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E. Steinkellner
Samdhinirmocanasūtra
Vyākhyāna the author of this work is called Byan chub rdzu 'phrul and bears the long title dban phyug dam pa'i mra' bdag lha btsan po (CHK II 55,9f.).
In other words it is clear that Byan chub rdzu 'phrul was a well known name for the king Khri Sron Ide btsan at the time of Bu ston. And in the Derge edition of the Tanjur the *Samdhinirmocanasūtravyākhyāna is attributed to this king. But this is the only case where the king is said to be the author of this commentary. The commentary moreover does not occur among the various known or more or less enigmatic titles in the two old inventories we have of the king's works: the catalogues of IHan kar32 and of 'Phan than.33 And Bu ston, who devotes a relatively long note to the question of the authorship of our Vyākhyāna, says nothing about Byan chub rdzu 'phrul, the king, as its possible author.
The following information however can be gathered from his Chos bsgyur dkar chag34: Some predecessor was of the opinion that its author was Asanga
32 LALOU 1953, p. 336 (LALOU 723-729). 33 ChK III 115,2ff. (NISHIOKA 2899-2908 or 2909); cf. also the list as copied from
this older information by dPa' bo gtsug lag in KhGT, Ja, 126a7f. 34 ChK II 55,7-15 (NISHIOKA 654): dGons 'grel gyi 'grel pa chen po 40 bam po tsam
yod pa 'di Thogs med kyi mdzad zer te mi bden te / de'i thad pa sgrub pa'i rigs pa'i skabs nas de dag gi mtshan ñid rab tu dbye ba ni dban phyug (: phyugs) dam pa'i mna' bdag dpal lha btsan po Byan chub rdzu 'phrul gyis mdzad pa'i bka'yan dag pa'i tshad ma las byun ba bzin du blta bar bya'o ses bod kyi bstan bcos la kha 'phans byas sin Kun las btus dan Tshad ma rnam nes la sogs pa'i lun drans pa'i phyir ro // des na bod kyi mkhas pa chen po sig gis byas pa ses par bya'o // Klu'i rgyal mtshan gyis mdzad par yan sems so 17
("dGons 'grel gyi 'grel pa chen po: this (commentary) which contains 40 bam po is said to be composed by Asanga, but (this) is incorrect. For (firstly) a Tibetan treatise is referred to (where it is said) in its chapter on the method that consists of a proof by means of possible (valid cognitions) ('thad pa sgrub pa'i rigs pa)*: 'the different definitions of these are to be seen as coming from the bka' yan dag pa'i tshad ma that was composed by the overlord of the supreme lords (dban phyug dam pa'i mna' bdag, *parameśvarādhipati), the royal divinity (dpal lha,
srideva), the king (btsan po) Byan chub rdzu 'phrull**, and (secondly) the (Abhi. dharma-)Samuccaya (of Asanga) (see n. 35) and the Pramanaviniscaya (of Dharmakirti) and other (texts) are quoted in this commentary). (It) must be acknowledged therefore as having been composed by a great Tibetan scholar. I think that it was even composed by Klu' rgyal mtshan.") * This localisation of the quotation by Bu ston seems to be wrong; at least I could not find it in this section which begins only with SNSÜV 164a5. It occurs in the chapter on the method that consists in a consideration (of the causes and condi. tions and of the linguistic items in case of the origin and of the denomination of
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