Bhartrhari And Mimamsa

SR No.: 269564
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Johannes Bronkhorst
Publisher: Johannes Bronkhorst
Total Pages: 10
Language: English
Classification: Article
File Size: 2 MB

Page 6

380
Studies in Mimarisa
Ratnaprakása, a subcommentary on the Mahâbhâsya. It says in this connection (p. 56-57): tatrapi sambuddhifāne'ntandris na prayogah, avttyd dvyakşarab santa caturaksard bhavanti' iti vacanåt sambuddhyantasya dvyak saratve'pi dvirvacanottarar pūrvarūpe sati 'agne'gnd iti tryakararvat fane'ntayor adita eva dvyak sararvabhavde cal tathdrasyantam api na prayoktayyam, 'na sabdajāmi kuryat, fabdajami hi tad bhavati ya paficantyantan' iti vacandi ... evarh ca caturşv avasistapraydjamantresu yathakramari prathamddvittyasasthesaptamtyekavacanäntänam agnisabdaprakrtikanärh padanāṁ prayogah kartavyah/.../tatha cayari purastarprayogah: 'ye yajāmahe agnir agnih samidhah samidho'gna ajyasya vyantu vausar' 'ye yajāmahe agnim agnir fananapod agna ajyasya vetu vausar' 'ye yajāmahe agner agner ido'gna ajyasya vyantu vausar' / 'ye yajāmahe agnay agnaw bar hir ag na djyasya vetu vausar iti pascātprayogas tu ye yajd. mahe samidhah samidho'gna djyasya vyantu agnir agnih vdupar
ityadih / It is true that Sivaramendra refers immediately after this to Vispumisra's Ksiroda, a now lost commentary on the Mahabhâsya, for further elucidation. It is also true that he then men tions Bharthari's commentary (hariftka) and quotes from it a passage which clearly belongs to Bharthari's subsequent treatment of 'vibhaktis' in accordance with the Asvalayana Srauta Sätra (see Bronkhorst, 1981:174). Yet there can be no doubt that also the above passage was composed under the direct or in direct influence of Bhartphari's Mahabhäşya Dipika.
We return to Bhartphari's passage. It shows relationship with the Mänava Srauta Sutra, as we have seen. It further quotes a line that has close affinity with MS 1.7.3, KS 9.1, Kaps 8.4" in order to justify that only 'vibhaktis' with two or four syllables are acceptable. Then however it deviates from any known text by quoting a remarkable rule: One should not use fabdajami; Jabdajani is that which has an ablative ending. Subsequently Bharthari observes that tanûnapad is sometimes replaced by nardfarso. Something similar was noted by the commentator Gárgya Narayana on ASVSS 2.8.6 (see Rau, 1980:176) and by Sivarämendra Sarasvati (see Bronkhorst, 1981:174), both in connection with the Asvalayana version of the 'vibhaktis'.
Bhartrhari and Mimāritsa 381 1.5. What is the source from which Bharthari derived his detailed knowledge on ritual matters? The most likely answer is that he used Prayoga manual, belonging to the Maitriyaniyas. Few old Prayogas have survived and their study has hardly begun. Yet the suspicion could be voiced that "some sort of Prayogas must have been in vogue even before the composition of the Srautasutras proper" (Srautakośa Vol. I, English section, Part I, Preface, p. 7; see already Hillebrandt, 1879: XV; 1897: 38). Bhide (1979:1509.) studied two extant Prayogas of the Caturmäsya sacrifices and compared them with the Hiranyakesi Srauta Sutra, under which they resort. Interestingly, the older of these two Prayogas, by Mahadeva Somayajin, deviates a number of times from the Hiranyakesi Srauta Sutra. This shows that Bharthari may indeed have used Prayoga manuals belonging to his Vedic school, and that the few deviations from the Mänava Srauta Sutra which we noticed above do not prove that these manuals belonged to another school than that of the Månavas.
2.1. We conclude from the above that Bharthari was not a Mimärsaka. Yet he was acquainted with Mimamså. He uses the word 'Mimathsaka' several times in his commentary on the Mahâbhâsya. The line siddha dyauh siddha prthivi siddham akašam iti (Mbh 1.6.18-19) is elucidated by Bharthari's remark (AL 22.23; Sw 27. 19; Ms 8a4; CEI 19.11): årharaná mimarisakanårit ca naivasti vinäsah eşām "According to the Jainas and Mimathsakas there is no destruction of these", i.e. of sky, carth and ether. At another place (AL 29.10-11; Sw 35.2; Ms 9d7; CE I 24.15) Bharthari quotes the words darfanasya parartharvat in a discussion concerning the eternality of words. This must be a reflection of PMS 1.1.18 nityas tu sydd darśanasya parartharvat. Note however that Bharthari's quote does not only lack the initial words of the sutra, it also has an additional word at the end, probably viprapravstrarvāt which is absent from the sutra.
The following quotation in the Dipika seems to throw more light on Bharthari's relationship with Mimamsa. In the third Ahnika Bharthari proclaims (AL 96.3-4; Sw 113.14-15; Ms 31b4-5; CE III.3.19-20):
nänantaryam sambandhahetub / evam hy ucyate / arthato hy asamarthănām anantaryam akarapam/