I

BUDDHIST TRADITIONS
Edited by
ALEX WAYMAN
VOLUME II
~ .
<"' '
j
I
l
NAGARJUNIANA
STUDIES IN THE
WRITINGS AND PHILOSOPHY
OF
N A G A ~ U N A
Chr. Lindtner
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS
PRIVATE LIMITED e DELHI
First 1982
Fi,.,f , Indian Edition : Delhi. 1987
Reprinted: Dl'llzi, 1990
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I
Foreword
The flood of modern books and articles on Buddhism has its
pearls and its 'fool's gold '. Lindtner's Nagarjuniana must be
classifi ed as a pearl. It is a tireless and r esourceful attempt to
l{:rret out what Nagarj una is talking about, by way of his own
works in Sanskrit and in the Tibetan renditions. Lindtner dis-
covers that Nagarjuna is faithful to Buddhist tradition as he
knows it, but as a r c f o r m ~ r . The author has frank, even biting,
crit icisms of some previous attempts to translate Nagarjuna's
works. This might invite criticism in return. Whatever be in
store in this mat ter, this series on Buddhist Traditions is proud
to include Lindtner's boc.k'
New Delhi
ALEX WAYMAN
6 August 1986
Preface
These studies in the writings and philosophy of the Buddhist pa-
triarch Nagarjuna could not have achieved their present fi>rm had I
not been able to benefit from the co-operation and support of a
number of friends, students, colleagues and library staffs hen: and
abroad.
To all of them, too numerous to mention individuall y, it is a
pleasure to acknowledge my sincere gratitude and tender my best
thanks.
In particular I would like to mention tht: narnes of four svayiithyas:
Per K. S0rensen, Ole Holten Pind, Harish Gaonkar and Torvald
Olsson with whom I have enjoyed indulging in th<' sturl y of .Ytadhya-
maka texts and in discussions conceding problems of Indian philol-
ogy and philosophy. Prolrssorsj. W. dc.Jong, Y. Y. Gokhale and \1.
Hahn, Dr. M. Hara and Mr. A. Saito ail provided Tnt' either with
indispensable suggestions, papers or copi<s of manuscripts.
I most heartily thank .Ytrs. Else Pauly who read the proofs, and,
above all, Dr. Eric Grinstead who, readily and generously as always,
inter alia rendered unfailing support in rebus sinicis and in reading my
manuscript. Finally I cannot be reticent about the deep and obvious
debt my work owes to that of scholars who have done so much, in
various respects, to clear the perilous madhyama pratipad before me.
Suffice it to mention the names of Erich Frauwallncr, Poul Tuxen,
Jacques May, Etienne Lamotte and Louis de La Vallee Poussin, still
the unsurpassed master of Buddhist studies.
<:.!..
/
I
f-oreword 5
Preface 6
INTRODUCTION
Contents
I) Spurious and dubious 9
'2) A preliminary s ummary 18
THE AUTHENTIC WRITI NGS
I Mulamadhyamakakarilca ( M K)
a) Contents, scope and method 24
II Sunyatasaptati (SS)
a) Authenticity and synopsis 31
b) Tibetan text and a translation 34
III Vigrahavyavartani (VV)
a) Authentirity and analysis 70
b) Sanskrit text with the Tibetan version 76
IV VaidalyaprakaraT)a (VP)
a) Authenticity and analysis 87
V *Vyavaharasiddhi (VS)
a) Authenticity 94
b) A fragment edited with a translation 96
VI Yuktiftll/ika (Y$)
a) Authenticity /00
b) Tibetan version, Sanskrit fragments, translation 102
VII Catul;.stava (CS)
a) Authenticity 121
b) Conspectus testium /24
c) Lokatitastava: Sanskrit text, Tibetan version,
translation 128
d) Acinryastava: Sanskrit text, Tibetan version,
translation 140
l
!;
' I
VII I
IX
X
XI
XII
XI II
Ratni11;ali (RA)
a) Authenti city, cri tical analysis 163
b) The Tibetan and Sanskrit 167
Praiityasamutpadahrdayakarika ( PK)
a) Authenti city and analysis 170
Sutrasamuccaya (SS)
a) Authenticit y amt synopsis 172
b) FonUs 175
Bodhicittauiuara1JO. (BV)
a) and synopsis 180
b) Tibetan version, Sanskrit fragments, translation 184
Suhrllekha (SL)
a) Authenticity and sources 218
* Bodhisa'!lhhara [ka] ( BS)
a) Authentici ty and contents 225
b) Translation of the Chinese version 228
THE UNI TY OF NAGARJU M'S T HOUGHT
I Background
a) Non- Buddhist 250
b) Buddhist : The Tripi{aka 251
c) Buddhist: 260
II Nagarjuna's philosophical S)'Stem 264
I II Vestiges of influence 278
Bibliography 282
Dansk resume 287
Appendix: The Nepalese' Ms of Catubstava with Akiiri{iki! 290
Introduction
1) Spurious and dubious
Even though a steadily increasi ng amount of papers and books
about Nagaljuna and the Madhyamaka school testify to a wide-
spread interest in this branch of Mahayana Buddhism,
1
Indolo-
gists have still not laid the solid foundation required for real pro-
gress in these studies in particular. Only a small - though important
- fraction of his works are available in modem editions and reliable
translations,
2
while more than one hundred of the most varied texts
transmitted under Nagarjuna's name still lie in Chinese and Ti-
betan versions, and even in Sanskrit manuscripts, without having
been analysed let alone critically edited.
3
It is only when a genuine and intelligible kernel of text has
been extracted from this rudis indigestaque molis that the two main
tasks awaiting the scholar in this field may be taken up: The first
will be the endeavour to understand the ideas and the personality of
Nagaljuna from his own works against his own background (mainly
Buddhist), the next, to trace the immense impact- for I am certain
that it will prove to have been so - that his efforts exercised on the
subsequent development not only inside but also outside the
Buddhist fold.
4
In a previous work
5
l have attempted to assign all the texts and
I. Suffice it to mention Murti ( 1966); Robinson ( 1967); Streng ( 1967). -
General bibliographical surveys may be found in Fotter ( 1970), pp. 480-484;
Regamey ( 1950), pp. 55-58; Streng ( 1967), pp. 237-245; Nakamura ( 1977),
pp. 77-94. - Good selective bibliographies in May ( 1959), pp. 23-45; Lamotte
( 1970), pp. lxi-lxviii; ( 1976), p. xvii-xix; ( 1980) pp. xii-xv.- The most recent
survey ofMadhyamaka is by ~ a y in Hooogirin, pp. 470-493 (s.v. Chilgan).
2. Viz. MK, VV, PK, and, in part RA, see below.
3. The Chinese translations are conveniently registered in the Fascicule aruuxe to
HobOgirin, Tokyo 1978; the Tibetan e.g. in the index volume to the Tibttan
Tripi[aka, Peking edition, Tokyo 1962.
4. Here I have only pointed out a few instances where Nagarjuna's influence is
obvic:-us, see pp. 278-281.
5. Nagarjuna - gte og U.egte. En ana!Jise og sammmfatning af Nagarjunas autentiskt
9
II
./

fragments {to the extent I have come across such in the commentato-
rial literature) attributed to Nagarjuna to three classes, viz. works
I) correctly attributed, 2) wrongly attributed to him, and 3) those
which may or may not be genuine.
The following internal and external criteria of authenticity were
applied: I took my point d'appui in a close study - with careful regard
to the commentaries
6
- of the doctrine and style of Mulamadhyama-
kakarika ( MK)1 which I axiomatically, bui in accordance with a
unanimous and, for all we know, reliable Indian, Chinese and
Tibetan tradition
11
regard as his magnum opus. Those among the
remaining works which agree with MK in regard to a) style,
b) scope, c) doctrine, and - turning to the external criteria - in addi-
tion explicitly are ascribed to Nagarjuna by the testimony of 'trust-
worthy witnesses', viz. Bhavya (Bhavaviveka), Candrakirti, Santa-
rak$ita and Kamala.Sila, I recognize as genuine.
9
Works that are
ogfragmenter udskilt bland/ samtlige pa sanskrit, tibetansk o.e, kinesisk under hans
navn ovtrleverede skrijler. Kabenhavn 1978. (Unpublished). It is now super
seded by the !>resent work.
6. Namely Akutobhaya (TP, No. 5229); Buddhapalitaurui (TP, Nu. 524:l), l'rajna-
pradipa {TP, No. 5253) by Bhavya, l'rajnapradipa{ikn (Tl', No. 5259) by
Avalokitavrata and Prnsannapnda (crl. J.a Valli- Poussi n) hy Candraki rti. I
have only resorted to the commentarits xtant in Chints (Taisho, Nos.
1564, 1567) occasionally, as they srldom ar< of much us from a phil.,logical
point of view.
7. Sanskrit text in Mulamadhynmaknkiirilciis ( Madhyamiknsutras) de Nagarjuna avec Ia
Prasannapnda Commentaire de Candrakirti. Public par Louis de La Vallee
Poussin. St.-Petersbourg 1903-13.- There is a separate edition of Nagarjuna,
Miilamadhyamakalcarikal} by J. W. de.Jong, Adyar 1977. As modern versions of
MK (by In ada and Streng) arc most unreliable one still has to consult MK as
translated together with the Prasannapada by Stcherbatsky, Schayer, Lamot-
te, de Jong and May, see de Jong, II}, XX, p. 25. A recent attempt by M.
Sprung, Lucid Exposition 'of tht Middle Way: The Essential Chaptm from tht
Prasannapada of Candrakirti. London 1979, again suffers from the author's
insufficient philological outfit.
8. I. e. colophons as well as the testimony of commentators (Indian) and
historians (Chinese and Tibetan).
9. Buddhapiilita is absent from this list as he only refers to MK (cf. my remarks
in II}, XXIII, p. I have consulted all the extant works ofCandrakirti
(fora briefaccountofwhich seeAO, XL, pp. 87-92) and Bhavya {see WZKS,
XXVI (1982)). Among the many works of and his pupil
Kamalasila the former' s MadhyamakalaT[Ikaravrtti and Tattvasiddhi and the
latter's MadhyamakiilaT{Ikarapaiajika, Madhyamakaloka as well as Bhavaniilcrama
(I & III) have proved most profitable. True, we cannot prove that these
10
provable as unauthentic (e.g. if they quote from a source later than
Niigiirjuna, always allowing for cases of interpolation} belong to the
second class, while texts from which I have in vain tried to extract
decisive criteria, external or internal, come within the third.
Summing up, I found that apart from MK twelve other texts
must thus be considered genuine. T hey will be analysed, edited or
translated on the following pages in this order subsequent to a
review of MK: Sunyatasaptati (SS), (VV), Vaidalya-
prakaraT)a (VP), * Vyavaharasiddhi (VS), (Y$), Catul].stava
(CS), Ratnavali ( RA) , Prahtyasamutpadahrdayakarika ( PK}, Sutrasa-
muccaya (SS}, Bodhicittavivarar;ta (BY), Suhrllekha (SL} and *BodhisaT[1-
bhara[ka] (BS).
Decidedly spurious are *Mahaprajnaparamitopadtia,
10
AbudluJbodha-
kaprakarar;ta,
11
Guhyasamajatantrafika,
12
*Dvadaiadvaraka,
13
Prajnapara-
authorities possessed any objective means of deciding what Nagarjuna
wrote and what he did not write. However, we do know that all of them were
very learned and meticulous in dealing with their texts, and that even a slight
misquotation etc. on their part would be certain to expose them to the
censure of lurking svayuthyas. On the other hand I never accept the testimony
of other (usually later) authors unless its credibility can be established
independently.
10. Cf. May, Chiigan, p. 482.
II. TP, No. 5238. This is a small but very readable prakaral}a demonstrating
pudgaladharmanairiitmya. It does however, betray itself by quoting (without
naming any source) Catu!Jataka, XIII, 2; BV, 18; MK, V, 6; PK, >>7<<;
Bhavasaf!!krimti 8. An Abodhabodhaka ascribed to Advayavajra (TP, No.
3145) is nothing but another recension of the very same text!
12. As pointed out by G. Tucci, Opera Minora, I, p. 214aquotation from Maitreya
occurs in this !fka. - I find it quite likely that the author of this work is
idemical with the authorofPancakrama (ed. La Vallee Poussin, Gand 1896), a
work which is already cited in Madhyamakaratnapratfipa, ca. 570, see WZKS,
XXVI ( 1982) .- As a mere working hypothesis I would at present suggest that
this 'Nagarjuna II', i.e. the tirntrika or siddha flourished ca. 400 A.D. He may
also have been responsible for numerous siidhanas and other more or less
tantric works transmitted under the name of Nagarj una (see. e.g. B.
Bhattacharya, Siidhanamirlii, I-11, Baroda 1968). As a discussion of this
complex quesiSOn has no direct bearing on the 'real' Nagarjuna it must be
postponed for future research.
13. Usually referred to as DviidaianiJ.:ii]aiiistra, Dvadaiamukhaiiistra or Dvadaiad-
viiraiiistra i.e. Taisho, No. 1568, but there is seldom any reason to attach much
weight to the Chinese lun in titles etc. - Some observations on this text by
May, Chiigan, pp. 488-489; Robinson ( 1967) , p. 32. Cf. also sTon pa nid kyi
sgo bcu grus pa, No. 595 in the !Dan dkar ma Catalogue.- While there can be
I I
mitastotra
14
and Suabhauatrayapraueiasiddhi.
1
s
The third group, i.e. the dubious texts, may be divided into those
that are perhaps authentic: Mahayanaui,.,Uilca,
16
Bodhicittotpadauidhi,
11
no doubt that (nearly) all the verses were originally composed by Nagarjuna
(MK, SS) there are in my opinion several good reasons for maintaining that
the author of the commentary (:nost probably identical with the compiler of
the verses) is not Nagarjuna but rather *Pingala. Here I must postpone
further remarks to a later occasion.
14. See II), XXIII, p. 182, n. 94.
15. Edited and translated by La Vallee Poussin, MCB, II, pp. 14 7-161.- First of
all the doctrine of svabhavatraya (already attested in the Lalikiivatiira) is refuted
by Nagarjuna in his BY, 28, q. v. Moreover, the existence of paratantrasvabhava
endorsed by Svabhiivatrayapraveiasiddhi (also called Tri.rvabhiivanirdeia) is
repeatedly refuted by Bhavya, Candrakirti etc. who never quote this work,
sometimes, and perhaps correctly, ascribed to Vasubandhu.
16. The Sanskrit text was edited and translated by G. Tucci, Minor Buddhist Texts,
Part I, pp. 195-207. Further ref. Nakamura ( 1977), p. 83, n. 38. - I have come
across quotations from this work ascribed to Nagarjuna in Caryiimeliiyanapra-
tfipa (TP, No. 2668, 95a) and Tattvasiirasal]lgraha (TP, No. 4534, 92a, IOOa).
q.v. Atisa also ascribes this work to Nagarjuna, Bodhimar,l!,adipapanjik.a (TP,
No. 5344, 324b}, but Bhavya etc. never quote it. Still it shows great similarit y
to RA, BV etc. as far as style and doctrine is concerned. so it may be
authentic.- Here are some emendations to Tucci's edition made in the light
of the Tibetan and Chinese translations, q. v.: 3a, read piiriiviiram
cf. CS, III, II. Note that Tib. wrongly has tshul b?.in for t.<hu bbn. - 6a, Tucci
has [aggatir yai ca svar.f!aS which is impossible. Read with Tib. and
Chin. [atft:atayai ca sa'!lsiire svar,11,e. - 6d, Tucci hasjariil!)'iidhir apiyatiim with the
note that Ms. has
0
rapibhyatiim, or rapityatiim. However, this is, as Tib. and
Chin. show, not to be counted as 6d but as 7b.Due to haplography (originally
6c and 7a must have ended with v. Tib. and Chin.), the scribe left
out two piidas. In 7b we find ... mi rtag nid, so Tucci's Ms. apparently has
anityatam. - II a, read bhiivato. - >> 12b, Tucci reads but
Tib. hassiriti dbangyur ... which is a common idea (cf. CS, I, I; II , I etc.).
So read k.aru!fiidhinaman.asii& (Tucci probably misread Ms.).- >>14 read, of
course, tattviirtha
0
with Tio. and Chin. ->> 15a, Tucci reads lena, >>t!.erefore,
but with Tib. de dag read te na, cf. Y$, 5. - 17a, read mayiivi, and in >> 18b<<
perhaps miiyiik.iirasamutthitam, cf. Caryiimeliiyanapradipa, loc. cit.: sgyu ma'i rnam
par yan dag 'byuiJ.
17. A brief but interesting ritual text (TP, Nos. 5361,5405, nearly identical}. -It
prescribes a sevenfold rite for a bodhisattva ( cf. UpiilipariP'fcchii, p. 98, n. 7;
BS, 48 with ref.}: vandanii,piipadeianii,purvlmumodanii, iara'}llgamana, atmatyiiga,
bodhicittotpiida andpari!liimanii. The final paragraph is noteworthy as it alludes
to the same iigama as the prose introduction to BV. Moreover it ends with
three prarJidhiinas the first of which is identical with RA, V, 83. The second
recalls RA, V, 80.- A Danish translation of this will be found in C. Lindtner
12

18
( Madhyamalca-) Bhavasa1[!lcrimti,
19
*Niralamba-
.rtaua,
20
Salistambak.Orika,
21

22
Danaparikatha,
23
Cittavaj-
el a/., Buddhismen. Kebenhavn 1982, pp. 102-105.
18. Only extant in Tibetan (TP, No. 2026) in 14stanzas. Clearly a Madhyamaka
text (speaks of pupyajiillnasatpbhiira, upiiyakauialya etc.) relating the Buddha's
duiidaiakiira, cf. BV, 91-92; CS, II, 23. Perhaps the same author as the
Af!amahiisthiinacairyastotra, v. H. Nakamura in lndianisme tl bouddhisme,
Louvain-la-Neuve, 1980, pp. 259-265.
19. The edition by N. A. Sastri (see ref. Nakamura ( 1977), p. 84) is useful but far
from definitive. The transmission of this text is more complex than that of any
other work ascribed to Nagarjuna. Apart from the versions published by
Sastri one must consult the Bhauasatpcara ascribed to Nagarjuna, and the
Nirvikalpaprakara1Ja ascribed to Aryadeva both of which contain many similar
or identical verses. - 6 is attributed to Nagatjuna in Bhavya's
Madhyamakaratnapradipa, 352a. Incidentally the same verse is discussed by
Williams,j/P, VIII, p. 27. - In Sanskrit I have come across a quotation (no
source given) in Adikarmapradipa (ed. La Vallee Poussin), p. 196: diinaJi/akfa-
miiu'iryadhyiiniidin seuayet sadii I acirt!laiua kiilena priipyale bodhir uttamii II; cf. RA,
II, 25; IV, 80, 98-99.
20. Known from a quotation in Dharmendra's Tattuasiirasal'{lgraha, TP, No. 4534,
102b: bsam byed bsamgtan bsam byadag II spanspa bdenpamthon bayin II 'dikun rtog
p2 tsam nid do II gan gis rtogs pa de grot 'gyur II. AtiSa ascribes this verse to
Nigarjuna in Bodhimiirgadipapanjika, TP, No. 5344, 329b: kun tu rtogs pas ma
btags iin llyid ni rab tu mi gnas Ia II dran trUd yid la byed pa med II dmigs mtd de la phyag
'tshallo II. The three verses found in Pancakrama ( ed. LaVallee Poussin), p. 36
ending in niralamba namo 'stu It may be from the same source (note that the
previous verses are extracted from CS, II, 18-19!).
21 . Only in Tibetan (TP, No. 5466 and No. 5485). 70 verses, originally probably
47d missing in TP. This is simply a very faithful versification of the
Salistambasutra, one of Nagarjuna's basic iigamas, cf. suau[lli to VV, 54; May
( 1959), p. 267, n. 967. Accordi.ng toRatnapradipa, 342a, Nagarjuna composed
a sa lu ljan pa'i mdo'i 'grel pa ( *Salistambasiitraurtti); possibly this refers to these
kirikas. Anyhow it hardly refers to the SO.listambaka[ika also attributed to
Nigitjuna- as this must be a rather late work inasmuch as it deals with the
four anubandhas, not attested in early Madhyamaka.
22. Only Tibetan (TP, No. 2020). Sanskrit reconstruction by Patel,
VIII , pp. 689-705. The most philosophical of all the hymns attributed to
Nagitjuna apan from CS, I and III. I have not seen any quotations from this
hymn which is quite possibl y authentic.
23. Only in Tibetan (TP, No. 5661 ). A collection of 13 verses (various metres)
forming a sermon on one of the distinctive paramitas of an upasaka often
praised by Nagirjuna (BS, SL, RA, SS,passim). Belongs to the same genre as
several other products of the early Madhyamaka school, e.g. Matrceta's
CaJurviparyayakathii. No quotations known to me. Cf. also Traite, pp. 650..769.
13
I
rasklva,
24
Miilasarvastwadisrama,erakarika,
25
DaiabhiimikavibhiJ.ra,
26
Lokaparilqa,
21
Yoga.faklka,Z
8
PrajntuiarJa,Z
9
Rasavaii_e[ikasiitra
30
and
- The Svapnacintama!'iparikathil, in 32 verses, also belongs to this group of
dubious texts.
24. The Tibetan version edi ted with a French translation by La Vallee Poussin,
u Muston, N.S.XIV, pp. 14-1 6. I found verse 3 in Adikarmaprat!ipa, p. 200:
cittena /abhyate bodhii cittena gatipaiuakam I na hi cittad rte kif!! ci/ /aqa!'a'!'
II (Tib. rim thob must be corrupt.)
25. Only Tibetan (TP, No. 5629). 50 karikas based on the Vinayauibhanga on the
Bhilcfupratimoktasittras of the Miil asarvastivadins.- Recalling how innuential
the Vinaya of this school must have been in the early centuries A.D. (cf.
Traiu, III, p. xviii) in the Madhyamaka milieu it is not unlikely that
Nagaljuna should have compi led a summa of monastic rules. It would tally
excellently with RA, V, I, 34, q.v., and also be consistent with the samuccaya-
genre, a favourite ofNagaJjuna's. There is a possible allusion to this work in
Ratnaprat!ipa, 350 a, which speaks oftheiilcfaS ... slob dpon klu sgrubkyi l.al sna nas
ji /tar bkod pa rnams ...
26. Only Chinese (Taisho, No. 1521 ), cf. Vimalakirtinirtkia, p. 76; Raman an ( 1966),
p. 34(), n. 61) Nalcamura (1977), p. 82; Traiti, III, p. xliv (with ref.) - Though,
like Mahilprajnaparamitopadtia etc., this commentary is apparently unknown
to Indo-Tibetan tradition there are in my opinion several reasons to render it
likely that it is authentic: The very early Chinese evidence; quotat ions from
Bodhisambhara; the Amitabha doctrine set forth here tallies with SL. 121 (cf.
RA, 111: 99); Daiabhumikasutra is k"nown to havr hun usNl hy Nagarjuna
elsewhere (PK; RA, V, 41-60; SS, 249 b). - All this crrtai nly deserves a
discussion more thorough than I am prepared to undertake at present. -
Cf. J . Eracle, Le Chapitre de Na.11,arjuna sur Ia Pratique Facile, suivi du Sutra
qui lout Ia Terre tk Pureti, Bruxelles 1981 (not seen).
27. Only known to me from a quotatiou in Prajnaprat!ipa, 114b: 'di niyodnid 'gogpaslt II
med nid yoits su 'd1.in pa min II na.l', po min i.es smras pa na II dkar po yin i.tS ma brjod
bbn II. According to Avalokitavrata (loc. cit. , Za fol. 96a) its source. is
Nagarjuna' s j"ig rten brtag pa i.es bya ba'i gtan (read: bstan) bcos, Lolcaparilcfa.
I.e. astitvaprati[edha does not necessarily imply nastitvaparigraha. Thus on.- can
deny that something is krf'}a without necessarily affirming that it is i ulcla. In
other words (see Avalokitavrata, loc. cit.) a Madhyamika is allowed to express
paramarthatai} a prasajyaprati[edha of astitva, without, however, advocating
niistitva by way of a paryudasa. -Other verses attributed to Nagarj una occur
e.g. Ekasmrtyupadeia (TP, No. 5389, 26a); Madh.JamakiilaT(Ikaravrtti (TP, No.
5285, 72b = TP, No. 5274, 383a); Caryamelayanaprat!ipa (TP, No. 2668, 95a) -
to mention only a few of the most interesting verses which I havt failed to
identify in the extant works.
28. A summary of therapeutic formulas (yoga) composed in various metres and
closely following the classical doctrine of medicine (a.stanga). Recently two
useful editions (including the Tibetan version) have appeared: B. Dash
( 1976), Tibetan MediciiU with special riftrnue to Yoga Sataka, Dharamsala; andJ.
14
BhiivanOJcrama;
31
and those most probably Mt genuine: Akfaraiataka,
32
Akutobhaya ( Miilamadhyamakavrtti),
33
Aryabha!!araka-Maiijurriparamar-
Filliozat ( 1979), Yogaiatalca: Texte medical attribui a NO.g1njuna, Pondichery.
(Note that there are two Mss. in The Royal Library, Copenhagen, not
collated. Rask and 'Tuxen collections.) - Yogaiatalca is commonly (but not
exclusively) ascribed to Nagarjuna, see Filliozat, op.cit., pp. iv-xix, who
discusses the question of authenticity. Here I would only call attention to
three pieces of evidence in favour of the authenticity of Yogaiatalca: RA, III,
46 speaking oftriphala, trilca{ulca, ghrta, madhu, aiijana etc.: 'bras bu .s:sum dan tsha
ba gsum II mar dan shran rtsi mig sman dati II dug sel chu rar bgyi f;in II grub pa'i sman
dan snags !cyan bgyi II. BS 79 and SS, 251 b recommend that a bodhisattva
cultivates vitl,yO.sthiJ.na etc. which include cilcitsa. Finally Ratnaprrulipa (337b)
reports that Nagarjuna masteredgso ba (cilcitsa) etc. - For other medical texts
etc. see Dash (1976), pp. 9-17.
29. The Tibetan version (260 verses, various metres) was edited and translated
by W.L. Campbell, The Tree of Wisdom, Calcutta 1919. Recently 255 verses
were translated by Tarthang Tulku, Elegant Sayings, Emeryville 1977.- Note
that vv. 76, 108 and 196 recall RA, 11, 41 ; IV, 49, 8, q.v.- Atisa's
Satyadvayavatiira, 25 is nearly identical with 140. - Prajriiidlli!!Ja and other
mti texts ascribed to Nagarjuna in Tibetan versions have been discuss-
ed by S. K. Pathak, The Indian Nitiiil.stras in Tibet , Delhi 1974, q.v.
30. Contrary to what one might expect this is not an alchemic tract but rather a
>>biochemical, seeN. E. Muthuswami (ed.) , Rasavaiiefilcasiltrarp Narasi1[1ha-
lcrtabhQ.vopel(1.m, Trivandrum 1976. - Filliozat (1979), pp. x-xiii has discussed
!he question of authenticity.
31. Only Tibetan (TP, No 5304). 55 anuJ(ubh. The most salient features of this
text advocating full-fledged miiyavada is that a large number of its stanzas also
occurs in the Lanlciivatarasiltra (e.g. 1-4- X, 7-10; 53-55- X, 255-257 etc.)
with several interesting variants. The third verse is quoted
ha, I 02 b, as from Nagarjuna's * Niriilambastava (cf. n. 20above), the fourth also
occurs as Madhyamalcabhavasa1[11crimti, 15. It certainly deserves a separate
treatment, preferably along with the many other (if not always unambiguous)
points of agreement between early Madhyamaka and the Lanlciivatiirasutra.
32. Only Tibetan and Chinese, see EOB, I, p. 360; V. V. Gokhale, Aicsaraial(1./cam.
The H;mdred Letters, Heidelberg 1930. - The Chinese (Taisho, No. 1572)
attributes it to Aryadeva, the Tibetan (TP, 5234, siltra, and TP, 5235, vrtti)
and Atisa, Bodhimiirgrulipapaiijilcii, 324a to Nagarjuna. - If the sUtras and the
V[tti have the same author (which is most likely the case), and the quotation of
9 in the vrtti (see W. Liebenthal, Satlciirya in der Darstellung seiner
buddhistischen Gegner, Stuttgart-Berlin 1933, p. 25) is not a late interpolation it
cannot possibly have been composed by Nagarjuna or Aryadeva. Liebenthal,
loc. cit., instead suggests Vasu, perhaps correctly. See also Robinson
( 1967), p. 33. - A new edition by Mr. Holten Pind will appear in lndislce
Studier V.
33. See Nakamura (1977), p. 78, and May (1979), p. 481 who summarizes some
15
thastuti,
34
Kiiyatrayastotra,
35
Narakoddharastava,
36
Niruttarastava,
37
Van-
danastava,
38
DharmasaT[lgraha,
39
Dharmadhatugarbhavivarar;za,
40
*Eka-
slokoJastra,
41
lsvarakartrtvanirakrti>
4 2
Sattvaradhanastava,
43
*Upayahrda-
of the arguments against the authenticity of the Akutobhayii. - In my opinion
the same Sanskrit original must be supposed behind the Tibetan version
(TP, No. 5229) and the Chinese, i.e. ZhOng liln (Taisho, No. 1564). The latter is
quite free in its rendering of verses as well as commentary. In spite of the fact
that there is a good Indian tradition in support ofNagarjuna as the author of
Akutobhayii (see//j, XXIII, p. 212, n. 18; WZKSO, VII, p. 37; Bodhimiirgatli-
papaftjikii, 324 b; Akutobhayii, 114a, etc.) I consider it spurious, not only
because its prose compares rather poorly with that of the svavrttis to VP, SS
and VV but especially because Aryadeva's Catui;Jataka, VII, 9 is quoted ad
MK, XXVII, 24, in the Tibetan version as well as in the Chinese (so correct
Robinson's remark ( 1967), p. 31 that X XVI I, 25 has >>no counterpart in the
Sanskrit. It must have had, not in MK but in the vrtti quoting Catui;Jataka ).
At present we must accept the obscure *Pingala to have composed the
commentary, cf. May {1979), p. 481. He was certainly not identical with
Aryadeva.
34. T P, No. 2023. Simply another recension of Paramiirthastava (CS, IV).
35. Four verses in thesragdharii metre, see A. von Stael Holstein: 'Bemerkungen zum
Trikayastava', Bulletin de I'Acadimie imperiale des scienm dr St.Pttersbourg, XI ,
pp. 837-835; G. N. Roerich, The Blue Annals, Calcutta 1949, pp. 1-2; D. S.
Ruegg (1969), p. 49 . ._Ascribed to Niigiirjuna injnanasrimitra'sSiikarasiddhi
iastra, p.503,butthetrikaya-cloctrine is hardlycompatiblr with th<'kayadvaya of
60; RA, II I, I 0, 12. Moreover the style is very loose, rather unlike
Nagarjuna. - Several extracts injRAS ( 1906) , pp. 943-977.
36. I have edited and translated this hymn AO, XL, pp. 146-155. - It has nothing
to do with Nagarjuna. (Corr(s:enda: 4c,yas; 6a, riufha; 15a, raja.- Prof. de
Jong kindly makes the following suggestions: I a, read daridrya?; 2b, is anatha
0
an old corr1.1ption 4, cf. Dharmasamuccaya, XIII, 13; 13c, seems
corrupt. rajaha'll me tada manas?) .
37. Only Tibetan (TP, No. 2021 ). verses, too poor to be
38. Only Tibetan (TP, No. 2027). Also eight poor verses.
39. Cf. Murti (1960), p. 91, n. 5. Though certainly a Mahayana t<'xtthere is
nothing particularly Nagarjunian about it.
40. TP, No. 5602. - Discussed and [econstructed into Sanskrit by S. K. Pathak,
IHQ, XXXIII , pp. 246-249. Cf. BV, 59-63 (note).
41. A literal version of the Chinese (Taisho, No. 1573) is found in L. de La Vallee
Poussin, Cata/4gue of the Tibetan Manuscripts from Twr-lluanK in the India Offu:e
library, London 1962, No. 595; ran gino bo nid myi rtag 11 dt no bono bo myed II
ran bbn no bo nid myed pas II de phyir ston dan myi rta.s: .s:suias 11.
42. Also. called Vij'}Or ekakartrtvanirakara'!am. Discussed and by G.
16
Chemparathy: 'Two early Buddhist refutations of the existence ofiSvara as
the creator of the universe', WZKSO, XXII-XIII, pp. 85-100 (with ref.).
Text and translation also in H. C. Gupta (transl.), Papers ofTh. Stcherbatsky,
ya,
44
*
45
Dhannadhatustava,
46
Yo.J?aratnamala,
4 1
etc.
Calcutta 1969, pp. 3-16.
43. Nine verses in Tibetan (TP, No 20 17) and Sanskrit (tasantatilakii ) edi ted by S.
Levi under name: 'Autour CCXV, pp. 264-
66.- According to the Tibetan colophon (which ascribes it to Nagarjuna) it is
a bsdus pa of a part of Bodhisattuapz!aka call ed lshva chu lr.lun. - The style of this
nice little hymn recalls more than anyone else.
44. There is a Chinese version (Taisho, No. 1632) ' retranslated' into Sanskrit by
G. Tucci, Pre-Dinnaga Buddhist texts on logic from Chinese sources, Baroda 19.29. -
Its authenticity was impeached by H. Ui, c[ Nakamura ( 1977), p. 85. - At
least two circumstances render its genuineness dubious in my mind: It
appears unlikely that Nagarjuna, whose predilection for a rguing merely by
way of prasan.ga is well- known, should recommend conventional rules of
Jebate in order to vindicate the Dharma. And again, why does the
never figure in the subsequent Svatantrika-Priisangika contro-
versy in which its tenets would certainly have entitled it to play a decisive role
ifautlwntic? If, on the other hand, we that it fell into oblivion in India
at an early date it is quite possible that Nagiirjuna composed it from a desire
to defend the Saddharma (loc.cit., 23b 19-20), i.e. on the smzwrti-level (cf.
ibid., 25a 4 If. where a saryadvaya-thcory is implicit}. Moreover we here find
tht same disdainful attitude towards ultda usually motivated by various kleias
(ibid., 23b 6fT. Here the purvapak!a is, of course, rhetorical).
45. Sec the arguments advanced by Ramanan ( 1966), p. 34 (with n. 55).
16. Extant in Tibetan, I 01 verses (TP, No. 2010) and Chinese, 87 verses (Taisho,
No. 1675). They are not different works (as Nakamura, op.cit. , p. 84
apparently thinks), the Chinese being merely a free version.- Discussed and
paraphrased by D. S. Ruegg: 'Le Dharmadhatustava de Nagiirj una', E'tudes
TibitaiTzeS didiies a Ia Mimoire de Marcelle La lou, Paris I 97 I. pp. 448-471) q. V.-
It is attributed to Nagiirjuna by Bhavya, quoting 91-96 and 101 (op.cit., 358a
and 361 a). It must also be noticed that several siitras asserting the (xistence
of dharmadhatu or as nirya, dhruua, siva and i(iivala ( cf. CS, I I, 22)
are also known from quotations in Niigarjuna's SS. In this stava (or slotra ) we
also find a prima facie 'positive ontology': is niyatastlzana (I),
sa'!lsiirahelu (2) ' anutpanna, aniruddha (8)' prabhiisvara, viiuddha (9)) sara ( 15)) b(ja
{17), anatman (24, here 'without gender' ), tlhruva (35) etc. It is not merely
iiinya (22).- It would be a glaring inconsistency fort he authorofMK, SS, VV
etc. to express On the other hand I do not think we
can exclude that Nagarjuna wrote this hymn saTflvrtital;, or neyiirtha (cf. CS,
I II, 57) with the motive sattvavatarata& ( cf. CS, II, 21 -22).
