________________
792
GITA-RAHASYA OR KARMA-YOGA
fixed by Mr. Telang is not correct, and that the original Gītā must have been written about 200 years before Christ, and that it was revised in the second century after Christ. But it will be seen that the opinion of Dr. Garbe is incorrect for the following reasons:
(1) The Sāmkarabhāsya is the most ancient among the criticisms and commentaries on the Gītā which are now available. Sri Samkarācārya has also written a commentary on the Sanatsujātiya chapter of the Mahābhārata: and he has in many places in his works taken the statements from the Anugită, the Manu-Brhaspati conversation, and the Sukānupraśna in the Mahābhārata as authoritative. It is, therefore, clear that in his times, the Mahābhārata and the Gitä used to be looked upon as authoritative. The birth of Sri Samkarācārya is fixed at Saka 710 on the authority of a sectarian stanza, as has been proved by Prof. Kashinath Bapu Phatak. But in my opinion this date must be taken back by another hundred years; because, it is stated in the book named Darsana-Prakāśa, which belongs to the Mahanubhäva sect, that Sri Samkarācārya entered the cave in the year "yugma payodhi rasanvita śūke", that is, in Saka 642 *; and at that time, the Ācārya was only 32 vears old. Therefore, the date of his birth is proved to be Śaka 610. In my opinion, this date is more correct than the date fixed by Prof. Phatak. But I cannot deal with that question in detail here. In the Sāmkarabhäsya on the Gitä, many pravious commentators are referred to; and Samkarācārya has in the very beginning of that commentary stated that he has refuted the opinions of all the previous commentators and written a new commentary on the Gītā Therefore, whether one takes the date of the birth of the Ācārya as Saka 610 or Saka 710, the Gitā must undoubtedly have been in vogue at least 200 to 300 years before that time. Let us now see in what way and to what extent we can go further back than that date, for fixing the date of the Gitā.
* This is a peculiar Sanskrit way of describing dates; yugma means tro, payodhi means 'ocean', of which there were believed to be four; and rasy means 'taste', of which there are six kinds; and these digits are to be read from right to left; thus we get the Saka year 842--Trans.
