On Quadruple Division Of Yogasastra

SR No.: 269647
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: A Wezler
Publisher: A Wezler
Total Pages: 49
Language: English
Classification: Article
File Size: 6 MB

Page 1

A. WEZLER ON THE QUADRUPLE DIVISION OF THE YOGASASTRA, THE CATURVYUHATVA OF THE CIKITSASASTRA AND THE << FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS >> OF THE BUDDHA (Studies in the Patanjalayogasastravivarana II) 1. The publication of the Patanjalayogasastravivarana 1 - wrongly entitled << Patanjalayogasutrabhasyavivarana >> by the editors 2 -- has, as the late Paul Hacker aptly remarked 3, << raised a new problem in the study of the history of [Indian] philosophy >> 4. Hacker's attention was drawn to this text, though it is a commentary on the Yogasutra (=YS) and Yogabhasya (=YBh/YBhasya), because it was regarded by the editors to be a work of sankara, the Advaitin. For, Hacker has, as is well known, given much thought to the problem of how to distinguish between the authentic works of Sankara, the Advaitin, and the many spuria ascribed to him, and he has evolved various criteria to prove authenticity. Therefore, it is by no means unexpected that he accepted the challenge posed by the publication of yet another text ascribed to the Advaitin. In his most stimulating article published in 1968 5 he does not, however, really want to prove the identity of the author of the 1. Ed. by Polakam Sri Rama Sastri and S. A. Krishnamurthi Sastri (= MGOS, no. XCIV), Madras, 1952. Most valuable observations on this text and on the authorship problem have been made by W. HALBFASS; cf. the appendix, Notes on the <<Yogasutrabhasyavivarana>>, in his recent monograph, <<Studies in Kumarila and Sankara>>, Reinbek, 1983, to which I should like to refer the reader also as regards the seconary literature sofar published on the Vivarana. 2. Cf. my article, Philological Observations on the so-called Patanjalayogasutrabhasyavivarana (Studies in the Patanjalayogasastravivarana I), in IIJ, vol. 25 (1983), pp. 17-39. 3. Viz. on pp. 124-218 of his article, Sankara der Yogin und Sankara der Advaitin. Einige Beobachtungen, in << Beitrage zur Geistesgeschichte Indiens. Festschrift fur Erich Frauwallner >>, aus Anlass seines 70. Geburtstags herausgegeben von G. Oberhammer, Wien, 1968 (= WZKSO, 12-13, 1968-69), pp. 119-48 = Kleine Schriften. Herausgegeben von L. Schmithausen (Glasenapp-Stiftung Bd. 15). Wiesbaden. 1978. pp. 213-42. In the following this article is referred to by << (Hacker) 1968 >>. 4. The German original runs as follows: << ... der der Erforschung der Philosophiegeschichte ein neues Problem stellt >>. 5. Cf. fn. 3.