Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 58
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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DECEMBER, 1929)
BENGAL'S PHILOSOPHICAL LITERATURE IN SANSKRIT
233
Next we come to the Nydya-siddhantamañjari13an independent treatise composed by Jánakînatha Chudamaņi exactly on the plan of the Tattvacintamani. Quite well-known are also the Tarkámsta of Jagadisa (ed. by Jivananda Vidyasagara, Calcutta), and Bhdşdparichheda of Visvanatha Nyaya-Pañchânana. Both these are the result of the amalgamation of Nyâya and Vaigesika. The latter is highly popular all over India and has got a number of commentaries, both by Bengalees and non-Bengalees. It has been published in several editions.
Besides these works, inention may also be made of highly technical dissertations on por. tions of Tattvacintamani, or a commentary on it. These are known as Patrikas, very few of which have as yet been published. Of these, the works of Ramasankara and Chandrandra. yana are quite well-known.
Vaišeşika. We get the first trace of the study of Vaišeşika in Bengal at a comparatively early period -the eleventh century-when Sridhara composed his Nyâya-kandali14_& commentary on the Prasasta-pada-bhagya. Sridbara gives an account of his family, time and locality at the end of his work. It is highly popular and there are several commentaries on it. But curi. ously enough we get no trace of any study of Vaišeşika for about four subsequent centuries. It began to be studied anew from after the rise of Navya-Nyâya. Various sub-commentaries and treatises on the system came to be composed at this time. It is to be noted that these works—which form by far the major portion of the total contribution of Bengal towards Vaiseșika literature—was composed at a time when Nyâya and Vaišeşika'had almost amalgamated and given rise to Navya-Nyâya and there was little demand for Vaiseșika as such, if not for making the knowledge of Navya-Nyaya thorough.
Exegetical Works. The famous Nyâya writer, Jagadisa Tarkalankara (seventeenth century) composed a oommentary on the Pratasta-pada-bhasya entitled the Sakli (Sanskrit Sahitya Parishat series). Unfortunately the whole of Jagadisa's Sukts has not been found. All available manuscripts run up to the discussion of the dravya category. Besides the work of Sridhara, this is perhaps the only other work by a Bengalee directly on Prascsta-páda.
of other sub-commentaries reference should be made of those on Vardhamâna's commentary on the Kirandvolt of Udayana, which itself is & commentary on the Prabasta pada-bha sya. Raghunatha Siromani, Mathuranatha Tarkavågisa and several other scholars were authors of such sub-commentaries on the Vaiseșika system.
Independent Treatises. There are very few independent treatises on Vaiseșika oomposed by scholars of Bengal, and there is scarcely any that is well-known even in Bengal. Of the few works mention may be made of the Bhadratnal6 of Kaņåda Tarkavägisa, who is believed to have been a contemporary of Raghunatha Siromaņi. But there is another work, which seems to have been better known than this. It is the Padárthamanimila (Vidyabhusans-Hist. of Ind. Logic, p. 478) of Jayarâma Nyâyapanchanana, whose work on Nyâya—the Nyd ya-Siddhantamaia-has already been referred to. The Padárthamanimala deals with the Va iseșika oategories and was oommented upon by Janardana VyAsa and LaugAksi BhAskara.
(To be continued.)
13 Ed. by Gaurinath Shastri, Benares-V. S. 1941. 14 Ed. by Vindhyasvari Prasad D vivedi, Ben ares. 15 This works is being pülishel in the Sanskrit Sahitya Parishat Series.
