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Vol. XXIII, No. 2
Indian Pandit and a Tibetan Sanskrit scholar, named Santibhadra and Lha-btsas (Skt. Devasuta) respectively. The second translation was made by an Indian Pandit, named Chandrakirti. In this translation the work bas been attributed to Nāgārjuna. As this treatise deals with Yogācāra school of Philosophy, it is certain that the celebrated Nagarjuna, the founder of the Madhyamika school, is not its autnor." (S.K Mukherjee; Introduction to his edition of the Trisyabhāvanirdesa; 1939; page. V). Yes, the founder of the Madhyamika school is not the author of the text; but we do not agree with the view of Mukherjee that the 'Trisvabhāvanirdeśa and the Svabhāvatrayapraveśasiddhi have been composed by the same person and both these two works are identical. In the case of Syabhāvatrayapraveśasiddhi, it may be presumed that the text was prepared by the author named Arya Nagarjuna (Tib, phags-pa klu-sgrub) who was identical with a Vajrayānist master, who took the same name of the founder of the Madhyamika system. It is suggested that this Vajrayānist Arya Nāgārjuna lived in the Seventh or at the latest in the Eighth century A.D, He was also presumedly the disciple of one of the most famous of the early Vajrayanist master, Saraha, who is also known as Rahulabhadra.
In the colophon of this work it has been said that Chandra. kirtti (Tib. zla-ba graga.pas) translated the monograph into Tibetan single handed. As a native of Kashmir (Tib. kha-che'i), the transla. tor was well versed with both, the Sanskrit Language and the Tibetan Language. In the history of Buddhist Philosophy we have two Chandrakirttis. Both of them belong to the Mahāyāna system. The earlier Chandrakırtti hailed from South India and lived in the early Seventh century AD. According to the Grub. mtha' shel-gyi me-long, the translator being born and ordained at Samanta in South India, and having studied under disciples of Bhāvaviveka, including Kamalabuddbi, who was also a disciple of Buddhapalita, he distinguished himself as a scholar of scholars and remained, for a time, a teacher at Nalanda. Though a master of all branches of knowledge, a tripițakācārya, he achieved special fame in propagating the doctrine of Buddha pālita; i.e. the Prāsangika interpretation of Någārjuna's philosophy.” (A Tibetan Eye-view of Indian philosophy; K K. Mittal; p. 74). The second Chandrakjrtti, also known as Chandrakirttipada, composed the famous commentary called the Pradipoddyotana on the Guhyasamāja. Ruegg suggests that this second Chandrakortti lived in the 11th century A.D. (The Literature of the Madhyamika school of Philosophy in India; D.S. Ruegg: . 105).
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