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110
Asbok Aklujkar
[6]
[7]
Prologue and Epilogue Verses of Vacaspati-mifra. I
111
sent that author as a skillful composer. However, we should also note that there is nothing impossible or improbable in the identification to which Paramesvara-I has given expression. The name «Tri-locana», as a synonym of Siva, fits the preference for invoking Siva seen in Vacaspati's mangala verses. A Saiva family is likely to have a member named by using an epithet of Siva. The only possible conflict with the other available pieces of information about Tri-locana that I can think of is this: According to Matilal (1977: 92) and Solomon (1986: 560), Durveka-mišra (Dharmottara-pradipa, pp. 173-174) makes fun of Tri-locana with the word kārpaţika-kamnda'. Both Matilal and Solomon take this as indicating that Tri-locana belonged to the Karnataka region. Vacaspati is generally thought to have hailed from the Bihar region, in particular Mithila (Matilal 1977-95)
However, Durveka's reference too is not necessarily an obstacle in relating Vacaspati to Tri-locana as a son. After quoting a seven-line passage from Tri-locana's Nyāya-bhâsya-çikā as a pūrva-paksa, Durveka begins his response with tad etat kärpatika-karnafa-rafitam afraddheyanit dhiratd. Here, karāfa does mean 'associated with Karnāta(ka), belonging to Karnata(ka), but the reference need not be only to a person. It could equally well be to the Karnāta language", used at least in central India as an upalaksana for speech that does not make sense (of course, to a non-Karņāta speaker, mostly a northerner)". The compound expression Durveka uses can be dissolved as kirpatika-karnātasya
rasitam (as Matijal and Solomon have apparently done) or as karpatikasya kar nata-ratitam 'the unintelligible" talk of a kärpatika or beggar', but, in view of what I have pointed out in notes 9 and 13-15 and the fact that contextually no purpose would be served by a specification of Tri-locana's place of birth or res. idence, the latter dissolution seems better. A pilgrim coming from south India and speaking a language that the people living in a northern place of pilgrimage could not understand must have been a rather common experience. It could have given rise to an expression that was not to be taken literally but as mean ing speech that does not convey any meaning, senseless talk, ranting.' Malvania (Introduction p. XXXIII-XXXIV), the editor of Durveka's work, has already observed: «Durveka's use of Sanskrit idioms and illustrative arguments has made the dry philosophical treatise quite an interesting one.
However, even if karndta is taken to mean 'a person hailing from Karnāša(ka),' there is no real difficulty in accepting Tri-locana as Vacaspati's father. The family belonged to could have originally come from Karnataka). Alternatively, Tri-locana could have gone to live in Karnataka). Learned Brahmins in early medieval India seem to have moved rather freely to distant regions. Keeping such a 'migration possibility open may perhaps tie in well with what I note in $3.5b and allow us to widen our search for the ruler Nrga or Sriman-nga whom Vicaspati praises as a contemporary (see $2.7e below). Fur thermore, if Vacaspati spent at least a part of his life in the Karnataka) region, his reference implying knowledge of Sarnkarácarya's personal life (53.4) and Paramešvara-I's reference to Tri-locana as Vacaspati's father come across to us as more probable outcomes."
$2.2a Tattva-bindu beginning ahaye budhwydya namo, bradh dye namo, namo 'stu gana pataye /
The meanings of karpatika given by the dictionaries can be arranged as follows according to their probable historical sequence: 'a man in rags, in Lumpen gehüllter,' bergar, Bettler, a pilgrim, Pil ger,' ragged ascetic,'' cheater, rascal, Schelm. In addition, we get the following interesting informa tion from Rangaswami Aiyangar (1942: xxvii): «The recommendation for a pilgrim to assume the garb of
karpalika which is defined by Mitra-mudra as wearing red caste marks, Imra-mudra), a copper wri atlet, Itámra-kankapa) and a red robe kasays-vastra) was probably designed to help in the identification of pilgrims Footnote 2 at this point has: skarparusah ma k abago kay o dhinagaw (Tirtha-prakala p. 29).
A) I do not know how old or strong the evidence really is for associating Vicaspati with eastem India A thorough investigation of what has been commonly held seems necessary. However, in view of the fact that many authors carrying the after their personal name or pen name are recorded to have come from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar etc., the tradition about Vacaspali's geographical affiliation that has developed among the students of Indian philosophy has a good chance of being correct
(b) If mitre was entirely an honorific in Vacaspati's time or region, it is possible that he received it while his father did not
The dictionaries record enough occurrences establishing that both hard and karu can express the sense'associated with Karpata. The word need not have a long vowel in its first syllable to express addhita meaning
Whether this language would be related specifically or exclusively to the language we a present refer to with the word Kannada need not be considered here.
Dla) Usages based on kindla bolane and lanadila dogane are frequently heard in Marathi even today, co mikiye kinadi boleto abe ko Am I talking in Kannada, meaning 'Am I saying something that does not make sense to you."
(b) The words dnimile, dinimida, dndwide etc. may also have such an idiomatic connotation for nor ther speakers and authors in certain contexts. Asanga, Bodhisattva bhumi p. 48 (Dutt en p. 69 of Wogihara ednk ayakkab labdab yesianbo na ratetadatba donde m e dy
naspat-fuko-farbokile
din I am grateful to Dr. Mudagamuwe Maithrimurthi for this reference.
c) If my guem about the idiomatic usage is correct then Durveke-mitra has preserved for us a veluable piece of evidence regarding the age of linguistic prejudice arising out of ignorance.
# Contextually, this would have the further sense 'senseless, illogical
Here, the notion began could have the specific connotation one who has come from a long distance, in ragi, with no money to speak of left with him.'
# Nose wire in Durveko mitra's name, suggesting a possible association with the eastem part of northern India such as eastern Uttar Pradesh or Bihar.
17 It is not the case that these references are implausible on the background of what we present assume about Vicaspati's personal life. Vicaspati could have heard about Sankara even in the distant Mithila Sankara had already attained fame as a saint, and Parametere I could have known Vicas ti's personal history at the distant village of Porkulam if his family had specialized in darlana sudy for generations and if Vkapati's father had been a philosopher with original works to his credit. But Vic spati's being nearer to Kerala, the region to which Sahkan and Parametere I belonged, makes the currence of the references seem all the more natural
