Traverses on Less Trodden Path of Indian Philosophy and Religion

Author(s): Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Traverses on less trodden path...
Agrin, we cannot casily dismiss the vicws of post Nägarjuoa Buddhist writers, Biographers, commentators and historians, who considered Nagār. juna as the great champion of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Nāgārjuna's followers such as Āryadeva, Buddhapalita, Bhāvaviveka, Caudrakirti and Santideva, treat him as the great Mahāyānist. Kumārajiva, who flourished in the 4th century A.D. (343-413 A.D.) and translated biography and many other works of Nagarjuna into Chinese states that "Nagarjuna wrote a number of works and fostered the practice of Mabāyāna."'29 Hui-Yuan, who flourished in 5th century AD., states that "Nāgārjuna considered the Prajñāpāramita to be the sublime gate to the numinal treasury, the way to the ideal unit.”80 And "there was a Mahayāna Bodhisatrva named Nāgarjuna... From his time the enterprise of the Mahā yana flourished again."51 The preface to the Chinese translation of Asanga's Madhyamakaśāstránu sära states that the Master Nāgār juda who comprehended the Dharma wrote M.K. on the basis of the Mahaprajnaparamita. Asanga's commentary says that in confirmity to valid reasoning he entered the meaning of the Mahaprajña paramita in order to lead living being to.." Candrakirti (6th century A.D.), a well-known scholar and commentator of M.K. believes that Nāgārjuna was the Master of Prajñāpāramitā. He states in clear terms that Nagarjuna koowing the correct meaning of the class of works going under the name of Prajnaparamita, out of compa ssion, in order to colighten others composed the Mülamadhymakakäriků. The statements of all these writers and commentators clearly show that Nagarjuna was familar with Prajña paramita literature and was a great Mahāyānist. Views of all these great minds of the Madhyamikas cannot be easily dismissed as false or result of blind traditional faith as Dr. War der thinks. Even modern writers and Buddhist Historians like Taranath, Buston, D. T. Suzuki, Keith, Robinson, S. Bagchi, Nalioaksa Datta and others consider Nagarjuna as a great Mahāyānist on the basis of solid ground, H. Kern rightly pointed out that Nagarjuna's name was not only that of the first eminent leader of Philosophical school, but also became simply a comprehensive name of the activity of Mahāyāna in the first phase of its onward course, 84
To sum up, from all these evidences we can safely say that in the history of Mahāyāna the sutra class came into existence first and Nāgārjuna and others took Prajñāpāramitā literature as their sacred source and there is no doubt about Nagarjuna's affiliation to Mahāyāna school of thought. 29. Early Madhyamika in India and China-Robinson p. 22. 30. Ibid-p. 62. 31. Jbid--p. 201.
32. Ibid---n. 62. 33. Madhyamakaśāstra with Prasannapada-Ed. P. L. Vaidya, p. l. . 34, Manual of Indian Buddhism--H. Kern. Strassburg, Verlag von Kart J. Trubner, p. 123.