17. See most recently P. Kumar (ed. ), Nagarjuna's Yogaratnamiilii, Delhi 1980. It is
a collecti on of verses dealing with various matters such as uaiikara(la ,
viduelakara(la, piiacikara'!a, iiveiavidhiina, vandhyaputrajanma, dipena
kiir;ikara'!a and similar whimsical- not to say criminal - devices which in the
opinion ofNiigiirjuna would certainly secure their author a place of honour in
:\vici. - Worthy of a more serious interest are the extracts from Rasaratnakara
17
T he fact that my desire to treat all the works ascribed to Nagar-
juna in one way or another - xa'ta 'tTJV UATJV o{ A.6yoL Ct:TtaL'tT)'tEOL
- has thus made the present work rather wide in its scope, does,
needless to say, inevitably entail that numerous details or points of
minor significance are tacitly passed by. This could not be other-
wise. Nobody could be more aware of how much still remains to be
done by future research than I am. However, I may say that I have
done my best to clarify, or at least to indicate all points affording
genuine problems, textual or philosophical. For misunderstandings
and omissions I can, of course, only crave the reader's indulgence.
2) A pre1iminary summary
It will be convenient for the reader when studying the texts and for
the editor when annotating them, if I anticipate the results of t he
detailed analysis of each of the genuine texts and provide a synthe-
tic survey of t he religious and philosophical persuasions
of Nagarjuna.
edited by P. C. Ray, A Calnuta vul. II , pp. 3-
*17. The author is an alrhemist with a hiJ.:h upiniun uf his sanC'd vucation
( Ill , 4 ): prajnnparamitiz nii itha.ramayt Mlapnt pra ,(ufilqtflm I nnmnn tik!'!amukha'!i
raJmdram nmala'!l II. Ptrhaps this lint which apparently does
not belong to the Rasaratnizkara hut rathu to tht' KnkJapu[a (sometimes
ascribed to Nagarjuna, cf. Tucci, op.cit. , p. 214) reveals the true identity of
this namesake: iriiailaparvatasthiiyi .siddho nagarjuno mahan I sarvasattvopalr.ari ca
II (ibid., p. *12).- On Rasaratnakara cf. also M. Eliade,
Yoga: Unsterblichktit und Freiheit, Frankfurt 1977, p. 430; Traiu, p. 383.
The remaining works ascribed to Nagarjuna are mainly sadhanas etc. or
other texts the for m or content of which, at least from a first perusal, appear
too insipid and unworthy of the author of the thirteen works I consider
genuine.
48. Lamotte, Vima/akirtinirdeia, pp. 40-51 and May, TP, l.IV, pp. 339342 (cf.
18
Hooogirin, Chugan, p. 474) have attempted to summarize 'Ia position du
Madhyamika' in six fundamental theses, or essential elements, q.v.- As many
of Nagarjuna's authentic works have not been taken into account full justice
has not been done to the ethical, epistemological and psychological
( religious) aspects of his thought, nor has an attempt to demonstrate the
inherent unity of these aspects been made. In my I take it for granted
that a philosopher faces four fundamental problems: the ontological, the
epistemological, the psychological and the ethical. This division reflects a
distinctly Occidental approach, which, historically speaking, ultimately
l"ltt lwst starting point for such an expos1t10n is the theory of
r"" t nrt hs (saryadvaya): a relati ve or conventional truth (sa1J!vrti-
.. ,, ,, 1 which serves as the means for obtaining the absolute or
truth (paramarthasarya).
49
' ' ' l"lu ult imate goal of all endeavours is the summum bonum of
. , ... sdf and of others: abolition of rebirth, or Ni rval)a.
50
It implies
tlw .rttainment of buddhahood, or a double body (kqyadvaya) .
51
I '"' may be considered from four angles:
I 1 Ontolo.t!,ical!J: All phenomena (dharma ) are empty (Siinya) since
tlwy lack own-being (svabhava) inasmuch as they, empirically
.111<1 logically, only occur in mutual dependence (pratiryasamut-
f"mnn ). s 2
.'t FpiJirmological!J: The ultimate truth (tattva) is the object of a cogni-
tton wi thout an object (advayqjiiana),
51
thus onl y an object meta-
phorically speaking (upadaya prajiiapti).
54
l o l'vtlwlo.P,ical!J: It is the abolishment of all the passions (klda),
p imarily desire (raga), hatred and delusion (moha).
55
Ftluml!J: It implies freedom from the bonds of karma but subjec-
t tun to the altruistic imperatives of compassion
56
h.tils from Xenocrates's tripartition of philosophy into logic, cosmology and
rthits (according to Sextus Empiricus, Ativ. Malhematicos, VII, 16). I am
ou inly indebted to the clear exposition by H. Heffding, Filosojiske Problemtr,
K uhl nhavn 1902, (English translation: The problems of philosophy, New York,
I and Den rrunnesktlige Tanke, tien.s Former og dens Opgaver, Kebenhavn
1'110 (German translation: Der 71U'IUchliche Gedanlce, stint Formtn und seint
:lu/.l:ahen, Leipzig 1911). These two are not at all outdated: the latter may
rvon he claimed to be one of the most substantial philosophical works ever
wrillln in Danish. - Below (pp. 249-277) I have set myself to describe the
1111ity of Madhyamaka vistarer;a.
r .. Nagiirj una the theory of satyadvaya is above all a pedagogical device. - I
collected the most instructive texts on this theme in a paper: ' Atisa's
lrotrotluction to the Two Truths, and its sources', in}IP, IX, pp. 161-214 .
... . '1.. 104; RA, I, 4 .
. ,. I<\ . Ill, 12- 13; 60.
\ \ . 'l2; MK, XXIV, 18; 19 etc.
. t t.\. II , 3; Ill, 37-39; YS, I; MK, XXV, 24; RA, 1, 98 etc .
. , , \IK. XXII, II ; XXIV," 18; cf. May ( 1959), p. 161 , n. 494 (ref.).
"" n: MK, XVII I, 5; XXV, 2 .
. ,, t : \ , I . I (with ref.); MK, XXVII, 30.
19
\\'it h this scheme in mind I trust the reader will be able to
1111rrpnt each of Nagarjuna's statements within their proper con-
I r- \I.
l.ikt Indian hagiographers in general the ancient anonymous
.< 111 hors of Nagarjuna legends did not share our curiosi ty to under-
.r.uul the personality of this remarkable individual. So for a por-
11.1\'.d of the man we are referred to the conclusions we may draw
II 1111 observations of his genuine works.
66
< >nly blurred outlines of a shadowy figure are still visible, to my
. ,,. at least. - Nagarjuna was first of all an ardently devoted
\l.all:-ayanist and a staunch propagator of his faith (especially evi-
.J, aan d by his Siitrasamuccaya, Catul]stava and Ratnavali).
67
His
was extensive and not confined to the various branches of
lluddlaist lore.
6
M Though he even attempted to make proselytes of
1\e..Junin ( Vaidalyaprakara1Ja) ,
69
his main concern, however,
'' For uhiographical accounts ofNiigiirjuna, see Ramanan ( 1966), pp. 25-30;
1\. .S. Murty, Nagarjuna, New Delhi 1978, pp. 38-67; M. Walleser, The lift of
Tibetan and Chinese sources, Delhi 1979 (rep.); May, Chiigan. p.
1711 (r<'f.); E. Lamoue, Der Verfasser des Upadda und seine Quellcn,
dtr Akademit dtr Wisunschaftm in Giillingen. I. Philolo,l!,isch-historisch,
A/l!fr. 1973, Nr. 2, pp. 3-5. One can only subscribe ro the Belgian master's
<tattmfnt that: Dieser Mischung an sagenhaften Oberlieferu'lgen, in denen
sirh untaschiedlos Wahres, Falsches und Zweifelhaftes widcrspicgeln, steht
dir modrrnc; Kritik ratios gegeniiber. Sie hat nur ei nige Arl>t:itshypothescn
'urhrinl{<'n konnen. (ibid., p. 4 ). Accordingly 1 shall only take these traditions
inw account when they coincide with the evidence, howe\'ff scanty, to be
from the author's own writings, above all RA.
<.i Tu he sure, the strange question posed by A. K. Warder, ' Is Niigiirjuna a
\lithayii nist ', in M. Sprung (ed.), The Problem of Two Truths in /Juddhism and
r,dnnta, Dordrecht 1973, pp. 78-88 has been rejoined by May, p. 4 73.
On<' may add that the ( MK, Vll, 34: X Vll, 33; XX Ill ,
B) <loes not occur in the ancient agamas (cf. Traiti, p. 370, n I).
\IK, Xlll, 8 is inspired by Kiziyapaparivartm(cf. Traiti. p.l227). and MK,
\:\:IV, 8 by Akjayamatinirdtia {cf. P. L. Vaidya, Etudes sur Ar_vad,va (/son
t 'ntu!dntaka, Paris 1923, p. 21, n. 6) . So even in MK alone the Mahayana
harkground is indisputable.
'" It is noteworthy that on the l!)'llllahara-level Nagarjuna cndors<'s polymathy,
1: BS, 79, 103.
1
'
1
\\'t have no reason to believe that such attempts proved ,ery successful.
What ever the reason - lack of time or interest - it was left for Niigiirjuna's
most brilliant pupil Aryadeva to refute the doctrines of Siimkhya and
Vaisqika (cf. RA, 1, 61 and Lankavatiirasiitra, X, 723).
21
was to reform the dogmatic attitude (duEiparamar.fa) of Abhidharma
by propagating his conviction of the emptiness of all phenomena.
This was the scope of his fundamental work Mulamadhyamaka}(arika
and its supplements Simyatasapuui and Vigrahal!)lavartani meeting
some of the objections which inevitably rain upon a radical innova-
tor.
70
- His commitment to the cause of instructing the lay public
had several outcomes: Suhrllekha and Ratnavali are, each in its own
way, introductions to Buddhism. They are addressed to a ki ng.
71
His *Bodhisarrzbhara[ka] and Bodhicittavivara7Ja are manuals in the theory
and practice of Mahayana for the benefi t of monks and laymen.
These facts tally well with the tradition that Nagarjuna had close
connections at court and held responsible monastic offices.
72
It is
thus qui te probable that he played a decisive role in the foundation
of monasteries etc. in NagarjunakOQQa.
73
- Of his character we only
catch occasional glimpses of self-assurance a nd sarcasm as well as
humility and compassion. His writings are, on the whole, characte-
rized by a lucid and elegant diction, thus differing significantly from
those e.g. of his pupil Aryadeva.
74
70. SS and VV are, as Candrakirti observes {cf. 1/j, XXIII, p. 177, n. 4),
elaborations of respectively MK, VII, 34 and I, 3. It is in fact only in this
perspective that the motives behind the raised and the topics
introduced become quite intelligible. Along with and, possibly, VS these
writings are intended to establish the ontological and epistemological tenets
of Mahayana by way ofyukti.
71. Perhaps a Satavahana, see E. Lamotte, Histoire du bouddhisme iltdint,desorigiNs a
/'ire Louvain 1958, p. 379; K. S. Murty {1978), pp. 62-65. Also S.
Dietz, Der Au tor des Suhrllekha, to appear in the Procttdings oftht Csoma eft
Kiirii.r Symposium, Velm/Wien, Sept. 13th-19th, 1981.
72. Ibid.
73. Ibid., p. 64; K. K. Murthy, Nagarjunalr.orJ4a: A Cultural Study, Delhi 19?7. -
References to caityas, stiipas, viharas, buddha-images etc. are found RA, I I ,
77; III, 3134; 39, 41, 92; IV, 10-11, 17; V, 65; BS, I ll, 11 3, 136, 150-151. It
would certainly prove worthwhile to compare this evidence closely with the
archaeological remains of NagarjunakoQQa and Amaravati. Also BS, 79, 103
(iilpa).
74. His verses are usually simple as far as syntax, metre, vocabulary a nd style are
concerned. They differ distinctly from that of a predecessor such as Asvagho,a,
or a successor such as Aryadeva or Matrce!a. His prose {VV, VP, SS) seems
modelled on that of Pataiijali's MahiJhhiljya { cf. L. Renou, Hirtoire de Ia lartgw
samkrite, Paris 1956, p. 135; K. Bhattacharya t l al., The Dialectical method of
Nagarjuna, Delhi 1978, p. 8) and differs totally e.g. from that of the Arthaiartra
of Kausilya (cf. loc.cit., p. 136).
22
111 the srquel I shall deal with the thirteen genuine works one by
I IIII" , first six mainly dialectical works ( MK, SS, VV, VP, VS
.uul t h<n the remai ning chiefly didactic texts (CS, PK, SS, BV,
Sl . ;md BS), thus roughly followi ng the prescripdve di stinction
lwtWI'Cn y ukti and agama.
Thr reader may fi nd it convenient in advance to consult my essay
1111 tht unity of Nagarjuna's thought (below pp. 249-277).
23
I. Mulamadhyamakakarika prajiia
nama (MK)
As indicated by its very title, 'The fundamental verses on the
Middle (Way)' called 'Wisdom',
75
the large number of important
commentaries by renowned teachers, and, thirdly, by its very
thorough and radical treatment of the cardinal concepts (dharma ) of
Buddhist systematic soteriology (Abhidharma), MK may suitabl y
be labelled the chif d'reuvre among Nagarjuna's dialectical tracts.
76
For a correct understanding of MK three main issues require
clarification, viz. the subject-matter and composition of the work, its
aim a nd, thirdly, the method employed for its achievement.
a) Let us first review the twenty-seven chapters ( 148 verses) of the
Sanskrit lexlus receptus
77
compared with the recensions now only
available within the body of four Indian commentaries transmitted
in Tibetan versions.
711
Each prakaraT)a lorms a critical rxamination
(parikia) ol:
75. Al so known as . utra, .Wadhynmikni l!strn (c[ May ( 1959), p. 7) or,
especially among Tibetans, rt.ra ha ;,r rnh, Miila-prajna, or Mu/aprakara!Ja
(e.g . . S'imlatirsnptativrtti, TP. No. 5268, Yafo/. 309a, 31Za, 325a, 329a etc.).-
The standard t'dit ion is that of La Vallee Poussm (see n. 7 above),
supplemented by de J ong, 'Texrcritical notes on the Prasannapada', IIJ,
X X, pp. 25-59, 217-252. - As no satisfactory English version of the kari kas
alont' exists one must refer to those incorporated in one of the commentaries
(cf. May ( 1959), pp. 8-10; n. 6-7 above), or R. Gnoli, I.e dtl
cammino di mtu.o ... Torino 1961, pp. 39-139. A Danish version (with Sanskrit)
in my Nagarjunasjilosofiske V.rrker, Kebenhavn 1982.
76. Along with SS, VV, VP, VS and M:K may, to adopt tlw convenient
Tibetan 'classification tripartite, qui est a Ia fois furmcll .. ('I
(D. S. Ruegg, loc.cit., p. 449) be said to fi>rm the in which it is its
'backbone'. The hymns, of course, form the tilt' rl'rnaining texts
the kathirkiryn (i.e. expositions, or sermons, main ly. hut nor txclusively,
).
77. As edited by La Va llee Poussin with the addenda ofJ. W. v. above n.
75.
78. S(:C n. 6 above for the list. - The titles of the twenty-sewn pmlr.araiJaS are
identi cal in Akutobhayii, Buddhapirlitavrtti, Pmjnapradlpa and Prajnapradipavrui,
and they have been adopted here.
24
l
r
I
I I
Il l
IV
v
VI
VI I
VIII
IX
X
XI
\:II
\:111
XIV
XV
XVI
\: VII
\:VIII
XIX
XX
XXI
XXII
XXIII
XXIV
XXV
XXVI
XXVII
The condi tions (pra9'aya ), in 16 verses
Change, or movement (gatiigataganryamfina), in 25 verses
The sense-fields (iiyatana), in 9 verses
The skandhas, or aggregates (skandha ), in 9 verses
The elements (dhiitu), in 8 verses
Affection and the (person) affected (riigarakta), in I 0
verses
Origination, duration and decay (utpiidasthitibhanga), m
34 verses
Action a nd agent (karmakaraka), in 13 verses
Grasper and grasping (upadatrupiidiina), in 12 verses
Fire and fuel (agnindhana), in 16 verses
Birth and death (saT{lSara), in 8 verses
Suffering (dubkha ), in 10 verses
The real (tattva), in 8 verses
Combination (sa1[1Sarga ), in 8 verses
Bei ng and non-being (bhiiviibhiiva), in II verses
Bondage and release (bandltanamolqa), in 10 verses
Action and its results (karmaphala), in 33 verses
The self and phenomena (iitmadharma), in 12 verses
Time (kala), in 6 verses
Cause and effect (httuphala), in 24 verses
Coming to be and passing away (saT[! bhaiJavibhava), in 21
verses
The Buddha (tathagata), in 16 verses
T he perverted views (viparyiisa), in 20 verses
The noble truths (aryasa9'a), in 40 verses
Extinction (nirvaiJa), in 24 verses
The twelve sectors (dvadaianga ), in 12 verses, and
The dogmas (duJi), in 30 verses.
Though it remains uncertain whether these titles are aut hentic or
not, they are anyhow appropriate and ancient.
79
As to the wording
79 Prasannapada differs thus: II : gatagata
0
; III: cnk1uradi"; VII: sarzuk[la
0
; XI:
piirvaparako!i
0
; XIII: su'!lskara
0
; XV: svabhava
0
; XVIII : atma
0
; XX: samgn-o. -
As far as the number of verses is concerned Prasannapada III, 7 (cf. //j, XX, p.
40), XII, 6 and XXIII, 20 are absent in the four other commentaries. So
unless it is supposed that Candrakirti had access to better Mss than his
predecessors- which I find unlikely- these three verses as we'll as the titles of
25
"' llw Hll 'Trsl's, it is, if not identical, at least very close to the text
" II ldt tlH" hand of its author (or his Scribe).
80
tht tighl chapters mentioned are probably Candrakirti's own innovations.
Clearly it inOuenced the separate Tibetan version of the karikas (TP, No.
5224), q.v. - I append some remarks on a few karikas. Comparing the
commentaries there only seems to be one really significant v.l. (in XXVII, 19
d): - I, 3:/zi is used as a technical term to indicate something which is logically
or empi rically obvious, in no need of further elaboration, cf. I, 7; I I, 6, I 9, 22;
III, 2; VI, 3, 4; VII, 9, 10, 28, 30; VIII, 7,8; IX, 2; XI, I; XII, 2, 7,8, 10; XV,
2, 3, 4, 8; XVII, 22; XVIII, 7, 10; XIX, I; XX, 14, 19; XXI, 3, 4, 5, 14, 15;
XXIII, I, 4, 23, 24; XXI V, 21 , 34; XXV, 4,5,6, 8, 12; XXVI,6; XXVII, 3,
6, 9, 10, 15. It provides the sa'llvrti-basis for arguments paramiirthatalJ. - For
pratyayiidqu cf. XXIII, 9 and Pal}. Ill, 3, 37.- I, 4 cf. XXI, 6.- I, 5kila (as in
AbhidAarmakoiahhii.va etc.) indicates an opponent's opinion only provisionally
acceptable, cf. RA, IV, 50. - II, I tiivat always indicates the first of two
(equally absurd) alternatives. - II, 2d Buddhapalita readyasya for
which Bhavya rightly criticizes him.- III, 6d Buddhapilita takes It as lava
(hardly convincing).- VII, I 3d forjiite cf. niruddht I, 9d. - VII, 29c perhaps
ladaioa for tadaiuatrt?- VII, 31 cd same dutiinla in the apparatus to Molzabhiirola,
XII, 173, 27, q. v.- XII, 5d Candrakirti has and in 8d ( = 7d) kalhom.
The other commentators vice versa. - X I I I, 6c read lcasyiilha for kosya cid. The
Mss readlcasyiirtha. In MK, X VI, 6 and XXVI, 2 alha is also left untranslated
in Tib.! - XX, 7d readyac for_yai. - XXI, 7b all Tibetan versions point to
0
syapi rather than sya.rli. - (X X I, 8 Candrakirti the order of piidas ab
and cd against the previous commentators (Prasannapadii, p. 417, I is a
quotation from Alculohhayii. 91 b 3!).- XXI, I I nearly verbatim Lankiivalara-
siitra, X, 36, q.v. - XXI, 12 identical with XV, 14.- XXIII, Sed
= XVII , 33cd. - XXIII, IOc CandralUrti has protitya Jubham but the
previous commentators readpratityiJ.Jubha1[1. - XXIII, lie again CandraiUrti
has patityiJ.Jubha1[1 against pralitya iubha1[1. - XXIII, 13cd Candrakirti has
niinilya'fl againstna nilya'fl XXII I, 14a CandraiUrti
hasanitye nityam, in bas in 13b, in canityam against anitye 'nityam in a, in bas in
13 d and in c niinityam, in d perhaps (or for na
X X IV, 18 Professor Wayman's interpretation of this important
verse injAOS, LXXXIX, pp. 141 ff. does not make any sense.- XXV, 13b,
14b CandralUrti reads leatham but the previous commentators read yadi ( cf
lib, 12b). - XXVII, 19d CandralUrti's seems to be a gloss. The
previous commentators have rtag par g,ur no, i.e. JiJ.Jvala&. (The wording of the
karikas included in the various commentaries was also discussed by S.
Yamaguchi, ChiJcan Buklr..JO Ro-Mo, Tokyo 1965, pp. 3-28, which was,
however, not available to me.)- I have edited MK anew in lndislct Studitr II.
80. An account of the textual transmission of MK etc. (along the lines, mutatis
mutaru/i.r, of e.g. L. D. Reynolds & N. G. Wilson, Scribe.s aru/ Scllolars, Oxford
I 974, or H. Hunger tt al, Die ur tlllliknt Liuralllr wuJ tkr Bibtl,
Zurich 1961) would certainly prove highly instructive. However, the paucity
26
Each chapter is mainly concerned with (but by no means strictl y
confined to) one of these basic topics:xt
of sources, at least as far as early Madhyamika is concerned, warrants no
such attempt. Still we may note that at least the karikas, then as now, were
meant to be learnt by heart, c( suiidhyaya, PK, S. But naturally in the case of
sutras, commentaries etc. the oral transmission was supported by a written,
c( RA, I I I, 38: thub dban gsun dan dts byun ba 'i II g{un rnams bri dan .t:le.gs bam ni II
cha dag dan smyu gu dan II snon du :t:ro ba sbyin par II; cf. Traiti, p. 752;
UpalipariP(cchiz, p. 95.- Our knowledge of how books (pustaka ) were copied,
corrected, circulated, preserved and quoted is regrettably fragmentary. -
However, the fact that MK was transmitted virtually without variants or
corruptions for many centuries within the body of different commentaries the
earliest of which, Akutobhayii, is hardly more than a century younger than the
Mula, must surely inspire us with confidence in the textus receptus. Though I
hclieve that this rule on the whole also applies to the twelve other authentic
works it is by no means universal: Texts such as Bhavasa'!lkrimti and
.\fahiiyiinaui'[liikii are in many cases so contaminated or hopelessly corrupt
that we can never hope to reconstruct an archetype but only, at best, one
intelligible recension among others in their own right.
II I. Here I confine myself to a summary of the observations set forth at length in
the introduction to my Danish translation of MK (cf. also IIJ, XXIII , pp.
MK is addressed to monks thoroughly conversant with the
.'\hhid harm a of the most influential of all com temporary schools: Sarvastiva-
da. Other less influential schools are occasionally introduced and criticized
(d. May ( 1959), p. Ill, n. 278). It would be misleading, as some modern
authorities have done, to claim that Nagarjuna also had non-Buddhists
( S;irJtkhya, in mind, though, of course, many of hi s arguments a/so
irulirrrtl y - apply to them (as Bhavya more than other commentators is
ll<"Vt"r loth tu point out). The purpose of MK (SS, VV) is to train
Ahhidh;irmikasinpraJnnptiramitii, i.e. to make them realizcpudgaladhannanair-
ni"!Ya hy tht Budrlha's doctrine of pratityasamutpiida in the
sense of iull)'atii through cintii and bhtivana. (The first aspect of prajna, iruti,
Nagarjuna treats in SS, Sl. t"t<" .) The twt"nt y-seven chapters are arranged in a
number of'clusters' : 1-VII refute the fundamental notions of Abhidharma: I-
ll those of causality and movement, Ill-V sarval]lyad asti, viz. skandhiidi, VI
sahabhizva, VII sa'!l!krtalakta'la, with an excursion against Saf!!mitiya. VIII-X
refute various aspects of pudgalaviitk. XI-XIII may have been intended to
refute the notion ofbhiiua in a more general sense. XIV-XVII elaborate II, VI
and specific Buddhist notions not discussed previously. XVIII is in a sense the
culmination ofMK. Here for once, the author reveals his own opinion about
tattva and tattviivaJiira. XIX-XXI abruptly bring back the criticism of
Sarvi.stivida. They elaborate I. XXII-XXV show that all Buddhist
concepts arc empty i11 tlu ultim4te sense. Not even the most sacred is spared.
Thus, at first, the final chapters XXVI-XXVII dealing with traditional
Buddhist ideas in a relatiw sense may seem to form a,curious anticlimax. In my
27
a) Specific Abhidharmic or canonical Buddhist concepts
(dlumM): I, III, IV, V, VII, XVII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI ,
XXVII.
b) Various aspects of the belief in the existence of atman: VIII,
IX, X, XII , XVI, XVIII, XXII.
c) Common-sense notions underlying all realistic (' positivistic')
views concerning dlumnas and atman: II, VI, XI, XIII , XIV, XV,
XlX, XX, XXI.
scope ofNagarj una's criticism is not to disavow the practical
value of traditional Buddhist concepts but to demonstrate that the
right attitude to be adopted towards them is one of pragmati c rela-
tivism and not one of stubborn dogmatic a bsolutism.
112
He wants to
reform, not to reject Buddhist tradition.
113
y) The procedure adopted for this purpose- as Nagarjuna informs
us in stray verses in MK
114
- begins with the relentless demand for
own-being (svabhiwa):
115
To be real (sat) implies bring perma nent
(nirya), independent numerically one (tka) and self:
created (svay a'!lkrta). However, neither experience nor logic war-
rants our assumption of the existence of real <:' ntitics (bh(wa) . Hence
Niigiirjuna has thl game in his hands when showing the absurdities
opini on the author append .. d t hem wit h a very specifi c pur pose, namely in
vrdcr to show thr orthodoxy uf hi s fim.ynviida: One can only underst and thc
dviidaiiiri.s:a and the warnings against O!!(is by means of i iinyatii.
82. Thus, according t o :>l iiA"arjuna, th< Saddharma was
:VIK. XX\' II, 30. Similarly XIII, 8; CS, I, 23; I ll, 52 etc. All df!!is
d ue:- toastill!nastiti (cf. MK, XV, 10) they can only be abolished by realizing
their paraspnriiptlcfiki siddhi. or iunyatii.
83. Not only is Nagii rjuna intent on bei ng an orthodox Buddhist ( BS. I :10) hut in
the cases where he writes according 10 iigama ancl wt arc abk r., dwck his
use of sources he provrs tO represent them ver y mr ticulousl y, sc< , above all ,
SL, BS and SS passim.
84. :\ nu mber of ' axiomatic aphorisms' scattered more o r k ss at rarodom in M K
indi ca te t he logical premises from which rcducts his opponent to
an absurd position: MK, I, I, 3: II. I, 2 1; IV, 6, 8, 9; V, R; VI, 4; VI I. 34; IX,
5; X, 10, I I, 16; X I, I; X Ill, I , 8; X IV, 4cd , 5, 6. 7; :\ \' . I . 2, 10; X:\ I. 6, I 2;
XXII, l 2, 15, 16: XXIII, I ; XXI V, 8, 9, 10, I I. They were latnlo rmulised as
the fo ur mahiiht tu ( cf. CS, I, 13; Ill, 9 not es) ; infra , p. 273.
85. On this term May ( 1959), p. 124, n. 328; de j ong: ' The problem of the
absolute in the Madhyamaka school' , JIP, 11. pp. 2 3.
28
itnplicit (prasanga) in all the claims of a realistic attitude. :\1oreover,
si nce posit ive existence is unfounded, non-existence (abhaua), i.e. the
negation or destruction of existence (bhiwa),l$
6
must, of course, also
IH" unwarranted. Thus Nagarjuna proceeds along the middle way
(madhyama pratipad) empty of extremes towards his intangible goal:
r he unorigination of all phenomena.
117
86. RA, I' 72: vinafill pratipakfad va syad astitvasya niistita ...
87. E. g. the initial stanzas ofMK; RA, IV, 86. Foranutpada in Mahayana sutras,
Vimalakirtinirdeia, pp. 408-413; Hobogirin, s. v. Chudo.
, ,
II. Sunyatasaptati (SS)
I
This text is in 73 verses (originally composed in the aryii' metre like
VV and PK) accompanied by a commentary from the author's own
h"nd (svavrtti). It is ascribed to Nagarjuna by Bhavya,
88
Candra-
kirti,89 and Santarak$ita.
90
Testimonies anterior to these are found
in Alcutobhaya
91
and *DvadaJadvaralca.
92
Later on it is also referred to
e. g. by Atisa.
93
I have seen no references or allusions to the svavrtti, but as its
prose-style (i.e., to be sure, in Tibetan) is quite similar to that of the
mmmentaries on VV and VP, there is no good reason to impeach
its authenticity.
94
The doctrine and scope of SS do not differ from that of MK in
wmparison with which it may be said to form an appendix,
95
as it
partly summarizes its partly introduces new topics and
1laborates old ones.
96
Like MK it reveals no strict underlying struc-
H8. Ratnaprat!ipa, 33a: dbu ma'i rtsa ba rtsod pa II ston nid bdun cu rigs drug cu II
rnam par 'thag pa Ia sogs pas II dnos moms slge med ies par bya II.
H9. Madhyamakaiiutrastuti (ed. de j ong), 10: d[J/VD Sutrasamuccaya'll parilcatha'll
Ratniivali'll Sa'l'Stuti abhyasyaticira'll ca Siutragaditas ta{l Karilca yatnataP, I
YulcryiJicl!YOm atha $Q.[!ilca'!' sa VidalaiJIID'l' Sunyatiuaptati'!' ya ciuav atha Vigrahasya
rae ita IJr<i vartani', tam a pi II ...
90. 58 is quoted Madhyamakai41Jikaravrtti, 72b.
91. 19-21 are quoted with indication of source 90b.
92. 8 is quoted - very freely- from the Saptati.fiutra I60a 22, and 19 without
indication of source 164b 27.
93. BodhipatluJpratlipa (ed. Eimer}, I. 205.
94. Cf. my remarks on his prose, above n. 74. It differs markedly from that of e.g.
AlcutobluJya, tediously dull as it often is, or AlcjoraiatalcoVftli (cf. above n. 32),
already more condensed in its style. On the other hand it is very close to that
ofBuddhapalita.-The verses ofSS werearyas, as Parahita states ad 18-20,
32, 36-37, 54-55, 63 and 68-69.
95. Cf. above n. 70.- Having stated that SS and VV both are dbu ma las 'phros pa
Candrakirti goes on quoting MK, VII, 32 and adds that ston pa nid bdun cu pa
ni dt La brgal ba dan Lon btab par gyur pa'i phyir de Las 'phros pa yin par mlion no
( YulctisastilcQvrtti, TP, No. 5265, Yafol. 2b). This is, incidentally, also the
Sunyatiisaptativivflti, TP, No. 5269, Yajol. 381 b, q.v.
96. Thus 29 is a summary of MK, XIX. 33-44 elaborate MK, XVII, and 45-54
31
ture of composition, but it may, as I have ventured, be divided into
at least seven paragraphs.
For the study of SS I have had the following sources at my
disposal:
97
Sigla
K Sunyatasaptatikarika, trans. by G:ion nu mchog, Gnan Dhar rna
grags and Khu lo.
TP, No. 5227, Tsafol. 27a-30b; TN, No. 3218, T sajol. 24a-26a.
v Siinyatasaplativrtti, trans. Jinamitra and Yeses sde.
TP, No, 5231, Tsa jot. 126a-138a; TN, No. 3222, Tsa jot.
116b-128b.
C Sunyatasaptativrtti, trans. Abhayakara and Dhar rna grags.
TP, No. 5268, Yajol. 305-381 b; TN, No. 3259, Yafol. 295a-
375b.
P Sii.nyatasaptativivrtti, trans. Parahita and G:ion nu mchog.
TP, No. 5269, Yajol. 381 b-425a; TN, No. 3260, Yafol. 357a-
420b.
The translations of the karikas included in C and P sometimes
differ considerably- and sometimes unhappily - from that given in
V, anci more often agree with K than with the one in V.
911
As
editions and translations of V, C and P are expected I shall confine
myself to an edition of K adding the karika version transmitted in
V. Though I have consulted C and P my translation of the kiirikiis
strictly follows the svavrtti which must, of course, remain the ftnal
supplement MK, IV. These are only the most obvious instances beyond all
doubt. - Ace. to C, 306a SS is a sa1JikftPa of MK.
97. For information about the Indian and Tibetan translators etc. I must refer to
J. Naudou, us bouddhistes kaimirims au Mo_ytn A.li' Paris 1968, passim. -
Possibly the Sanskrit text ofCandrakirti's commentary (C) is still extant, see
G. N. Roe rich, Tht Blue Annals, Calcutta 1949, p. 342. (Note that C does not
include verses 53 and 67, but P has all 73 stanzas.)
98. The variants are of some interest for the light they shed on the technique of
translating Sanskrit into Tibetan. As they hardly ever affect the sense, and a
separate edition ofC is expected I have only referred toC occasionally. P has
not been of much use for the present purpose. - V does not seem to have been
known to C and P.
32
authority in questions of interpretation.
99
Here is the briefest possible survey ofSS. It summarizes the ana-
lysis given in the introduction to my Danish rendering of the verses
with the author's own commentary and must be supplemented by
consulting the notes.
1-6: The dharmas only exist vyavaharavaJat (i.e. saTflvrtita&) asyukti
shows that paramarthatab everything is anutpanna.
7-26: All entities (bhava) are pratltyasamutpanna, oriunya. So nirvar;za
is simply anutpada.
27-32: Various aspects of bhava refuted as being relative.
33-44: Karma is also sunya accordi ng to orthodox Buddhism.
45-57: Refutation of the five skandhas, above all rupa.
58-66: avidya vanishes when it is understood, as shown, that there
really is no bhava etc. whatsoever.
67-73: Thus paramartha is simply sunyata, anutpada etc. However,
since it is not generally realized, one must resort to sarrwr!i with
sraddha in order to achieve it onesel(
100
99. See my Danish translation (based on TP, TD and TN) referred ton. 75. - I
regret that theJapanese translation (Daij"o Butten, XIV) by Ryushin Urylizu was
not accessible to me.
(I may here add that having collated K and V in TD I deemed that the
uariae lectiones, disregarding scribal errors, may be accounted for as results of
emendation and contamination. Hence they have been eliminated from the
apparatus. A similar editorial licence has clearly affected the transmission
in case of the verses of VV and Y ~ . - I have not collated the other texts in
TD.]
I 00. In my view it would be very naive to interpret the introduction ofc.g.iraddha in
SS ( c( RA, I, 46; SS, 17Sb If.) or the stress laid on uada in VV as signs of a
development in the thought ofNagarjuna. Of course, facing new charges, he
had to lend new nuances to his standpoint, but I do not think that his
fundamental belief in siinyata, once formed, ever underwent any decisive
change.
