Book Title: Mahavidya Vidambanam
Author(s): Bhatta Vadindra, Bhuvansundarsuri, Mangesh Ramkrishna Telang
Publisher: Central Library
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Vádîndra, author of the Mabávidya-vidambana, himself says that the Mahavidya syllogisms have not been mentioned by the Satrakára! (Kaņáda) and Bhashyakára (Prasastapáda).
Nor do we find any allusion made to these syllogisms in the published works of Udayanacharya (A. D. 984) such as Nyayakusumanjali, Atmatattvaviveka and Kiranávali.
An indirect reference to Mahavidya syllogisms seems to have been made by Shribarsha in his great controversial work Khandana-Khanda-Khádya. In this work while refuting the arguments of Udayanacharya in support of difference', Shriharsha has the following passage:
गन्धे गन्धान्तरप्रसस्जिका न च युक्तिरस्ति । तदस्तित्वे वा का नो हानिः । तस्याः अस्माभिः खण्डनीयत्वात् ।
There is no argument to establish the existence of a further smell in smell. And if there be any such argument, what do we lose? Because we have got to refute the same."
The commentator Anandapûrņa in the commentary upon the sentence तदस्तित्वे &c. in the above passage states that there is an argument to establish the existence of a further smell and sets forth the following syllogism which is evidently framed after the Mahavidya method of inference:__ "अयं गन्धो गन्धवद्वत्तित्वरहितगन्धवन्मात्रवृत्त्यधिकरणं प्रमेयत्वात् घटवत् ।"
From the above statements it may be inferred that the Mahavidya syllogisms were known to Sriharsha (A. D. 1187) and Anandapurna (A. D. 1529-1600).
The earliest direct reference made to Mahavidya is in the Tattva-pradipiká, familiary known as Chitsukhî of Chitsukháchárya who lived about A.D. 1200 In one place Chitsukháchârya quotes a syllogism under the name of Mahávidya* and in another place reproduces the 4th syllogism from the Mahavidya Daśaśloki Satra of Kulárka Pandita without mentioning the name of the book or author. But the commentator Pratyagrapa-bhagawan in explaining this last syllogism says that the author Chitsukhácharya here sets forth KularkaPandita's syllogism for the purpose of refutation, I have not been able to trace any direct reference to Mahávidya or Kulárka Pandita earlier than this.
After Chitsukhâchârya, the next author who refers to Mahavidya syllo1 सूत्रकारभाष्यकाराभ्यां तदव्युत्पादनात् । महाविद्याविडम्बन पृ. ९८ 2 खण्डनखण्डखाद्य पृ. ११८१ 3 खण्डनखण्डखाद्य पृ. ११८२ (चौखम्बा)
4 अथवा अयं घटः एतद्धटान्यत्वे सति वेद्यत्वानधिकरणान्यः पदार्थत्वात्पटवदित्यादिमहाविद्याप्रयोगैरप्यवेधत्व. प्रसिद्धिरप्युहनीया।
तत्त्वप्रदीपिका पृ. १३ (निर्णयसागर) 5 अस्तु तर्हि गन्धवन्तो गन्धवदगन्धावृत्तिगन्धवद्वत्त्यन्यधर्मवन्तः xxx प्रमेयत्वात् ज्वलनादिवत् ।
तत्वप्रदीपिका पृ. ३०४ (नि. सा.) 6 एवं प्रत्यक्ष जातौ प्रत्याख्याय कुलार्कपण्डितोत्रीतमनुमानमुद्रावयति दयितुं तहीति।
महाविद्याविडम्बनम् । पृ. १३०
Aho ! Shrutgyanam
