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A. M. SHASTRI
89
Bhadrabāhu in two verses (II. 9; III. 12) in somewhat similar words. There is a surprising degree of similarity of words and ideas between the two works in many other places. 11 The Bhadrabāhusaṁhitā, XXVII. 1 is adapted from the Bșhatsaṁhitā, IX. 38, and XXVII. 2-3 of the former are literally the the same as IX. 39 and V. 97 of the latter. 8 2 Then again. verses 183-95 of the Parisist-ādhyāya of the Bhadrabāhusamhita are borrowed ad verbatim from the BỊhatsaṁhitā, LXX. 1-7, 9-13, 8. We shall, therefore, not be unjustified in concluding that not only is the Bhadrabāhusaṁhitā inferior to the Vārāhi Samhitā, but is also indebted to it for many ideas and verses and is consequently later than it."
Although the extant Bhadrabāhusamhitā is thus later than the Brhatsamhitā of Varāhamihira, it is not possible to ascertain its date precisely in the present state of insufficient information. In the absence of definite evidence on the point, scholars have naturally offered diverse suggestions. The oldest available manuscript of the text was copied on Tuesday, the 5th of the bright half of Caitra in (Vikrama) Samvat 1504 or in c. 1447 A.D.64 But Muni Jinavijaya opines that the work is probably a Sanskritised version of Bhadrabāhu's work which was composed in Prakrit and then even the Sanskrit version is at least as old as the 11th or 12th century of the Vikrama era.6 4a A.S. Gopani says at one place
61a Cf. Brhatsamhitā, XXXIII.4, 8, and Bhadrabāhusaṁhitā, II.8-9; Brhatsamhitā, XXXIII.9-10, 12, 15-16, 18-19, and Bhadrabāhusamhitā, III.5, 9, 16, 18-19. For a detailed comparison between the two works, see Bhadrabāhusaṁhită, ed. Gopani, intro., pp. 6-19, 22-32.
62 As pointed out above, Ch. XXVII is found only in Nemichandra Shastri's ed.
63 Nemichandra Shastri's view that the first twenty-five (particularly, fifteen) chapters, were probably composed earlier than Varāhamihira (intro., pp. 55-56) is contradicted by his own statement that the work may have been compiled in the 8th-9th century A.D. (ibid., p. 55). As pointed out by him, the mention of Durga's work on ristas in the Bhadrabahusarhitā, Parisist-adhyāya, verse 10, clearly shows that at least this chapter is later than 1032 A.D. (ibid., p. 54).
64 See the puspikā in Gopani's ed., p. 70. 64a Ibid., Jinavijaya's foreword, pp. 3-4.
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