33
I
il
,
Sunyatasaptati-k3xika II
sTon pa iiid bdun cu pa'i tshig le'ur byas pa II
I. K/ V
I gnas pa'am skye 'jig yod med dam II dman pa'arn rnr1arn dan
khyad par can I
I satis rgyas 'jig rten si1ad dban gis II gsun gi yan dag dban gis min I
I gnas pa'arn skye 'jig yod rned darn II dman pa'am miiarn pa'am
khyad par can 1
I sansrgyas 'jig rten bsnad dbat1gis II gsungisyandagdbangis min 1
2. K/V
I bdag med bdag rned min bdag dan II bdag rned min pas brjod 'ga'an
rned I
I htj od bya mya nan ' das dati mtshuns II dnos po kun gyi ran bzin
ston I
I bdag med brlag nwd min bdagdar1ll bdag med min pas hrjo<.l 'ga'an
med I
I hrjod par bya ba'i chos rnams kun II mya rtan ' das mtshuns ran bzin
ston I
3. K/ V
I gan phyir di10s rnams thams cad kyi II ran b:lin rgyu rkyen tshogs pa
'am I
I so so'i dnos po thams cad Ia II yod min d e phyir stor) pa yin I
I gao phyir dnos po thams cad kyi II ran bzin rgyu rkycn tshogs pa
'am I
I so so rnams Ia ' am thams cad Ia II yod min de'i phyir ston pa yin I
34
rhc Septuagint on Emptiness
I l'hnuJ!:h the Buddhas have spoken of duration (sthiti), origination
destruction (bhanga), being (sat), non-being (asat ), low
'""'' ). moderate (sama) and excellent by force of worldl y
.. 11\Tntion (lokal!)lavalzaravaiat), [they] have not done [so] in an abso-
lnrr wnse (tattvavaiat).
: I >l'signations (abhidhana) are insignificant (na ki'!l cit) as self
,,,,11n ), non-self (anatman) and self-non-self (atmanatman) do not
'"I , I btcause] all expressible things (abhidluyabh(wa ) are, li ke Nirva-
1."' "mpty of own bei ng (svabhavaJimya).
I. Since all things all together lack substance (suabhava) ei ther in
or conditions (hetupratyaya) [or their] totality (siimagrl) or se-
l'" ltl'ly, therefore they are empty (iunya) .
I < >r, in the words of MK, XXIV, 8: dve saryt samupasritya buddhiinii'[!
dllarmadeianii: cf. YY, 28; 30-33. For vyavahiira in general, v. May ( 1959),
p. 22 1, n. 760. - Here iolcavyavahiiravaiiit = kiiryavaiat of 33, q. v.
' Thi s verseaboutta/111a (i.e. paramiirtha etc.) summarizes MK, XVIII, q.v.
I Similar reason for anutpada VY, l ; 21; MK, I; XX. - Due to the fact tha t
things lack svabhiiva they a re termed iunya, VV, passim.
35
4. K/ V
I yod phyir yod pa skye min te II med phyir med pa skye ma yin I
I chos mi mthun phyir yod med min II skye ba med pas gnas 'gag
med I
I yod pa yod phyir skye ma yi n II med pa med pa' i phyir ma yin I
I chos mi mthun phyir yod med min II skye ba med phyir gnas 'gog
med I
5. K/ V
I gao zig skyes de bskyed bya min II ma skyes pa yan bskyed by a mi n I
I skyes pa dan ni ma skyes pa'i II skye bi in pa yan bskyed bya min I
I skyes pa bskyed par bya ba min II ma skyes pa yan bskyed bya min I
I skye ba' i tshe yan bskyed bya min II skyes dan ma skyes pa yi phyir I
6. K/V
I 'bras bu yod par 'bras ldan rgyu II med de Ia 'an rgyu min mtshuns I
I yod min med pa' an min na 'gal II d us gsum rnams su 'thad rna yin I
I ' bras yod ' bras dan !dan pa' i rgyu II de rned na ni rgyu min
mtshuns I
I yod min mcd pa min na 'gal II dus gsum rnarns su'an 'thad ma yin I
7. K/ V
I gcig mcd par ni man po dan II man po med par gcig mi 'jug I
I de phyir rtcn cin ' brei ' byun ba' i II dnos po mtshan ma med pa yin I
I gcig med par ni man po dan II man po med par gcig rni 'jug I
I de phyir brten nas dnos po roams II byun ba mtshan ma med pa
yin I
4 Kb med pa : med pas NP
5 Kc skyes pa : skyed pa NP
6 Vc min : yin NP
36
I Bting (sat) does not arise si nce it exists. Non-being (asat) does
,,. .t 1 isc since it does not exist. Being and non-being (sadasat) do not
. 11 "'" dnt to [their] heterogeneity (vaidharmya). Consequently they
.j,, ""' l"ndure or vanish.
That which has been born (jata) cannot be born (notpadya), nor
. "' that which is unborn (ajata) be born. But that which is [now
.. rdl to he born (utpadyamana) Lis, in fact, partly) born (jata) [partly)
' '"' """" (ajata) [and] cannot be born (utpadya ) either.
ft . A cause (hetu) has an effect (phalavat ) when there is an effect
fdurla ). but when there is no [effect] the [cause] amounts to no
, .tllsl" (ahetu). It is inconsistent (viruddha) that [the effect) neither
nists nor does not exist. It is illogical that [the cause is active] in the
rim periods (kala).
7. Without one (eka) there are not many (aneka). Without many
r,m,.kn) one (eka) is not possible. Therefore things that arise depen-
ol.nll y (pratityasamutpanna) are indeterminable (animitta).
I. This refutes the three hypotheti cally possible subjects of origination, sal etc.
(really there arc four ko[is, see e.g. CS, Il l , 23) as does \ofK, VII, 20; CS, I, 13
rtc.
'. Refutation ofutpada as the first of the three sarrzskrtalakfa(la, cf. MK, VII , 1-2.-
This verse corresponds to Dviidaiadviiraka, 26 (Taisho, No. 1568, 167a 23-
24) which may, however, have read jatiijiitavinirmukta (cf. MK, 11, I) inpada
c.
ft . Again utpada is absurd because the notion ofhttu (i.e. toutpada) is untenabl e.
Sec: MK, XX; RA, I, 47: sahajatai ca httur ahttuko I prajnapter
apratitalvad utpallei caiva lallvatal; ll
7. Things (bhiiva) arc also empty because they cannot be indicated (animitta) in
terms of numbers (saqrkhya) since numbers also are praiityasamutpanna. Here
the concept of eka/aruka seems quite concrete, so thateJ.:a = kfa')a orparamlir)u,
cf. RA, I, 67-71.
37
8. K/ V
I rten ' byun yan lag bcu gnis gao II sdug bsnal ' bras can de rna skyes I
I sems gcig Ia yan mi ' thad cin II du rna Ia yan ' thad rna yin I
I rten ' byun yan lag bcu gnis gao II sdug bsnal 'bras can de rna
skyes I
I sems gcig Ia yan mi 'thad Ia II du rna Ia yan mi ' thad do I
9. K/ V
I rtag min mi rtag min bdag dan II bdag min gtsan min mi gtsan min I
I bde min sdug bsnal rna yin te II de phyir phyin ci log rnams med I
I mi rtag rtag min bdag med pa II bdag min mi g tsan gtsan rna yin I
I d u ~ bsnal bde ba rna yin te II de phyir phyin ci log rnams med I
10. K/ V
I de med phyin ci log bzi las II skyes pa' i rna rig mi srid Ia I
I de med ' du byed mi 'byur1 :lin II !hag rna rnams kyan de bzin no I
I de med na ni phyin ci log II bzi las skyes pa'i rna rig mcd I
I de med na ni ' du byed rnams II mi 'byun !hag ma'an de bzin no I
II. K/ V
I rna rig ' du byed med mi ' byun II de med ' du byed mi 'byun zin I
I phan tshun rgyu phyir de gnis ni I! ran bzin gyis ni rna grub yin I
I rna rig ' du byed med mi ' byun II de med ' du byed mi ' byun bas I
I de gnis phan tshun rgyu phyir yan II ran bzin gyis ni ma grub yin I
8 Kb 'bras can N : ' bra) can P
9 Ka rtag min P : brtag min N
10 Vb bzi : gii NP
II Vd yin: min NP
II Kc giiis : nid NP; Vd yi n : min NP
38
The [ lirst of the] twelve dependently arising members (dvada-
., ... . which results in suffering (dubkhaphala ), is unborn (ajata): it is
I Jl'''sihlr in one mind (tkacitta) and it is not possible in many
"''"" ) cit her.
' 1 Permanent is not (na nitya), impermanent is not (nanitya), non-
' II i. not (niinotman), self is not (natman), impure is not (nii.fuci), pure
"'I (11a iuci), pleasure is not (na .wkha) and suffering is nut (na
f,,J, Aft,r). Therefore the perverted views do not exist (na viparyasa).
I I. Without these, ignorance (avidya ) based on these perverted
is ro ot possible. Without this (ignorance] the formative forces
" f" Attra ) do not arise and the remaining [ten members] similarly.
I I. (auidya) does not occur without the formative forces
"!"Aiira) [and] without it the formative forces (sa7!1skiira) do not
'"'' . ;;ince I they] are caused by one another (anyonyahetuta(t ) they
",. ''"t established with own-being (svahh(wa).
11. :"'or can cilia (sems) be called eka or bhinna (i.e. aneka) because, as we shall see,
its 'content' i.e. dul}lcha due toavidyiidi is in fact ajiila. - This verse is 'quoted',
DviidaJadviiraka, 2 ( 160a 22-23).
'1- 10. The four viparyiisas (see MK, XX Ill) do not exist in themselves. Hence
avidyiidi which is based on them does not exist either.
39
12. K/V
I gail zig bdag nid ran bzin gyis II rna grub de gzan ji I tar bskyed I
I de phyir gzan las grub pa yi II rkyen gzan dag ni skyed byed min I
I gail zig bdag nid ran bzin gyis II rna grub de gzan ji I tar bskyed I
I de Ita bas na pha rol po II rna grub rkyen gzan bskyed byed min I
13. K/ V
I pha ni bu min bu pha min II de gnis phan tshun med min Ia I
I de gnis cig car yan min !tar II yan lag bcu gnis de bzin no I
I pha bu rna yin bu pha min II de gnis phan tshun med min Ia I
I de gnis cig car yan min !tar II yan lag bcu gnis de bzin no I
14. K/V
I ji !tar rmi lam yul brten pa'i II bde sdug de yi yul med pa I
I de bzin gail zig Ia brten nas II gail zig rten 'byun dan 'di med I
I rmi lam yul brten bde sdug dan II yul de' an med ltar brten nas gail I
I byun bade yan de bzin med II brten nas gail yin de yan med I
15. K/ V
I gal te dnos rnams ran bzin gyis II med na dman milam khyad 'phags
dan I
I sna tshogs nid ni mi 'grub cin II rgyu las kyan ni mnon 'grub min I
I gal te dnos rnams ran bzin gyis II med na dnam milam khyad 'phags
nid 1
I yod min sna tshogs nid mi 'grub II rgyu las mnon par grub pa'an
med I
16. K/ V
I ran bzin grub na rten 'byun gi II dnos po med 'gyur rna brten na I
I ran bzin med par ga Ia 'gyur II dnos po yod dan dnos med kyan I
I ran bzin grub rten dnos mi 'gyur II rna brten par yan ga Ia yod I
I ran bzin med nid mi 'gyur zin II ran bzin yod pa mi 'jig go I
12 Vb gian : biin NP; Kc yi : yis NP
15 Vd grub P : 'grub N
40
12. That which is unestablished by own-being, how could it
c-reate the others? Therefore conditions (pratyaya) established by
.,t hcrs cannot create the others.
13. A father is not a son, a son is not a father. Neither exists
without being correlative (anyorrya). Nor are they simultaneous
(vu.f!apat). The twelve members li kewise.
14. J ust as pleasure (sulcha) and pain (dul;lr.ha) depending upon an
object in a dream (svapnavifaya) do not have [a real) object (vi.raya)
thus neither that which arises dependently nor that which it arises
d1pcndently from exists.
15. Opponent: If things (bhava) do not exist by own-being (svabhave-
rw }, low (hina), moderate (sama), excellent (vif4ta) and the manifold
world (citra) are unestablished (asiddha) and cannot even be estab-
lished through a cause
16. Reply: If own-being (svabhava) were established (siddha), de-
pendently arising things would not occur. If [they were) uncondi-
ti oned how could own-being be lacking? True being (sadbhava) also
does not vanish (abhava).
Again avitfyadi are anutpanna (i.e. irinya) because they arepratityasamutpaMa
(in the sense ofMK, XXVI, 1- 12 and/or PK, 1-5, q. v.),pitaputravat (cf. VV,
T hussukha and ( cf. v. 8) are no more real than experiences in a
dream {cf. CS, I , 17; III, 5 etc.).
15-16. In fact all the laukika-sa'(lvyavahara {see MK, XIV, 6-40; VV, 70; above v.
I) are only possible because they are pratityasamutpanna.
41
17. K/V
I med Ia ran dnos gzan dnos sam II dnos med 'gyur ba ga Ia zig I
I des na ran dnos gzan dnos dan II dr1os med phyin ci log pa yi n I
I med Ia ran gi dnos po 'am II gzan dnos 'jig par ga Ia ' gyur I
I de phyir gzan dnos dnos med dan II dnos dan ran dnos log pa yin I
18 K/V
I gal te dnos po ston yin na II 'gag pa med cin skye mi 'gyur I
I no bo iiid kyis ston pa Ia II gan Ia 'gag cin gait Ia skye I
I gal te dl10s po ston yin na II 'gag parmi 'gyur skye mi 'gyur I
I no bo iiid kyis ston pa Ia II gait Ia 'gag cin gan Ia skye I
19 K/V
I dnos dan dnos med cig car min II dnos med med na drios po med I
I rtag tu dnos po' an dnos med 'gyur II dnos med mcd par dnos mi
srid I
I dnos dan dnos med cig car rned II dnos med meci par dnos po med I
I rtag tu dnos dan dnos med 'gyur II dnos dan dr1os po med rni 'gyur I
20. K/ V
I dnos po med par dnos med min II rar1 1as min iiri gzan las min I
I de Ita bas na de med na II dnos po med cin dnos med med I
I di10s po mcd par dnos med mcd II bdag las rna yi n gzan las min I
I de Ita bas na dnos po med II de med na ni dnos mc:d med I
21. K/V
I yod pa iiid na rtag iiid dan II med na nes par chad nid yin I
I dnos po yod na de gnis 'gyur II de phyir dnos po khas blans min I
I dnos po yod pa iiid na rtag II med na ncs par chad pa yin I
I dnos po yod na de giiis yin II de' i phyir dnos po khas blans mi n I
17 Vb 'jig N: 'jog P; V om. c, sed v. K
18 Vc kyis: kyi NP
21 Vc yin : min NP
42
17. How could the non-existing (asat) have own-being (svabh(wa),
, tlwr-lwing (parabhava) or non-being (abhava)?- Consequently own-
IH'illJ{ (.rvabhava), other-being (parabhava ) and non-being (abhiiva)
lr .. sult from] perverted views (viparyasa).
I R. Opponent: If things (bhava) were empty (.fiinya) cessation (niro-
dhn ) and origination (utpada) would not occur. That which is empty
.. rown-being (svabhavena), how does it cease and how does it arise?
19. Repf:y: Being (bhava) and non-being (abhava) are not simul-
t.mcous (yugapat). Without non-being (abhava) no being (bhava).
Jl .. ing (bhava) and non-being (abhava) would always be. There is no
I wing (bhava) independently of non-being (abhava).
20. Without being (bh(wa) there is no non-being (abhiiva). [Being]
nt'ither arises from itself nor from [something] else (paratal) ).
This being so this [being] does not exist, so there is no being (bhava),
.tnd [therefore] no non-being (abhava) .
2 1. If there is being (sat ) there is permanence (SiiJvata); if there is
non-being (asat ) there is necessarily (niyatam) annihilation (uccheda ).
When there is being (bhava) these two [dogmas] occur. Therefore
lone should] not accept being (bhava).
17-20. The various forms of bhava (i. e. svabhiiva, parabhava, abhiiva and bhava as
such) are only ccnceivable in mutual dependence. ThP.y do not occur
independently (cf. MK, XV).- For v. 18 in particular cf. MK, XXIV, I;
XXV, 1-2.- Akutobhaya ad MK, XXI, 6 quotes 19-21 as from Simyatasaptati.
*Dvadaiadvaraka, 20 (164b 27-28) seems to be identical with SS, 19.
21. Acceptance ofbhava would moreover imply iasvatocchedagrOlra, cf. May, op.cit.,
p. 213, n. 720; llj, XXIII, p. 179, n. 58 (cf. ibid., p. 178, n. 9); MK, XXI, 14.
The verse is quoted Madhyama/calarrrkiiravrtti, TP, No. 5285, Safol. 75a (with
X, 25; RA, I, 60 to the same effect).
43
22. K/V
I rgyun gyi phyir na ' di med de II rgyu byin nas ni dnos po 'gag I
I sitar biin ' di yan ma grub cin II rgyun chad par yan thai bar 'gyur I
I rgyun gyi phyir na de med de II rgyu byin nas ni dnos po 'gag I
I sna ma bzin du ' di ma grub II rgyun chad pa yi nes pa' an yod I
23. K/V
I skye 'j ig bstan phyir sans rgyas kyi II lam bstan ma yin ston iiid
phyir I
I ' di dag phan tshun bzlog pa ru II mthon ba phyin ci log las yin I
I skye 'jig gzigs pas my a nan ' das II Jam bstan ston nid phyir ma yin I
I ' di dag phan tshun bzlog phyir dan II log pa'i phyir na mthon ba
yin I
24. K/V
I gal te skye 'gag med yin na II ci zig ' gags pas mya nan 'das I
I ran bzin gyis ni skye med cin II 'gag med gail de thar min nam I
I gal te skye dan 'gag med na II gail zig 'gag phyir mya nan ' das I
I gail zig ran bzin skye rned ci ti II 'gag med de thar ma yin nam I
25. K/ V
I gal te 'gags las myan ' das chad II gal te cig sos ltar na rtag I
I de phyir dnos dan dnos med dag II rnya nan 'das par run ma yin I
I gal te mya nan ' das 'gog chad II gal te cig sos ltar na rtag I
I de phyir dnos dan dnos med min II skye med 'gag pa'an rned pa
yin I
26. K/V
I gal te 'gog pa 'ga' gnas na II dnos po las gzan de yod 'gyur I
I dnos po med phyir ' di medIa II dnos po med phyir de yan med I
I gal te 'gog pa 'ga' gnas yod II dnos med par yan der 'gyur ro I
I dnos med par yan de med de II dnos med med par yan de med I
22 Kb 'gag : 'ga' NP
26 Kd yan: ias NP
44
22. Opponent: These [two dogmas] do not occur due to continuity
(sa'!llana) [which entails that] things (bhava) cease when they have
given cause (hetu'!l dattvii) [to an effect].- Reply: As before [vide 19a]
this [continuity J is also unestablished. It also follows that the conti-
nuity would be interrupted.
23. Opponent: [No!] The Buddha's teaching of the Way (miirgadeia-
nii) aims at showing origination (utpiida) and cessation (nirodhc), not
at emptiness (iW!yatii )! -Reply: To experience the two as mutually
excluding (parasparaviparyaya) is a mistake (viparyaya).
24. Opponent: If there is no origination (utpiida) and cessation
(nirodha), then NirvaQa is due to the cessation of what?- Reply: Is
liberation (mokfa) not that by nature (prakrtya) nothing arises and
ceases?
25. If Nirval}a [results] from cessation (nirodha ) [then there is]
destruction (uccheda) . If [NirvaQa] were the contrary (itara) [there
would be] permanence (.rasvata). Therefore it is not logical that
NirvaQa is being (bhiiva) and non-being (abhiiva).
26. If a definite cessation (nirodhal) kai cit) did abide it would be
independent of being (bhiivad anya). It does not exist without being
(bhiiva), nor does [cessation] exist without non-being (abhiiva).
22. The notion of Saf!lliina does not save one from iO.iuatocchtdagriiha, cf. above, v.
19;MK, XVII; XXI, IJ21. This, of course, is only cf. MK,
XXVII, 22; CatuWataka, X, 25.
23-26. As there is nobhiiua etc. nirviil}a cannot be defined as {bhii114)nirodha, orabhiioa.
In fact utpiida and nirodha are sheer illusions (cf. MK, XXI, II and
Lankiiuatiira, X, 37; XXV; RA, I 42; SL, 105, 123). Thus Nagiirj una's
notion of incurs no i iiivatocchtda.f!riiha.
45
27. K/ V
I mtshan gzi las gzan mtshan nid las II mtshan gzi grub par rari ma
grub I
I phan tshun las kyari ma grub ste II rna grub rna grub sgrub byed
min I
I mtshan gzi las mtshan grub mtshan las II mtshan gzi grub ste rari
ma grub I
I gcig las gcig kyari ma grub ste II ma grub rna grub sgrub byed min I
28. K/ V
I ' dis ni rgyu dari 'bras bu dari II tshor dari tshor ba po sogs dari I
I Ita po Ita bya sogs ci'ari ruri II de kun ma Ius bsad pa yin I
I ' dis ni rgyu dari 'bras bu dari II tshor bcas tshor ba po sogs dari I
I Ita po Ita bya sogs ci'ari ruri II de kun rna Ius bsad pa yin I
29. K/ V
I gnas med phan tshun las grub dari II 'chol phyir rari riid ma grub
phyir I
I drios pu mcd phyir dus gsum ni II yod pa ma yin rtog pa tsam I
I rni gnas phan tshun grub phyir dan II 'chol phyir bdag nid rna grub
phyir I
I dnos po med phyir dus gsum ni II yod pa ma yin rtog pa tsam I
30. K/ V
I gar1 phyir skye dan gna& dari 'jig II 'dus byas mtshan nid ' di gsum
med I
I de phyi r 'dus byas nid rna yin II 'dus rna byas la'ari curi zad med I
I gari phyir skye dari gnas dan 'jig II ' dus byas mtshan rud ' di gsum
med I
I de phyir 'dus byas 'dus ma byas II ci yari yod pa ma yin no I
28 Vc ci'an: ci yari NP
29 Kl> 'chol: 'tshol NP
46
27. The marked (lakva ) is established from a mark (la.kfat;za)
different from the marked (lakva). It is not established by itself (na
\llnsiddha). Nor are the [tv:o] established by each other (paraspara )
!since] unestablished cannot establish unestablished.
28. In this [manner] cause (hetu), effect (phala), feeling (vedana) ,
feeler (vedaka) etc., seer (drastr), visible etc. (draseavyadi), whatever it
may be, arc all explained without exception.
29. The three times (kiilatraya) do not exist (substantially) since
they are unfixed (asthita), mutually established (parasparasiddha), and
since they change [and] since they are not self-established [and
finally] since there is no being (bhava). They are merely
discri minations ( vikalpamalra).
30. Since the three marks of the conditioned (saT[I.rkrtalaksaTJa),
!i.e.] origination (utpiida), duration (sthiti) and cessation (bhanga) do
not exist, therefore there is not the slightest conditioned (saT{lskrta)
nor unconditioned (asa7]tskrta) [phenomenon].
27.-28. Aga.in bhava in its various forms cannot be established by means of
laltqalak[al}a because they areasiddha(v. MK, II, 21 ). Cf. also MK, IV, 7; V;
CS, I 12; *Dvadaiadvaraka, 18-19 ( 163c 16-17; 164a 10- 11 ).
29. This refutation ofkiila summarizes MK, XIX, q.v. Dvluiaiadvaraka, 25 ( 166c
21 -22); Ca.tu!tfataka, XI.
47
31. K/V
I ma zig mi 'jig zig pa'an min II gnas pa gnas pa ma yin te I
I mi gnas pa la'an gnas ma yin II skyes pa mi skye ma skyes min I
I ma zig mi 'jig zig pa' an min II gnas pa gnas pa ma yin te I
I mi gnas pa yan gnas ma yin II skyes pa mi skye ma skyes min I
32. K/V
I 'dus byas dan ni 'dus ma byas II du ma ma yin gcig ma yin I
I yod min med min yod med min II mtshams 'dir sna tshogs thams
cad 'dus I
I ' dus byas dan ni 'dus ma byas II du ma ma yin gcig ma yin I
I yod min med min yod med min II mtshams ' dir rnam pa 'di kun
'dus I
33. K/V
I bcom !dan bla mas las gnas dan II las bdag las kyi ' bras bu dan I
I sems can ran gi las dai1 ni II las rnams chud mi za bar gsuns I
I las gnas pa ni bcom !dan gsuris II bla ma las b d a ~ 'bras bu dan I
I sems can las bdag bya ba dan I lias rnams chud za min par gsuns I
34. K/ V
I las rnams ran bzin med gsUJ1s tc II rna skyes gail de chud mi za I
I de las kyan ni bdag ' dzin skye II de bskyed 'bzin de' an rnam rtog
las I
I gail phyir ran b:Zin med bstan pa II de phyir de rna skyes pa las I
I mi 'jig bdag 'dzin de las skye II de skyed 'dzin de' an rnam rtog las I
32 Kc mtshams : mtshan NP
48
. ....-
31. The undestructed ( a n ~ t a ) does not cease, nor does the de-
structed ( n ~ t a ) . The abiding (sthita) does not abide, nor does the
non-abiding (asthita) abide. The born (jiita) is not born, nor is the
unborn (ajata) .
32. Composite (saT[lskrta) and non-composite (asaT[lskrta ) o.re not
many (aneka), are not one (eka), are not being (sat) , are not non-
being (asat) [and] are not being-non-being (sadasat). All [possibili-
ties] are comprised within this scheme.
33. Opponent: The Lord (bhagavat), the Teacher, has spoken of
karma's duration, of karma's nature and of karma's result (phala)
;tnd also of the personal karma of living beings (sattva) and of the
non-destruction (avipranasa) of karma.
34. Reply: Karma is said to lack own-bei ng (svabha11a). [Karma]
which is unborn (ajata) is not destructed. From that again !-making
(ahaT[lkara} is born. But the belief (graha) which creates it is due to
discrimination (vikalpa).
30-32. Now saT[I.!krta and asaT{Iskrta cannot be established because their three
lak1a1Jas (utpada, sthiti, bhanga) cannot be established as eka or aneka etc.: MK,
VII and *Dr:adaiadvaraka, IV ( 162c-163c 13) .
4 Nagarjunian.a
49
I
I
il
35. K/ V
I gal te las Ia ran bzi n yod II de bskyed Ius ni nag par 'gyur I
lias kyan sdug bsnal rnam smin can II mi 'gyur de phyir bdag tu
'gyur I
I gal te las ni ran bzin 'gyur II de las skyes Ius rtag par 'gyur I
I sclug bsna! rnam smin can mi 'gyur I! de phyir las kyan bdag tu
'gyur I
36. K/ V
I las ni rkyen skyes yod min zin II rkyen min las skyes cun zad med I
I 'du bycd rnams ni sgyu rna dan II dri za'i gron khyer smig rgyu
intshuns I
I las ni rkyen skyes ci yan med II rkyen min skyes pa'an yod min te !
I ' du byed rnams ni sgyu rna dan II dri za'i gron khyer smig rgyu
'dra I
37. K/ V
lias ni non mons rgyu mtshan can II non mons 'ciu byed las bdag nid I
I Ius ni las kyi rgyu rritshan can II gsum ka'an no bo nid kyis ston I
lias ninon mons rgyu mtshan can II 'du bycd non mons las bdag iiid I
I ius ni las kyi rgyu mtshan can II gsum ka' an no bo nid kyis ston I
38. K/V
I las med na ni byed po med II de gnis med pas ' bras bu med I
I de med nc bar spyod po med II de bas dnos po dben pa yin I
lias med na ni byed pa med II de gnis med par 'bras bu med I
I de med phyir na za ba po II med pa yi n pas dbcn pa yin I
3S Vb rtag : brtag NP
38 Vci yin : ni NP
50
\
II Lm!ia had own-being (svabhiiva) the body (deha) created by
"'"lol IJt" permanent (nitya). So karma would not result in suf-
' "'"' ldtzd,l;a ) and would therefore be substantial.
' " a rnot is not born by conditions (pratyaya ) and by no means
"' "' oHi:tions (apratyc!)'a) , for (/zi) karma-formations (sai[!Sk(ila)
" Il l.. .111 illusion (maya), a city of Gandharvas (gandharvanagara)
o1 nn ,ag e (manti) .
I r-: arm a has passions as its cause (klesanimittaka). r Bei ng]
, ... . (/.:/ria) the karma-formati0ns (mT[lskara) are of karmic na-
'"' ' 0.\r/tmakn). A body (deha) has karma as its cause (karmanimitta-
'" l;tll] three are empty of own-being (svabhauaSiaz.ya ).
; .. . \\'ithout karma no agent (karaka ). Without these two no result
,.,,,,;,). \\' ithout these no enjoyer (bhoktr). Therefore things are void
. /11).
; I . Following is a rathcr long !rcalmenl ofkarma according 10 Madhyamaka.
Tl summ>lrizes XVll , l-10, q.v. The remaining verses explain why,
karma is i iif!YO and how i1 is pratityasamutpanna. Thus we have:
. //.(1/j(l (cf. below, v. 64) in 1he form of ahalflkiua (cf R,\ , I, 27 35) gentrales
Ufi,1 (cf. MK, XXI II, I; XV Ill, 5) which, agai n, gives rise lv karma which
li n.tll y conditi ons one's dtha ( M K, X VII, '1.7) i.e. one's rebi rth (janma. RA, I
"l:i; II, 24). T hi s cyclic process (cf. PK, 15) can only ccast cogni1ion
(1nona, dar.iana clc.) oftaiiM, i.c . . fti'!yalii. - SS, 40-42 rec. by La Vall ee Poussin,
l'rasannapadn, p. 330, n.l. - The Buddha's de.fana (v. 44) varies as i1 depends
upon S!ltll'ii.if!va, MK, XVIII, 6; BY, 98-99; RA, !V, 91--96; 3:-1.
51
'1'1. K/ V
I las ni ston par yan dag par II ses na de nid mthon ba'i phyir I
I las rni ' byun stc de med na II las las ' byun gan mi ' byun no I
I yan dag mthon phyir las ston par II legs par rnam par ses na ni I
I las mi ' byun ste las med na II las las gan byun mi ' byun no I
40. K/ V
I j i !tar hcom ldan de bzin gsegs II rdzu ' phrul gyis ni sprul pa sprul I
I sprul pa de yis star yan ni II sprul pa gzan zig sprul gyur pa I
I ji !ta r bcom !dan de bzin gsegs II de ni rdzu ' phrul gyis sprul pa I
I sprul pa mdzad Ia sprul des kyan II sprul pa gzan zig sprul par
byed I
41. K./V
I de Ia de bzin gscgs sprul ston II sprul pas sprul pa smos c:i dgos I
I grii s po min tsarn yod pa yan II ci yan run ste rtog pa tsam I
I de 1:.1 de bi in ~ s e g s sprul stOJi II sprul pas sprul pa smos ci dgos I
I rtog p,1 tsam gail ci yan run II de dag grii ga yod pa yin I
42. K/ V
I de b:iin bytd po sprul dan mtshuns II las ni sprul pas sprul dan
mtshuns I
I ran bzin gyis ni gan cun zad II yod pa de dag rtog pa tsam I
I de bzin byed po sprul par mtshuns II las ni sprul pas sprul dan
mtshuris I
I ran bzin gyis ni s ton pa yin II rtog tsam gan ci'an run bar yod I
39 Vd las: Ia NP
41 Vade Ia : de las NP
42 Vd ci' ari : ci yari NP
52
: t one correctly understands that karma is empty (.funya)
1 " '". 1 he truth is seen (tattvadar.fanat), karma does not arise.
\\ lw11 lbrma] is no more, that which arises from karma arises no
lll!tlf"
111 .Just as the Lord Tathagata magically (rddhya) has created a
''' ''"rom (nirmitaka) and this phantom agai n (punab ) has created
' .... !lwr phantom ...
I I . ( In that case Tathagata's phantom is empty- not to mention
11 ,.. phantom [created] by the phantom! Both of them are but
"" hs, merely insignificant discriminations (vikalpamatra)) ...
1"2 . Thus the agent (karaka) is like the phantom (nirm1taka), karma
, .. li ke the phantom [created] by t he phantom. By nature (sva-
' lr,wma ) [they are] insignificant (yat ki1fl cit ), merely discriminations

I I . Is this verse a later interpolation?
53
Ki \'
I tc las kyi ran bzin yod II myan 'das byed po ia.; kyan med I
I l c med na las bskyed pa'i II ' bras bu sdug dan mi sdug med I
I gal te ran bzin gyis las yod II mya i1an ' das las byed po med I
I gal te med na las bskyed pa'i II 'bras bu sdug dal1 rni :;dug mt:d I
44. K/ V
I yod ces pa dan yod med ccs II )'<)d dan med ct s yod I
I sans rgyas rnams kyis dgons pa yis II gsuns pa rtogs par sia rna yin I
I yod ces pa yod med ccs pa' an II yod de yod med ::es (k'an yod I
I sans rgyas rnams kyis dgons nas ni II gsUJ1s pa rtogs par sla mel yin I
45. K/ V
I gal tc gzugs ni ran ' byun b7.in ll gzugs de ' byun Ia:; 'byui1 rna yin I
I ran las ' byun min rna yin nam II gian las kyan mm de mrd phyir I
I gal te gzugs 'byun las byun na II yan dag min !as ' L:.t ull gyur !
I ran gi no bo las rna yin II de;- mc:d phyir nas gz.1n las 1nin I
46. K/ V
I gcig Ia bzi nid yod min ci r1 II hii la' an gcig nid yod min pas I
I gzugs ni 'byun ha <'hen po hii II rgyur hyas nas grub ji !tar yod I
I gcig la'an bzi ni yod min zin II bzi la'a1 gcig ni yod min na I
I 'byt:n ba chc;- bzi med brten nas II gzugs ni ji ltar ' grub par 'gyur I
47. K/ V
I s in tu mi 'dzin phyir de med II rtags las 7.e na nags dc' an med I
I rgyu dan rkyen las skyes pa' i phyir II rtags med par yan rni rigs so I
I sin tu mi ' dzin phyir gal te II rtags las sc na nag'> d<: med I
I rgyu dan rkyen las skyes phyir ro II yod na 'an rtags med rigs rna
yin I
44 Kc kyis : kyi NP; Kd nogs par sla : nog par bla NP
47 Kb ie na rtllgs: zen na n ag NP; Kd nags : rtag NP; Vd ma: pa NP
54
I I . I r karma possessed own- being there would be no
, , , ' '';' n0r deeds [of an] agent (karakakarma ). iflkarma) does not
,, .. t tiH' pleasant or unpleasant result (phala) created by karma
1. ,, ., nnt exist. .
H. Is' and 'is not' and also 'is. is not ' has been stated by the
l!.uldhas with an intention (abhipraye7Ja). It is not easy to under-
' ""
I, If !orm (rupa) is material (bhautika) in itsel f, form (riipa) does
from the elements (hhiita). It is not derived from itself: It
' ., .. , 11ot exist, does it? Nor from anything else. Therefore it does not
. !at all].
If >. The four [great elements] a re not in one [of the clements] and
"'" of them is not in any of the four [elements]. How can form (riipa )
1 ... ,sta blishcd wit h the four great elements (mahablzuta ) as [its!
. I IISI'?
Since it is no t conceived directly [form does, it seems, ] not
,,ist. But if [you maintain that it is conceived] through. a mark
that mark, however, does not exist since it is horn from
.111ses and conditions (lutupratyaya). And it would be illogical [if
lntm could exi st] without a mark (linga ).
H . Allusion to satyadvaya.
F>. Now (45-54) rhe aut hor refutes the existence of riipa which, is va111a
and SaTJtsthiina (ser v. 50).- First rii.pa is unreal because it is neither one with
the mahiJbhuta nor d ifferent from t hem. Similarly MK, IV, 1-5.
lfi. Again the mahiJbhuta cannot be est; blished as eka oraneka (RA, I, 83-89). So
rupa cannot be bhautika, cf. RA, I, 99; CS, I , 5.
17. One cannot infer the existence of riipa from its liizga, i.e. , I assume, bhautilca
cannot e.g. be subtle as it is derived from bhuta that must be gross. Sec RA, I,
90; Pancaslcandhapralcara'f}a, p. 2.- If, on the other hand, rupa really did exist as
the Abhidharmi ka contends, it could not be without liizga (i.e. it could not
change its liizga under the influence of the mahiibhii.ta).
