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32
BHAGAVADGITA.
A.C. A considerable time prior to him must be placed the great commentator on the Mimâmså-sútras, namely, Sabarasvâmin. If we may judge from the style of his great commentary, he cannot have flourished much later than Patangali, who may now be taken as historically proved to have flourished about 140 B.C. Now a considerable time must have intervencd between Sabarasvåmin and another commentator on the Parva Mimamsa, whom Sabara quotes with the highly honorific title Bhagavân, the Venerable, namely, Upavarsha. Upavarsha appears from Sankara's statement to have commented on the Vedantastras 3. We have thus a long catena of works from the seventh century A.C., indicating a pretty high antiquity for the Vedanta-sútras, and therefore a higher one for the Bhagavadgitâ. The antiquity of the Vedanta-sútras follows also from the circumstance, which we have on the testimony of Râmânuga, repeated by Madhavakarya, that a commen. tary on the Sutras was written by Baudhayanâkárya", which commentary Ramânuga says he followed. Baudhåyana's date is not accurately settled. But he appears to be older than Apastamba, whose date, as suggested by Dr. Bühler, has already been mentioned”. The Vedantasûtras, then, would appear to be at least as old as the fourth century B.C.; if the information we have from Råmânuga may be trusted. A third argument may be mentioned, bcaring on the date of the Vedanta-sQtras. In Sùtra 110 of the third Pada of the fourth Adhyâya of Panini's Sutras, a Párásarya is mentioned as the author of a Bhikshu-sutra. Who is this Påråsarya, and what the Bhikshu-sútra? U'nluckily Patañgali gives us no information on this head, nor
- - ------- See Burnell's Samasidhina-brahmana, Introduction, p. vi note. • The authorities are collected in our clition of Bhartrihari Bombay Series of Sanskrit Classics). Introd. p. xi note. See also Buhler's Apastamba in this grries, Introd. p. xxviii.
Sec Coiebroche's Essays, vol. I, p. 333. An Upavanha is mentioned in the Katbisaritsigara as living in the time of king Vanda, and having Panini, Katyayana, and Vyadi for his pupils.
• Scc thc Ramánur Bhashya; and the Ramanan Darsana in Sarva larsana sangraha.
Apaslainba, p. xri.
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