Bhagvad Gita Rahasya or Karmayoga Shastra VOL 02

SR No.: 011090
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhalchandra S Sukhtankar
Publisher: R B Tilak Puna
Publication Year: 1936
Total Pages: 767
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 74 MB

Page 217

V - THE DATE OF THE PRESENT GĪTĀ.
787
(2) There is now available a stone inscription of the Gupta kings made in Cedi Samvat 197, that is to say, the 367th year of the Saka era, which contains a clear reference that the Mahābhārata was a book of a hundred thousand verses; and this reference clearly proves that the Mahābhārata must have been in existence at least 100 to 200 years before Saka 367. *
(3) Many of the dramas of Bhāsa, which have now been published, have been written on the basis of certain chapters of the Mahābhārata. It, therefore, follows that the Mahābhārata was then available and was looked upon as authoritative. The drama, Balacarita of Bhāsa contains a reference to the incidents of the youth of Sri Krsna and to Gopis. Therefore, we have to say that the Harivamsa must also then have been in existence. There is no doubt that Bhāsa lived before Kālidāsa. Tanjore Ganapati Shastri, who has edited the dramas of Bhāsa, has stated in his preface to the drama Swapnavāsuvadatlū that Bhāsa lived even before Canakya; because, a stanza found in the dramas of Bhāsa, is to be found in the Artha-Šāstra of Canakya; and it is clearly stated in that place that that stanza is a quotation. But although this period of time is not definite, yet, Bhāsa can certainly not be placed in my opinion later than the second or third century A. D.
(4) It is established from Buddhistic treatises, that a Buddhist poet named Asvaghosa lived at the beginning of the Sālivāhana era. This Ašvaghosa wrote two epics in Sanskrit on the Buddhistic religion, called Buddhacarita and Saundarānanda. In both these epics, stories from the Bhārata have been referred to. There is besides a book in the shape of a lecture on the Vajrasūcikopanisad which is attributed to Ašvaghosa; or it may even be said that this Vajrasūci Upanisad was written by him. Prof. Webber published this book in Germany in 1860, and it contains the stanzas "saptavyādhā daśārnesu" etc. from the Srāddha-Māhātmya, in the Harivamsa (Hari. 24. 20 and 21); and some other stanzas from the Mahābhārata itself (such as, Ma.
* This stone inscription has been fully reproduced at page 134 of the third part of the book called Inscriptionum Indicarum, and it has been referred to by the late Mr. Shanker Balkrishna Dikshit in his Bharatiya Jyotih-Sastra at page 108.