55
48. K/ V
I gal te blo des gzugs 'dzin na II ran gi ran bzin Ia 'dzin 'gyur I
I rkyen las skyes pas yod min pas II yan dag gzugs medji ltar ' dzin I
I gal te gzugs ni 'dzin 'gyur na II bdag gi ran bzin iiid 'dzin 'gyur I
I med pa rkyen lasskyes pa' i bios II gzugs medji I tar ' dzin par 'gyur I
49. K/V
I ji skad bsad gzugs skyes pa'i blo'i II skad cig skad cig gis mi ' dzin I
I 'das dan ma ' ons pa gzugs kyan II de yis ji !tar rtogs par 'gyur I
I gan tshe blo 'byun skad cig pas II gzugs skyes skad cig mi 'dzin na I
I de yis 'das dan ma 'oils pa'i II gzugs ni ji ltar rtogs par 'gyur I
50. K/V
I gail tshe nam yan kha dog dan II dbyibs dag tha dad iiid med pas I
I de dag tha dad 'dzin yod min II gzugs de gcig tu'an grags pa mi n I
I gail tshe nam yan kha dog dbyibs II tha dad iiid ni yod ma yin I
I tha dad gcig tu 'dzin pa med II de giiis gzugs su grags phyir ro I
51. K/ V
I mig blo mig Ia yod min te II gzugs Ia yod min bar na med I
I gzugs dan mig Ia brten nas de II yons su rtog pa log pa yin I
I mig blo mig Ia yod min te II gzugs Ia yod min bar na'ari med I
I mig dan gzugs Ia brten nas de II yons su rtog pa log pa yin I
52. K/ V
I gal te mig bdag mi mthon na II des gzugs mthoit bar ji !tar 'gyur I
I de phyir mig dan gzugs bdag medII skye mched !hag ma'ari de bzin
no I
I gal te mig bdag mi mthori na II de gzugs mthon bar ji !tar 'gyur I
I de phyir mig dan gzugs bdag medII skye mched I hag ma'ari de dan
'dra I
48 Kb gi : gis NP; Vd par N : pa N
49 Vc yis: yi NP; Kd yis: yi NP; Vd rtogs : rtog NP
52 Ka mi : mig NP
56
1B. If mind (buddhi) could grasp form (ropa) it would grasp its own
own-being (svasvahhilva). How could a [mind] which does not exist
as it is born from conditions (praryaya) really conceive absence of
fi>rm (ropabhilva)?
49. Since one moment of mind (bud_dhilciat)a) cannot within [the
very same] moment (k.fa1,1a) grasp a form (rupa) born as explained,
how could it understand a past (atita) and a future (anagata) form
(rupa)?
50. Since colour (va'1U7) and figure (saT[lsthana) never exist apart
(bhinna ) they cannot be conceived apart (bhin1U1), [for] is form (ropa)
not [generally} acknowledged to be one (eka)?
51. The sense of sight (cakiurbuddhi) is not inside the eye (cakiU/}).
It is not in form (ropa) or in between. [Therefore] the image (parikal-
pa) depending upon form and eye (cak{uropa) is false (mithya).
52. If the eye does not see itself, how can it see form
(rupa)? Therefore eye and form are without self (anatman). The re-
maining sense-fields (ayatana) similarly.
48. Here I take buddhi in the sense of cakturvijiiana (cf. the use ofghafabuddhi, VP,
16-19). Sincecakpiriipe pratityaiiJQm ukto (RA, IV, 55) such a
buddhi is med pa, i.e. i iulya. So it cannot perceive ril.pa to which a similar
argument applies. Moreover, buddhi would have to perceive itself (which is
absurd) in order to perceive other things, i.e. riipa, cf. MK, III, 2 (which must
be understood in the sense XIII, 16, q.v.); RA, IV, 64.
49. Again buddhi cannot perceive riipa/vitaya because being ktaTJika objects arc
never saT[Iprata. A buddhi which has atita or anagata as its object is, of course,
vyartha, sec RA, IV, 56-57.
50. That ril.paT[I dvidha va'llal] saT[Isthiina'(l ca is well-known, cf. e.g. Amrtarasa, p. 115;
Paiicaskandhaprakarat;UJ, p. 4. Also Catu!IJatalca, XIII, 7.
51. Similarly Catu!IJataka, XIII, 17, q.v.
57
I
II
I
,,
53. K/V
I mig ni ran bdag iiid kyi s ston il de ni gzan bdag gis kyan ston I
I gwgs kyan de bzi n ston paste II skye mched lhag rna' an de bzin no I
I mig de ran bdag a1id kyis ston II de ni gzan bdag iiid kyis ston I
! gzugs kyan de bzin ston pa ste II skye mched !hag ma'an de biin
ston I
54. K/ V
I gai1 tshe gcig reg !han cig 'gyur II de tshe gian rnams ston pa nid I
! s ton pa'am miston mi bsten Ia il miston pa yan stoi1 mi brten I
I gari tshe gcig reg !han cig 'gyur ll de tshe gian rnams ston pa yi n I
I ston pa'an rni ston mi sten te II mi ston pa 'an ston pa min I
55. K/V
I rio bo mi gnas yod min pas II gsurn ' dus pa yod rna yi n no I
I de bdag nid kyi reg med pas II de tshe tshor ba yod ma yi n I
l gsum po yorl mi n mi gnas pa'i II ran biin 'du ba yod min pas I
I de l>dag iiid kyi reg pa mcd II de phyi r tshor ba yod rna yin I
56. K/ V
I nan dan phyi yi skye mchcd Ia II hrlen nas rnam parses pa 'byun I
I de Ita bas na rnam scs med II smig rgyu sgyu rna bzin du ston I
I nan dan phyi yi skye mched Ia II brten nas rnam parses pa 'byun I
I de Ita bas na rnam scs med II smig rgyu sgyu rna biin du ston I
53 Kb bdag : dag NP; Kd skye mched : skye med NP
54 Kc pa'an : pa'am NP; Kd ston mi : brten mi NP
55 Kc bdag : dag NP; Vc kyi : kyis NP
56 Kc med : ni NP
58
"d. Ey .... is empty (iunya ) of its own self(svatman). It is also empty
' ''"!N) of ;mother's self (/Jaratman). Form is likewise empty (sunya).
I'IH r.tnaining sense-fields (t!_vatana) similarly.
-, i . When one [sense-field) occurs simultaneously with contact
'fw;:a). then the others are superfluous (SWv>a) . Empty (m'!)'a) does
""' ckpend upon non-empty (a.iUr.ya), and non-empty does not
.r. pend upon empty.
,:; , Having no !independent] fixed nature the three cannot come
""' ' contact. Sinc:e there is no contact (sparia) which has this nature,
, l"'rdore feeling (veda11a) does not exist.
:>6. Consciousness (z[jizana) occurs dependent upon the internal
11:d xternal sense-fields (iiJa!ana). Therefore consciousness (vijiiana)
" cm pty (funya) , like mirages and illusions (maricimqyavat).
;,2-53. As each of the twehe ayatanas is incapable of fulfilli ng its respective
function in itself it lacks suabltiJva, it is iull)'a, for akrtrima& suabltiJuo hi
paratra ea XV, 2). Cf. MK, III.
,.-,I. The commentaries to this verse are far from exhausti ve. But v. RA, IV, 52-54.
Since each of the six spar.fiiyata11a ( = indriya, ref. CPD, II, p. 129) can only
have one object (artha/uitaya) at a time (RA, IV, 52; Catu&JataA:a, XI, 18) this
implies that the senses and their respective objects- taken pratyeA:am - must
he vyartha (RA, IV, 54).
:5. There can be no sa'1111ipata, i.e. sparia (MK, XXVI, 5) of vifaya and
uij'iiiina, since, as shown ( cf. also MK, X IV) they do not exist by themselves.
Hence they cannot come together. Thus it is only that one can say
spariac ca uedana sa'[lpravartate (MK, XXVI, 5).
59
57. K/V
I rnam ses ses bya Ia brten nas II ' bym1 Ia ses bya yod rna yin I
I ses bya ses pa med pa'i phyir II de phyir ses pa po iiid med I
I rnam ses rnam ses bya brten nas II 'byun bas yod min ses pa dan I
I rnam ses bya med phyirde' i phyir II rnam ses byed pa med pa iiid I
58. K/V
I thams cad mi rtag yan na ni II mi rtag pa yan rtag pa med I
I di10s po rtag dan mi rtag iiid II 'gyur na de Ita ga Ia yod I
I thams cad mi rtag mi rtag pa'am II yan na rtag pa ci yan med I
I dnos yod rtag dan mi rtag nid II yin na de !tar ga Ia yod I
59. K /V
I sdug dan mi sdug phyin ci log II rkyen las chags sdan gti mug dnos I
I 'byun phyir chags sdan gti mug dan II ran bzin gyis ni yod rna yin I
I sdug dan mi sdug phyi n ci log II rkyen skyes chags sdan gti mug
rnams I
I 'byun stc de phyir ran bzin gyis II 'dod chags zc sdan gti mug med I
60. K/V
I gail phyir de iiid Ia chags sin II de Ia ic sdan de Ia rmons I
I de phyir rnam par rtog pas bskyed II rtog de'an yan dag nid du
med I
I gan phyir der chags der sdan der II rmons pa de phyir de dag ni I
I rnam rtoggis bskyed rnam rtog kyan II yan dag iiid du yod rna yin I
57 Ka nas : na NP; Va nas : na NP
59 Kb gti mug P : gti mus N
60
':> 7. Since consciousness (vijiiiina) arises dependent on a discern-
ible object (vijiieya), the discernible does not exist [in itself]. Since
It he conscious subject] does not exist without the discernible
(r ijneya) and consciousness (vijnima), therefore the conscious subject
uijiiatr) does not exist (by himself].
58. [In a relative sense] everything is impermanent, but [in the
.tbsolute sense] nothing is permanent (nitya) or impermanent
lanirya). [If there] were being (bhava) then it could be permanent
{nirya) or impermanent (anirya). But how is that [possible]?
59. Since the entities desire (raga), hatred (dvesa), and stupidity
(moha) occur dependently upon perverted views about pleasant
and unpleasant (Subhasubhaviparyiisa) therefore desire, hatred, and
stupidity do not exist by own-being (svabhiiva) .
60. Since one [may] desire, hate and be infatuated about the very
same [thing] therefore [the passions] are created by discrimination
(vikalpa) and that discrimination is nothing real.
56-57. Refutation of the fifth skandha, its objects and its agent. Similarly CS, I,
10; BV, 26-56; Catu/;IJataka, XIII, 23. Cf. CS, III, 50.
58. Now (58-61} it is argued that the four uiparyiisas, the source of avidyii (see 10,
62) do not exist paramiirthataiJ. - Since the concept. of bhiiva is untenable (as
shown above 7, 17 ff.) nothing can really be either nirya or anirya etc. - The
verse is quoted Madhyamalciilarrzlciiravrlli, loc.cit., 72b: thams cad rtag min mi rta_g
pa 'an II ci y an med de rtag de bi in II dilos yod rtag dan mi rtag par II 'gyur na de ni ga Ia
yod II.
59-61. Thelclesas are -sai!Jvrtita/J - born from theviparyiisas (MK, XXIII, I). But
as experience shows (cf. BV, 19-20; Catul;liatalca, VIII, 2-3) viparyiisas must be
sheer vilcalpas. This implies that a vilcalpa really has no definite object before it.
So, paramarthataiJ., without an object a vilcalpa is simply nought.
61
61. K/ V
I brtag bya gail de yod rna yin II brtag bya med rtog ga Ia yod I
I de phyir brtag bya rtog pa dag II rkyen las skyes phyir ston pa nid I
I rnam brtag bya gait de:: yod min II brtag bya med rtog ga Ia yod I
I de phyir rkyen las skyes pa' i phyir II brtag bya rnam par rtog pa
ston I
62. K/ V
I rle iiid rtogs pas phyin ci log II bzi las byun ba'i rna rig med I
I de med na ni 'du byed rna ms II mi ' byun !hag ma' an de bzin no I
I yan dag mthon phyir phyin ci log II bzi las skyes pa' i rna rig med I
I de med phyir na ' du byed rnams II mi 'byun ihag ma'an de biin no I
63. K/ V
I gail gait Ia brten skye ba' i dnos II de de med pas de mi skye I
I dnos dan dnos med 'dus byas dan II ' dus ma byas zi mya tian 'das I
I gan brten gail skyes de d<.> las II skyf:s de dt med mi 'hyun no I
I dnos d an dr10s rned 'du:; byas dan II dus ma iJyas zi mya ri an ' das I
64. K/V
I rfzyu rkyen las skyes ditos po rnarns II yan dag nid du rtog pagan I
I de ni ston pas ma rig gsUti s II de las yan lag bcu gnis 'byun I
I rgyu dan rkyen las skyesdnos rnams II yan dag par ni rtog par gait I
I de ni ston pas ma rig gsuns II de las yan lag bcu gnis ' byun I
6 1 Va rnam P : nam N; Kh yod P : lod N
62 K:t pas : pa' i NP
63 Kd i i (d. C): .di NP; Vd siri NP
62
' " l'h:tt which is imagined (parik{p- ) docs not exist. \-\' ithout an
or or.n:uwd object how can there be imagination (vikalpa)? So since
tJ, ,. and the imagination are born by conditions (pratyaya-
.' , tlwrdiHe [they are] empty (.funya).
11:1. By understanding the truth (tattva), ignorance (avi4ya), which
11 " I ' " from the four perverted views (viparyasa), does not exist.
\\ lwn this is no more the karma-formations (sal!ISkiira) do not arise.
I h, nmaining [ten members] likewise.
t. 'l. The thing (bhiiva) arising dependent upon this or that (tat tat)
r:ot arise when that is absent. Being (bhava), non-being
.ddui ta), composite and incomposite (sarrlskriasaf{lskrta ) are calm
{and] extinguished (nirvrta).
litJ.. To imagine (ktp-) that things (bf.iiva) born by causes and
nnrlitions (lzetupratyaya) are real (samyak) is called ignorance (auiqya)
l1y the Teacher (sastr). from that the twelve members (dviida.Snn,ga)
. IJ'ISC'.
62. Now that avit(yii has been deprived of its basis, the eleven a;i11a.1 based upon
avidyii also vanish
1
QED. - C( the identification ofavidyii withpi1Jt/asarr; nii etc.
( = viparyiisa) in Siilistamb:ttutra, qu'>ted Prasannapada, p. 562.
6364. So avidyii is simply unawareness of the universal law of pratit;asamutpiida,
cf. M K, X Y II 1, 9- II. It is, as svavrtti to 64 says, bru11 pa ; dnos por mnnn par i,en
padan Ita ba dan rtogpa dan We may add blliivab.'ziivapariimaria, RA, r. 42;
bhiJviibhyupagama, Y$, 46. See Dhammasan,gani, p. :.113 fi)r these equivalents
( ... giiha, f!a!iggiiha, ahllinivesa, paramlJSa, viparfyiiraggiiha ... )
63
li:J. K/V
I dtlOS po ston par de rtogs na II yan dag mthon phyir rmons mi
'gyur I
I de ni rna rig 'gog pa yin II de las yan lag bcu gnis 'gag I
I yan dag mthon phyir dnos ston par II legs ses rna rig mi 'byun ba I
I de ni rna rig 'gog pa yin II de phyir yan lag bcu gnis 'gag I
66. K/V
I 'du byed driza'igronkhyerdan II sgyu masmig rgyu skra sad dan I
I dbu ba chu bur sprul pa dan II rmi lam mgal me'i 'khor lo mtshuns I
I 'du byed driza'igronkhyerdan II sgyu masmig rgyu chu bur dan I
I chu yi dbu ba mtshuns pa ste II rmi lam mgal me'i ' khor lo 'dra I
67. K/V
I ran bzin gyis ni 'ga' yan med II 'di Ia dnos po med pa'an med I
I rgyu dan rkyen las skyes pa yi II dnos dan dnos med ston pa yin I
I ran bzin gyis ni dnos ' ga' mcd II 'di Ia dnos po mcd pa' an med I
I rgyu dan rkycn las skyes pa yi II dnos dan dnos mcd ston pa yin I
68. K/ V
I dnos kun ran bzin ston pas na II de bzin gscgs pa mtshUJlS med pas I
I rten cin 'brei par 'byun ba ' di II dnos po rnams su ne bar bstan I
I dnos po thams cad ran bzin gyis II ston pa yin pas dnos rnams kyi I
I rten 'byun de ni de bzin gsegs II mtshuns pa med pas ne bar bstan I
65 Kd yan lag : yan yag NP
66 Kb smig : mig NP; Vd mgal : 'gal NP
67 Va 'ga' : ' gags NP
68 Vb kyi : kyis NP
64
li:>. But when one, by seeing correctly, has understood that things
Mt(wa) are empty (iunya) one is not infatuated (muha). That is the
. ssation of ignorance (auidyanirodha). Thereupon the twelve mem-
lwrs (duadaianga) stop.
66. Karma-formations (sa771Skara) are like the city of Gandharvas
il!usions (maya), mi rages (manci), nets of hair
tl,.fio')(/uka), foam (phena), bubbles (budbuda), phantoms (nirmitaka),
dreams (suapna) and wheels of firebrand (alatacakra).
67. Nothing exists perforce of own-being (svabhauena), nor is there
.my non-being (abhaua) here. Being and non-being born by causes
.md conditions (hetupratyaya) are empty (Sunya).
68. Inasmuch as all things are empty of own-being (suabhaua) the
incomparable Tathagata has taught this dependent co-origina tion
(pratityasamutpada) about things (bhiwa).
65-69ab. When one realizes that bhZwa etc. are fii nya, that they lack Juabhaua like
illusions etc., auidyii etc. vanishes. That amounts to paramiirtha. Cf. MK,
XXVI, II; CS, lll, 36fT.
.S Nagujuniana
65
liCI . K/ V
I dam pa 'i dun ni der zad de II 'jig rten nor byas tha siiad dag I
I sna tshogs thams cad rdzogs saris rgyas I I bcom !dan' das kyis bden
brtags mdzad I
I dam pa' i don ni der zad do II saris rgyas bcom !dan ' das kyis ni I
I 'jig rten tha siiad brten nas su II sna tshogs thams cad yan dag
brtags I
70. K/ V
I 'jig rten pa yi chos bstan mi 'jig ciri II yan dag iiid du nam yari chos
bstan med I
I de bzin gSegs pas gsuns pa rna rig pas II de las dri med brjod pa ' di
las skrag I
l'jig rten pa yi bstan mi 'jig II yan dag chos bstan ci yan med I
I de bzin gsegs bsad rna rtogs nas II de phyir sgrub rtogs med ' dir
skrag I
71. K/ V
I 'di Ia brten nas 'di ' byUii zes II :iig rten tshul 'eli mi 'gog cin I
I gan brten ran biin mt:d pas de II ji har yod ' gyur de iiid nes I
I 'di brtcn ' di ' byun ies bya ba' i II 'jig rten sgrub 'di 'gog mi mdzad I
I rten 'byun gan de ran bzin med II ji !tar de yod yan dag nes I
72. K/ V
I dad !dan de iiid tshol Ia brtson II tshul 'di rigs pas rjes dpog gan I
I rten med chos 'ga' brten pa yi II srid dan srid min spans nas zi I
I dad !dan yan dag tshol lhur len II chos bstan gan Ia 'an mi brten gan I
I sgrub ' di rigs pas rjes giier te II dnos dan drios med spans nas ii I
70 Vc bSad rna rtogs: pa bSad rtogs P (rtog N); Vd rtogs: rtog NP
71 Va brten : rten NP
72 Kb dpog : dpogs NP; Kc 'ga' b r t e ~ : 'gal bstan NP
66
fo'l . The ultimate meaning (paramartha) consists in that! The
1 urlc-rt Buddhas, the Lords (bhagavat) have [only] conceived the
, rll ir!' manifoldness (citraT[l viSvam) relying upon the world [as a]
II ven tion ( lokavyavahara).
'i!J. The worldly norms (laukikadharma) are not violated but in
,,,dity (tattvatal;) [the Tathagata] has expressed no teachings about
' ' '' principles (dhnrmadesana). Being ignorant about what the
i .rthagata states [fools] are consequently afraid of this spotless
!'"aching (vimaiavacana).
71. The worldly principle that 'this arises depending upon that' is
il<ll violated. But since that which is dependent lacks own-being, how
, .tn it exist? That is certain!
72. One with faith (imddhavat) trying to seek the truth (tattva), one
"'ho considers this principle (naya) logically (yukrya) land] relies
I upon] a supportless norm (dharma) overcomes existence (bhava) and
non-existence (abhava) [and becomes] calm (Santa).
fi<Jcd-73. However, as long as one has not yet realized paramartluz one must have
iraddhlJ (cf. RA, I, 5-6) and rely on '!)'avahara (cf. MK, XXIV, 8-10; BV, 67).
Thus nirVO.!Ja, i.e. ragadve1amohapraha'f}a ("k.faya) (see SS, 22la 4 quoting
Sa'!lyuktagama, cf. Sa7f1yutta, IV, p. 25lff.), is approached, i.e. attained (cf.
MK, XXIV, 10).
67
7:1. 1\. / V
I 'eli dag rkycn ' di las rig nas II Ita nan dra ba kun ldog des I
I chags rrnons khon khro spans pa'i phyir II rna gos rnya nan ' das pa
thob I
I rkyen nid ' di pa 'di ses nas II Ita n;tn dra ba'i rtog pa ldog I
I chags rrnons khon khro spans phyir te II rna gos rnya nan ' das iier
'gro I
68
7:L When one understands ' this is a result of that', the nets of bad
'wws (kudutijaJa) all vanish. Then one unsullied (alipta) obtains
'\J irval}a by abandoning desire (raga), delusion (moha) and hatred
l riNJa).
69
III. Vigrahavyavartani (VV)
This text is ascribed to Nagarjuna by Bhavya,
101
Candrakirti
102
and
103
and later testimonies are also known.
104
It is
written in the arya metre and provided with a SVQII(tii in a simple and
clear prose, but not without some tiresome pedantry.
105
VV is
extant in Sanskrit,
106
Tibetan and Chinese and has often been
translated into modem languages.
107
Like SS it was probably composed later than MK,
108
and I agree
with Candrakirti that it, with SS, forms an appendix to the opus
magnum.
109
Its scope is - according to the prevailing rules of
debate
110
- to defend Nagarjuna's thesis that all things are empty,
101. Seen. 88.
I 02. See n. 89; Prasannapada, pp. 16, 29, 59; Yukti fllf!ikiiv!tti, 2b.
103. MadhynmakalaiJikaravrtti, 72b (quotes VV, 70).
104. E. g. Atisa's Paiijikii toBodhipathapradipa,padas 205-208 (translated in my paper
ref. to n. 49).
105. Too many repe-titions and too much spelli ng out . On the other hand this
serves to prevrnt misundrrstandings among vainryas about the author's
doctrine. Thus the style may to a certain extent be dictated by the notion of
upilyalcauial.Ja (cf. BS, 17).
I 06. The critical edi tion of E. H. J ohnston and A. Kunst was recently reprinted
with a (revised) English translation by K. Bhattacharya: The Dialectical
Mtthod of Nagiirjuna (Vigrahal!Yauartani), Delhi 1978. (This supersedes K.
Bhattacharya's previous rendering and notes, JlP, I , pp. 217-161 and
v. pp. 237-241. )
107. The Chinese version (Taisho, No. 1631) was translated by G. Tucci, Pre-
Dinrril.t:a Buddhist Texts on Lo.t:icfrom Chinese Sources, Baroda 1929. Thr Tibetan
version (also edited by Tucci) was translated into French by S. Yamaguchi :
'Traite de Nagarjuna: Pour ecarter les vaines discussions',.JA, CCXV, pp. 1-
86, with useful notes. - A good Italian version by R. Gnoli, op.cit .. pp. 139-1 56
(kari kas only). - A partial version by E. Frauwallner, Dit Philosophie des
Buddhismus, Berlin 1969, pp. 200-204. - Several modern discussions, most
recently by M. Siderits: 'The Madhyamaka Critique ofEpistemology',JlP,
Vlll, pp. 307-335.
108. MK, XXIV, 10 cited ad VV, 28.
109. See n. 70.
I I 0. Cf. the brief 'Glossary of the significant Nyiya technical terms used in the
Vigraharyavartani' givrn by Bhattacharya, op.cit., p. 51 (cf.jlP, V, pp. 240-
70
t, ., .Ills< they lack own-being, as, for instance, a phantom. This is
d .. rw on a relative (sar[W(Iitah) and absolute ( paramarthatal]) level.
111
l'lrt sources are as follows:
K trans. by Jnanagarbha & dPal brtsegs,
rev. by Jayananda and mOo sde dpal.
:141 ). - In the opinion of Bhattacharya (ibid., p. 38, n. 2) Nagarjuna's
opponent is a 'Naiyayika realist', and in a paper 'On the relationship
he tween Nagarjuna's Vigraiulli.Javarl4ni a nd the Nyayasutra-s', jl ES, V, pp.
265-273 (cf. op.cit., p. 4, n. 15 (not n. '51')) he has discussed this question
criticizing some of the views expressed by G. Oberhammer, 'Ein Beitrag zu
den Vada-Traditionen lndiens' , WZKSO, VII, pp. 63-103. - It is true that
VV and Nyayasutra are 'interdependent' (to use Tucci's expression, op. cit., p.
xxvii, q.v.) bu,t it is wrong to regard the 'opponent' in VV as a Naiyayika (i.e.
an exponent of NS in some form). In my opinion he must be an
Abhidharmika following, of course, the rules of debate prescribed in some
Buddhist work on logic such as Upayalrrdaya etc. My main arguments are: a)
Together with MK and SS, VV forms a addressed to the same audience
( cf. above, n. 81 ), viz. Abhidharmikas; b) In vv the Buddhist term agama
(the third pramiiua) is invariably used, not the corresponding Nyaya term
i abda; c) The VV, 23 and 27 can only be acceptable to a Buddhist
opponent; d) The svavrtti to VV, 54, 55 and 70 only makes sense if the
opponent is a Buddhist; e) Nagarjuna devoted a special work to his
controversy with Nyaya, viz. VP ( cf. Kajiyama, ' On the relation between the
Vaidalyaprakarana and the Nyayasutra', IBK, V, pp. 192-195). - Future
discussions about the relationship between VV and NS are bound to take
into account not only VP but also the pertinent evidence found in Sataiastra,
or Satalca (Taisho, No. 1569) , and Upayalrrdaya (cf. above, n. 44).
I II. Thus 1-20 give the objections of the Buddhist opponent, real or imaginary.
21-26 are Nagarjuna's replies following the common rules of
debate, giving a pratijnil etc. 27fT. is Nagarjuna' s standpoint paramartlrata&.
The O.gama-background of this is, I think, Lairlcavatarasutra, pp. 166-169 ( .. .
pratijnil na lcaraf,liyii ... q.v.). The decisive shift of argumentative level (i.e.
between sarrrvrti andparamartlra) is indicated by atlrava (VV, 28a) which often
has a strong adversative force in Nagarjuna as well as Aryadeva. Often it
must (like its short formatlra) be rendered by 'on the other hand' or better Latin
immo vero, or sin (cf. e.g. VV, 2a, lOa, 12a, 15a, 19a, 27a etc. etc. ).
Apparently this crucial point has escaped modern translators of VV and
consequently obscured the inherently clear structure of that work. -The fact
that N agarjuna is thus ready to argue at both levels also renders the criticism
launched at Bhavya (Prasannapada, p. 16, q.v. ) in the words ofVV, 29-30 out
of their proper context somewhat perfidious.
71
Tl', No. 5228, Tsafo/. 30b-34a; TN, No. 321 9, Tsafol. 261>-29b.
V trans. by Jnanagarbha & Devendrarak-

TP, No. 5232, Tsa jot. l 38a- l 56a; TN, No. 3223, Tsa jot.
128b-146b.
S A Sanskrit recension by E. H. Johnston & A. Kunst (see n.
106).
C Chinese trans. by Gautama Prajiiaruci.
Taisho, No. 1631, l 3b-23a.
S is an excellent piece of work, perhaps ' the possibly nearest ap-
proximation ofNagarjuna's original text' . Still C and K, but parti-
cularly V provide variants that cannot be objectively eliminated.
It will not be in vain to offer a critical ed. of K which is the best of
all translations of the verses, ancient and modem, and a slightly
revised editjon of the verses given in S, and, in their turn, based
upon the editio princeps of Rahula Sankrtyayana.
But first I shall attempt a brief review of the closely-knit and
partly implicit arguments since they have not been clearly articu-
lated in the existing translations.
112
I. Objections
N's initial thesis is that all things are empty. The opponent (real or
imagined) takes this to mean that N denies everything and thus
attempts to point out various contradictions in this attitude:
a) If everything, as N claims, is empty, his statements must
either be empty- but then they cannot negate own-being (v. I )- or
(atha) non-empty (sasvahhava) , but this would imply an inconsisten-
112. S. Mookerjee has offered a.n exposition of the sta.ndpoi.nt set forth in VV i.n
The Nava-Nalanda-Maluzvihara Research Publication, I, Nala.nda 1957, pp. 7-41.
It also contains a reprint of the Sanskrit text of j ohnston a.nd Ku.nst. - A .new
edition ' with slight but obvious improvements' of Rahula Sankrtyaya.na' s
editio princeps is given by P. L. Vaidya, MadhyamakaiiJJtra of Nagarjuna,
Oarbhanga 1960, pp. 277-295. {As in the case of MK the version of VV
offered by F.J . Streng, Emptiness: A Study in Religious Meaning, Nashville 1967,
pp. 221-227, is full of mistra.nslations.)
72
.
I
cy (vai{amikatvam) and N would have to abandon his initial thesis (viz..
that all things are empty) (v. 2).
~ ) Again N cannot support this thesis with an example, sabdavat,
because that would imply the acceptance of something real, i.e.
non-empty (v. 3) .
y) Besides N cannot refute the opponent's refutation ofN's thesis,
because, according toN himself, everything, including N's thesis can
be negated ( v. 4).
b) Before N can deny things he must accept (some of) the prama-
7J.as thanks to which he obtains his neganda, and this implies a self-
contradiction (vv. 5-6).
e) N's standpoint is also antagonistic towards authoritative
teachers of Abhidharma. Thus he is in conflict with agama ( vv. 7 -8).
~ ) If there is an absolute lack of own-being, what, then, could be
said to lack own-being: of course the term 'lacking own-being' must
refer to something manifest. Otherwise (atha) own-being must be
totally transcendental! ( vv. 9-l 0).
TJ) Any negation implies that a real negandum is accepted.
Otherwise, i.e. if an unreal negandum could be negated, negation
would establish itself endlessly without words, which is absurd (vv.
11-12).- Even if the possibility of negation of an unreal negandum
be granted, this, however, would have to imply the reality of the
misconception of the negandum as real (vv. 13-14), for otherwise,
i.e. if there is no misconception etc., there is also no negandum etc.!
In other words: own-being exists (vv. 15-16).
9) Again, N's thesis that all things are empty cannot be proved
by the reason he advances, viz. that it is due to their lack of own-
being, since, as N himself maintains, there is no own-being to be
negated. And of course a reason for one's statements must be ad-
vanced, otherwise the opposite standpoint might as well be main-
tained (vv. 17-18). But, on the other hand, if N feels inclined to
accept the reason (hetu, gtan tshigs!) , viz. existence of own-being, he
once again encounters a self-contradiction (v. 19).
t) Finally there is - N's arguments have boomeranged - no
period in which N can negate. - Hence own-being is a fact.
113
113. I follow S's v a b h a v a ~ san (in 20d) against Rand T but in accordance with C
(loc.cit., 14a II; 17c 7), without actually subscribing to the opinion of the
editors that 'C's reading ... is unquestionably correct as giving the
opponent's final conclusion.'
73
II. Replies
Before replying to the objections N restates his position: all things
are empty (v. 21), because they only exist in mutual dependence (v.
22), as, for instance, a phantom (v. 23). (Note: N argues sa7[!vrtitalz
vv. 21-26).
a) Since his statements, like everything else, are empty, he is not
at all guilty of inconsistency etc. (v. 24).
~ ) Again, the example alleged is not acceptable to N. Hence he
commits no du/lmtavirodha (vv. 25-26).- A good example would be
one which shows how one phantom eliminates another (v. 27) . -
But even in another sense (atha vii = paramarthatalz) the sound
adduced in the example does not exist. (It is, of course, empty like
everything else.) (v. 28).
y) N has no thesis (i.e. paramiirthatal; ). So he cannot possibly
contradict his own thesis (v. 29) .
6) No, N accepts no pramiiT)a (i. e. paramarthatal;) (v. 30), because
pramiiuas cannot be established (v. 31) by other pramiiT)as (v. 32),
without pramiiTJ(lS (v. 33) or by themselves, partly because the
example (one ofN' s favourites) to support this thesis is unwarranted
(vv. 34-39), partly because it would imply that they were inde-
pendent of thei r respective objects (prameya ) ( vv. 40-41). - On the
other hand prama1JOS cannot be established by prameyas (vv. 42-45),
nor are they mutual:y establishing, like a father and his son (vv.
46-50).- So pramiiT)as cannot be established, QED (v. 51).
E) All the concepts of Buddhism are also empty, but efficient,
which would not be possible if own-being existed (vv. 52-56}.
~ ) T o N not only t he object referred to but also the term referring
to it lack own-being (v. 57). - Besides it is absurd, on the opponent' s
own premises, to speak of an inexistent name (v. 58). - Again,
names, like everything else, are, as shown, empty (v. 59). - Of
course N does not acknowl edge a transcendental form of own-being
(v. 60).
Tt) If the opponent thinks that negation must always have some-
thing real as its negandum, he obviously accepts emptiness (v. 61)
or else he must give up this thesis (v. 62). - As far as N is concerned
he does not negate anything (as this would presuppose the accept-
ance of neganda) (v. 63). - He merely tries to suggest or indicate
{jniipayate) the absence of own-being (vv. 64-67)_1
14
74
H) Similarly there is no own-being lacking as a logical reason to
lw negated in support of N's thesis (v. 68).
t} On the contrary! Since there is never any own-being N's 'nega-
rious' are valid at any time! (v. 69).
Thus it has been shown that 'emptiness' is quite consistent not
nnly with the demands of logic but also with the practice of
Buddhism (v. 70). - A final salutation to the Buddha.l
15
114. If we are to believe Nagarjuna negation of existence differs toto from
indication of absence. The former implies previous affirmation of existence
(cf. RA, I, 72), the latter does not . cr. the verse from *Lokaparikfii (above, n.
27) to the same effect.- I assume that Nagarjuna would regard astitvapralift
dha as an upiidiiya prajnapti (cf. MK, XXIV, 18), i.e. as an indication, a
concept borrowed (i.e. from common parlance, cf. the usual Japanese
rendering 'borrowed name', v. May, 'On Madhyamika Philosophy',
JIP, VI, p. 240), because, according to Nagarjuna himself, there really is no
astitva to negate.- On prapiapti/pannatti, cf.j!P, VIII, pp. 2-14.
liS. Cf. CS, I , 22 (with ref.); MK, XXIV, 18; XXVII, 30. - Note that SS and VV
have no independent initial stanzas of homage like MK (as Candrakirti
observes Yuktifat{ikiivrtti, 2b) and that only MK and VV have final stanzas of
homage which seem to supplement one another well.
