Bhatrhari And Dinnaga

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided text from "Bhatrhari And Dinnaga" by H. R. Rangaswamy Iyengar, focusing on the arguments presented:

The article challenges the traditional dating of the renowned Sanskrit grammarian Bhartrhari, author of the Vākyapadiya. Previously, his date was primarily based on the account of the Chinese traveler I-tsing, who stated Bhartrhari was a prominent grammarian, author of the Vākyapadiya, a commentary on the Mahābhāșya, and Peina, and died around 650 AD. This led scholars to place Bhartrhari in the 7th century AD.

However, the author presents new evidence that significantly pushes back Bhartrhari's date to the 5th century AD, falsifying I-tsing's account.

Key Evidence and Arguments:

1. Punyarāja's Commentary: Punyarāja, the commentator on the Vākyapadiya, repeatedly mentions Vasurāta as Bhartrhari's teacher. Bhartrhari himself, in the second Kānda of the Vākyapadiya, refers to his teacher as 'Guruņā', supported by Punyarāja's preface to the verse. This establishes a teacher-student relationship.

2. Simhasūrigani's Testimony: A Jain writer named Simhasūrigani, datable to the early 6th century AD, in his unpublished work Nayacakratīkā, also mentions Vasurāta as Bhartrhari's Upādhyāya (teacher). This corroborates Punyarāja's statement and indicates that Vasurāta was a significant grammarian under whom Bhartrhari studied. It also suggests that Bhartrhari sometimes held views distinct from his teacher.

3. Paramārtha's Account of Vasurāta: According to Paramārtha, Vasurāta was a Brahmin and the brother-in-law of Baladitya, who was a pupil of Vasubandhu. Vasurāta was an accomplished grammarian and, through Chandra (another prominent grammarian), defeated Vasubandhu. This places Vasurāta, Chandra, and Vasubandhu as contemporaries, implying that Bhartrhari, as Vasurāta's pupil, must also belong to the 5th century AD.

4. Dinnaga's Pramāna Samuccaya: The most compelling evidence comes from the author's study of Dinnaga's Pramāna Samuccaya. In the fifth chapter, which discusses Dinnaga's Apoha theory, two kārikās (verses) are found. These kārikās are identified as Tibetan renderings of verses found in the second Kānda of Bhartrhari's Vākyapadiya. This presents two possibilities:

   • Dinnaga quoted from Bhartrhari's work.
   • Both Dinnaga and Bhartrhari drew from another source.

5. Jinendra-Buddhi's Confirmation: The article cites Jinendra-Buddhi, the author of Visalamalatika on Dinnaga's Pramana Samuccaya Vitti, who explicitly states that Dinnaga is referring to Bhartrhari's views in these kārikās. This strongly supports the first possibility: Dinnaga is quoting from Bhartrhari.

Conclusion:

Since Dinnaga, a well-known Buddhist logician of the 5th century AD, is found quoting from the Vākyapadiya, it becomes impossible to assign Bhartrhari to the 7th century AD. The only logical conclusion is that Bhartrhari, the author of the Vākyapadiya, lived in the 5th century AD, and I-tsing's statement about his death date is inaccurate. The article's contribution lies in presenting this crucial link between Dinnaga and Bhartrhari to revise the latter's established chronology.