Indian Antiquary Vol 58

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 244

232
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ DECEMBER, 1929
Of other commentators on the Tattvacintamani, the most well-known names are those of Mathuranatha Tarkavägisa (sixteenth century), Jagadisa Tarkálankâra (seventeenth century) and Gadadhara Bhattachårya (seventeenth century), though the works of all of them have not been found in their entirety. The commentary of Gadâdhara seems to be the last effort of a Bengalee to interpret the celebrated works of Gangesa. The fame of these scholars does not rest only on their commentaries on the Tattvacintamani. They had composed other exegetical works too on Nyâya, which are better known and more popular, and have been or will be referred to in their proper places. Their exegetical works are respectively known by the general names of Mathuri, Jagadisi and Gadadhari. These three, together with Vasudeva and Raghupatha, are the five most important names in the history of Navya-Nyâya in Bengal.
Sub-commentaries on the Tattvacintamani. Besides these, we may also mention the names of the following commentators on Tattvacintamani :-Haridasa Nyâya-lankara Bhattacharya (sixteenth century), Kanada Tarkavågiớa who is traditionally believed to have been a contemporary and fellow student of Raghunatha, Bhavananda Siddhanta vagisa (who is older than 1593 A.D., in which year & manuscript of his Cintamani-didhiti-tippani was copied),11 and Raghudeva Nyåyålarkara.
Of sub-commentaries, the works on the commentary of Raghunatha have already been referred to. It will suffice to note here that a good many commentaries on the Tattvacinta. mani-aloka, itself a commentary by Pakşadhara Miśra of Mithild on the Tattvacintamani, were composed by many a soholar of Bengal, of which the commentary of Mathuranatha Tarkavägisa is perhaps the earliest and most popular,
Independent Treatises on Navya-Nyaya. As has already been hinted, Bengal produced a large number of original and independent treatises on different sections and topics of Navya-Nyâya. But it is curious that the fame of Bengal rests not so much on these as on the commentaries of which an account has already been given. Neither are the former, with the exception of a few, quite so popular as the latter. This is in consonance with the spirit of the scholars of the old type, who preferred to be satisfied with the discussion and interpretation of what was old than to directing their attention to any new channel and doing something independently.
The earliest treatise on the Navya Nyaya by a Bengalee is perhaps the Padartha-lattvanirúpana 1% of the great Raghunatha. True this work is not as much known as his famous commentary on the Tattvacintamani but it must be admitted that this is a work of deep scholarship and deals with some of the most important theories of Raghunatha, which are occasionally found to have been referred to in his celebrated commentary too. This work refutes the categories of Vaiseșika system and even some of those of the Nyâya system, and seeks to establish several new categories like Vaisistya, Samkhydtva, pratiyo. gitva, etc.
One of the most important and well-known of these treatises is the Sabda akti-prakafika of Jagadiga Tarkalankâra which belongs to Sabdakhanda of Navya-Nyaya, and as such deals with sabda or word, which is regarded as a source of knowledge by the Nyaya school. It discusses the implications of words and their various modifications as effected by different suffixes, grammatical functions, context, etc.
11 The manuscript is in the Sanskrit Sahitya Parishat, Calcutta. Works of Bhavananda are generally Galled Bhavânandi.
13 Published in the Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series.