75
Vigraha vya vartani-karika II
rTSod pa bzlog pa'i tshig le' ur byas pa II
1. bhavaniii'Jl sarvatra na vidyate svabhavas cet I
tvadvacanam asvabhavarp na nivartayiturp svabhavam alam II
I gal te dnos po thams cad kyi II ran bzin kun la yod min na I
I khyod kyi tshig kyan ran bzin med II ran bzin bzlog parmi nus so I
2. atha sasvabhavam etad vakyai'Jl purva hata pratijna te I
tasmin ca vaktavyal} II
I 'on te tshig de ran bzin bcas II khyod kyi dam bca' sna rna nams I
I mi 'dra iiid de de yin na II khyad par gtan tshigs bljod par gyis I
3. rna sabdavad ity etat syat te buddhir na caitad upapannam I
sabdena hy atra sata vara{lai'Jl tasya II
I de sgra rna 'byin Ita bu' o zes II khyod blo sems na de mi ' thad I
I 'di la sgra ni yod pa yis II 'byun bar 'gyur ba de bzlog yin I
4. 'py evam iti matarp bhavet tad asad eva I
evarp tava pratijna na mama II
I 'gog pa'i 'gog pa'an de Ita zes II ' dod na de yan bzan min te I
I khyod kyi dam bca'i mtshan iiid las II de I tar skyon yod ned Ia med I
5. hi tavad yady upalabhya vinivartayasi bhavan I
tan nasti bhava yenopalabhyante II
I re zig gal te mnon sum gyis II dnos rnams dmigs nas bzlog byed pa I
I gail gis dnos rnams dmigs 'gyur ba II moon sum de ni med pa yin I
6. anumanarp pratyuktarp ca I
anumanagamasadhya ye 'rtha drlltiintasiidhyas ca II
I ljes dpag !uri dan ner 'jal dan lltjes dpag !uri gis bsgrub bya dan I
I dpes bsgrub bya ba'i don gail yin II mnon sum gyis ni Jan btab poI
5a gyis : gyi NP
6d poP : paN
76
i kusalanarp dharmavasthavidas ca manyante I
kusalarp janal;l svabhavarp apy viniyogal) II
I bo chos kyi gnas skabs mkhas II dge ba dag gi chos rnams Ia I
I dge ba'i ran bzin yin par ni II sems si n lhag ma rnams la yan I
11. nairya!)ikasvabhavo dharma nai rya!)ikas ca ye I
dharmavasthoktanam evarp anairya!)ikadinam II
I dag nes par 'byin pa' i chos II chos kyi gnas skabs gsuns de rnams I
I cs par 'byin pa'i ran bzin iiid II de bzin nes 'byin min Ia sogs I
'1 . yadi ca na bhavet svabhavo dharma!)arp nil)svabhava ity evam I
namapi bhaven naivarp nama hi nirvastukarp nasti II
I gal te chos rnams ran bzin med II ran biin med ces bya ba yi I
I min yan de biin med 'gyur te II gii med min ni med phyir ro I
I 0. atha vidyate svabhavai} sa ca dharma:Jarp na vidyate tasmat I
dharmair vina svabhavaQ sa yasya tad yuktam II
I 'on te ran bzin yod mod kyi II de ni chos rnams Ia med na I
I de phyir chos rnams spans pa yi II ran biin gait de bstan par rigs I
II. sata eva nasti geha ity ayarp yasmat I
drHaQ 'yarp sataQ. svabhavasya te tasmat II
I gan phyir khyim na bum pa med II ces bya'i 'gog pa yod iiid Ia I
I mthon bade phyir khyod kyi yan II 'gog ' di yod Ia ran biin yin I
12. atha nasti sa svabhavab kirp nu tvayanena I
vacanenarte vacanat sidhyate hy asatat} II
I ci ste ran biin de med na II khyod kyis tshig ' dis ci zig dgag I
I tshig med par yan med pa yi II 'gog pa rab tu grub pa yin I
13. balanam iva mithya yathajalagrahal). I
evarp mithyagrahal;t syat te hy asataQ II
I byis pa rnams kyis smig rgyu Ia II ji !tar chu ies log 'dzin ltar I
I de biin khyod kyi yod min Ia II log par ' dzin pa 'gog byed na I
8d de bzin : ran biin NP
9b evam (cj. 57) : eva S: omm. NP
12a ci ste : ci de NP; b kyis : kyi NP
J3a kyis : kyi NP
77
11. uanv tvarp saty asti graho grahyarp ca tadgrahitii ca I
ceti tat II
I de Ita na ni 'dzin pa dan II gzun dan de yi 'dzin po dan I
I 'gog dan dgag bya 'gog pa po II de drug yod pa rna yin nam I
15. atha naivasti graho naiva grahyarp na r.a grahitara!}. I
nanu na santi II
I ci ste ' dzin pa yod min :lin II gzun med 'dzin pa po mcd na I
I 'o na 'gog dan dgag bya dan II 'gog pa po yan yod rna yin I
16. ca yady uta na santi I
siddha hi sarvabhavas eva svabhavas ca II
I gal te 'gog dan dgag bya dan II 'gog pa po yan yod min na I
I dnos po kun dan de roams kyi II ran biin nid kyan grub pa yin I
17. hetos cate na siddhir nai!}.svabhavyat kuto hi te hetuh. I
nirhetukasya siddhir na copapannasya te 'rthasya II
I khyed Ia gtan tshigs mi 'grub ste II ran biin mcd phyir khyod kyi
rtags I
I ga Ia yod de khyod don de II gtan tshigs med phyir 'grub mi 'thad I
18. yadi cahetol;l siddhil) svabhavavinivartanasya te bhavati I
svabhavyasyastitvarp mamapi nirhetukarp siddham II
I khyod Ia gtan tshigs med par yan II ran biin bzlog pa grub yin na I
I na la'an gtan tshigs med par ni II ran bzin yod pa nid du 'grub I
19. atha hetor astitvarp bhavasvabhavyam ity anupapannam I
nii}svabhavo na hi kas cana vidyate bhaval) I
I ci ste gtan tshigs yod na dnos II ran bzin med ces bya mi ' thad I
I srid na ran bzin med pa yi II dnos 'ga' yod pa rna yin no I
20. purvaip cet pascat ity anupapannam I
pascac canupapanno yugapac ca yatal} svabhaval]. san II
I gail las ran bZin yod min pa' i II ' gog pa gal te sna 'gyur zin I
I dgag bya 'phyi ies ' thad min Ia II phyis dan cig car yan mi ' thad I
20d svabhava!J san CS : svabhavo 'san NP
78
l . hctupratyayasamagryarp ca prthak capi madvaco na yadi I
nanu siinyatvarp siddharp bhavanam asvabhavatvat II
l ,,a yi tshig ni rgyu rkyen dan II tshogs dan so so Ia yan med I
I 'o na dnos roams ston grub ste II ran bzin med pa nid phyir ro I
n. yas ca pratityabhavo bhavanarp siinyateti sa prokta I
yas pratityabhavo bhavati hi tasyasvabhavatvam II
I ncn nas 'byun ba'i dnos rnams gail II de ni ston nid ces brjod de I
I gari zig brten nas 'byuri ba de II ran bzin med pa nid yin no I
:n. nirmitako nirmitakarp svamayaya srHam I
yadvat 'yarp tathaiva syat II
I sprul pa yis ni sprul pa dan II sgyu rna yi ni skyes bu yis I
I sgyu mas phyun Ia 'gog byed !tar II 'gog pa ' di yari de bzin 'gyur I
24. na svabhavikam etad vakyarp tasman na vadahanir me I
nasti ca ca na nigadyacyll
I ria yi tshig 'di ran bzin mcd II de phyir t'ta phyogs rna nams Ia I
I mi ' dra nid kyan med pas na II gtan tshigs khyad par brjod mi bya I
15. rna sabdavad iti nayarp yas tvaya samarabdhal} I
sabdena hi tac chabdasya varatJarp naivam etac ca II
I sgra mi 'byin by a bzin ie na II khyod kyi s gao brtsams dpe 'di min I
I de ni sgra yis sgra bzlog Ia II ' dir ni de Ita rna yin no I
26. naibsvabhavyanarp cen naibsvabhavyena varaQarp yadi hi I
nai}:lsvabhavyanivrttau svabhavyarp hi prasiddharp syat II
I gal te ran bzin med nid kyis II ci ste ran bzin med pa bzlog I
I ran bzin med pa nid log na II ran biin nid du rab grub 'gyur I
27. atha va ni rmitakayarp yatha striyarp striyam ity asadgraham I
nirmitakab pratihanyat kasya cid evarp bhaved etat II
I yan na kha cig s prul pa yi II bud med Ia ni bud med snam I
I log 'dzin 'byun Ia sprul pa yis II 'gog byed de ni de Ita yin I
23b ma yi ... bu yis : ma yis ... bu yi NP
24a 'di rail biin (et me tad pro etad S?) : ni de biin NP
25c hi tat nulius quam tac ca S; d etac ca : evaitat S
27b bud med Ia N : bu med Ia P; c yis : yi NP
79
2B. atha va sadhyasamo 'yarp hctur na hi vidyate dhvane!) satta I
Saf!lvyavahara"!l ca vayarp nanabhyupagamya kathayama!) II
I yan na rtags ' di bsgrub bya dan II mtshuns te gao phyir sgra yod
min I
I tha snad khas ni rna blans par II ned cag ' chad parmi byed do I
29. yadi ka cana pratijna syan me tata me bhaved I
nasti ca mama pratijna tasman naivasti me II
I gal te nas dam bca' 'ga' yod II des na na Ia skyon de yod I
Ina Ia dam bca' med pas na II na Ia skyon med kho na yin I
30. yadi kitp cid upalabheyarp pravartayeyatp nivartayeyarp vii I
arthais tadabhavan me ' nupalambha!) II
I gal te moon sum Ia sogs pa' i II don gyis 'ga' zig dmigs na ni I
I bsgrub pa'am bzlog par bya na de II med phyir na Ia klan ka med I
31. yadi ca te prasiddhir arthanam I
punaQ. prasiddhirp brlihi kathaf!l te pramiiQanam II
I gal te khyod kyi don de rnams II tshad ma nid kyis rab bsgrub na I
I khyod kyi tshad made rnams kyan II ji I tar rab tu 'grub pa smros I
32. a nyair yadi pramiil}aiQ. pramiiQasi ddhir bhavet tad anavastha I
nadel] siddhis tatrasti naiva madhyasya nantasya II
I gal te tshad ma gzan roams kyis II grub bo siiam na thug pa med I
I de yan dan po 'grub min Ia II bar ma yin iin tha ma'an min I
33. atha pramiiQair vina prasiddhir vihiyate vadal} I
tasmin ca vaktavyaQ. II
I 'on te tshad ma med par yan II de rnams sgrub na smra ba nams I
I mi ' dra iiid de de yi na II gtan tshigs khyad par smra bar gyis I
34. 'yarp na hy iitmiina'!' prakiisayaty agnil) I
na hi tasyiinupalabdhir drHii tamasiva kumbhasya II
I smras pa de ni mi mthun te II mun khun nan gi bum pa biin I
I de Ia mi dmigs ma mthon bas II me ni ran iiid gsa! byed min I
28a yan na : gan na NP
3lb kyis: kyi NP
34c ma mthon bas V : mthon bas na :'liP
80
h. yac!i ca svatmanam ayarp tvadvacanena prakasayaty agniJ:i I
param iva nanv atmanarp svarp api II
I tc khyod kyi tshig gis ni II me yis ran bdag gsa! bycd na I
I '< na me yis gzan bzin du II ran nid sreg pa'an byed par 'gyur I
:Hi. yadi ca svaparatmanau tvadvacanena prakasayaty agnii) II
tarnal) svaparatmanau hutasa iva II
I te khyod kyi tshig gis ni II me yis ran gian gsal byed na I
I me bzin du ni mun pa yari. II ran gzan bdag nid sgrib par 'gyur I
"!7. nasti tamas ca jvalane yatra ca ti!}thati paratmani jvalanal}. I
kurute katharr prakasarr sa hi prakaso ' ndhakaravadhaJ;l II
I ' bar byed dari. ni gari. gzan na II me ' dug pa na mun pa med I
I gsa! byed de ni mun sel na II ji ltar gsal bar byed pa yin I
:m. utpadyamana eva prakasayaty agnir ity asadvadal}. I
utpadyamana eva prapnoti tamo na hi hutasal) II
I me 'byun nid na gsal byed pa II yari. dag min par smra ba ste I
I me ' byuri. nid na mun pa dari. II phrad pa med pa kho na yin I
apriipto ' pi jvalano yadi vii punar andhakii.ram upahanyat I
tamo ' yam iha sarrsthito hanyat I
I yari. na me dan ma phrad kyan II mun pa sel bar byed na ni I
I ' di na yod pa gao yin pas II 'jig rten kun gyi mun sel 'gyur I
40. yadi svatas ca pramiioasiddhir tava prameyaoi I
bhavati pramarpsiddhir na II
I gal te ran las tshad ma grub II gzal bya rnams Ia ma bltos par I
I khyod kyi tshad ma grub 'gyur 'di II ran grub gzan Ia bltos ma yin I
35c svarp : S (p. 3)
36a kyi : kyis NP
38a meN : mi P
39d hanyat : hanyat S
40b Ia : las NP; d Ia : las NP
6 Nagarjuniana 81
II hi prarncyan arthan yadi te prarnii.r:tasiddhir iti I
11.1 kasya cid evarn irnani tani prarniiQii.ni II
I L:al tc .t.:zal bya'i don rnarns Ia II rna bltos khyod kyi tshad rna grub I
I dl' ltar tshad rna ' di rnarns ni II gail gi'an yin par rni 'gyur ro I
42. atha rnatarn siddhis te!}arn it y atra bhavati ko I
siddhasya sadhana111 syan nasiddho hy anyat II
I 'on te bltos nas de rnarns 'grub II ' dod na de Ia skyon cir 'gyur I
I rna grub gzan Ia rni bltos pas II grub pa sgrub par byed pa yin I
43. s idhyanti hi prarneyiil]y yadi sarvathii prarniir:tani I
bhavati prarneyasiddhir prarniiQiini II
I tc yons yc gzal bya Ia II bltos nas tshad rna grub yin na I
I tshad rna rnarns Ia rna bltos par II gzal byar by a ba 'grub par 'gyur I
44. yadi ca prarneyasiddhir bhavati prarnal}ani I
kirp tc prarnal}asiddhya tani yadartha!Jl prasiddha111 tat II
I gal tc tshad rna rnarns Ia ni II rna bltos par yar1 gza l bya 'grub I
I gait phyir de dag de 'grub na II khyod kyi tshad rna grub p:ts ci I
45. :ttha Ill prarn;ii.Jasiddhir hhavaty apl'kwaiva tc prarncyii l]i I
vyatyaya c'\'<ll!l sati tc dhruvaq1 II
I ci stc khyod kyi tshad rna rnams II gzal bya rnarns Ia bltos nas
'grub I
I de har khyod kyi tshad rna dan II gial bya nes par !dog par 'gyur I
46. atha te prarniiJ]asiddhyii prameyasiddhii} prameyasidcihyii ca I
bhavati pramiil}asiddhir nasty ubhayasyapi te siddhil) II
I 'on te khyod kyi tshad grub pas II gzal bar bya ba 'grub 'gyur Ia I
I gzal bya grub pas tshad sgrub na II khyod kyi gnis ka'an 'grub mi
'gyur I
43a Ia : las NP
44d tani : tani S
46bc gzal P : bial N; d kyi V : kyis NP
82
1, ,jclhvanti hi pramiiQair yadi prameyii Qi tani tair eva I
.... i clhyani ca prameyais tani katharp II
I t:. d tt tshad rna g:ial bya 'grub II gial bya de dag roams kyis kyan I
I d d.tg bsgrub par bya yin na II de dag ji I tar sgrub par 'gyur I
1/!. sidhyanti ca pramcyair yadi pramiiQani tani tair eva I
sndhyani ca prarnaQais tani kat harp II
I te gza l byas tshad rna 'grub II tshad rna de roams sgrub kyis
kyan I
: de <.l ag sgrub par bya yin na II de dag j i llar sgrub par 'gyur I
19. pitra yady utpadyal) putro yadi tena caiva putrcQa I
utpiidyal) sa yadi pita vada tatrotpadayati kal;l kam II
I gal te pha yis bu bskyed bya II gal te uu de iiid kyis kyan I
I ci ste pha de hskyed bya na II des na gail gis !-{ail hskycd smros I
.10. kas ca pita kal) putras tatra tvarp brtihi tav uhh;iv api ca I
yato l>havati no ' tra sarpdchal;lll
I de dag ka'an pha dan bu' i II mts han nid 'dzin pas de' i phyir I
I de Ia kho bo the tshorn 'gyur II de Ia pha gail. bu gail srnros II
51. naiva S\'atal) prasiddhir na va I
na bha\'ati na ca pramryair na capy akasrnat pramii Qa niim II
I tshad rna rna ms kyi ran t1id kyis II 'grub min phan tshun gyis min
pa'am I
I tshad rna gian gyis ma yin Ia II gzal byas ma yin rgvu mcd mi n I
52. kusahi naq1 dharmaQiirp dharmavasthavido bruviran yat I
kusalarp svabhavam eva111 syat II
I chos kyi gnas skabs rab rnkhas pa II dgc ba yi ni chos rnarns kyi I
I dge ba' i rat'l biin smra ba gail II de !tar rab phye brjod bya yin I
49c C'i stc V : ci de NP
50 d Ia : las NP
52b yi ... kyi : yis ... kyis NP: c smra ba V : chos rnams (ante rari biin) NP
53c ha NP pro drios?
83
:,:\. y:uti ca pratitya svabhava utpadyate sa kusalanam I
svabhiiva evarp katharp bhavati II
I te dge ba'i chos rnams kyi II ran bzin 'ga' zig brten skye ba I
I de ni gian Ita de Ita na II ran gi no bor ji !tar 'gyur I
54. atha na pratitya kirp cit svabhava utpadyate sa kusalii nam I
dharmiit;tam evarp syad vaso na brahma.caryasya II
I 'on te dge ba'i chos rnams kyi II ran gi no bo de 'ga' la'an I
I rna brten skye na de Ita na'an II tshans par spyod pa gnas mi 'gyur I
55. nadharmo dharmo vii sarpvyavahiiras ca laukika na syul} I
nityas ca sasvabhiivaJ:t syur nityatvad ahetumatal). ll
I rgyu mi !dan pa rtag pa'i phyir II ran biin bcas pa rtag par 'gyur I
I chos dan chos rna yin med cin II 'jig rten pa yi tha snad med I
56. evam ca I
tasmat sarvarp sarpskrtam asarpskrtarp tc bhavaty eva II
I midge ba dan lun rna bstan II nes 'byi n sogs Ia'ai1 skyon de biin I
I de bas khyod kyi ' dus byas kun II 'dus rna hyas pa nid du 'gyur I
57. yab sadhhutarp nam;ttra bruyat sasvahhava ity evam I
hhavata prativaktavyo nama brumas ca na vayarp sat II
I gan iig rar) hiin bcas pa ics II min ' dir yod par smra ba Ia I
I de !tar khyod kyis Ian btab kyis II na yis min yod mi smra'o I
58. niimasad iti ca yad idarp tat kirp nu sato bhavaty utapy asatal) I
yadi hi sato yady asato dvidhapi te hiyate vadaQ II
I min med ces bya gail yin 'di II ci de yod pa'am med pa yin I
I gal te yod dammed kyan run II khyod kyis smr as pa'an gnis ka' an
riams I
59. bhavaniirp sunyatvarp copapiiditarp purvam I
sa upalambhas tasmad bhavaty ayarp capratijnayii Q II
I dnos po dag ni thams cad kyi II ston pa nid ni sitar bstan pas I
I de phyir dam bcas med par yan II klan ka gao yin de tshol byed I
54b no bo N : no ' o P
55b ran biin bcas pa rtag V : chos roams thams cad brtag NP
57b 'dir : ni NP; d sat : tat S; yis : yi NP
84
fiO. a tha vidyate svabhaval;l sa ca dharmal)arp na vidyata itidam I
asankitarp yad uktarp bhavaty anasankitarp tac ca II
I 'on te ran bzin zig yod Ia II de ni chos Ia med do ies I
I dogs ' di rigs pa rna yin mod II dogs pa de ni khyod kyis byas I
61. sata eva yadi sunyatvarp nanu prasiddham idam I
hi bhavan bhavanarp nil;lsvabhavatvam II
I gal te yod nid 'gog yin na II 'o na ston nid rab 'grub ste I
I dnos rnams ran biin med nid Ia II khyod ni 'gog par byed pas so I
62. ' tha tvarp sunyatvarp tac ca nasti sunyatvam I
sata iti te nanv vihiyate vadal] II
I ston nid gail Ia khyod 'gog pa' i II ston nid de yan med yin na I
I 'o na yod pa 'gog yi n ies II smras pa de nams rna yin nam I
63. naharp kirp cit asti na ca kirp cit I
tasmat adhilaya tvaya kriyate II
I dgag bya ci yan med pas na II na ni ci yan mi 'gog go I
I de phyir 'gog pa byed do ies II yan dag min te khyod kyis smras I
64. yac caharte vacanad asat2l;l iti I
atra j iiapayate vag asad iti tan na pratinihanti II
I tshig med par yan med pa yi II 'gog tshig mi 'grub min ze na I
l de Ia tshig ni med ces par II go bar byed kyi skyes sel min I
65. yal;l punar uktas tvaya maharps carcal;l l
tatrapi nirl)ayarp srl)u yatha sa upapannal;lll
I smig rgyu dpe Ia khyod kyis kyan II rtsod pa chen po smras pa gait I
I der yan ci nas dpe de ' thad II gtan Ia dbab pa milam par gyis I
66. sa yadi svabhavatal;l syad graho na syat pratitya sarpbhutal] I
yas ca pratitya bhavati graho nanu sunyata saiva II
I gal te ' dzin de ran bzin yod II rten nas 'byun bar mi 'gyur ro I
I ' dzin pa gail zig brten ' byun ba II de nid ston nid rna yin nam I
61a 'gog P: dgog N
62c ies P : ze N
63c do P : deN
66b rten P : brten N
85
fi 7. y:uli ,a s\ahh:,,aral,l sy;id grahal,1 kas tarp nivartaycd graharn I
apy qa "idhis tasmad II
I ga: tc 'dzin pa ran bzin yod II ' dzin pa de Ia su yis bzlog I
I I hag rna rnams Ia 'ar1 tshul de biin II de phyir klan ka de med do I
68. etcna hetvabhava!) pratyuktal,l purvarn eva sa samatvat I
ya uktal.l prak II
I smig rgyu 'i dpcs bzlog bsgrub pa'i tshc II s:iar smras gan yin de dan
ni I
I sna mas tshigs rned pa yi Ill a n btab gyur tc mtshuns phyir ro I
69. yas traikiilyc hctul) pratyuktai) purvarn eva sa samat,at I
traikii lyaprarihctus ca sunyatavadinaJ11 praptai) II
I dus gs111n g ta n tshigs gar1 yin sr1ar II Jan btab nid de mtshuns phyir
ro I
I dus gsurn rncd kyi gtan tshigs ni II ston iiicl smra ba rnarns Ia nu1 I
70. prabhava ti C'a sunya teyaq1 prabhavanti tasya S<Hvarthai) I
prabhavati na tasya f:iq1 cin na prahhav:tti yasya II
I gal'\ Ia SIOJl pa nid srid pa II de Ia don rnaillS !h;uns cad s rid I
I gat'a Ia -;wr'l riid nti s rid p:t II d<' la ('i y:u) mi srid do I
y<d,l pratity:tsamutpiid:t'il madhyam;irp pratipada'1"
ca I
<'kanhiiq1 nijagada prar.Jarnami tam apratirnabucldham II
I g<lll zig StOll 'hyLIIl dag II dbu ma'i lam du don gcig par I
I gsui1 mchog mrshuns pa mcd pa yi II sans rgyas de Ia phy<!g 'tshal
lo I
68b sriar smras yin N ; smras gari yin pa P
69a sr)ar II : sriar N : pa I'; c med kyi P : ched kyi N
86
IV. V aidalyaprakaral)a (VP)
This work, which is in 73 sutras with a svavrttz, IS extant only in
Tibetan.
116
References to this work are found in Bhavya
117
and
< :andraklrti,
118
but I have never noticed any quotation from VP .
.I udging solely from the text itself, t he style and tenets would indi-
cate the same author as for VV, the work where the parallels are
closest out of all those ascribed to Nagarjuna. VP has not received
the attention its historical importance and its very enjoyable style
,rnitle it to.
119
The introductory stanta indicates the scope of V P: ' In order to
put an end to the arrogance of those logicians (tarkika) who out vf
conceit of their knowledge are keen to debate, I shall grind them to
I i ttle pieces.'
120
Who these sophists are and in what their conceit consists is made
dear when Nagarjuna begins by quoting the following well-known
passage, Nyaya-szitra (NS) 1.1.1.: 'pramarJ.a-prameya-sarp.saya-prayojana-
drf!anta-siddhanta-avayava-tarka-niTT).aya-vada-.falpa-vitarp/0.-hetvabhiisa-
rchala-.Jati-nigrahasthananam ... '
l l6. I have consuhed TP, No. 5226 (sutras) and TP, No. 5230 ( the prakara7Ja
proper) both of which were edi ted (also collating the Narthang and Dcrgc
edit ions) by Y. Kajiyama, Miscellanea lndolo.t:ica Kiotensia, VI-VII , pp. 129-
155, who also discussed VP a nd translated it into japanese, v. Nakamu ra
( 1977), p. 81, n. 24.
117. Cf. n. 88.
118. Cf. n. 89.
119. It is without compare the most lively and amusing of all texts ascribed to
Nagarjuna, full of sophistries as it is. - Historically speaking its quotations
from NS arc important, cf. also above, n. 110. Some useful remarks in a
review by P.M. Williams,JIP, VI, pp. 287-290. One may here note that an
English translation is forthcoming in lndiske Studier.
120. rto.t: ltt its pa 'i na r,zyal gyis II gan ~ ( t : rtsod par mnon 'dod pa II deyi ila r.zyal span ba 'i
phyir II bb mo rnam 'thag biad par bya II. Similarly the initial lines of
* UpO.yahrdaya, v. n. 44 above.
87
In llw sutras and their commentary Nagaljuna
IHHposts to split and cr ush these 16 basic concepts (padartha) one by
onr: 121
a) I . & 2. padartha: pramaT}a-prameya (ss. /-/9)
N's initial pratijiza is that pramaT)a and prameya are inseparably joined
(miJra) (s. I) and therefore they cannot be established (siddha) per se
(svata&) (s. 2).- The opponent ( = 0] allows that they are correlates,
but thinks all the same that they can establish each other. - T herefore
N must refute the three ways in which this could, hypothetically,
come about: nei ther sat, asat, nor sadasat can enter into relation. This
is of general application, including, of course, pramaT)a-prameya (s. 3).
- I f 0 insists that everything is established by pramaT}as then this
must either include the pramiiTJas as well - but this leads to anavastha
- or exclude the pram111}as- but this leads to pratij'iziihani (s. 4) ( cf. VV
v. 2]. - But 0 persists in maintaining that prama1Ja5 are self-estab-
lished because they ' illuminate' themselves, pradipavat (s. 5) [cf. NS
11.1.19]. N rejoins that the dutanta is unhappy si nce a lamp cannot
possibly illuminate anything, itself or anything else, whether it is in
contact (prapta) with its object or not (ss. 6-1 0) .
122
Besides pramaT}a-
prameya are traikalyasiddha (s. II ).
123
O's reply, that so is N's pratife-
dha ( s. 12) [ = NS I I. 1.12) makes N triumph: If 0 thinks that N
then instead mai ntai ns his and 0 accepts this, he eo ipso
accepts tha t pramaiJa-prameya are (' deserve to be ne-
gated'); then, in a flash, all disputes (vivada) are settled (s. 14)!
[cf. ss. 1-2]. - But actually N accepts neither a pratifedha nor a pratife-
dhya etc., he merely tri es to indicate the absence of own-being (s. 15)
[cf. VV v. 64].- 0 still insists that the prama11as exist because they
121. Following is an analysis and paraphrase intended to expose the line of
arguments-orsophisms! The notes are confined to a minimum. The number
of sutras follows Kajiyama.
122. The Tibetan rendering ofs. 8 ( ... rltn spyod papo ... ) must be wrong, cf. NS,
I, I, 25: laukikaparik[akimam ... , so read: 'ji,t: rten dan dpyod papa ...
123. Cf. NS, II, I, 8-1 5; l.Anxlwatarasutra, X, 779; the papers of Bhattacharya and
Oberhammer ref. to above, n. II 0. It certainly seems that Nagarjuna here (s.
12) and VV, 20 is aware of the boomerang inNS, II, I, l2,pace Oberhammer
(op.cit. , p. 70) who concludes that: 'Es kann daher mit Sicherheit gefolgt
werden, dass die traikiiryasiddhi-Diskussion von NS II, 1, 8- 15 Nagarjuna
nicht vorgelegen hat.' Possibly Nagarjuna only knows an earlier recension of
NS than the lex/us rueptus.
88
provide correct understanding (s. 16), and when N asks how one
ran be sure that prameya exists independently of buddhi [i.e. how one
can avoid esse est percipi], 0 claims that the ghaJabuddhi is pramat)a
whereas the jar as such (gha(a eva) is prameya (s. 17). But, replies N,
0 recognises that budd hi arises [ = NS I .1.11
& 1.1.15 ], and since thegha!a must be a specific praryaya beforehand,
huddhi cannot be prama1Ja, and the gha{a is not prameya (s. 18).
Besides, 0 himself [ = NS 1.1.9, but cf. ibidem, I 1.1.16] categorises
huddhi as prama1Ja, not as prameya ( s. 19).
3. & 4. padartha: satp]aya & prayojana (ss. 20-23)
Could N's treatment of pramaT}a-prameya not give rise to some doubt
(saT[liaya)? No, there is nothing to be in doubt about, neither that
which is comprehended, which is a fact (sat ), nor that which is not
comprehended, which is null and void (asat ) (s. 20). - Even if 0
finds lack of decisive characteristics [in dubitandum] to
be the cause of doubt (s. 21) [cf. NS 1.1.23], the same argument also
applies here (s. 22). - But may one not be uncertain about a
prayojana? No, for 0 himself maintains that: 'yam artham adhikrrya
prauartate tat prayojanam' [ = NS I .1.24) and the object can only be sat
or asat, hence not an object of doubt.
y) 5. padartha: dnfanta (ss. 24-30)
If 0 objects that there are examples of things that serve a purpose
(prayojana), like sand, N's refutation remains the same as before (ss.
24-25). - Besides there is no (du!a-)anta because there is no adi or
madhyama ( s. 26) . - Still 0 [ cf. NS 1.1.25] maintains the possibility of
a drHanta that may be either sadharmya or vaidharmya, but N rejoins
that neither that which is sadharmya to what it is supposed to exem-
plify (e.g. fire of fire) nor that which is uaidharmya- whether it be
totally or only to some extent- can serve as duJcmta (ss. 27-30).
o) 6. padartha: siddhanta (s. 31)
When N claims that everything is asiddha he must himself accept
Jiddha-anta. No, without a siddha-adi how can he accept a siddha-anta?
(s. 31 ).
E::) 7. padartha: auayava (s. 32-48)
First (ss. 32-39) the five members of the syllogism are refuted in
89
Sinn thty ar<' not subject to a whole (avayavi) (s. 32), or
pans .. ran inuq)('ndent group (samuha) (s. 33) and since they would
ht identical if thty were one with the avayavi - for if they were dif-
fcrmt there would be six- (s. 34), and also because they are traika-
lyasiddha (s. 35) [cf. NS II. 1.8], therefore the auayava are not estab-
lished.- But 0 finds that the five avayava can operate together, like
cotton threads. A single accomplishes nothing, but many combined
into one can tether an elephant (s. 36). No, the individual threads
are sadhyasama. What cannot be achieved by a single uandhya or ja-
tyandha cannot be achieved by any number of them (s. 37) [cf. Maha-
I, p. 31 ], and even if it be granted that they might do so by
working simultaneously, the fiveavayava, however, never occur simul-
taneously as a single avayavl (s. 38).- Besides, before the auqyaua can
provt' anything they themselves must be proved, viz. by otherauayava
and so on ad infinitum ( anavastha) ( s. 39).
(ss. 40-+8) the five avayava are refuted one by one: A pratijiia
is impossible since it is neither identical with nor difl(rent from its
hetu (s. 40).- A hetu is impossible since either it must have another
lutu and so forth ad infinitum, or else a hetu is present without a hetu.
But that is absurd and would lead to total eonfasion (s. 41 ) [cf. VV
vv. l 7-1 8]. So si ncr there is no prat!jiia . hrtu uor ti!Hrmta thtn the other
two \'it.. <:nd lapse ('i. +2). - EYen if a
prn1ij1ia could l>l rstahlished without a hetu. that would mean that the
otht>r thrcr rnrrnh<"rs w(re established without a hetu (s. 43). Again,
if proof were rluc to :l hetu, then a duf{mta would be superfluous
(s. +4), and if not, then the httu would be otiose, but in that case
dut(inta etc. would be superfluous over agai n (s. 45). - O's specific
pratij'iza. that atman is ni{ya, amitrtatvad akiisauat, is refuted (s. 46). -
Further, since prati.Jriii and lutu can only be denominated successive-
ly, a pratijiia cannot be a prati.Jizii to its (coexisting) hetu, and vice
versa (s. 47). - But when N denies all avayava it would seem that he
implicitly accepts a pratijna, and, eo ipso, the four remaining auayaua?
No, s ince there is no pratijiza, for prati andjiia must be enunciated
separately one alter the other (s. 48) .
8. padiirtha: tarka (s. 49)
This cannot be sanctioned ei ther as neither the artha that isjnata nor
the artha that is ajiiata can be an object of it (s. 49).
90
II nirr;aya (s. 50)
l'ttis is also impossible since dravya, sat, eka etc., which would serve
'" tix something definitely, are neither identical nor different. nor
httt h ( s. 50).
II ) tO.f,adartlw: z!ada (ss. 5/ -55)
:'\ must accept the concept of debate (ziida)! No, because abhidhiina
.mel (" the issue under debate') cannot be esta blished as
they a re neither eka noranrka (s. 51). :'-lor can they alternatiwly be
connected by a definite niima-artha-saf!1keta (which would, incidental-
ly - deviinii!JIPr!va! - impl y that the artha of O's 16 padiirthas [cf.
'JS l.I.I] should not be taken more seriously than the significance of
names such as Devadatta or lndragupta). because the very fact that
any word can function as a synonym or homonym of well-nigh any-
' hing
124
excludes any definite relationship (nes pa , n!vama ) between
nama and artha (ss. 52-54) . Finally they cannot belong to one an-
other. Thus the preconditions ofz!ada are absC:'nt (s. 55).
L) ! I. & 12. padiirtha: j alpa & (s. 56)
Th<'sc two conce pts are to be refuted in the same manner as 1ada
(s. 56).
x) 13. padartha: hetrobltnsa (ss. 57-66)
Everything that N says is hetvaNtasa and incapable of refuting any-
thing! No, a nswers N, neither by being sadharmya nor by being zai-
dhannya with the actual lzt'lu, can hetviibhnsa come into question
(s. 57).- If a hetuiibl!nsa is qualified as a hetu that is sazyabhicarn [cf.
NS 1.2.4] this is wrong, since neither the lzetu which is sadhyasiidhaka
nor the one which is not, can be classified as savyabhiciira (s. 58).- 0
insists that a hetu may be sm!)'abhicora [i.e. in the sense ofnnaikantika;
cf. NS 1. 2.5]: Thus amurtatua can serve as hetu, now to iikiiSa, now to
kanna (s. 59). No, these are two different types of amiirtatva, as it
may prove the nityati'G of one thing, and the anityatta of another.
Consettucntl y the hetu adduced during diqaT]a and sadhana is not in
124. The verSl' on homonyms also occurs .'lbhidhnrmnkoiabhaJya (ed. P. Pradhan),
p. 81 (with v. I. in d); N_yayabhtl.fa!la (ed. S. Yogindriinanda), p.
34 I : I navasv artht!U medhavi .11oiabdam
at,adhfirayrt i I.
91
its1lf .lfll!Yablticara (s. 60). Again, there can be no lulu which is
savyahhicara in relation to the sadhya, for as things occur instanta-
neously, sadhana and dil.fa!la are not concurrent with sad!Jya and ditva
(s. 61 ). - 0 now suggests that every lulu discarded by N is, if not sa-
vyahhicara, contradictory (uiruddha) at least (s. 62) [cf. NS 1.2.4]. No,
for how can two utterances be conflicting since it is obvious that
when the first statement is being formulated, the second has not yet
occurred. They can only be conflicting if they are simultaneous.
