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20
INTRODUCTION
all. I have examined, on the other hand, two other manuscripts (Nos.30238 and 33214), both being copies of a commentary on NSD by Viśvanātha. One manuscript is fragmentary, and the second manuscript gives the name of the commentary Komala. It is significant that the second manuscript gives the name of the author of NSD as sasidhara—an evidence which strengthens our identification of Śaśadhara with the Sasidhara of the Bheraghat Inscription.
(5) Last but not the least, verse 3 of the Bheraghat Inscription describes the eightfold forms of Lord Siva in a manner which matches well with the Nyayavaisesika ontological principles, 1. e., its system of padarthas. I quote below the verse in question:
bhūtam sad vibhu yad vibhati bhuvanam yad-vibhramad yaj jagan netrānandakaram dharaśrayarasady-anyatvahetuś ca yat) yad gandhoddhuradhama yac ca yajate śītam yad ekantatah sašparsam yad arūpam ebhir avatud yuşman sariraiḥ śivah 1 /
“That (form) which, being a gross element, is all-pervading; that by whose revolution the earth is illuminated; that which delights the eyes of all; that which causes the savour (rasa) and other qnalities of earth to change; that which is the vast substratum of odour; he that sacrifices; that which has by nature cold touch; and that which possesses touch but no (visible) colour; may siva,by virtue of these bodies, protect you."
The eight forms of Śiva are the five elements, Earth, Air, Water, Fire/ heat, and the Sky or phyical space, and the sun, the moon and the sacrificing priest. It is obvious that the five elemental .forms' are described here following the Vaiseșika metaphysics. All the five physical sease-properties are referred to here as connected with the five phyical subsances. Technical terms like 'bhūta' and 'vibhu' are typical of the Vaiseșika school. The expresssion dharaśrayarasadyanyatvahetuh' is a very clever way of referring to Heat/ Fire and the theory of pakaja rasa and pakaja sparśa of the Vaiseșika school. It justifies the auther's own description of himself as tarka-nişnāta 'one well versed in the tarka-sastra.' For comparing this verse with a more poetic description of the same eight-fold forms of Siva we can turn to the opening verse of Abhijnanasakuntala by Kalidasa:
ya srşțih sraşțur adya vahati vidhihutam ya havir ya ca hotri ye dve kalam vidhattaḥ śrutivişayaguna ya sthita vyapya viśyam/ yam ahuḥ sarvabija prakrtir iti yaya praninaḥ pranavantah pratyakşabhih prapannas tanubhir avatu vas tabhir aşțabhir zśaḥ //
(May Lord Siva protect you - Śiva who is possessed of the (following) eight perceptible forms: that which is the first creation of the Creator, that
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