Hetubindu Tika

Author(s): Dharmakirti Mahaswami, Archatt Bhatt, Durvek Mishra Pandit, Sukhlal Sanghavi, Jinvijay, B Bhattacharya
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

Page 13

THE AUTHORS 1. Dharmakirti
The Hetubindu is the basic Text of the present edition and Dharmakirti is its author. We do not find Dharmakirti's life depicted in any Indian language. Whatever information about his life is available is known from the Tibetan literature. Buston and Lāmā Tāränatha are the chief among the Tibetan authors. Prof. Stcherbatsky has provided a short life of Dharmakirti on the basis of the works of these two authors in his Introduction (pp. 34-6) to the Buddhist Logic, Vol.I. Before him M. M. Dr. Satisachandra Vidyābhūşaņa had given the life mainly on the basis of the work of Lamã Tárānātha in A History of Indian Logic (pp. 303-4). The Tibetan literature depicts the life of Dharmakirti no doubt. But the informations provided are not all purely historical. Nevertheless, there is little doubt about many of the accounts of the apparently mythical biography being true. The delineation of Prof. Stcherbatsky is shorter and at the same time nearer the truth than that of Dr. Vidyabhūşaņa, and so we have preferred to quote that verbatim in this connection.
THE LIFE OF DHARMAKIRTI "Dharmakirti was born in the South, in Trimalaya (Tirumalla ?) in a brahmin family and received a brahmancial education. He then became interested in Buddhism and adhered at first as a lay member to the Church. Wishing to receive instruction from a direct pupil of Vasubandhu he arrived at Nalanda, the celebrated seat of learning where Dharmapāla, a pupil of Vasubandhu, was still living, although very old. From him he took the vows. His interest for logical problems being aroused and Dignāga no more living, he directed his steps towards Isvarasena, a direct pupil of the great logician. He soon surpassed his master in the understanding o gnāga's system. Isvarsena is reported to have conceded that Dharmakirti understood Dignāga better than he could do it himself. With the assent of his teacher Dharmakirti then began the composition of a great work in mnemonic verse containing a thorough and eniarged. commentary on the chief work of Dignāga.
"The remaining of his life was spent, as usual, in the composition of works, teaching, public discussions and active propaganda. He died in Kalinga in a monastery founded by him, surrounded by his pupils.
"Notwithstanding the great scope and success of his propaganda, he could only retard, but not stop the process of decay which befell 1 History of Buddhism (Chos-hbyung) by Buston-Materialien zur Kunde des
Buddhismus, Heidelberg, 1931. Franslated from Tibetan by Dr. E. Obermiller. 2 In the following quotation from Buddhist Logic Vol. 1, introduction, pp. 34-5,
we have omitted the foot notes given by Prof. Stcherbatsky, 3 Pramanavarttika.