And yet simultaneous statements cannot be conflicting either, since
it is impossible for proponent and antagonist to put forward charge
and rebuttal at the same time (s. 63).- 0 then proposes that a hetu
which is kalatita [cf. NS 1.2.4 & 1.2.29] does in fact constitute a lutva-
hhasa; N disagrees, for a previous basis for something present can-
not, by reason of being past, be a basis for anything present which
does not occur yet ( s. 64). One had better not play fast and loose
with past, present and future for all normal intercourse will then be
suspended (s. 65)! Besides, since what is previous is past and gone,
a lutu localised there cannot form the basis for anything in the
present time (s. 66).
A.) 14. padartha: chala (s. 67)
All N's statements are simply conscious distortions of the meaning
of O 's words! [ cC NS 1.2.1 OJ). Oh no, then any
attempt at critical aloofness or disagreement would be distortion
(s. 67).
u.) 15. padartha: jati (s. 68)
The concept ofjati is impossible. Withoutjata, ajata andjayamana,jiiti
is precluded ( s. 68).
125
v) 16. padartha: nigrahasthana (ss 69-71 )
N is now blamed for having incriminated himself on account of
repetition (punarvacana; [cf. NS V.2.14 & V.2.15]). But N does not
plead guilty, as what is supposed to have been repeated is neither
identical with nor different from what it repeats (s. 69). In any case a
125. Same argument as Dvadaiaduaraka, 26.- The fact that Nagarjuna's sophistic
reply follows immediately afterchala lends it a particular finesse (which is, of
course, quite lost in its Tibetan garb).
92
I
does not exist, neither when the charge has been made
nor when it has not yet been made (s. 70). As for the third possibili-
ty, one is not convicted on any count as long as one is still being pro-
secuted, any more than one is trussed before the final knot is tied
(s. 71).
Now that the 16 padarthas have been made the objects of negation
(pratiiedh.ya), prali$edha is also rendered impossible (s. 72). Hence
there is no abhidhana and no abhidheya and therefore one cannot
distinguish between nirua1Ja and apavarga (s. 73) .
126
Herewith Nagarjuna has, as he foretold at the outset, crushed the
arrogance of the heretics. It proceeded according to the princi ples
that are known from Nagarjuna' s other works (viz. that ultimately
nothing can be conceived as eka or aneka), but with a wit and vir-
tuosity not met with elsewhere.
126. Nagarjuna's conclusion is worth citing (Kajiyama, p. I 54): gcig nid dan gian
iiid dan gni ga med pa 'i phyir dnos po thams cad med par klw.s blans pa yin no II de Ita bas
na dnos po med par mlion par brjod par bya ba dan I mnon par brjod pa yan med pa yin no II
de'i phyir mya nan las 'das pa dan byan grot bs bya ba dag don gian iiid ni mayin no II.
Cf. MK, 11, 21; XVIII, 7; SS, 2.
93
V. *Vyavaharasiddhi (VS)
According to the Tibetan historian Bu-ston, Kagiirjuna wrote a
work call ed THa s1iad grub pa or *JI_vavahiuasiddhi, in order 'to show
that though there is no svabhaua in the ult imate sense (paramarthata& ),
stilllaukikau_>ttmltara is justified .. :
127
The credibility of this has been disputed. m I have failed to detect
any rekrcnces to such a title in any of Bhavya's or Candrakirti's
writings or in any other Indian siistra anterior to these. However, in
his Madhyamakalarf!karavrtti quotes six verses
129
the
source of which is mentioned by his pupil Kamalasila (who adds an
exhausti ve commentary): They hai l from Nagarjuna's * vyavaltara-
siddlti.
130
If we consider the content and style of thi s llagment, it becomes
clear not onl y tha t it displays very dose parallels to other passag<>s
in Nagarjuna's authenti c works, but a lso that one would bcf(>rchand
have cxp<>cttd the author to <'xpress hirnsdf in more detail on this
topic, clf>arly of paramount importance to him.
1
.1
1
Thus I do not htsitate to accept thi s li-agnwnt as a g(nuinc quota-
ti on from Niiga1:juna' s lost * l_'vnmltarasiddfti.u
1
127. S{t Bu-s1un, I. Th<' Tibe1an 1ex1 is found in Lokesh Chandra (rei ) , Tlu
C<>lltTicd ofBu-ston (SatapiFika Serit's. LX[\'), Yajol. 670: dtmdam pnr
ran bbn mrd kun rd{.ob lu rim .S?,Yi tho snad 'thad cin .t:rub par ston pa tha snad
grub pa dan dru.r:yin no gsun no II. (Excerpts due to :vir. Per K. SArcmcn.)
128. E.g. f . D. Lessing & A. Wayman, .Hkhas grub rjt's Fundarrvntals ofthr /Juddhist
Tantras, The Hague 1968, p. 87, q.v.
129. TP, No. 5285, Sajol. 69b, quoted and translated below.
130. TP, No. 5286, Sajol. 123a-124b.- for Kamalaslla's reliability as a witness cf.
E. Stcinkellncr, 'Zur Zitierweise Kamalaslla's', IVZKSO, Vi I, pp. 116-1 50.
I :! I. cr. in particular MK, XX IV, 36: SI/TIJIISII'fiii.JIIIlllharal[li ca laukikan pratibadhast I
yal prati{ynsamutpadai iiTI)'atnT{I pratibadhase II . (Note tha t Bhavya (Prajnaprat!ipa,
292h-293a) and Avalokitavrata (Prajnaprat!ipa{ika, 293b) connect 36ab with
the: previous lines and take 36cd as the protasis of the following verses
whereas Candrakirti (Prasannapada, p. 513) subordinates 36cd to 36ab by
ta kingyat as a kriyaui.le:ara. Akutobhqya (here adopted by Ruddhapii lit a) and
Z!Wng fun (loc.cit., 34b 14- 17) similarly. )
132. For further evidence sec the notes below.
94
I J, , Though all phenomena, such as mantras etc., arise
.1. and thus neither are existing nor non-existing, they are
"' '",. t lw less efficient. Likewise all interior and exterior phenomena
. 111" dqwndcntly, and though they arc thus mere metaphorical con-
' Budciha has formulated his dharmas with a specific practical
1 Ill post (.raT{Idhaya), viz. *nairatmyauataralaq.
133
I 33. See Kamalasila ad (5); CS, II, 21.
95
*Vyavaharasiddhi II
THa snad grub pa II
(I)
I yi ge gcig snags gail yan med II yi ge mari po gzan yan med I
I yi ge 'gags pa rnams min Ia II rten nas de ni med pa'an min I
(2)
I de bzin ran gi yan lag las II sman ni gud nas mi snail no I
I sgyu ma' i glan po snail ba de II de dag las rnin gian yan min I
(3)
I rten ci n ' brei par ' byun ba de II yod dam med par su zig 'dod I
I de Ia dmigs par byed pa yi II mig gi rnam ses byun ba ltar I
96
Establishment of Convention
( I ) One syllable (ak[ara) is not a spell (mantra). On the other hand
VJUnar) many (aneka) syllables are not a spell either: dependent
(pratltya) upon syllables that are [therefore] insubstantial (niruddha)
this [mantra is neither existent] nor non-existent (a.sat).
(2) Likewise no medicine appears independently of its
specific ingredients (svllizga). It appears [like] an illusory elephant
(mayagaja): It is not [identical with them] nor is it [absolutely]
different from them.
(3) It arises in dependent co-origination (pratityasamutpanna)! Who
would [be so ignorant as to] maintain that it is existent (sat) or non-
existent (as at)? Actually visual consciousness (cak[urvijnana) arises
[similarly] when it is based upon [eye and form].
I. Kamala5ila introduces hi s comment (Panjikii, 123a 5-124b 7) by stating the
purport of this text : sirags dan sman dan sgyu ma'i dpes clros //rams cad rim dri
'brei par 'gyur ba iiid kyi glan lslligs kyis don dam par yod pa dan med pa iiid las yari dag
par 'das par s.s:rub par byed do. - For piida c see. ibid., 123b 2: 'gags pa i.es bya bani ran
gi rio bo las iiams pa bs bya'o. In pada d the vrui (69b 2) reads de ni med pa yin
which I have corrected ace. to Panjikii 123b 4: de ni med pa' 'aii min. So though a
mantra beingiiinya neither is nor is not it is still generally acknowledged to be
efficient (cf. vitf,Ja, MK, XXIV, II ). - I have edited Kamala5ila's commen-
tary and discussed VS more fully in 'Nagarjuna's Vyavaharasiddhi', to
appear in the Proceedings of tire Csoma de K6r4s Symposium, Velm/Wim, Sept,
13tlr-19th, 198/.
2. Similarly RA, II, 10-14 compares loka to a miiyiigaja. They only exist
not paramiirthato.l;. See also CS, II I, 29.
3. T he notion of praJityasamutpiida excludes asti a.nd M.sti, cf. e.g. I. -
Consciousness (vijn.ina) being alambika/iilambanaka (dmigs par byed pa) only
arisescaksiirilpepratitya, RA, IV, 55; SS, 56; MK, XXVI, 4)- I take de/a in
piida cas l!Javalriirata{l, i.e. ace. to Abhidharma, but KamalaSila does not gloss
it.
97
I
I
I
I
(4)
I las dan non mons dban ' phans pa II len bcas srid las ' byun ba dan I
I de bzin du ni gzugs 'byun ba II yod dam med par su zig ' dod I
(5)
I de !tar srid pa'i yan lag kun II tha snad kyis ni gdags pa ste I
I ' de !tar 'gog Ia sogs pa yi II chos kun dgons te gsuns pa yin I
(6)
I ji !tar snags te snags min dan II ji !tar sman yan sman min pa I
I de ltar rten nas gsuns pa de II gnis ka 'grub par 'gyur rna yin I
98
' I , by the power of [his ] karma and passions (kleia)
1 h .1 ppropriator (so pad ana) out of existence (bhavat ). Form
.d ... 1 risl'S in the same manner. Who would [be so ignorant as to]
that it is existent (sat ) or non-existent (asat)?
' 11 Similarly all the [twelve] members of existence (bhavanga) are
l.un pl y I conventional designations (I!Yavaharatal] prajizapti). Conse-
' I'"ntly all phenomena such as extinction (nirodhadi) have [only] been
od.,cated !by the Buddhas] with a specific purpose.
!l)l As it [appears to be] a mantra without (really a mantra,
.11ul as it !appears to bel a medicine without (really in itself
a medicine', thus [all phenomena] are stated to be dependent
Neither of the two [i.e. hetu or phalaj can be' established [as
,. 'is1 ing independently].
1. I.e.,_ as a result ofkarmokltiiik[tpo (cf. May,op.cil. , p. 253, n. 908; MK, XVI I,
27; SS, 37) one who issopadiina (i.e. sii, raM, Pciijikii, 124b2: cf. MK. XXVI, 7)
attains bhaua (i.e. paiica MK, XXVI, 8). Similarly all twelve
hhauiiiigas, sec v. 5. - In piida c I understand as catviiri mahiibhiitiiny
upiidiiyariipa (cf. MK, IV; RA, IV, 58, 60) though Kamalasila is silent.
'. The twelve bhaviin.t?OS (MK, XXVI; PK, 1-5; BV, 59-63), i.e. iidhyiiJmikapro-
(i(yasamutpiido, like all other dharmas, i.e. including biihyapratityasamutpiida,
only ('!)'OIIahiirotal]). But they are necessary for understanding
paramiirtho (cf. MK, XXIV, 8-10; YS, 33; SS, I, 69; BV, 67) and it is only for
thi s reason that the Buddha has taught them, or, as Kamala$ila puts it ( 124b
6 ): bda,(! med pa Ia 'Ju.l! pa'i phyir skyt ba Ia so.gs pa bstan to.
li. This verse ( 124b 7): mJu.l! bsduddo (upasa'!lharati).- Note that ( 124b 7):giiiga bs
byn bani r,zyu den 'bros bu'o, which I understand in the-light of PK, 1-5; RA, I,
35-38 etc. see my note to BV, 59-63 for detai ls (fiveoiigas are/utu, sevenphalo).
99
VI. (YS)
YS, in 61 verses, is one of the most frequently quoted of the texts
to Nagarjuna, not only by Bhavya,
134
Candrakirti
135
and

136
but especially in the later commentatorial litera-
ture.
137
Owing to such citations the Tibetan and Chinese transla-
tions of this text, now lost in its may be augmented
by no less than 12 verses (i.e. as far as I have identified them) in
Sanskrit .

The style of Y$ now and then recalls that of MK, RA and,
especially, CS and BV.
139
It is, on the whole, a collection of apho-
risms loosely tied together by a subject-matter in common: pratitya-
samutpada.
140
The author sets himself to demonstrate this principle
(naya) by means of arguments (yulti) occasionally supported by re-
ferences to iigama.
The argument: Reality (tattva) is beyond all ontological and epistemo-
logical dualities (dz,aya) whi le the empirical world of origination,
134. Cf. n. 88. - Quotations in Ratnapratfipa, 345a, 355a, 363a, 364b.
135. Cf. n. 99. - Quotations e.g. Madhyamakiwatiua, pp. 228, 232.
136. Madhyamakiila'!lkiiravrlli, 72b, 85b, 76a, 76b, 79b, 82a.
137. From these sources about 20% has been saved in Sanskrit, see my notes
for details. As virtually every later Madhyamika cites now and again the
references could easily be multiplied, but I have confined myself to a few of
textual import.
138. The Tibetan version of the karikas (with the variants ofCandrakirti's urtti)
was edited with the Chinese version and translated into Japanese by S.
Yamaguchi, Chii.kan bukl-.yO ronko, Tokyo 1965, pp. 29-110. See also Nakamura
( 1977), p. 81, n. 23. In Sanskrit only 19ab and 39 were known to Yamaguchi.
The Chinese version is usually too inaccurate to be of any philological value.
A certain idea of it may be had from P. Schaefler, Yuktijllf{ika, die seck.ig Siit<.e
des Negativismus, nach der chinesischen Version iiberset<.t, Heidelberg 1923. Few are
the verses which say what Nagarjuna actually had in mind!
139. I have given some of the references in the notes.
140. Cf. Yuktiiai/ikau[tti, 2b: rig(s) pa drug cu pa 'di ni dbu ma bi.in du 'dir yait gtso bor rten
cin 'brel par 'byun ba dpyad pa las brtsams te byas pa 'i phyir dbu ma las 'phros pa Ita bu
ni ma yin no II. Thus it is an independent text compared with SS and VV.
100
d, ,truction etc., is illusory and merely due to ignorance (auidyii ). It
.otl icts mankiud to the tyranny of passions (klesa) and endless evil.
llwldhism is a practical system solely intended to overcome such
J.!, If/ I. I 41
< )ur sources are:
.\ "''ll
.....
K trans. by Muditasri & Ni rna grags.
TP, No. 5225, Tsafol. 22b-25a; TN, No. 3216, Tsafo/.
20b-22b.
\ trans. by Jinamitra, Danaslla, Silendra-
bodhi & Ye ses sde.
TP, No. 5265, Yajol. l-33b; T N, No. 3256, Y afol. l-34b.
<: Chinese trans. by *Danapiila.
Taisho, No. 1575, 254b-256a.
142
lll. Above all 46-48, q. v. are instructive. They are often quoted. Thus bhiiviihltyu
pagama -+ duJi -+ lc/eia -+ vivada.
ll2. The following translation of the kari kas strictly adheres to Candrakirii's
commentary. I have refrained from discussing the Chinese version, cf. n. 138.
101
Y uk ti$a$ tika-karika II
Rigs pa drug cu pa' i tshig le'ur byas pa II
I gail gis skY:e dan 'jig pa dag II tshul ' di yis ni spans ~ r y u r pa I
I rten ciri ' byun ba gsuns pa yi II thub dban de Ia phyag ' tshallo I
I. astinastivyatikrantii buddhir ye$i rp nirasraya I
gambhiras tair niralambal:t pratyayartho vibhavyate I
I gail dag gi blo yod mcd las II rnam par ' das sin mi gnas pa I
I de dag gis ni r kyen gyi don II zab mo dmigs med rnam par rtogs I
2.
I re zig iies kun ' byuit ba'i gnas II med iiid rnam par bzlog zin gyis I
I rigs pa gail gis yod iiid dan II bzlog par 'gyur ba mnan par gyis I
3.
I ji ltar byis pas rnam brtags bzin II dnos po gal te hden hryur na I
I de dnos mcd pas rnam thar du II gail gis mi ' dod rgyu ci zig I
4.
I yod pas rnam parmi grol te II med pas srid pa ' di las min I
I dnos dan dnos med yons ses pas II bdag nid chen po rnam par grol l
2d bzlog P : bzlag N
102
Sixty verses of Arguments
I lllt'isance (namab ) to the Buddha (munindra) who has proclaimed
clqwndent co-ari si ng (pratityasamutpada), the principle (naya) by
" hich origi nation (utpada) and destruction (vinasa) are eliminated!
I. Those whose intelligence (buddhi) has transcended being and
non- bei ng and is unsupported have discovered the profound and
1nubjecti ve meaning of 'condition'.
'l.. First of all (tavat ) you must reject non-being (niistita), the source
.. rail faults (doia ). But now listen to the argument (yukti ) by which
lwing (astita) also is rejec.ted!
things (bhiiva) were true (satya) as fools (biila ) imagine, what
is the reason that they do not approve of liberation (vimokia) as non-
being (abhiiva)!
4-. One is not liberated by being (bh(wa), one does not [transcend]
the present existence (bhiiva ) by non-being (abh(wa), [but] by
thorough knowledge of being and non-being (bhavabhavaparijnanat)
th(' magnanimous (mahatman) are liberated.
I have left the initial stanza unnumbered as is also the case with the first
eight padas of MK and the final verse ofVV. All are noteworthy for stressing
the fact that to Nagarjuna Buddha above all deserves credit for preaching the
law ofpralilyasamulpada, i.e. iiinyata (cf. MK, XXIV, 18; RA, II, 18; CS, Ill,
1).
I. Sanskrit cited Stkodcltia{ikii (ed. Carelli), p. 48.- For the thought cf. e.g. Ri\,
I, 62. vibhii- etc. is very common in the Lbnkiivalarasutra, see Suzuki's lndtx, p.
159 (cf. v. 3 below, and MK, XV, 8).
2. Cf. RA, I, 38; 57; MK, XV, 10.- Here the word yukti (rigs pa, cf. the title of
Y$) is used in the sense of 'argument' , i.e. in contrast to ii.eama. This is in
accordance with its use in the Lankiitatara, cf. Suzuki 's lndtx, p. 143.
3. Closely related to Lankavatara, X, 466, q.v.- If things are real nirva(la, their
annulment implyabhiiva, but this is untenable, cf. RA, l , 42; MK, X XV,
8. .
4. For other def. ofnirua(la, RA, I, 42; MK, XVIII, 7-11; XXV, 9; SL, 105; 123;
SS, 221a (cf. SS, 73).
103
.'">. sarTJs:irarp caiva nirvaQarp manyante ' tattvadarsinai) I
na sarpsararp na nirvar;tarp manyante tattvadarsinacy II
I de iiid rna mthon j ig rten dan II mya nan ' das par rlom sems te I
I de iiid gzigs rnams 'jig rten dan II mya nan 'das par rlom sems med I
6. nirvagarp ca bhava caiva dvayam etan na vidyate I
parijiianarp bhavasyaiva nirval}am iti kathyate II
I srid pa dan ni mya nan ' das II giiis po ' di ni yod rna yi n I
I srid pa yons su ses pa iiid II mya nan 'das zes bya bar brjod I
7.
I dnos po byun ba zig pa Ia II ji ltar 'gog par brtags pa bzin I
I de bzin dam pa rnams kyis kyari II sgyu rna byas pa'i 'gog pa bzed I
8.
I rnam par 'jig pas ' gog 'gyur gyi II ' dus byas yoris su ses pas min I
I de ni su Ia moon sum 'gyur II zig ces pa der ji ltar 'gyur I
9.
I gal te phun po rna 'gags na II iion mons zad kyari ' das mi 'gyur I
I gait tshe ' dir ni 'gags gyur pa II de yi tshe na grol bar 'gyur I
10.
I rna rig rkyen gyis byuri ba Ia II yari dag ye ses kyis gzigs na I
I skye ba dan ni 'gags pa'ari run II 'ga' yan dmigs parmi 'gyur ro I
7b brtags N : brtag.P
8d ces : ies NP
104
5. Those who do not see reality (tattva) believe in Sarpsara and
NirvaQa [butJ those who see reality (tattva) believe neither in Sarp-
sara nor NirvaQa.
6. Existence (bhava) and NirvaQa - these two are not [really] to be
found [since] Nirval)a [may be) defined as the thorough knowledge
of existence.
7. While [the ignorant) imagine that annihilation (nirodha) per-
tains to a created thing (bhava) which is dissolved (na.rta), the wise
(sat), however, are convinced that annihilation (nirodha) of [some-
thing) created (krtaka) is an illusion (maya).
8. Though [something apparently] is annihilated by being de-
structed, it is not [destructed] when one thoroughly understands it
to be compound (saTfiSkrta ) [for] to whom will it be evident (pra-
tyakfa)? How could one speak of it as dissolved (naJta)?
9. Opponent: If the aggregates (skandha) are not annihilated [then
an arhat) is not in NirvaQa even though his passions may be
extinct (kfiTJaklesa), [but] when [the aggregates] have been anni-
hilated then he becomes liberated.
I 0. Reply: When one sees that which arises conditioned by ig-
norance (avidyapratyaya) with a correct knowledge (samyagjizana), no
origination (utpada) or destruction (nirodha) whatsoever is perceived
( upalabhyate);
5. Sanskrit incorporated in ' Aryadeva's' Cittaviiuddhiprakaraf)a ( ed. Patel), 24. -
For the thought MK, XXV, 19-20.- On ma'!Yanle see Conze (1975), p. 10
('fancy' etc.).
6. Sanskrit in Ratnakirtinibandhiivafi (ed. Thakur), p. 132 (with eva for elan in b).
See also Advayavajrasal'(lgraha (ed. Sastri), p. 42; Caryiigiti (ed. p.
102; Suklavidarianii (ref. May op. cit., p. 237, n. 840); jniinairimitranibandhiivali
(ed. Thakur) , pp. 389, 464 (wi th elan in b), 555.
7. For sat ( = bodhisattva), cf. RA, I, 45. Also CS, I, 2. -That which is krtaka
(sa,slcrta, lcrtrima) cannot really be destructed etc., cf. CS, III, 6 sq.
8. See ref. to v. 7.
9. Allusion to the two kinds ofnirvii(la: nirvpadhiit!a
0
, wherelcleia and slcandha are
abandoned, and sopadhiit!a
0
, where the slcandhas still remain, see MK, XXV,
I with commentaries; LVP in IHQ, IV, pp. 39-45.
I 0-12. In other words: samyagjitiina (i.e.tattvajniina, cf. CS, III, 4 7) destroys avidyii
(cf. MK, XXVI, II). This is true arhatship (cf. lcrtalcrtya etc. PED, p. 77),
here and now (PED, p. 320), and there is no difference between nirvii(la and
sa,siira (see above, v. 5; MK, XXV, 20; PK, '6').
105
II .
I dl' itid mthon chos mya nan las II ' das sin bya ba byas pa'an yin I
I gal tc chos ses mjug thcgs su II ' di Ia bye brag yod na ni I
12.
I dnos po si n tu phra ba la'an II gail gis skye bar rnam brtags pa I
I rnam parmi mkhas de yis ni II rk>cn las byuri ba' i don rna mthon I
13.
I iion mons zad pa' i dge sl01i gi II gal te ' khor b ~ . r n a m ldog na I
I ci phyir rdzogs sans rgyas rnams kyis II de yi rtsom pa rnam mi
bsad I
14.
I rtsom pa yod na lies par yan II Ita bar gyur pa yoris su 'dzin I
I rten ciri 'brei bar ' byuri ba gan II de Ia snon dan tha rna ci I
15.
I snon skyes pa ni ji ltar na II phyi nas slar yan bzlog par 'gyur I
I snon dan phyi ma'i mtha' brat ba II 'gro ba sgyu rna bzin du snan I
16.
I gar1 tshc sgyu rna 'hyun zc 'am II gail tshe 'jig par 'gyur siiam du I
I sgyu rna scs pa der mi rmoris II sgyu rna mi ses yons su sred I
17.
I srid pa smig rgyu sgyu ' dra bar II blo yis mthon bar gyur pa ni I
I srion gyi mtha' ' am phyi ma'i mtha' II Ita bas yons su slad mi 'gyur I
18.
I gail dag gis ni 'dus byas Ia II skye dan 'jig pa rnam brtags pa I
I de dag rten ' byun ' khor lo yi II 'gro ba rnam par mi scs so I
lie mjug: 'j ug NP
14a rtsom : rtson NP
16d sred N : srid P
18c yi : yis NP
106
II. This is extinction in this very life (dutadharmaniruarJa ) and
one' s task is accomplished (lqtakrtya). If [however) a diflerence
occurs here, just (anantaram) the knowl edge of the.
principle (dhamzajiiana), [then)
12. He who imagines that even the most subtle thing (.rU*sma-
bhaua) arises, such an ignorant man does not see what it means to be
dependently born (pratyayotpannartha)!
13. Opponent: If birth-and-death (sa1[tfara) has stopped for a monk
(bhiktu ) whose passions are extinct (k!iTJaklesa ), why have the Perfect
Buddhas denied that it has a beginning (arambha)?
14. Reply: If there was a beginning (arambha ) there would certain-
ly (nryatam ) also be clinging in the form of dogmas (dutikrtapari-
graha). - How can that which is dependently co-arisen have a first
(piirua ) and a last (anta)?
15. How could that which has generated before later on be
negated again? [No, act ualJy] the world, devoid of a previous and
final limit (pii.ruapaicimantarahita), appears like an illusion (mayauat).
16. When one thinks that an illusion (maya) arises or that it is
destructed, one who recognizes the illusion is not bewildered by it
but one who does not recognize it longs for it
17. One who, wit h his intelligence (buddhi), comes to see that
existence (bhaua) is like a mirage (marici) [and) illusion (maya), is
not corrupted by dogmas [based on] a previous limit or a final limit.
18. Those who imagi ne that a compound (sarztSkrta) possesses
origination (utpada ) or destruction (uinasa) do not understand the
movement of the wheel of dependent origination (pratityotpadacakra ).
13-18. MK, XI, 1: saiJisiiro 'navariigro hi ... (ref. in CPO, s.v. anamatag,ga).
Therefore one can only speak of a bhavacakra (see PK, 1-5; RA, I, 36; II, 7- 15)
under the law of pratityasamutpada, miiyiivat.
107
19. tat tat priipya yad utpannarp notpannarp tat svabhiivatal;l I
svabhavena yan notpannam utpannarp nama tat katham II
I de dan de brten gan byun de II ran gi dnos por skyes rna yin I
I ran gi dnos por gan rna skyes II de ni skyes zes ji ltar bya I
20.
I rgyu zad iiid las zi ba ni II zad ces bya bar rtogs pa ste I
I ran bzin gyis ni gan rna zad II de Ia zad ces ji !tar bljod I
21.
I de ltar ci yan skye ba med II ci yan 'gag par mi 'gyur ro I
I skye ba dan ni 'jig pa' i lam II dgos pa'i don du bstan pa 'o I
22.
I skye ba ses pas 'jig pa ses II 'jig pa ses pas mi rtag scs I
I mi rtag iiid Ia 'jug ses pas II dam pa'i chos kyan rtogs par 'gyur I
23.
I gao dag rten cin 'brei 'byun ba II skye dan 'jig pa rnam spans par I
I ses par gyur pa de dag ni II ltar gyur srid pa'i rgya mtsho brgal I
24.
I so so skye bo dnos bdag can II yod dan med par phyin ci log I
I iies pas iion mons dban gyur roams II ran gi sems kyis bslus par
'gyur I
25.
I dnos Ia mkhas pa rnams kyis ni II dnos po mi rtag bslu ba'i chos I
I gsogdan ston pa bdag med j:>a II roam pard ben zes bya bar mthon 1
26.
I gnas med dmigs pa yod rna yin II rtsa ba med cin gnas pa med I
I rna rig rgyu las sin tu byun II thog rna db us mtha' ~ a m par spans I
19d skyes: skye NP
2lc lam : las NP
22d dam pa'i chos NP : de ni chos V
108
19. That which has arisen dependently on this and that that has
not arisen substantially (svabhiwatal;). That which has not arisen
substantially, how can it literally (nama) be cailed 'arisen'?
20. A [compound thing] quieted (Santa) due to an
cause (kiTJ.ahetu) is understood to be extinguished (kfiTJa) [but] that
which is not extinguished by nature (prakrrya ), how could it be
spoken of as extinguished (kiiTJ.a)?
21. So to conclude (evam): There is no origination (utpada), there is no
destruction (nirodha). - The path of origination and destruction
(utpadanirodhamar._t?,a) has [however] been expounded [by the Bud-
dhas] with a practical purpose (karyartham):
22. By understanding origination (utpada) , destruction (vinaJa) is
understood; by understanding destruction, impermanence (ani-
ryam) is understood; by understanding impermanence (aniryata) the
true principle (saddharma) is also understood.
23. Those who have come to understand that dependent co-
origination (pratiryasamutpada) is devoid of origination (utpada) and
destruction (vinasa) have crossed the ocean of existence consisting of
dogmas ( duJibhutabhavarr:zava).
24. Profane people (prthagjana) with their positivistic attitude
(bhavatmaka) are, due to the fault of being perverted about being and
non-being, dominated by passions (kleia); they are deceived by their
own mind (svacitta)!
25. Those who understand facts (bhava) see that things are imper-
manent (anirya) , fraudulent vain (tuccha), empty
(Sunya), selfless (anatman) and isolated ( vivikta).
26. Stationless (anaspada), inobjective (niralamba), rootless (nirmu-
la), unfixed (asthita), totally arisen as a result of ignorance (avidyahe-
tutal].), without a beginning, middle or end ...
19. Sanskrit quoted (from Subha[ilasaf!lgraha) in Vima/akirtinirdtia, p. 41, n. 7, q.v.
Here the reading svabhave na yad utpannam has been emended to svabhavtna yan
notpannam (cf. Madhyamakavatiira, p. 228) in accordance with Tib. and a
quotation occuring Advayavajrasaf!lgraha (ed. Sastri). p. 25, q.v.
20. Cf. above 7-8.
21. Cf. SS, I. Inspired by Lankavatara, II, 138 (often cited with v.l.).
22. The reading saddharma (for the significance of which see SS, 227b, and note
to CS, III, 22) is supported by a quotation of this verse in Kama1asi1a's
Madhyamaka/oka, TP, No. 5287, Sajo/. 230a: dam pa'i chos.
23. On du!i, v. 14, 46-53; May, op.cit., p. 277, n. 1015.
24-27. On maya see ref. to CS, I, 3.
109
27.
I chu sin bzin du siiin po med II dri za'i gron khyer 'dra ba ste I
I rmons pa'i gron khyer mi bzad pa'i II 'gro ba sgyu rna bzin du snan I
28.
I tshans sogs 'jig rten 'di Ia ni II bden par rab tu gan snail ba I
I de ni 'phags Ia rdzun zes gsuns II 'di las gzan Ita ci zig Ius I
29.
I 'jig rten rna rig !dons gyur pa II sred pa rgyun gyi rjes 'brans dan I
I mkhas pa sred pa dan bra! ba II dge ba rnams Ita ga Ia miiam I
30. sarvam astiti vaktavyam adau I
pascad avagatarthasya nilJsangasya viviktata II
I de iiid tshol Ia thog mar ni II thams cad yod ces brjod par bya I
I don rnams rtogs sin chags med Ia II phyis ni rnam par dben pa 'o I
3!.
I rnam par dben don mi ses Ia II thos pa tsam Ia byed cin I
I gan dag bsod nams mi byed pa II skyes bu tha sal de dag brlag I
32.
lias rnams 'bras bu bcas nid dan II 'gro ba dag kyan yan dag bsad I
I de yi ran bzin yons ses dan II skye ba med pa dag kyan bstan I
33. mamety aham iti proktarp yatha karyavasaj jinaiQ. I
tatha karyavasat proktal} skandhayatanadhataval} II
I dgos pa'i dban gis rgyal ba rnams II na dan na'i ies gsui1s pa I tar I
I phun po khams dan skye inched mams II de bzin dgos pa ' i d ban gis
gsuns I
34. mahabhutadi vijiiane proktarp samavarudhyate I
tajjiiane vigamarp yati nanu mithya vikalpitam II
I 'byun ba che Ia sogs bsad pa II rnam par ses su.yan dag 'du I
I de ses pas ni 'bra] 'gyur na II log pas rnam brtags rna yin nam I
27c rmons : smons NP; bzad : zad NP
28b snail ba NP : brjod pa C et V
30d phyis : 'phyis NP
110
27. Without a core (o.rnra) like a plantain (kadafi). li ke th.- city of
Gandharvas (t:andharvanagara) [thus) the dreadful world
-a city of confusion (miujhanagara) - appears as an illusion!
28. Brahmii etc., which appear quite true to this world, have been
said to be false (mua) to the noble (arya). What about the rest apart
from tha t?
29. The world (Loka) which is blinded by ignorance and follows
the current of desire (trwanu.rarin) and [on the other hand] the wise,
who are free from desire, how can thei r view of the good (ku.fala) be
similar?
30. To begin wi th fa teacher} should say that everything exists to
his truth-seeking [pupil]. Later when he has understood the
meaning he gains isolation (viviktata) wi thout being attached.
31. Those who do not understand the meaning of isolation (vivik-
lartha) but keep on merel y learning without enacting merit (puqya),
such base (khala) people are lost!
32. The [various kinds of] karma wi th its results (phala} and the
places of rebirth have also been fully explained [by the Bud-
dhas]. The full knowledge of its nature and its unorigi nation have
also been taught (by them}.
33.Just as the Buddhas have spoken of'my' and ' I' for pragmatic
reasons, thus they have also spoken of the aggregates, the sense-
fields and the elements for pragmatic reasons.
34. Such things spoken of as the great elements (mahilbhiita) arc
absorbed in consciousness. They are dissolved by understanding
them. Certainly they are falsely imagined!
28. Same canonical allusion as v. 35, q.v. Cf. Lankauatiira, Ill , 122.
29. Cf. MK, XVI I, 28 (Saf!IYulla, I I, p. 178 sq. which is also the source of SL, 66
sq., q.v.).
30. Sanskrit cited Subluiritasa'rlgraha, p. 385 (with lallue gauefi'!ii in b, which I have
emended ace. to Tib.) and in NyayauiniicayavivaraiJQ (ed. M. K. Jain ), I I, p.
17-18 (with gaut!il]ii in b, and bhauagriilw niuartate in d).- On saroam asti (i.e.
skarrdha, iiyatarra and dhatu), see ref. MCB, V, p. 88, n. I.
31 . Cf. a similar verse Subh4!itasa'rlgraha, p. 46.
32. See MK, XVII; SS, 33-44; SL; SS; RA, passim.
33. Ci ted and identified by L VP, Panjika, p. 376.
34. Citedjnarrairimitrarribandhizuali (ed. Thakurl, p. 545 and 405 (v.l. "uijnane and
yiirrti ). The iigama is Digha, l, p. 223 (cf. RA, I , 94); also Lankiivatiira, III, 9.
See also CPO s. v. uparujjhali.
I ll
,.
I
I I
I
35.
I mya nan ' das pa bden gcig pur II rgyal ba rnams kyis gail gsuns pa I
I de tshe !hag ma log min zes II mkhas pa su zig rtog par byed I
36.
I ji srid yid kyi rnam gyo ba II de srid bdud kyi spyod yul te I
I de Ita yin na ' di Ia ni II nes pa med par cis mi ' thad I
37.
