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INTRODUCTION
Haribhadra, as Vinayavijaya states (1.c, p. 13), 'discuss the Mayāvāda. He knows the Advaitavāda, and refutes two or three different branches of it in his Ś&stravårttā samuccaya VIII, 1 fi' but none of them can be identified with the Māyāvá. da. This fact is of considerable interest, since it proves that before Sankara the Mayāvāda was practically unknown outside of the circles of Aupgnişadas; for it had already been estres lished by Gaudapāda, the ghiru of Sankara's guru. It is not the intrinsic value of a system, or the originality of its teachings, that secured it notoriety throughout India, unless a great author and debater takes it up, systematically developes it in every detail, and successfully upholds it against all opponents. His fame then outshines that of the original thinker whose merit was apt to be overlooked.?
2. HARIBHADRA'S LIFE. We know very little about Haribhadra from himself; all that he chooses to tell us is contained in the subscriptions to his numerous works. From them we collect the following information : (1) he obeyed the command of Jinabhata,o an Āçãrya of the SitAmbaras (Svetāmbaras) ; (2) he was the pripil of acārya Jinadatta, an Ornament of the Vidyadhara kula (gaccha); (3) he was the spiritual son of the nun Yakin mahattårā."
1 We should like to know more details about these early Vedanta Nchools than Haribhadra gives in the work quoted in the text; perhaps he inay havo givor them in hin svopajna-Vrtti to the passage in question. But this Vștti is not available to me.
2 Thus the Dhani-theory also seems to have been ignored until Anandavardhana componed the Dhvanyaloka, the commentary on the original treatise in Kärikās by an, unknown author, and thereby brought this theory to such prominence, that nearly all later writers on Alamkira have adopted it. I am, therofore, also persuaded that nihilistio and idealistio teachings which did exist in early Buddhian, pemed unnotioed by, and did not provoke the opposition,. of Brahmanioal philo. sopher, until Nagarjuna did for the Binyavida, and Vasbandha for the Vijn navide, whatalong after tham Sankara has done for the May vida.
All the details stated above are given in the subscription of the Sipahit, his Tika of the Avadyakasutra; in other places only one o other detail is mentioned.
