On Two Medical Verses In Yuktidipika

Author(s): A Wezler
Publisher: A Wezler

Page 1

On Two Medical Verses in the Yuktidipika
ALBRECHT WEZLER
1. The Yuklidipika (= YD), the most important commentary on Isvarakssoa's Samkhyakánika extant and available, contains - as Sastra works generally do not a few quotations, both in prose and verse. R.C. Pandeya's edition (pp. 177599.) includes among other things also an 'Index of Verses Quoted in YD' and an "Index of Prose Passages Quoted in YD'. Already a cursory comparison between these two alphabetically arranged lists shows that the prose passages could be identified to a remarkably large extent, whereas for very few of the verses is their source mentioned. Now it is clear thai in view of the paucity of suitable and reliable research tools an editor is to a con siderable degree dependent on his own knowledge of texts and his own power of recol lection, unless he is assisted by friends and colleagues or by a stroke of luck. I would hence not be fair to find faults with an editor for failing to identity cach and every quotation found in his text, provided he has done what he ought to do, namely add a list of all the quotations.
The importance of such an index is too obvious to call for further comment. Indeed, a consolidated index of the indexes already available (as a rule attached to editions, eg. of philosophical texts) should be compiled (with the help of a PC) and published. Among other things this would surely go far towards identifying many of the quotations that have so far resisted attempts at identification.
But even then there is very great likelihood indeed that in most cases it will be only a certain percentage of the quotations a particular text contains that can be traced back to their original source; the number of Sanskrit texts which have not come down to us is simply too large to warrant the hope that completeness, and perfection, can be achieved in this regard. On the other hand, it need hardly be stated that except for this untraceable rest all the other quotations in a given text should certainly be identified. One of the reasons is the important role which quotations play in discussions about the relative chronology of texts, i.c. in establishing a terminus ad quem and/or a terminus post quem, etc. Quite evidently, such arguments cannot be based on an accidental or arbitrary choice of quotations, but presuppose - ideally that all of them without exception have been identified, but as this is practically never possible that at least all those which have been taken from extant texts have actually been identified.'
I should like to add the remark that the critical edition of this text, the preparation of which I asBounced quite some time ago (see n. 47 oa p.455 of my article 'Some Observations on the Yuklidipaka in ZDMG Supplement II, Wiesbaden 1975, pp 299-455), will finally be completed in the course of the year in cooperation with two Japanese colleagues, Prol. Shunja Molegi and Mr. Hisayoshi Miyamoto-la 1970 Dr. Renkanka Trip published in V asia book ciled Itakuwa Saptha Rondinkap acited Teeprabhat had started Yuridiked ca w which gives the bare ut of the YD following to all appearances Pandya's editie The M publication statioerd below in fo.12 deserves villes to be called an edition
I hope that this kind of quotation is meant by the use of the word 'wome' in the statement possibly who critical edition of the text has been completed and some of the many quotations identified, one will be able to determine a more precise date for the YDI. found on p 728 of GJ. Larson's and