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BHARTṚHARI'S VERSES
must have lived a little earlier than Gunamati ().40 The latter must have lived prior to Paramartha's arrival in Kuang-tung in China in 546 A. D. and earlier than Sthiramati.41 Sthiramati must have lived in the sixth century 42 or according to Dr. Ui, c. 470-550.43 Winternitz assigns him to the fifth century.44 Recently Professor Hikata has surmised that the date of Dignaga is about 440 -520.45
It is generally admitted that Asvabhāva lived earlier than Dharmapāla and later than Dignaga. He lived, according to Dr. Ui, c. 450-530 A. D.,46 and, according to Prof. Hikata, c. 470-550 A. D.47
Bhavya was almost contemporary with Buddhapalita (c. 400-450?).48 He is regarded to have lived and worked at the beginning of the fifth century A. D.49 According to Dr. Ui, he lived c. 490-570.50 In any case he was an elder contemporary of Dharmapāla. The date of Dharmapala () has precisely been fixed. He lived 530-561 A. D.51
135
So we can assuredly say that Bhartṛhari must not have lived later than these Buddhist scholars. It has become clear that the statement of I-tsing that Bhartṛhari died some forty years before the date of his record is incorrect.
It is, however, doubtless the case that Bhartṛhari lived after Vasubandhu, as is clear from the above-cited materials. Vasubandhu is generally regarded to have lived in the fourth century,52 or in the latter half of the fourth century.53 According to Dr. Ui, Vasubandhu lived c. 320-400.54 According to Prof. Hikata, he lived c. 400-480.55 Frauwallner asserted the existence of two Vasubandhus, ascribing the elder to 320-380 A. D. and the younger to 400480 A.D.56 Such has been the extent of the debate about his date.
So, taking these facts into account, we are brought to the conclusion that Bhartṛhari, the author of the Vakyapadiya, must have lived c. 450-500 A. D.
40", vol. V, pp. 142-145.
41 Cf. ibid., p. 136.
42 Filliozat: op. cit., p. 380.
43 H. Ui: op. cit., p. 136.
44 M. Winternitz History of Indian Literature, vol. II. University of Calcutta, 1933. pp. 362-363.
45 干潟龍祥:世親年代再考(「印度學佛敎學論集 ——宮本正尊教授還曆記念論文集——」三省堂, 昭和二九年,p.321).
46 H. Ui: op. cit., p. 147.
47 R. Hikata: op. cit., p. 321.
48 J. Filliozat: op. cit., p. 379.
49 M. Winternitz: History, etc. II, p. 362.
50 H. Ui: op. cit., pp. 148-149.
51 H. Ui: op. cit., pp. 128-132; R. Hikata: op. cit., p. 321.
52 M. Winternitz: History, etc. II, p. 355 f.
53 J. Filliozat: op. cit., II, p. 380.
54 H. Ui: "op. cit, ", vol. I, pp. 413-414.
55 R. Hikata: op. cit. pp. 315 f.
56 E. Frauwallner: On the Date of the Buddhist Master of the Law Vasubandhu. Roma 1951. All different views about Vasubandhu's date have been mentioned in this work.
