Bhartrhari And Mimamsa

Author(s): Johannes Bronkhorst
Publisher: Johannes Bronkhorst

Page 1

23
BHARTṚHARI AND MIMAMSA*
JOHANNES BRONKHORST
1.1. Both Bhartrhari and Sabara pay a good deal of attention to the subject of üha 'modification, adjustment'. Bharthari discusses it in the first Ahnika of his commentary on the Mahabhäşya (CE 1.5.1-7.15; AL 5.18-8.17; Sw 6.17-9.27; Ms 269-3c1), while parts of Adhyaya 9 of Sabara's Bhasya deal with it. Two cases in particular are treated by both the authors and allow of a detailed comparison.
The first case is most easily introduced with the help of Sabara's Bhasya on Pärva Mimämsä Sätra 9.3.10:
asti pasur agnişomtyah, yo diksito yad agnişomiyam pasum alabhata iti tatra päŝaikatväbhidhäyt mantrah, aditiḥ päšam pramumoktv etam iti | tatha pasabahutväbhidhayt, aditiḥ pāšān pramumoktv etan iti... | asti dvipasur vikrtiḥ | maitram Svetam älabheta, väruṇam krṣṇam apam causadhinam ca samdhävannakäma iti | tatra codakena päśäbhidhäyinau mantrau präptau tayoḥ samsayah kim bahuvacanãnto' vikarena pravartate, ekavacanãntasya nivrttiḥ, uta bahuvacanãnto nivartate, ekavacanänta ühitavyah, utobhayor api pravṛttir abhidhanavipratipattis ca, utaikavacanänta ühitavyo bahuvacanãnto 'pi na nivarteta | kim präptam
"There is the Agniştomiya animal [sacrifice] laid down in the text yo diksito yad agnişomiyam pasum alabhate ('When one, being initiated, sacrifices the animal dedicated to Agni-Soma"). In connection with this there is a mantra, speaking of the
• This article was written with the financial assistance of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (N.W.O.). Reprint from "Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik", vol. 15, pp. 101-117, Reinbek 1989.