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3 SANMATI AND ITS COMMENTARY
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It is possible that the commentator Abhayadeva might have written this work in order to compete with his contemporary or preceding writers and must have an ambition to occupy the foremost place among these writers in point of bulkiness of work. A gradual development of the bulkiness of the Samskrta philosophical works in ancient India from the 1st century right up to the 10th century has its culmination in the present commentary.
(e) Division of the Text and Comm. Division of the Text: The original text of Sanmati is divided into three chapters like Pravacanasāra. It is not one continuous treatise like the Sānkhyakārika. Three chapters are named as Kāņdas in all the manuscripts of the bare text as well as those of the text with the commentary. The subject-matter of each kāņda is not mentioned, but only the words first kānda, second kāņda and third kāņda at the end of chapter respectively are found in the manuscript. But in one of the manuscripts as well as in the printed edition, the first kāņậa is named as Naya kāņda and the second kāņda is named as Jiva Kāņda but there is neither any genera! name kāņda nor any particular name given to the third chapter. The name Naya kāņda as given to the first chapter seems to be significant for indeed in that chapter there is a discussion of Naya, but the name given to the second chapter is absolutely wrong, for in that chapter there is no discussion at all of Jiva ( category of living beings ). In it the main
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