Classification: Book_Devnagari
File Size: 48 MB

Page 11

Introduction
1. General
The Gundary consutra (GV) is one of the nine Dharmas or Agamas of the Nepalese Buddhism, and as such it is a highly respected wonk among the Mahayana Buddhists all over the world. According to the tradition recorded in the colophon of this volume, the original text of the Canday yahtra was, like that of the Samadhirajasutra, much more volumineus, and what is presented here in this volume is but a fraction now extant :
બીજી-૬ મૂઓ પોગાન ચાk: મકાન ગાળા વચન ચ
dealing with the quest of Sudhana the Merchant's son to learn the course of conduct for the attainment of Buddhahood or Bodhisattvahol. He was advised for that purpose to meet several benevolent friends, the Kalyanamitras, already well-versed in that course, numbering 110, putea a noİN LAN-148 p. 1) and for that purpose to visit an equal number of pla es, all situated in the Decran, Dakşinapatha. Of these 110 friends we have an account in the extant portion of only 22' on hing with Manjur and ending with Samantabhadra. The learning of this course of conduct is crystallised in the last set tion of the work, and is known as agvénemey or ausatz-viviuag meaning meditation on the course of conduct prescribed by Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. Manjun who picked up Sudhana as one destined to be a Bodhisattva and asked him to meet several saintly persons, monks, uuns, kings, laymen and laywomen, deities, teachers of arts and crafts, and ladies like Gopa and Maya, wife and mother of Gotama Buddha. Sudhana, however, finind that all these personalities had acquired only a fraction of the infinite number of qualities of the Bodhisattvas. Maitreya, the Bodhisattva, directed him to go back to Mañjuši, who, in turn this time, asked him to meet Samantabhadra. It is this last-named Bodhisattva, who taught him the special instruction called Bhadracaripraņidhana.
The volume as well as the language of the work which is a forerunner of the style of Biya are rather frightening; the former is about 12000 slokas of 32 syllables cach for the extant portion