Two Textual Studies Of Bhartrhari

Author(s): Ashok Aklujkar
Publisher: Ashok Aklujkar

Page 9

AKLUJKAR: Two Textual Studies of Bhartyhari
555
tīkā on the second kända (p. 98, 140, 145, 146, BHOJA'S SRNGĀRA-PRAKSA AND THE 162, 163, 164, 167, 176, 208, 213, 240) to the
VĀKYA-KAN DA-VRTTI discussions in the third kānda, and the references
6.1. Bhartshari's vrtti of the Brahma-kānda and in the Prakirnaka-prakāśa (e.g., those which are the Vakuakända (4.1 above) is still to be satiscollected in 3.1b above) to the discussions in the
factorily edited. In the case of the latter it is earlier kandas.26
not even printed in its entirety. Sometime about Thought of as one composition consisting of
1941, the first ninety-six pages of Charudeva three books, the work was called Trikāndi, a
Shastri's planned critical edition of the kärikäs, name going well with the names of other works of the
the vrtti and the tikā of the second kända (footnote Bhartphari-Tripādī, the commentary on the
6) were made available to the book-sellers. Those Mahābhāsya, 27 and possibly Subhāşita-trisati or
included the vrtti, wherever it was extant, only šataka-traya, the famous collection of three centu
up to the verse "kāryāņām antarangatvam ....)33 ries of poems.28 Thus we read at the end of the
In 1965, Abhyankar and Limaye presented it in Prakīrņaka-prakāśa:
excerpts as a part of the seventh appendix of their trailokyagāmini yena Trikāndi Tripadī-kstā /
edition of the kārikā text. Thus, an important tasmai samasta-vidyā-sri-kantāya
work in the grammatical tradition of India has Haraye namaḥ //29
not even been entirely printed and published, not Under the Trikāndi arrangement, each kända to mention a critical edition complete with studywas named after the most important word in the aids 34 first statement of that kānda.30
6.2. So far only one manuscript of the Vakya26 Most probably, Helārāja named his commentaries
kānda-vrtti has furnished transcripts to the editors by kända as Sabda-prabha, Vakya-pradīpa (Ramakrishna of the Trikāndi. This incomplete and often corrupt Kavi, p. 236) and Prakirnaka-prakasa. If this guess is manuscript in Malayalam characters once becorrect, one more indication of the unity of the Trikandi longed to Bhavadāsa Nambudiri of Mundanathu is furnished.
Mana, Ottappalam, Malabar, Kerala (Subra17 Modern scholars generally give the name of this commentary 48 Mahâbhâsya-dīpika. See Yudhisthira Mimāmsaka (samvat 2020: 344-363) and the three incom
11 The vrtti of the Brahma-kända has been printed five plete editions by Brahmadatta Jijñāsu (Yudhisthira
times and translated twice. Yet it is replete with wrong Mimāmsaka samvat 2020: 356), Swaminathan (1965) and
and problematic readings. A number of alternative Abhyankar-Limaye (1967). In & forthcoming article, I
readings have not even been recorded. I shall set forth wish to argue that the evidence for this name is very
these facts in a textual study which is, at present, under scanty and that the commentary should be referred to by the name Tripadi.
12 Yudhisthira Mimāmsaka samvat 2019: 352. In his 28 The possibility that Bhartshari, the grammarian, letter of July 11, 1968, Charudeva Shastri informs me: and Bharthari, the poet, could be the same person is not
"A fragment of the vrtti edited by me was issued for so slight as is generally assumed. I must, however,
circulation without my knowledge, sometime before or reserve a detailed consideration of this problem for some
after the Partition. It carried no Introduction, not even future occasion.
a Prefatory Note. I saw this fragment in the Bookstall 2. The verse has been misunderstood by Yudhisthira
of the Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series, Banaras." Mimämsaka (samvat 2019: 349-350; 2020: 353). Through
* No. 184 (p. 154) of Manavalli's and Charudeva three double-meaning expressions and two metaphors, it
Shastri's editions; no. 182 of the Abhyankar-Limaye suggests the similarity of Bhartshari with Vişņu. It is to
edition. be construed thus: "yena Tripadī-krta trailokyagamini Trikāndt-tripadī kstā ...." It means: 'I pay my rever
** It is expected that the Deccan College Monograph ence to Hari, the author of the Tripādi, who took three
Series, Poona, will publish a critically edited text of the steps in the form of the Trikāndi that covered the three
Vakya-kända (karika + vrtti) with the commentary that worlds, and who is the lord of Sri in the form of all lores.'
is usually ascribed to Punyarāja (footnote 6). Prof. The experessions Tripadī-kyta, Sri-kanta and Hari are Subramania Iyer is at present working on it. Another paranomastic, while Trikāndi-tripadi and vidya-eri are critical edition, most probably only of the kārikās, is metaphors.
expected from Prof. Wilhelm Rau, Marburg, Federal 10 Point suggested by Abhyankar-Limaye (1965: VII). Republic of Germany.