I 'jig rten ma rig rkyen can du II gan phyir sans rgyas rnams gsuns
pa I
I ' di yi phyir na 'jig rten 'di II rnam rtog yin zcs cis mi ' thad I
38.
I ma rig 'gags par gyur pa na II gail zig 'gog par 'gyur bade I
I mi ses pa las kun brtags par II j i Ita bu na gsa! mi 'gyur I
39. hetutal} sarpbhavo yasya sthitir na pratyayair vina I
vigamal] pratyayabhavat so 'sti'ty avagatal} katham II
I gan zig rgyu dan bcas 'byun :lin II rkyen med par ni gnas pa med I
I rkyen med phyir yan 'jig 'gyur ba II de ni yod ccs ji !tar rtogs I
40.
I gal te yod par smra ba rnams II dnos mchog zen nas gnas pa ni I
I lam de nid Ia gnas pa ste II de Ia no mtshar cun zad med I
41.
I sans rgyas lam Ia brten nas ni II kun Ia mi rtag smra ba rnams I
I rtsod pas dnos mams mchog gzun bas II gnas pagan yin de rmad
do I
42.
I ' di 'am de ' o zes gail du II rnam par dpyad nas mi dmigs na I
I rtsod pas 'di 'am de bden zes II mkhas pa su zig smra bar ' gyur I
41 c rtsod N: brtsod P; d rmad: smad NP
42c pas : pa NP; 'di 'am N : 'am P
112
35. Inasmuch as the Buddhas (jina) have stated that Nirvii.l}a is
true, which clever person (parp/ita) will then imagine that the rest is
not false?
36. As long as mind (mana4) is fickle (cala) it is [under] the do-
minion (gocara) of Mara. [But when it is not so] in that case how is it
not reasonable that there is no fault in the [thorough
knowledge of non-origination]?
37. Since the Buddhas have stated that the world is conditioned
by ignorance, how is it not reasonable that this world therefore is a
[result of] discrimination (vilcalpa)?
38. When ignorance is stopped why is it not clear that that which
stops was imagined by ignorance?
39. That which originates due to a cause (h.etu) and does not abide
without [certain] conditions (praljlaya ) but disappears when the con-
ditions are absent, how can it be understood to 'exist'?
40. If the adherents of being (astiviidin) who keep on clinging to
being, go on in the same way, there is nothing strange (adbhuta)
about that;
41. But it is strange indeed that the exponents of the imperma-
nence of everything [who] rely on Buddha's method (marga) keep
on adhering (paramrs-) to things (bhava) with strife (vivada).
42. When 'this' and 'that' said about something is not perceived
by being analysed (vuara), which wise man (vicakftl!la) will claim
with strife (viviida) that 'this' or 'that' is true (sarya)?
35. The canonical passage e.g. Prasarmapada, p. 41, 237: ... ttad dhi
paramaf!! SO/yOf!! yad uta amOfadharma nirvai}Om, sarvasa1J1SkariJi CQ mua mO!adhar-
Majjhima, III, 245 and Akutobhaya ad MK, XIII, I.
36. On Marakarman, SS, 190 b sq.; BS, 96 with note. .
37. cr. v. 29; SS, 64 (on kalpaniJ/vikalpa/avidya); CS, III, 21.- Candrakirti glosses
loka with ne bar lm pa'i phu;, po TIUl1IIS t25b). Ref. in CPO, II, p. 490.
38. Similarly RA, I, 98 (cited Prasannapada, p. 188; Aloka, p. 66).
39. Sanskri t in Panjika, p. 500. - cr. above v. 7-8 with ref.
40 sq. Sarvastivadins lack true analytical insight (prajna) . One must resort to
viciira (cf. pari*!ii in the titles of the chapters ofMK) to seemn7atii. Otherw!se
one is captivated by viparyiisa (MK, XXIII) giving rise to A:ltia etc. Also SS,
59-62.
113
43.
I gao dag gis ni rna brten par II bdag gam 'jig rten moon zen pa I
I de dag kye ma rtag mi rtag II Ia sogs lta bas phrogs pa yin I
44.
I gao dag brten nas dnos po rnams II de iiid du ni grub ' dod pa I
I de dag Ia yan rtag sogs skyon II de dag ji ltar 'byun mi 'gyur I
45.
I gao dag brten nas dnos po rnams II chu yi zla ba Ita bur ni I
I yan dag rna yin log min par II 'dod pa de dag bltas mi 'phrog I
46. I
vivadas tatsamutthas ca bhavabhyupagame sati II
I dnos por khas len yod na ni II 'dod chags ze sdan ' byun ba yi I
llta ba mi bzad ma runs ' dzin II de las byun ba'i rtsod par ' gyur I
4 7. sa hetul) sarvadntinarp kldotpattir na tarp. vina I
tasmat tasmin parijiiate II
I de ni Ita ba kun gyi rgyu II de med non mons mi skye ste I
I de phyir de ni yons ses na II lta dan iion mons yons su 'byan I
48. parijiia tasya keneti pratityotpadadarsanat I
pratitya jatarp cajatam aha tattvavidarp vara}J II
I gail gis de ses 'gyur siiam na II brten nas 'byun ba mthon bade I
I brten nas skye ba ma skyes par II de iiid mkhyen pa mchog gis
gsuns I
49.
I log pa'i ses pas zil gnon pa: II bden pa min la bden 'dzin pa'i I
I yons su 'dzindan rtsod sogs kyi II rim pas chags las 'byun bar 'gyur I
50.
I che ba'i bdag iiid can de dag II rnams Ia phyogs med rtsod pa med I
I gail rnams Ia ni phyogs med pa II de Ia gzan phyogs ga la yod I
43a gait dag V : de dag NP; d p.hrogs : 'phrogs NP
46b yi : yin NP; c bzad : zad NP; 'dzin V : 'byun NP
49a pas : pa NP
114
43. Those who adhere (abhiniui.S-) to a Self (atman) or the world
(loka) as unconditioned (anupadizya), alas they are captivated by
dogmas about permanent, impermanent etc. (nityanityadu{i}!
44. Those who postulate that conditioned things (bhava) are
t'Stablished (siddha) in reality (tattvatal}), how are they not also over-
taken by mistakes about permanence etc. (nityadidoia)!
45. But those who are convinced that conditioned things (bhava)
are like the moon in the water ((u)dakacandra), neither true nor false,
they are not carried away by dogmas (du{i).
46. When one affirms 'being' there is a seizing of awful and vi-
cious dogmas which arise from desire and hatred, and from that
contentions (vivada) arise.
4 7. That is the cause of all dogmas, without it the passions (kLeJa)
do not arise. So when this is thoroughly understood, dogmas and
passions disappear.
48. But how is it thoroughly known?- By seeing dependent origi-
nation! The [Buddha] best among knowers of reality (tattva) also
said that that which is dependently born is unborn.
49. For those who suppressed by false knowledge (mithyajnana) take
the untrue for true (satye satyagrah- ) a series of seizing and contention
etc. (parigrahavivadadilcrama) will arise.
50. The magnanimous (mahatman) have neither thesis (pakia) nor
contention (vivada). How can there be an opposing thesis (para-
Pakia) to those who have no thesis (pakia)?
45. cr. RA, II, 4: na s a ~ a ' f l l l a muoditam. (VajrtUclutiilciJ, 5.)
46-48. Sanskrit of these oft quoted stanzas in Atoka, p. 343-34-4 (with parjjnatasya
in 48 a for parijna tasya, cf. Tib. ) . - For 48 cd see ref. to v. 19, and cf. SS, 21. -
For 46 in particular, Digluz, II, p. 58.
49. sq. These stanzas show some affinity toSutta11ipilta, e.specially A!(luzkauagga, cf.
L. O. Gomez: 'Proto-Madhyamilla in the Pali canon', PEW, XXVI, pp. 137-
165.
50. cr. Suttanipa.ta, 919; ajjhalla'fl upasantassa II' atthi alta, kuto nirallal(l va. - On
vivaaa, ibid., 863, 877, 912, 832 etc. Also Matihyamakilvatizra, p. 233.
115
51.
I gait yan run ba'i gnas rned nas II non mons sbrul gdug gyo can gyis I
I zin par gyur te gail gi sems II gnas med de dag zin mi 'gyur I
52.
I gnas bcas sems dan ldan rnams la II non mons dug chen cis mi
' byun I
I gait tshe tha mal 'dug pa yan II non mons sbrul gyis zin par 'gyur I
53.
I byis pa bden par 'du ses pas II gzugs briian Ia ni chags pa biin I
I de ltar 'jig rten rmons pa'i phyir II yul gyi gzeb la thogs par 'gyur I
54.
I bdag nid che rnams dnos po dag II gzugs brnan Ita bur yeses kyi I
I mig gis mthon nas yul zes ni II bya ba'i 'dam la mi thogs so I
55. balaQ sajjanti r u p e ~ u vairagyarp yanti madhyamal]. I
svabhavajna vimucyante rupasyottamabuddhayal]. II
I byis pa rnams ni gzugs la chags II bar rna dag ni chags bral 'gyur I
I gzugs kyi ran bzin ses pa yi II blo mchog ldan pa rnam par grol I
56.
I sdug snam pa las chags par 'gyur II de las bzlog pas 'dod chags brall
I sgyu ma' i skyes bu ltar dben par II mthon nas mya nan 'da' bar
'gyur I
57.
I log pa'i ses pas mnon gdun ba'i II non mons skyon mams gan yin te I
I dnos dan dnos med mam rtog pa II don ses 'gyur Ia mi 'byun no I
58.
I gnas yod na ni ' dod chags dan II ' dod chags bral bar 'gyur zig na I
I gnas med bdag nid chen po mams II chags pa med cin chags bral
min I
53c omm. NP, sed v. V
116
51. By taking any standpoint whatsoever one is attacked by the
twisting snakes of the passions (klesasarpa). But those whose mind
(citta) has no standpoint (sthana) are not caught.
52. How can those whose mind takes a stand avoid the strong
poison (mahav4a) of passions? Even if they live [like] ordinary
[people] they are consumed by the snakes of passions.
53. Just as a fool (billa) is attached to a reflection (pratibimba)
because he conceives it to be true (sarya), thus the world (loka) gets
stuck in the cage of objects (vi$ayapailjara) because of [its] stupidity
(mo/Uz) .
54. When the great souls (mahatman) see that things (bhilva) are
like a reflection (pratibimba) with their eye of knowledge (jiiiinacak$u/J.)
they do not get stuck in the mire of the so-called 'objects' (vi[aya iti
panka).
55. Fools (billa) are attached to material form (riipa), the mode-
rate attain absence of passions, but those of supreme intellect
(buddhi) are liberated by knowing the nature of material form (riipa).
56. One desires by thinking of [something] pleasant; by turning
away from it one becomes free from desires, but by seeing it to be
void (vivikta) like a phantom (mayilpu7U$a) one obtains NirvaQa.
57. The faults of passion (kleiadoia) that torment due to false
knowledge (mithyiljiiiina) do not arise for those who understand the
meaning ofjudgements concerning being and non-being (bhavabha-
vavikalpilrtha).
58. If there were a standpoint there would be (raga) and
dispassion [or distaste] (vairilgya), but the great souls (mahatman)
without standpoint have neither passion nor dispassion.
51-54. See ibid.
55. Sanskrit incorporated in Cittaviiuddhiprakarana, 20 (cf. v. 5 above) with v. I.
rajyanti in a, and it also occurs in Suklavida.riana (v. MCB, I, p. 395) with
in b for cf. Ti b.
58. Cf. Suttanipata, 795: na na viragaratto ...
117
59.
I gait dag rnam par dben siiam du II gyo ba'i yid kyan mi gyo ba I
I iion mons sbrul gyis dkrugs gyur pa II mi bzad srid pa' i rgya mtsho
brgall
60.
I dge ba ' di yis skye bo kun II bsod nams ye ses tshogs bsags te I
I bsod nams ye ses las byun ba'i II dam pa giiis ni thob par sog I
59d b ~ a d : zad NP
118
59. Those whose fickle mind (calacitta) is not moved- not even at
the thought of the void (viueka) - have crossed the awful ocean of
existence (tilJTabhauarT}Qua) which is agitated by the monsters of
passions.
60. May all people by this merit (ku.fala) gather a collectjon of
merit and insight (purgajililnas01[1bhilra) and obtain the two goods
(sat) which arise from merit and insight!
59. Cf. MK, XXII, I I: Junyam iti na v a k t a ~ a m ...
60. Allusion to rV.pa- and tilzannalcaya, respectively the result of puva- and
jnanasa'!lblzara, sec RA,_III, 12-13 (cf. Matilzyamalcavatara, p. 62).- The verse
forms a paril}ilmana, RA, IV, 90.
119
VII. Catul)stava (CS)
Though the question which of the numerous hymns ascribed to
Nagarjuna
143
belong to 'The four hymns'
144
has given rise to some
controversy,
145
such hesitation is, however, unwarranted for at least
three reasons.
First, the Sanskrit text of CS is available in four Mss.
146
The
titles and order of the hymns given here are without exception:
Lckatitastava, Niraupamyastava, Acinryastava & Paramarthastava. This
coincides with the testimony given by the Catu4stavasamasartha by a
certain Amrtakara.
147
Finally, precisely these four hymns are in
143. For the list and Buddhist hymns in general v. D. Schlingloff, Buddhistisc!u
Stotras aus ostturkistanisdren Sanskrillexten, Berlin 1955, n. 16.
144. The earliest reference to Catul}stava (Tib. bstod pa bb pa) as a known to
me occurs in BodhisattuacaryavatarapaiiJika, TP, No. 5277,
Sa fol. 169a 2 & 174b 8. Prajnakaramati's Bodhicaryavatarapanjika ( ed. La
Vallee Poussin) twi ce gives tht: form Catustava (pp. 420; 488). Candrakirti
speaks of the Sai]IJtuli (cf. n. 89). In most cases the individual hymns are
quoted without mention of source.
145. The various options have been summarized by de j ong, 'Emptiness',j/P, II,
pp. 11-1 2, q.v. Professor Hahn kindly forwarded me a copy ofS. Sakai: 'On
the Four Hymns asr.ribed to Nagarjuna', Tlujournal of tlu Nippon Buddhist
Research Association, XXIV, pp. 1-44, which contains a revised edition ofCS,
II & IV and a Japanese version of the two other hymns with notes.
146. See below. - Copies of these were courteously put at my disposal by the
aut horities of the Akademia Nauk (Leningrad}, Dr. M. Hara (Tokyo) and
Dr. V. V. Gokhale (Poona). I am particularly grateful to Dr. Gokhale who
originally planned to edit the Catu(r.staoa himself (cf. Festschrift Kirftl, Bonn
1955, p. 102, n. 3).
147. Edited by G. Tucci , Minor Buddhist Texts, 1, Roma 1956, pp. 235-246. Let us
recall that Tucci also edited and translated CS, II and IV i.e. Niraupamya-
and Paramarthastava in 'Two hymns of the ofNagarjuna', JRAS
( 1932}, pp. 309-325. Cf. MCB, I II, p. 374. - The Mss at my disposal require
these emendations in Tucci's text: CS, II, I b: read 2d,
tattvartluularJini; 3a, boddhavyam; 4d, padam; 23b. iqyase; CS, IV, Sa, harin
manjif[ho; b, nopalabhyate; c,pitaiJ kcrqal} iulcto ( cf. Uj, II, p. 168, n. I 2); 9a, eoam
stute. - A French version of these two hymns was published by L. Silbum, Le
bouddhisme, Paris 1977, pp. 201-209; an Italian (including Lokatita- and
Acin9astava, from the Tibetan) by R. Gnoli, op.cit., pp. 157- I 79.
121
..
I
I
I
II
I
I
I
I
fact those that are quoted by the commentators, not only Bhavya,
Candrakirti and but also several lesser-known Indian
authors.
1411
Since the doctrine and, to a certain extent, the style of the hymns
- especialy I & Ilfl
49
- matches well with that of MK etc., I see no
reason to dispute the authenticity of CS.
150
I shall confine myself to some remarks concerning I & III of
which I subjoin an editio princeps of the Sanskrit text and which are
also the philosophically most significant of all the hymns asct;bed to
Nagarjuna, and even of all ancient Buddhist hymns at large.s
The content of these two hymns is too reflective and abstract to
render it credible that they were composed with some ritual
148. See the conspectus testium. Though far from exhaustive it shows that the hymns
exerted a considerable influence.
149. Discussing the authenticity of Gnoli says (op.m., p. 12): 'L' unica
obiezione contro Ia loro autenticita, puo concern ere, semmai, uno solo di essi,
l'Acin!)astava o Laude dell' Inconcepibile', il terzo e piu lungo dell a raccolta,
che, per l'eccessiva concisione di alcune parti, per l'oscurita di altre (forse
imputabile, d' altronde, alia versiont> Jibetana) , p<"r ccrti bruschi passagi e
certc ripetizioni , non e, in realta, cscl uso chc sia una cornpil azione posteriore.
Specialmente sospette, in qucsto senso, lr stanze 43-44 I= 45-46 in my
Sanskrit edition!), nelle qual i c un'.:vidcntt> allusionc alia scuola dei
Vijniinavadin o dell'ldcalismo buddhistico, considerata, per tradizione,
posteriore a Nagarjuna. M?. Ia data di Nagarjuna e poi sicura?"- But these
a rguments do not carry much weight: The stylistic features notice<! by Gnoli
are, in fact, also known from SS the authenticity of which cannot be
impeached. The allusions to Vijnanavada - or more precisely to the
Vijnanavada of Laizkiiuatiirasittra (v. n. to CS, Ill, 45), generally held to be
posterior to Nagarjuna - are quite consistent with the fact that Niigarjuna
also refers to this sutra elsewhere (cf. e.g. MK, XVIII, 7 with LanA:iwatiira,
III, 9; XXI, II with X, 37; XVII, 33 with X, 279; 3 with X, 466; SS,
222b 2-3 = X, 640, etc. ). - These hymns (cf. the very titles) show
Nagarjuna's 'conception' of the Buddha consistent with MK, XXII, 15:
... buddhal'{l prapaitciititam arryayam.- Some of the verses in CS, II & IV were
discussed by D. S. Ruegg in the paper referred to above, n. 46, pp. 454-463.
150. The main theme of CS, I and III is pudgala- and dharmanairiitmya. The
composition is- like not structurally strict. Though CS, I first refutes
saliva (2) and then the skandhas, first in general (3-4 ), then in particular riipa
(5) , vedanii (6), sai!'Jiiii (7), sal!lsA:iira (8-9) and vijiiiina ( I 0), it is none the less on
the whole a loose collection of aphorisms about anutpiida, like CS, I II, teeming
with allusions to Mahayanasutras.
151. Cf. however, n. 22 above.
122
tive in mind.
152
Nor should we attach too much importance to the
motive of obtainment ofpuT)ya.
153
No, these hymns are outbursts of a
sincere and enthusiastic appraisal of the Buddha as the teacher who
out of sheer compassion took pains to propagate his conviction of
the emptiness of all phenomena. This accounts for the curious rom-
position of the two hymns compared with the other genuine works: An
abundance of quotations from or allusions to Mahayana siitras are
intertwined with the author's own either rationalizing or approving
comments, all in majorem Buddhae gloriam.
154
Sigla
T Sanskrit Ms ofCS (accompanied by A) kept in the Tokyo Uni-
versity Library (cf. Matsunami (1965), p. 122, No. 340).1SS -
36 numbered pages. Material: paper. Size: 23,5. x 7 em. Num-
ber of lines: 9. An occasional secunda manus in the upper or
lower margin. Date: uncertain, but hardly more than a few cen-
turies. Quality: on the whole very good. Reproduced as Appen-
dix, q.v.
M A copy (microfilm in my possession) of the late Prof. M.
Tubiansky's transcript or recension (cf. Obermiller ( 1960),
p. 3) of a Sanskrit Ms of CS from Mongolia. - No information
accessible concerning the date, condition etc. of this Ms.
G Xerox (in my possession) of a handcopy ofCS prepared by Dr.
V. V. Gokhale (Poona): ' In 1949 I was permitted to take a hand-
copy of the original papermanuscript [i.e. ofCS and other texts]
152. Some glimpses of how and when hymns etc. were chanted we get from RA,
V, 65; BhQvtrnakrarM, III, p. 13; Rat114prat!ipa, 355a; J. Takakusu (tr.), A
record of the Brv.ldhist religion as practised in India and the Malay archipelago (A.D.
671-695), by 1-tsin,t:, London 1896, pp. 152-166, q.v. .
153. As expressed in the pari!J4marra at the end of each hymn. Note that MK, SS
and VV, i.e. the purely dialectical works, do not contain any such
pucayaparirriimarra.
154. Cf. the r ~ m a r l t s on buddhamahatmya, RA, IV, 84-87.
155. S. Matsunami, A Catalogue of the StuiSI.:rit Manuscripts in the Tokyo University
Library, Tokyo 1965.- I also collated the two Mss ofCS, Ilisted here p. 149
(l'io. 419, Ill, 153 = fol. 292b 4-294a 5; No. 420, XI, 5 = fol. lOb 5-2 Ia 4) but
not to encumber the apparatus needlessly I have not given the numerous voces
nihili found here.
123
by the abbot of the Kundeling monastery. It was a Ms written
in the Bengal script of about the 13th or 14th century, I
suppose .. .' (Quoted from a letter dated 7.10.1976). .
A Akari{ika subjoined to the text ofCS in T (described above).-
Merely provides simply synonyms and analyses the syntax in a
most elementary manner. Without the slightest philosophical
import but valuable for the substantiating of the readings of its
miila.
W Microfiche of a Sanskrit Ms in the possession of Manavajra
Vajracharya, Kathmandu. Written in Nevari script on fairly
recent Nepali paper. 6 lines to a page. Size: 8 x 20 em. CS, I,
1-5 and 15-25 missing (at least on the microfiche edition which
The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions kindly
put at my disposal). Quality: on the whole not as good as T, M or G.
N Narthang (sNar than) edition of the Tibetan trans. of
a) CS I (i.e. Lokatitastava) by KmtapaQQita & Tshul khrims
rgyal ba.- TN, No. 12, Ka fol. 75b-77a.
b) CS III (i.-e. Acinryastava) by Tilaka & Ni ma grags. - TN,
No. 19, Kajol. 84b-87a.
P Peking edition of the Tibetan trans. of
a) CS I (same translator team). - TP. No. 2012, Ka fol.
79a-80b.
b) CS III (same translator team). - TP. No. 2019, Kajol.
88b-9la.
S A varia lectio in the Sanskrit Ms(s), now presumably lost, but
inferable from a recension of the Tibetan trans. based on
N & P.
Conspectus testium
1. abbreuiaturtu
AA Haribhadra: AbhisamayalaT[!Icara/oka (ed. P. L. Vaidya)
AS Advayavaj ra: AdvayavajrasaT{Igraha (coli. et ed. H. P. Sastri)
BT Maitreyanatha (11?): Bhavasarrzkrimtifika (ed. N. A. Sastri)
BC Prajiiakaramati: Bodhi[sattva ( ed. La Vallee
Poussin)
124
.'
BD Atisa: Bodhimargadipapanjika (TP, No. 5344)
BP Bodhisattvacaryavatarapanjika (TP, No.
5277)
BV Vibhuticandra: Bodhicaryavataratatparyapanjika ... (TP, No.
5282)
CG Munidatta: Caryagitikosavrtti (ed. P. Kv<erne)
CP Aryadeva (II): Caryamelayanapradipa (TP, No. 2668)
CS Amrtakara: CatubJtavasamiisartha {ed. G. Tucci)
MP Bhavya: Madhyamakaratnapradipa (TP, No. 5254)
MV Candrakirti: Madhyamakavatarablzilua (ed. La Vallee Poussin)
PK Nagarjuna (II): Pancakrama (ed. La Vallee Poussin)
pp Candrakirti: Prasannapada (ed. La Vallee Poussin)
PS Candrakirti: Pancaskandhaprakara'f}a (ed. C. Lindtner)
PU Aryadeva (II): PradipoddyotanabhisaT(I.dhiprakasika (TP, No.
2658)
SP Nagarjuna (II): Sekacatul)prakara'f)a (TP, No. 2664)
SS Jnanasrimitra: SakarasiddhiJiistra (ed. A. Thakur)
SS Anonymus: Subhilfitasal'{lgraha (ed. C. Bendall)
SV Candrakirti: Sunyatiisaptativrtti (TP, No. 5259)
T A .J iianakirti: Tauvavataraklrya ... prakaraTJa (TP, No. 4532)
TS Tattvasiddhi (TP, No. 4531)
TV Dharmendra: Tattvasarasal'{lgraha (TP, No. 4534)
YV Candrakirti: (TP, No. 5265)
2. loci
CS, I (Lokatiwtava):'
4: PP, p. 413; BC, p. 583; TV, f. 95a; BP, f. 183b
5: MV, p. 200; TV, f. 95a
8: BC, p. 476
9: BC, p. 476
II: PP, p. 64
12: AA, p. 299; AS, p. 28
13: BC, p. 587
18: BC, p. 533; MY, p. 97
19: BC, p. 533
125
20: BC, p. 533
21: PP, pp. 55 & 234
22: AA., pp. 348, 381, 405, 441 , 482, 490 & 536; SS, p. 481;
BC, p. 417; PS, p. 26
23: BC, pp. 359 & 41 5; TV, f. 98b; MY, p. 310
24: BC, p. 489; TV, f. 98b
26: SV, f. 315a
27: MV, p. 23
CS, II (Niraupamyastava) :
1: cs, p. 239
7: BC, 420; AS, p. 22; BP, f. 169a
9: BC, p. 489; BP, f. 174b
13: PP, p. 215; SV, f. 335b
15: TS, f. 30b
18-19: PK, p. 36; CP, f. 104a; PU, f. 212a; SP, f. 33a
21: SS, p. 388; AS, p. 22; BD, f. 298b; TV, f. 92b; T A, f. 46a
24: AS, p. 22; MP, f. 36la
CS, III (Acinryastava):
1: cs, p. 242
4: BY, f. 310a
9: TS, f. 40a
19: BC, p. 375; BT, p. 82; MP, f. 372; TV, f. 105a; BY, f. 308b
25: BC, p. 573 (a/d)
29: BC, p. 5 73
36: BC, p. 5 73
38: TV, f. 102a
39: TV, f. 102a
40: TV, f. 102a; BC, p. 528
41: TV, f. 102a; BC, p. 528
43: AS, p. 24 (a/ b); CG, p. 209 (a/b)
48: TV, f. 97a
49: TV, f. 97a
57: TS, f. 39b
CS, IV (Paramarthastava):
I: CS, p. 245 (a/b)
3: CS, p. 245 (a)
126
4: ss, p. 489 (d)
5: SS, p. 489 (a); CG, p. 190 (a/ b)
8: cs, p. 245 (d)
9: CS, p. 245 (a); BD, f. 284a (c/d)
10: CS, p. 245 (a); BD, f. 284a
Lokatitastava II
'Jig rten las 'das par bstod pa II
I. lokatita namas tubhyarp viviktajnanavedine I
yas tvarp jagaddhitayaiva khinnal) karuQaya ciram II
I dben pa'i yeses rig gyur pa II 'jig rten 'das khyod phyag 'tshal ' dud I
I gail khyod 'gro Ia phan pa' i phyir II yun riri thugs rjes rial bar gyur I
2. skandhamatravinirmukto na sattvo 'stiti te matam I
sattvartharp ca pararp khedam agamas tvarp mahamune II
I phuri po tsam las grol ba yi II sems can med par khyod bzed Ia I
I sems can don.la'ari mchog gzol bar II thub pa chen po khyod nid
bzugs I
3. te 'pi skandhas tvaya dhiman dhimadbhyal) sarpprakasitab I
mayamaricigandharvanagarasvapnasarpnibhal) II
I blo ldan khyod kyis phun de 'an II sgyu rna smig rgyu dri za yi I
I gron khyer rmi lam ji bzin du II blo I dan rnams Ia rab tu bstan I
4. hetutal) sa111bhavo y e ~ a r p tadabhavan na santi ye I
katharp nama na te spaHarp pratibimbasama matab II
I gari dag rgyu las byun ba mams II de med par ni yod min pas I
I gzugs brnan nid dan mtshuns pa ru II gsal bar ci yi phyir mi 'dod I
I d karuQaya ci - T mutil.; yun rin N : yul rin P
2a skandhamatravini- T mutil.; b na sattvo 'stiti T: sattvo nistiti GM
3a 'pi skandhis tvaya dhi - T mutil.
128
Hymn to [the Buddha] transcending
the world
I. 0 You who arc beyond the world! Obeisance to You versed in the
cognition of the void. Solely for the benefit of the world You have for
long been exhausted by compassion!
2. You are convinced that apart from the mere skandhas no soul
(rattva) exists, and yet, great sage, You have suffered great pain for
the sake of the living beings (sattva)!
3. You who are a sage! To the sages [= bodhisattvasj You have
declared that the skandhas also are comparable to an illusion, a
mirage, a city of Gandharvas and dreams!
4. [As to the skandhas) whose occurrence is due to a cause and
which do not exist in lack of such - how arc You not quite clearly
convinced that they are like reflections?
I . Cf. Niraupam_rastava.l : niraupamya namas tubhyarrz nil}svabhiivarthavrdint l.yas tva'!!
dWivipannasya II Prajnaparamitastotra, I for padas a and c.-
For vivikta etc. (iunya), see ref. in Conze ( 1973), pp. 363-364; 30-31, 56;
SS, 38. Also BCA, VIII, 2 (kayacittaviveka ).- karu'!a;-ii ciram cf.
Satapancaiatka, 58: tvarrjagatkkiamokfartharv baddha{l ciram: RA, I l l , 26
(ci ted Madhyamakavatiira, p. 29): de ni snin rjes j"ig rltn sdug II de nid lcyis niy un rin
,gnas II); similarly Riihulastava, 9: ciral!'l klij/o '.ri sar.nsiiukimm_)lad tva kevaiam II;
BCA, VIII, 104- 105; Prar;zidhiinasaptati, 17.
2. Similar paradox (na sattvo 'stili ... sallvarthaf!! ca), BS, 72; CS, II , 9. - For
skandhamatra, see Koia, III, p. 57.
3. This verse states that bodhisattvas ( := dhimat, cf. e.g. Paiijika, p. 23, n. 2) not
only acceptpudgalanairatmya but alsodharmanairatm_ya, cf. CS, Ill, 2; .\1CR, 11.
p. I 7; Vimalakirtinirdtia, pp. 407-408; Traiti , pp. 1995-2151.- For the various
sec e.g. Traiti, pp. 357-387; May ( 1959), pp. 507-509 (ref. ).
4. This stanza (of which piida a may be compared with 39) refutes the.
skandhas in general whereas the following stanzas refute them separatel y:rupa
(5), vedana (6), saf!!Jnii (7), sai!'ISkiira (8-9) and vijniina ( 10).
9 129
5. bhutany tanmayaf!l katham I
rupaf!l tvayaivaf!l bruvata rupagraho II
I 'byun ba mig gi gzun min pas II de dnos mig gi ji !tar yin I
I gzugs iiid gzun bar rab bkag pa II gzugs iiid khyod kyis de !tar
gsuns I
6. vedaniyaf!l vina nasti vedanato niratmika I
tac ca vedyaf!l svabhavena nastity abhimataf!l tava II
I tshor bya med par de med pas II tshor ba iiid ni bdag med pas I
I tshor bya de yan ran biin gyis II yod pa med par khyod i1id bzed I
7. sarpjiiarthayor ananyatve mukhaf!l dahyeta vahnina I
anyatve ' dhigamabhavas tvayoktai'Jl bhutaviidina II
I min dan don dag tha dad min II me yis kha iiid ' tshig par 'gyur I
I gzan na'an rtogs pa med 'gyur zes II bden pa gsun ba khyod kyis
bstan I
8. karta svatantrai} karmapi tvayoktal\1 vyan.haratai} I
tu siddhis te 'bhimatanayol) II
I byed po ran dban las iiid kyan II tha siiad du ni khyod kyis bstan I
I phan tshun bl tos pa can iiid du II grub par khyod ni bzed pa lags I
9. na kartasti na bhoktasti puQyapul)yarp pratityajam I
yat pratitya na taj jatal\1 proktarp vacaspate tvaya II
I byed po yod min spyod pa'an med II bsod nams de min rten ' brei
skyes I
I brten nas skyes gan rna skyes zes II tshig gi bdag po khyod kyis
gsuns I
Sa gzun : gzugs NP; c - vam T mutil.; bruvatii TG : viidinii M
6c tshor bya : tshor ba NP; d niistity abhima- T mutil.
7b dahyeta va - T mutil.
8c tu TMGA : W
9c gait : kyait NP
130
r,_ The [four great) elements are imperceptible to the eye, so how
"" the 'visible' consist of them? - Speaking thus of matter (rupa)
Yon rejected the belief in matter.
fi. As it does not exist without [an object of feeling] feeling
llll'rdore is without sel( And You are convinced that the object
I ft'cling does not exist by own-being ei ther.
7. l f a concept [ = a name, min) and its object were non-different
.,m's mouth would be burned by [the word] fire. 1f[they both] were
diflcrr.nt there would be no comprehension [of anything]. - Thus
You have spoken as a speaker of truth.
H. That an agent is self-dependent and [his] action also is, You
have [only] expressed conventionally. Actually You are convinced
that both are established in mutual dependence.
9. [In the ultimate sense] no agent exists and no experiencer
I'Xists. Merit and demerit are dependently born. You have declared,
() Master of words, that that which is dependently born is unborn!
5. Ace. to Abhidharma rupa ( = SOI!Uihizna & I'II T!JO, cf. SS, 50) is made up ofcatl/ati
mahiihhutiini serving as rupaJ:iiraiJa, c( M K, IV, Iff. The notion of rupa
(ritpabuddhi) is refuted at length SS, 45-54; BV, 16-24. C( al.so RA, I, 99 (ci ted
Pmsannapadii, p. 413}, VI, 58; :'\4. The argument is: nobhuta, nobhautika.-
See also Bhauasal'!'lcriintisulrn quoted Prasannapadii, p. 120 (na cakfu1 prtkfale
ritpam ... }.
6. This skandha also refuted SS, 55.
7. A celebrated argument: Traili , p. 1617; p. 87; Nyayasutra, II,
I , 51. Similarly VP, 51. Cf. also 48fT.
8. karti = I, 4, 54. - It is clear from the context that kartr here
signifies a pudgala who 'punarbhauiiya sa'TUkiiran auit(yiinJII[Ias tridha abhisaf!!sku-
rute ... '(MK, XXVI, I) and not, as usual, and as the {ikii iivariidi
(c( CS, III, 33-34 and notes). -The usc of Yman etc. (!ikii glosses
abhimata with suikrta) indicating philosophical persuasion is interesting, cf.
the use of Latin placet (translating Greek liQE<JXEL) and Spinoza's remark:
' Voluntas et intellectus unum et idem sunt' (Corr. ad Ethicam, 2, 49). - Nyayabhiiva
(KSS, X XXXIII, p. 194) attempts to refule the notion of parasparapekfili
siddlli thus: ... netnrttariipekja kasya cit siddhir iti. )asmiid ekabhiiue 'nyatariihhizuiid
': yad.) <kasyiinyatarap!kia siddhir anyatararyeda:airr kim aptkfO.? yady
m!JatarasyaikaptAta siddhir ekasyed2nif!1 kim apekfii? evam ekasyiibhoue anyalllran na
-Cf. BV, 63; MX, XVll, 32; SS, 33-44.
9. Probably - like 48 (pratitya jiitarrz cajatam aha tattuauidiirrz vara&) - an
allusion to AnaLtataptahradiipasarczkramal}asutra (see Vimalakirtinirdtia, p. 26
etc.). Also VaTI}iirhavaTI}astotra, V, 23-28; MK, VIII, 12.
