Tibetan Citations Of Bhartrharis Verses And Problem Of His Date

SR No.: 269718
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hajime Nakamura
Publisher: Hajime Nakamura
Total Pages: 15
Language: English
Classification: Article
File Size: 2 MB

Page 9

130
HAJIME NAKAMURA
tate instead of vivartalaḥ.) 14 Most strikingly, in the commentary (urtti) by BhattaNārāyaṇakantha upon the Mrgendrāgama, a very important, fundamental scripture of the Saivas, those verses are ascribed to Bharthari, who is characterized as a vivartavādin, as follows: 15
tathā cāha tatrabhavan Bhartshari”...
yathā visuddham ākāšam timiropapluto janaḥ/ sarnkirnam iva mātrābhiś citräbhir abhimanyate // tathedam amptam brahma nirvikäram avidyaya /
kalusatvam ivāpannam bhedarūpe pravartatt // evam cābhinnam evedam param brahma paramātmalakṣaṇam, manasām hi samsāradharmaiḥ sukhaduḥkhādibhir yogah/paramātmā tu sūrya ivāmbhahpratibimbabhedair upādhibhir abhinno'pi bhinna iva pratibhāti /
The Sanskrit text by Nārāyaṇakantha seems to be the least affected form of the original verse.16 These verses seem to be of the same purport as the Mandükya-kärikā III, 8.
yatha bhavati balānām gaganam malinam malaiḥ /
tatha bhavaty abuddhānām ātmāpi malino malaiḥ // “As the sky appears to be soiled with dirt to the ignorat, so appears Ātman, too, with impurities, to those who are not enlightened".17 The same view was shared by Sankara also.18
What is most striking from the viewpoint of the history of ideas is that verses very similar to the foregoing are given by Dignāga, the, Buddhist philosopher, in vv. 31.-32 of his Trikalapariksă as follows : 19
ji Itar nam mkhah rnam dag la! rab rib kyis- ni blad paḥi mi/ skra sad kyis ni kun gan ltar / sna tshogs su ni mnon par rtogs // 31 de Itar ḥdir yan rnam śes ni/
1. The text is not now available to the author, who has read it in E. Frauwallner's Dignāga und anderes" (Festschrift TVintemnitz, S. 237).
15 Härānacandra Sastri : Sabdabrahmavādah. (G. Jhá Commemoration Volume, p. 93.)
13 As for understanding the meaning of the verse, Anandajñāna's tikā upon the Brhad. Up. Värttika is highly valuable.
17 The Agamalästra of Gandapada, edited, translated and annotated by Vidhushekhara Bhattacharyya, University of Calcutta, 1943, p. 53.
18 S. ad Bhd. Up. p. 152, 1. 24 ... na hi bālais talamalinatādibhir vyomni vikalpyarnāne talaunalinatadivisistam eva paramarthato vyoma bhavati (S. ad BS. I, 2, 8. vol. I, p. 18+, II. 5-7). vyoinniva talamaladi parikalpitam (ś. ad BS. I, 3, 19. vol. I, p. 279, 1. 7.). ākāse balās talamalinatādy adhyasyanti (s. ad BS. I, 1, 1, vol. I, p. 1l. Anss). Upadeśasahasri, II, 18, 22.
1) The author has cited the verse from the above-inentioned Frauwallner work.