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Johannes Bronkhorst
subject-matter of 5.1.4, even though not called by this name, pravrtti appears in 5.1.8 (pravrttyä tulyakālānām tadupakramat ), sthana in 5.1.13 (sthānāc cotpattisamyogāt), mukhyakrama finally in 5.1.14 (mukhyakramena vä'rgānām tadarthatvāt). Again we are left with the impression that Bhartshari was acquainted with a work on Mimāņsā which contained verse.
2.2. The fact that the work on Mímāmsā used by Bhartphari appears to have
contained verses may help us in identifying its author. Only one author on Mimāmsā is thought to have written an early work on this subject which contained verses; this is Bhavadāsa. Sucaritamisra's commentary Kāśikä on Kumārila's slokavārttika quotes a half verse from Bhavadāsa' (Kane, 1929: esp. 153 fn. 3). It seems clear that Bhavadāsa preceded Sabara (Kane, 1929; Mishra, 1942:16-17; Frauwallner, 1968:10of., 107, 112.)
The assumption that Bhartshari used Bhavadāsa's work does not conflict with anything in the Mahābhāșyadipikā, nor in the Vākyapadiya, as far as I know. It may be noted that on one occasion, where we seem to know the definition used by Bhavadāsa, Bhartshari does not quote Bhavadāsa but gives a definition of his own. Sabara on PMS 12.1.1 quotes a definition of the word prasanga: prasangasabdārtho "nyair uktaḥ, evam eva prasangaḥ syad vidyamāne svake vidhāv iti. The quoted line is half a śloka, the whole of which is given on PMS 11.1.1; it is plausible that it derives from Bhavadāsa. Bhartshari gives an own definition of this technical Mimāṁsā term in his commentary (AL 45.4-5; Sw 54.2-3; Ms 1464-5; CE I 37.11-12): yady arthi prayojako anyadvāreņārtham pratipadyate sa prasanga ity ucyate. A closer investigation shows however that Bhrtshari's definition agrees contentwise with Bhavadāsa's sloka, whereas Sabara has changed the interpretation of the verse so as to make it suit his own ideas. See Bronkhorst, 1986.
2.3. If indeed we can accept that Bhartshari used a text on Mîmāmsā differ
ent from Sabara's Bhāșya we may be in a position to understand a passage that occupied Yudhisthira Mimāņsaka (1973: 1: 385 fn. 1). It reads (AL 31.2-3; Sw 36.19-21; Ms lob 7-8; CE I 25.24-26):
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7. bhavadāsena coktam: athāta ity ayam sabda anantarye prayujyate. 8. Frauwallner (1968:101) places him in the first half of the 5th century.
