________________
vā (MBHD 66:23.18-25.2). The broad outlines of the discussion in the MBh are followed in the MBhD, but the issues raised in the MBh are treated in an extremely elaborate and rather independent way. 3.8 While the interest shown in the MBhD for the problem of how a single term may refer to a complex expression or sentence corresponds with the two kārikās and the theme of the second Kānda of the VP, we miss in the MBHD any reference to the extreme case of only one single phoneme referring to a whole sentence meaning. If the MBhD is accepted as Bharthari's earlier work, we may surmise that Bharthari, while writing that work, was not yet acquainted with the JV. This could either mean that Bharthari had not yet widened his horizon to include the grammar of the Jainas in all its technical details, or that that grammar was at that time not yet written. Once BhartȚhari became familiar with that grammar, the fact that a whole sentence was conventionally equated with a single phoneme impressed him so much that he referred to it in two kārikās. 3.9 As for the author of the Vịtti, he shows awareness of the relevance of the technical term ji for the interpretation of kārikā 2.40. But he seems to admit this relevance only grudgingly. In his interpretation of 2.444, where this term seems equally relevant, it is even more relegated to the background in his explanation. Above we have seen how explicit references to the Jainas are avoided in the Vștti's treatment of VP 1.110 and 113-114 (cf. note 21(c)). This contrasts with the explicit and non-polemical references to the Jainas and Buddhists in the MBHD, and it reinforces our impression that the Vștti is not by the same author as the one who wrote the VP-kārikās and the MBhD.31 4.0 We have thus seen that Bharthari shows explicit awareness of the Jainas in the MBhD, and that some of his statements gain in significance if we assume that he was referring to views and works of the Jainas. Apparently, Bhartphari's horizon included the non-Vedic schools such as that of the Jainas. This means that we, as modern students of Bhartshari, also have to widen our horizon to include these schools, in order to be able to fully appreciate the accomplishment of BhartȚhari.
31 Cf. Bronkhorst, 1988 and Houben, forthcoming, a and b. It is also possible that earlier, explicit references in the Vrtti to Jainas have disappeared at a certain stage of the transmission of the text, in a period of strong tensions between Brahmans and non-Brahmans.
Jan E.M. Houben, Pune, March 1994 (pre-final version)
Page 18
