On Some Vedic Quotations In Bhrtrharis Works

Author(s): Johannes Bronkhorst
Publisher: Johannes Bronkhorst

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174 Johannes Bronkhorst asmai prativedaya, which occurs Mans 1, 8, 3, 1. 2. Number 97 concerns AL 13.5 f. This passage appears to be corrupt. A partial reconstruction may be possible on the basis of Sivaramendra Sarasvati's Ratnaprakasa (MPV, I, p. 57) : haritikayam tu "ye yajamahe samidhah samidho' gne'gna ajyasya vyantu, narasam so 'gnim agna ajyasya vetu, ido' gninagna ajyasya vyantu, barhir agnir agna ajyasya vetu" iti pradarsitam/ tatra tanunapatsthane narasamsah pravarabhedena vyavasthitah/deg. The part samidhah ... vetu occurs verbatim AsvsS 2, 8, 6, with only this difference that Bhartrhari (as here quoted) has narasamso for AsvSs tanunapad. Both Sivaramendra Sarasvati and the commentator Gargya Narayana to AsvsS 2, 8, 6 account for this (as does, perhaps, AL 13, 3-4). Summing up : the numbers 38,41, 50, 83, 94,107 must be dropped from Rau's list; the numbers 44 and 97 can be satisfactorily traced, to Manss 1, 8, 3, i and Asvss 2,8,6 respectively. This result does not conflict with, even strengthens, Rau's conclusion that Bhartrhari was more familiar with the Maitrayaniya-texts than with the texts of any other Vedic school. References Bronkhorst, Johannes. forthcoming. "Meaning Entries in Panini's Dhatupatha'. JIP. Rau, Wilhelm. 1980. "Bhartshari und der Veda." StII 5/6 (Festschrift Paul Thieme), 167-80. Vaidyanatha Payagunda claims in his Chaya (NSP, 1, p. 36) that in Bhartrhari's commentary a passage closely similar to this one is ascribed to the ChandogyaBrahmana. This is mysterious, the more so since nothing like it can be found in that Brahmana, nor in any other Brahmana of the Samaveda. Should we conclude that this part of Bhartrhari's commentary was already highly corrupt in Vaidyanatha's days (18th century)? Or did Vaidyanatha - who knew the Ratnaprakasa (MPV, I, p. XIX; NSP, I, p. 195 n. 16) - wrongly quote from that work ?