131
10. ajnayamanarp na jneya111 vij1ianarp tad vina na ca I
tasmat svabhavato na sto jnanajneye tvam ucivan II
I ses pa med parses bya min II de mcd rnam parses pa'an med I
I de phyir ses dan ses bya dag II ran dnos med ces khyod kyis gsUJ1s I
II . anyac cet syat tal I
tayor abhavo ' nanyatve kathitarp tvaya II
I mtshan nid mtshon bya gzan nid na II mtshon bya mtshan nid med
p:u 'gyur I
I tha dad min na'an de med par II khyod kyis gsa! po nid du bstan I
12. vagudaharavarjitam I
santarp jagad idaf!l dmarp bhavata II
I mtshan nid mtshon bya rnam bra! :lin II tshig gis brjod pa rnam
s paits par I
I khyod kyis yeses spyan nid kyis II 'gro ba ' di dag zi bar mdzad I
13. na sann utpadyate bhavo napy asan sadasan na ca I
na svato niipi para to na rivabhya111 jayate katham II
I dnos po ynd pa nid mi skye II med pa'an rna yin yod rned min I
I bdag las rna yi n gzan las min II gilis min skye ba ji !tar bu I
14. na sthi tiyuktasya vinasa upapadyate I
nasato samasya samata katham II
I yod pa gnas par rigs 'gyur gyi II 'jig par 'gyur ba rna yin no I
I med pa mi gnas par rigs pas II 'jig par 'gyur ba rna yin no I
lOa bya: pa NP; tvam iicivan TG : te siicitam :vi
II a na : ni NP; c ahhavo TM : abhave G
14c nasato TG : nasata5 ca M; d samata T : samata GM:
samata W
132
Ill. I An object of knowledge is] no object of knowledge unless it is
:wing know11. But [this is impossible since] consciousness does not
n I previously] without it! - Therefore You have said that know-
and tht': object of knowledge do not exist by own-bei ng.
I I . If a mark were different from the marked then the marked
w .. u:rl t-x!st [as such] without the mark [- which is absurd]. You
h. :v( [also] dearly stated that neither exists if[conceived of as] non-
d.tli: rent.
12. This world which is devoid of marked and mark, and free
lrom the utterances of words You have regarded as calm (iiinta)
wi th your eye of cognition
11. An existent thing does not arise, nor does a non-existent nor
an ,xistent and non-existent, neither from itself, [something] else nor
lx.11h. [So] how can it be born [at all)?
14. It is not reasonable that an existent [thing which must be]
connected with duration should be destroyed. [And] how can a
llon-existent [thing being] like the horns of a horse be exti nguished?
I 0. Refutation ofvijniinrukandha: BV, 26-56. Aboutjilana/vijilana etc., sec ref. May
( 1959), p. 101, n. 252. - For Nagiirjuna manas, vijilana and cilia are (as for
Vasubandhu etc. ) synonyms, as are budd hi, mali and (tallva-)jniina. Herejilana
are, of course, used, metri causa, for vijniina and IJijneya. - For the form
svabhiivena cf. MahiiyiinauiT[Iiikii , 1-2; 19: CS, Ill, 3.
II . For other refutations oflak.fatJa-lakva see Duii.daiadvcraka, VI, I; SS, 27; MK,
v.
12. The firstpada = Lankii.vatarasutra, X, 255. In b CS, II, 14 has lakvalakfa!Javalji-
tam, cf. MK, V, 5. It s use is not confined to sa'!lskrtalak!a'Ja, but to any
dharmalak[a1Ja. and thus it alludes polemically to .<\bhidharma. - There are
pailcu cf. Traiti, pp. 2260 IT; 439; Vimalakirtinirdtia, p. 168, n. 57. This
verse refers to the prajiliicalc!us, cf. CS, II, 16.
13. This is, to use later terminology, the catrqkotyutpii.dapraliftdhamahii.htlu
(cf. Atisa, Bodhipathapradipa, 193-196) for which cf. e.g. MK, I, I; Dvadaiad-
vii.raka, II, I; SS, 3; CS, III, 9; Madhyamaka-SalistambtUutra (BST, XII, p.
115) quoting MK, I , I andjilana.sii.rasamuccaya, 28. Cf. also MK, I, 7 (with
which compare Nyii.yasutra, IV, I, 44 and Lanlcii.vatii.rasutra, II, 22).
14. Heresthitiyukta =sat. The verse corresponds to MK, VII, 27 (cf. ibid., 20). In
pada c and d the translators had: nii.saw 'sthitiyuktasya uiniiia upapadyate II.
133
15. bhavan narthantararp naso napy anarthantararp matam I
arthantare bhaven nityo napy anarthantare bhavet II
16. ekatve na hi bhavasya vinasa upapadyate I
prthaktve na hi bhavasya vinasa upapadyate II
17. vinagat karal}at tavat karyotpattir na yujyate I
na svapnena tulyotpattir mata tava II
I re zig zig pa'i rgyu las kyan II 'bras bu 'byun bar mi rigs !a I
I rna zig las min rmi lam dan II 'dra ba' i skye ba khyod iiid bzed I
18. na niruddhan naniruddhad bijad ankurasarpbhaval;l I
mayotpadavad utpadal;l sarva eva tvayocyate II
I sa bon zig dan rna zig las II myu gu 'byun ba rna yin pas I
I khyod kyis skye ba thams cad ni II sgyu rna 'byun ba bzin du gsuns I
19. atas tvaya jagad ida'!l parikalpasamudbhavam I
parijriatam asadbhutam anutpannam na nasyati II
I de phyir khyod kyis 'gro 'di dag II yons su brtags pa las byun bar I
I kun tu ses bya 'byun ba na'an II skye ba med cin 'gag med gsuns I
20. nityasya sarpsrtir nasti naivanityasya sarpsrtil]. I
svapnavat sa'!lsrtil;l prokta tvaya tattvavidarp vara II
I rtag Ia 'khor ba yod rna yin II mi rtag pa la'an 'khor ba med I
I de iiid rig: pa' i mchog khyod kyis II 'khor ba rmi lam 'dra bar gsuns I
21. svaya'!lkrta'!l parakrta'!l dvabhya'!l krtam ahetukam I
tarkikair duqkha'!l tvaya tukta'!l pratityajam II
I sd ug bsnal ran gis by as pa dan II gzan gyis by as dan giiis kas by as I
I rgyu med par ni rtog ge 'dod II khyod kyis brten nas 'byun bar
gsuns I
15c nityo TG: nityarn M
17c svapnena TM : svapne 'pi G
18d MV, p. 97 : zig dan rna iig pa dag gis II rgyu las 'bras bu 'byun ba dag II
sgyu rna 'byun ba bzin du 'byun II kun kyan de biin khyod kyis bsruns II NP
19c parijiieyafll ca sarpbhiitafll ? d na nasyati TG : ana5vararn M
134
15. Destruction is not different from the entity (bhaua), nor can it
he thought of as something non-different, [for) if it were something
other [that the entity, it] would be permanent, and it could not occur if
it were something non-different [from the entity supposed to be
destroyed].
16. Of course (hi) destruction is not reasonable if the thing is a
unity [and] of course destruction is not reasonable if the thing is
manifold.
17. First of all (tauat ) it is not logical that the effect should arise
from a cause which is destructed nor from one which is not [yet]
destructed. [Therefore] You are convinced that origination is like a
dream.
1'8. Neither from the destructed nor the non-destructed seed can the
sprout possibly arise. You have stated that all origination is like the
origination of an
19 . . Therefore You have fully understood that this world has
arisen due to imagination. It is unreal [and as] unoriginated it
cannot be destroyed.
20. There is no migration of a permanent [self], there is no migra-
tion of an impermanent [self]. [Therefore] You, the best among
speakers of truth, have declared migration to be like a dream.
21. Dialecticians maintain that suffering is created by itself,
created by [someone] else, created by botb (or] without a cause, but
You have stated that it is dependently born.
15. This and the foliowing verse (which both lack Tib. versions) should be
compared with MK, VII, 30-31. - For matam inpada c (not c:i. e.g. II,
22 etc.
17. A kiira(la ( = httu) neither exists previously nor subsequently to a kiirya ( =
phala), let alone simultaneously with its effect. This is demonstrated MK,
XX, 7-14. Also RA, I, 47; SS, 6.
18. This verse is inspired by Siilistambasiura cited Madlryamakiivatara, p. 97;
PaiajikO., p. 5 79.
19. For parikalpa see Lalikiivatara.siitra, passim (Suzuki's Index, p. 104) and May
( 1959), p. 65, n. 64.- While sadbhuta taken amount s tokr!Jiiyukta ( cf.
May, op.cit., p. 144, n. however, it indicates anaptkuasid-
dha, sasvabhiiva etc. (cf. Akutobhaya ad MK, II, 24; VV 57; MK, XXIV, 38).
20. This verse corresponds to MK, XVII, q.v.
21. Again this verse is closely related to MK, XII, I ( = DvO.daJadviiraka, X, I),
cf. Saf!lyutta, II, p. 19. - =
135
22. pratityasamutpada}:J sunyata saiva te mata I
bhava}:J svatantro nastiti si rphanadas tavatul al) II
I rten ci n 'brei par gari byun ba II de nid khyod ni ston par bzcd I
I dnos po ran dban yod .min ies II mnam med khyod kyi sen ge'i sgra I
23. sarvasarpkalpam\saya sunyatamrtaddana I
yasya tasyam api grahas avasadita}:J II
I kun thams cad spans pa'i phyir II ston nid bdud rtsi ston mdzad
na I
I gan zig de Ia zen gyur pa II de nid khyod kyis sin tu smad I
24. niri ha vasikal) sunya mayavat pratyayodbhaval) I
sar vadharrnas tvaya natha ni}:Jsvabhaval) prakasitai} II
I bems po gian d ban ston pa rtid II sgyu rna bzin du rkyen 'byun bar I
I mgon po khyod kyis chos kun gyi II dnos mcd gorns par mdzad pa
lags I
25. na tvayotpaditarp kirp cin na ca kirp dn nirodhitam I
yatha purva'1l tatha pascit tathatarp huddhavan asi II
I khyod kyis cun zig rna bskycd cirill 'ga' yari bkag pa rna mchis Ia I
I snon gyi ji !tar phyis de biin II ck hzin nid ni thugs su chud I
26. aryair niscvitam cnam anagarnya hi bhavaniim I
nanimitta'1l hi vijnanaf!1 bhavatiha katham cana II
I ' phags pa roams kyis brten pa yi II bsgoms rna zugs par mtshan med
' di I
I rnam parses par 'gar 'gyur ram II + + + + + + + I
22d taviitul al) : taviitula TS
23c yasya : tasya G
24d prakiisitiil) TGM : prabhavitiil)? S
26c niinimitlal'fl hi TMGA : nimittarr na W. NP corrup. std v. Q {SV, f. 315a):
' phags pa brten pa'i 'di Ita bu II dnos por rtogs pa ma yin iin II rgyu mtshan
med pa ma.n ses ni II nam yan 'byun bar mi ' gyur to II (sic!) ; nanimittarp hi
TMGA : ui mittai!J na \V
136
22. The [fact of] dependent origination is exactly what You think
of as emptiness. 0, Your incomparable lion's roar is that no
independent thing exists!
23. The ambrosial teaching of emptiness aims at abolishing all
conceptions (salflkalpa). But if someone believes in that Lemptiness]
You [have declared that] he is lost!
24. 0 saviour! [Since they] are inactive, dependent, empty, de-
pendently arisen like an illusion, You have made it clear that all
phenomena (dharma) are without own-being.
25. You have not put anything forward and not denied anything.
Now as then You are aware of Suchness.
26. Unless one resorts to the development (bhiwana) practised oy
the noble (arya) ones, consciousness will of course never become
signless (animitta) here.
22. For this celebrated stanza c( there( given by May { 1959), p. 237, n. 84{). It is
also discussed by La Vallee Poussin . . \1CB, I II, p. 380.- For sif!1haniida v. note
to BS, 101.
23. Like MK, XIII, 8 (see Kiiiynpapariuarla, 63-65) and XVII, 30 this verse
leaves no doubt about.iiinyatiiprayojana ace. to Nagarjuna. Also Candrakirti's
comm. to Catu4Jataka, XVI, 7; Madhyamalcauatora, p. 310.- For griiha May,
op.crt., p. 190, n. 618.
24. See Panjilco, p. 488 for this verse which may be inspired by Lalitavistara, XIII,
97-98, cited, ibid., p. 532.
25. Ace. to lei'!' cit = dharmiidilcam. -The phraseyathii piirua'!' tatho paicot also
occurs Dharmadhiitustaua, 31; I, 51; Samiidhiraja, X X IV, 5;
Angu/lara, I, p. 236 etc. - For the thought SS, 70; CS, 11, 4, and for the
conception of sarvadharmasamatii H.JbOgirin, s. v. hyodo. Siddhi, pp. 75 7 761 for
tathatii ace. to the :\lfadhyamikas.
26. iinimitta (or animitta) is the second uimolcfgmukha, c( BS, 63fT; Mahahharata,
XII, 190, II; XII, 191 , 7 etc.; CPO, s.v.; Lalikiivatorasiitra, p. 200; BHSD, s.v.
- Forhhiiuanii cf. especially Madhyamakaratnapradipa, VII (Bhiiuaniilcramadhilco-
ra); MCB, II, pp. 102-104.
137
I
I
,,
II
27. animittam anagamya nasti tvam uktavan I
atas tvaya mahayane tat sakalyena dditam II
I mtshan ma medIa rna :lugs par II thar pa med ces gsuns pa'i phyir I
I de phyir khyod kyis theg chen Ia II rna Ius par ni de nid bstan I
28. yad avapta111 maya puQyaJ11 stutva tva111 stutibhajanam I
nimittabandhanapeta111 bhuyat tenakhilaJ11 jagat II
I bstod pa'i snod khyod bstod pa las II bdag gis bsod nams gait thob
pa I
I des ni 'gro ba ma Ius rnarns II mtshan ma' i 'chin las grol gyur cig I
II iti lokatitastavab samaptab II
I "jig rten las ' das pa bstod pa
slob dpon pa klu sgrub kyis mdzad pa rdzogs so I
27c bt : rnams NP
28b gis : gi NP
138
1
27. You have said that there is no liberation unless one resorts to
the signless. Therefore You have demonstrated it in all details in
Mahayana.
28. May the entire world by the merit which I have obtained by
praising You, a fit vessel of praise, become free from the bondage of
signs. (nimitta)!
27. Panjika, p. !54 glosses saka(yma with
28. This verse forms apuvaparil}amana as do the final verses in the other hymns.-
Cf. also the verse ascribed to Nagarjuna by jiianasrimitra (SOJ:arasiddlriiastra,
p. 405): biJdlre (for bandlrt?) namanimittiiniim ca na ...
139
II
Hymn to the Inconceivable [Buddha]
I. I bow down to the inconceivable, incomparable [Buddha] whose
cognition (jiUma) is unequalled [tor] he has preached that [all]
dependently born things lack own-being.
2. Just as You in Mahayana personally understood the selfless-
ness of phenomena, accordingly You have, under the sway of
compassion, demonstrated it to the wise [bodhisattvas).
3. You have stated that [all that] has arisen from conditions is
unoriginated. You have declared that it is not born through own-
being (svabhava), and thus it is empty.
4. Just as an echo here Lin this world] arises dependently upon a
sound thus also the [entire) origination of existence is like an
illusion and a mirage.
5. If illusions, mirages, cities of Gandharvas and reflections are
unborn along with dreams, there can be no [real) vision etc. of
them.
I. For the form naittJviibhiivya, v. VV, 17 with ed. note. - The epithet acinrya is
confined to five things, cf. Traiti, pp. 1639, 1983. Note that piida d also
occurs infra, 59; Satapancasatka, 151 ( = 59).
2. Buddha's motive for delivering his dhannadeianii ( = pudgaladhannanairatmya)
to bodhisattvas (dhimat) is sheer karuf!ii, v. CS, I, 1-3 and notes and the initial
stanza of Mahiiyii.navirrriikii aviiqo viuakair dharmal} krpayii.yena I namo 'cin-
tyaprahhavii.ya buddhiiyii.sangahuddhaye II.
3. Perhaps the same canonical allusion as CS,I, 9, q.v.; ct: 18-19;
Stutyatitastava, 5: gan bg rkyen laJ de ma mchis II dnos rnams rkyen lasji /tar skye II de
skad mkhaJ pa khyod gsuns pas II spros pa mams ni head pa lags II.
4. Here, as often, bhava refers to pancil skandha, v. MK, XXVI, 8. - For the
various see ref. CS, I, 3.
5. The comm. takes tad" (inpii.da d) as referring tomiiyiidi, but surely the context
requires that it refers to skandha etc., cf. BV, 24.
141
ti. hetupratyayasarpbhiita yathaite krtakal) smrtal) I
tadvat pratyayajarp visvarp tvayokta'!l natha sarpvrtam II
I ji ltar rgyu rkyen las byuri ba II de dag byas pa can du bzed I
I de bzin rkyen las byun ba kun II mgon po khyod kyis kun rdzob
gsuns I
7. asty etat krtakarp sarvarp yat Jcirpcid balalapanam I
riktamuni pratikasam ayatharthaprakasi tam II
I byis pa gail dag ci brjod pa II bgyis pa ies 'brid de mchis te I
I chan pa ston pa ' dra ba lags II don bzin rna lags rab tu bstan I
8. krtakarp vastu no jatarp tada kif!l vartamanikam I
kasya nasad atitaf!l syad utpitsu!) kim a p e k ~ a t e II
I gail tshe byas pa'i dnos rna skyes II de tshe da !tar byur1 rya ci I
I gail zig pas na 'das par 'gyur II rna 'oils pa yan ji !tar bltos I
9. svasman na jayate bhaval:t parasman nobhayad a pi I
na san nasan na sadasan kuta};l kasyodayas tada II
I ran las dnos po skye ba med II gzan dati giiis ka las rna yin I
I yod min med min yod med min II de tshe gail las gail zig 'byun I
10. ajate na svabhavo ' sti kutal) svasmat samudbhaval) I
svabhavabhavasiddhyaiva parasmild apy asa1pbhavab II
I rna skyes pa Ia ran bzin med II ci phyir ran las kun tu 'byun I
I ran bzin dnos po med grub pas II gian las kyan ni 'byun ba med I
6b smrtal;l TG: matal;l M; d sarpvrtam TG: SaiJlVrtam M; kun rdzob: de ltar NP
7a a sty etat AGTW: :1sti tat MTW; b balalapanam T: balalapitam GM; 'brid:
bgyid NP; d ayatharthaprakasi tam TG : yathartham aprakasitam M
Sb ci: yi NP
9d kutal;l TGS : krtal} M; ganzig: gzan zig NP
I Ob svasrnat TMS : kasmat G; ci phyir : de phyir NP
142
fi . .I ust as I things) arising from causes and cv.nditions are handed
"""""as composite (krtaka ), thus You have, 0 saviour, said that the
n11in conditionally born [world exists only] by convention.
7. It is a meani ngless [statement] enticing fools [that) something
(krtaka) exists as a whole (sarva)! It is a false statement,
lddusivej like an empty fist.
II. I ra composite thing (vastu) is not born, how then can it be
prcst' nt? From the destruction of what could it be past? How can it
lw rdated (ape/qate) when about to arise [as future)?
A thing is not born from itself, [something] else or both,
whrthcr it be existent, non-existent, or existent and non-existent.
I low then can anything arise?
10. The unborn has no own-being [for] how could it arise from
llsclf? Nor can it arise from [something] else since it is definitely
established that there is no own-being.
6. For*rtaka, MK, XV, 1-2. -sii'?' vrta May ( 1959), p. 226, n. 777.
7. sarvom (!ike viivom supra) refers to sarve dharma!], i.e. skandha, ayatana, dhatu, see
30; BV, 66; Traiti, p. 1748; Tattvasan;tgrahapaiijika, p. 14; May, op.cit., p.
206, n. 689 (ref. ); Schayer, Contributions ... p. 41, n. - Niigiitjuna's point is that
cannot say 'nsti' about something whi ch ispratltyasarnutpanna, cf. 37;
SS, 71.- Foryat kirruit, May, op.cit., p. 62, n. 51 (ref.).-The form biila/apana is
probably a metrical subst itute for the common balollapana (cf. ref. Traiti, p.
1195, n. 2) butbiilapraliipa (Prasannapadii, p. 12}, ba!opaliipana (Alokamalii, 177),
biiliilapana (Daiabhumika, p. 43) also occur. For riktamU[ti, Traiti, ibid.;
Upalipariprcchii, p . 131, n. 12; SuvikriintauikriimipariP'fcchii, p. II 0 etc. - Most
recently C PD, 11, p. 476, s.v. upalapana. - halalapana also Majjhima, II, p. 261
(not in PED).
8. Other refutaticms ofkiilatraya in MK, XI X; SS, 29; BV, 31; Traiti , pp. 1691-
1996.- utpiltu = anagata (as e.g. Madhyamakahrdayalciirikii, III, 161 etc.}.
9. In other words: nothing whatsoever {cf. theca1Ufko{Jutpadaprat4edhamahahLtu,
referred to supra, CS, I, 13} arises from anything wilatsocver (the VaJrakaiJa
rnahiihetu, ibid., and Panjika to Bodhipnthaprodipa, 197-200). For pada c see also
note to CS, I , 13 and MHK, Ill, 241-242.
10. The commentary readsajatena ( ... kma? ajiitma, anutpannena ... ) which is most
unlikely, cf. Tib. and the verse quoted by Haribhadra (Atoka, p. 39): ajatasya
svabhiivena iiiiuatocchedatii ... - svahhatnbhavasiddhyaiva ... corresponds to
kutai} svabhiivasyahhave ... MK, XV, 3, q.v.
143
II . svatve sati paratv.a111 syat paratve svatvam I
tayol) siddhil) paraviiram ivodita II
I ran nid yod na gian yod ' gyur II giar. nid yod na ran nid yod I
I de dag bltos pa can du grub II pha rol tshu rol bzin du gsuns I
12. yadii kirp ci t kut a}) kirp ci t tadii hhavet I
yadii dlrgharp kuto hrasviidikarp tada II
I gail tshe ci la'an mi bltos pa II de tshe gao Ia gail zig 'byun I
I gail tshe rin Ia mi bltos pa II de tsh<- thun sogs ga Ia mchis I
13. astitvc sati niistitvarp dirghe hrasva111 tatha sati I
niistitve sati ciistitva111 yat tasmiid ubhayarp na sat II
14. ekatva111 ca tathiinekam atitaniigatiidi ca I
saJ11klcso vyavadiina111 ca samyanmithyii svatal;l II
I ji ltar gcig du rna mchis pa II ' das dan rna 'oils Ia sogs pa I
I iion mons mam byan de bzin te II yan dag log pa'an ran las ci I
15. svata eva hi yo niisti sarvo 'sti kas tadii I
para ity ucyate yo ' ya111 na vinii svasvabhiivataq II
I dnos gail ran las ma mchis na II de tshe thams cad ci zig mchis I
I gzan zes brjod pa gail lags tc II ran gi ran bzin med na min I
16. na svabhavo ' sti bhaviinarp parabhavo ' sti no yadii I
bhiivagrahagrahiivdai} paratantro 'sti kas tada II
I gao tshe gzan gyi di10s med pa II de tshe dnos rnams ran bzi n med I
I de tshe gzan dban dnos 'dzin pa II gdon gyi thcg pa ci zig mchis I
lid paravaram TM : paravara G
13b tatha AGMQT : yatha w
14a ekatvarp ca AGMQT: ekatvadi W; du: SOJO:S ='/P; c rnam byan : rnams kyan
NP
15c yo 'yarp M : yo yarp TG; d : GMS: sa T
16b ' sti no yada AGMQT : yadasri na W; c bhavagriiha
0
M (<f n.); dban: dnos
NP; d gdon : don NP
144
II . If there were own-being there would be other-being. In case of
oth<"r-being own-being [could be] maintained: Establishment of
those two has been stated [by You] to be correlative like the further
.md nearer shore.
12. When it is not related to anything how, then, can that thing
t"xist? When it is not related to [something] long how can !some-
thing] short etc. exist?
13. When there is existence there is non-existence, as there is
shtlrt when there is long. And since (yat) there is existence when
tiH'r<' is non-existence therefore each ofthc two (ubhaya) do not exist.
11. Unity and multiplicity, past and future etc., defilement and
purification, true and false - how lean they exist] by themselves?
15. Of course, when a thing (bhava) does not exist quite by itself
how, then, can it exist as a whole? That [thing] which is called
'other' does not exist without its own-being.
16. When there is no other-being things have no own-being.
\Vhat [kind of] seizure (grahaveia) of materialism (bhavagraha)
then lthe concept of an independent] dependent [nature]!
II . paravara in this sense, e.g. Prasannapada, pp. 101, 264, 458; 2:
paravaram ivctpannal] suabhavena pratityajal] ... (against Tucci' s reading ... na
cotpannal] ... ). - svatva in pada a and b- rail gi bdag nid (SS, 53).
12. For this and the following verse see RA, I , 48-49 (cf. Prasannapada, p. 10, n. 4;
Madhyamakavatara, p. ,227).- This standpoint is related p.
33 7-338: ... bhavato 'bhiprayo yatha na svatal;, na paratal;, nobhayataf;, na canyataf;
siddhil] sambhlwyate bhiivanam, hrasvadirghiidiV)Iapade.iavat; iha na hrasual?l svataf;
sidhyati dirghiiptlqatvat; na parataf; , parasiddhyabhiivat; nobhayatab, tabudhf!yii
bhavat; na ciinyato 'naptkJalviit ...
14. tkaaneka etc. are pratityasamutpanna, cf. SS, 7.- sa'[lkleia-V)Iauadana, v. Siddhi,
pp. 214-220.
IS. See MK, XV, 3 for the interpretation: suabhiival] parabhiivasya parabhiivc
hi kathyatt l.
16. The compound bhavagrahagrahauei a also occurs in a verse quoted in
Subha$ilawpgraha (ed. Bendall), p. 388. The form bhavagriiha would be more
correct (cf. May, op.cit., p. 190, n. 618) but it is poorly supported textually.
But cf. Gautjapaazyakarika, II, 29; Ill, 32, 38; IV, 82, 84 (graha for graha).
Here para/antra, like sarva in IS b, signifies a relative entity, something
dependent conceived as a whole.
10 Na.garjun.iana
145
17. adav eva samaJ11 svabhavena ca I
anutpannas ca tattvena tasmad dharmas II
I gdod rna iiid nas milam gyur pa II ran biin gyis kyan mya nan 'das I
I yan dag par ni rna skyes lags II de slad chos roams khyod kyis gsuns I
18. ni}.lsvabhavas tvaya dhiman riipadyal;l. saJ11prakasital} I
phenabud budamayabhramaricikadalisamal;l. II
I blo !dan khyod kyis gzugs II no bo iiid med par bstan pa I
I dbu ba chu bur sgyu Ia rogs II smig rgyu chu sin 'dra ba lags I
19. indriyair upalabdharn yat tat tattvena bhaved yadi I
jatas tattvavido balas tattvajnanena kirp tada I
I dban po roams kyis gail dmigs de II gal te yan dag mchis gyur na I
I byis pas yan dag rig par 'gyur II de tshe yan dag ses pas ci I
20. jaQatvam athavyakrtatam api I
viparitaparijiianam indriyat;tarp tvam iicivan II
I dban po roams ni bems po dan II tshad rna iiid kyari ma yin dan I
llun ma bstan pa nid dan ni II log par yons ses khyod kyis gsuns I
21. aj nanenavrto yena yat havan na prapadyate I
lokas tena yathabhutam iti matva tvayoditam II
I gail gis ci zig rna rtogs pa II yan dag ji biin thugs chud nas I
I des na 'jig rten mi ses pas II bsgribs pa ies kyan khyod kyis gsuns I
22. astiti sasvati nastity ucchedadarsanam I
tenantadvayanirmukto dharmo 'yarp dditas tvaya II
I yod ces pa ni rtag par Ita II med ces pa ni chad par Ita I
I des na mtha' giiis brat ba yi II chos de khyod kyis bstan pa mdzad I
17a de tshe : gan tshe NP
20d ucivan TG : uktavan M (if. CS, I, 10)
21 b prapadyate TG : pratipannal) M
22a siisvati TG : siisvata M; rtag N : hag P
146
I 7. I Since I they are originally born equal and extinguished by
.. wn-h('ing, therefore You have said that phenomena (dharma) are in
.tlity unborn.
Ill. You have, 0 sage, shown that form and [the remaining
-1-:grcgatesj lack own-being [and that they arej like ioam, bubbles,
rlhrsions, clouds, mirages, and plantains.
I If that which is perceived with the senses were [connected]
with lanyj reality, fools would be born with knowledge of reality_
\Vhat then would knowledge of reality be worth?
20. You have stated that the senses are dull, unreliable, unprecise
.111d !sources of] wrong understanding.
'21. Having thought of it You have stated that it is because the
world is shrouded in ignorance that it does not obtain the truth
correctly.
22. 'Exists' is the dogma of Eternalism. 'Exists not' is the dogma
.. r Annihilation. [In order to avoid the two extremes] You have
t hcrefore shown this principle (dharma) [of dependent co-origination]
which is free from the two extremes.
17. Allusion to an often cited verse from the Ratnameghasutra, v. Prasannapada, p.
225; May, op.cit. , p. 177, n. 572. Cf. also Mahayanavi'[li ikii, 1: svabhiivena na
cotpannii nirvrtiis ca na tattvata4 I yathiikasa'!l tatha salivas caivaikalakfa-
11.
18. Cf. CS, I, 3; SS, 6; Catut!Jataka, X Ill, 25. The author above all has Sa'[lyutta,
III, p. 142 in mind, see Traiti, p. 358; BV, 12- 13.
19. This is an echo of Lankavatara, Ill, 36; X, 136, q.v. Cf. also 3.
20. I have not traced the source of this important verse. For jatja, SS, 231 b.
21. Perhaps the same canonical allusion as MK, XVII, 28: avidyiiniv;to jantus
ca ... It is quoted in extenso injniinaprasthana, I, 5, 9, q.v.
22. Similarly MK, XV, 10; YS, I etc.- dharmo yam, or saddharmo yam refers to
Buddha's dharmadeiana, i.e."pratityasamutpada or iunyatii, see RA, I, 25 ff; I I, 16-
18; MK, XXIV, 12; XXV, 24; XXVI, 30 etc.
147
23. tena dharmas tvayodital) I
vijiianasyapy avijiieya vaca111 kim uta gocaral} II
I des na chos rnams mu bzi dan II bra! bar khyod kyis bka' stsallags I
Imam ses bya ba'am rna lags Ia II + + + + + + + I
24. svapnendrajalikodbhiitarp yatha I
bhiita111 tadvastu no bhiita111 tatha dma111 jagat tvaya II
I rmi lam mig 'phrullas byun dan II zla ba giiis Ia sogs mthon bzin I
I 'gro ba 'byun ba de dnos su II rna byun de bzin khyod kyis gzigs I
25. utpannas ca sthito svapne yadvat sutas tatha I
na cotpannal;l sthito ukto loko 'rthatas tvaya II
26. karaQat sarpbhavo dnto yatha svapne tathetaral;l l
sa111bhaval} sarvabhavanarp vibhavo 'pi matas tatha II
I ji !tar rgyu las rmi lam na II ' byun ba mthon bade bzin du I
I dnos po thams cad 'byun ba bzin II 'jig pa'an de bzin bzed pa lags I
27. ragadija'11 yatha dul)kharp Sa!11klesasai11Sftl tatha I
sarpbharapurar:tan muktil) svapnavad tvaya II
I de bzin chags sogs sdug bsnal dan II 'khor ba sdug bsnal kun iion
mons I
I tshogs rdzogs pa dan thar pa yan II rmi lam 'dra bar khyod kyis
gsuns I
28. jatarp tathaiva no jatam agatarp gatam ity api I
baddho muktas tatha jiiani dvayam icchen na tattvavit II
I de bzin skyes dan rna skyes dan II 'oils pa dan ni son ba yan I
I de bzin bcins grol ye ses Ia II giiis 'dod yan dag rig rna lags I
23d vaciqt TG : vacai} M : vata W; d NP t
24b AGMQT : W; c tadvastu no
bhiitam TM (nodbhiitam G) : tadvastunabhiitam ? S
25b sutas TM : svatas G
26d matas tatha TG : tatha matab MW
27a ragadijarp AGMQT : ragadikarp WS; yatha TGM : tatha WS;
b sarpkle5asarpsrti (
0
sarpsrtir M) tatha TM : tatha .. . sarpsrti G; c
0
piira9an
TGM :
0
piiral)aqt ? S
28c baddho muktas AGMQT : mukto baddhas W; d icchen TG : icchan M : icche
w
148
:n. Therefore You have said that phenomena (dharma) are
the four categories (ko#). They are not knowable to con-
much less within the sphere of words.
H. As is the appearance of a magician [in a] dream lor] the sight
nl' a double-moon, thus You have seen the world as a creation not
n<'ated as a substance (vastu).
2:>. Just as a son who is born, established and deceased in a
drt'am, thus the world, You have said, is not really born, enduring
r destroyed.
26. Just as origination in a dream is experienced due to causality,
thus You are convinced tpat the common origination and dissolu-
tion of all things is the same.
27. You have announced that suffering born from desire etc., as well
.1s defilement, migration and liberation [resulting] from the fulfil-
ment [of both] collections are like a dream.
28. When [someone] cognizes [something] as born or unborn,
present or gone, bound or liberated [then] he maintains duality
land consequently] does not know the truth (tattva).
23. Cf. Prasannapada_, p. 374: ... paramiirthasatya'[l kalama/? yatrajM.nasyiipy
punar viido ... Quoted Prajniipratlipa (234 a 7) from Akfayamatinir-
dtiasiitra; also Prajniipratlipa{ika, Za I 0 I a 4 and Satyadvayavibhangavrlli, 5a.
- The notionofcalufko!i (orcaiUfprakara, cf. RA, II, 15) has been the subject of
much discussion, see recently e.g. D. Seyfort Ruegg: 'The Uses of the Four
Positions of the and the Problem of the Description of Reality in'
Mahayana Buddhism',}IP, V, pp. 1-71.
24. Cf. ref. CS, I, 3.
25. This verse, which does not occur in Tib. is quoted Panjikii, p. 573 (pii.das c and
d). It is inspired by Samiidlririija, IX 17 cited e.g. Prasannapadii, p. 178;
Caryiigiti, p. 217; Tallvasarasa'{lgraha, 89b 7 etc.
26. MK, XX is devoted to a critique of sa1[tbhava-viblrava. See in particular v. II:
driyale sa'{lblravai caiva mohiid viblrava eva ca obviously moulded from Latikiivata-
ra, X, 3 7: sa'[tblrava'!l viblrava'!l caiva mohat paiyanli I na saT[Ibhava"! na
vibhavQT[I prajM.yukto vipaiyati II.
27. This and the following verse would seem to allude to some such passage as
Af!asii.lrasri.ta, cited Prasannapadii, pp. 449-450. - On advaya in Mahayana
in general, Vimalakirtinirdtia, pp. 301-318.
149
29. utpattir yasya naivasti tasya ka nirvrtir bhavet I
mayagajaprakasatvad adisantatvam arthatai) II
I gail Ia skyes pa yod rna lags II de Ia mya nan 'das gao yod I
I sgyu ma' i glan po 'dra bas na II don du gzod nas zi ba nidI
30. utpanno 'pi na cotpanno yadvan mayagajo matab I
utpannarp. ca tatha visvam anutpanna111 ca tattvatai) II
I skyes pa nid na'an rna skyes pa II sgyu ma'i glan po ji bzin bzed I
I de bzin thams cad skyes pa 'am II yan dag par ni rna skyes lags I
31 . ameyair aprameyanarp pratyeka111 nirvrtib krta I
lokanathair hi sattvanaJ1l na kas cin mocitas ca tail) II
I 'jig rten mgon po dpag med kyis II sems can dpag tu rna mchis pa I
I so sor mya nan 'das mdzad kyan II de dag gis kyan gao rna bkrol I
32. te ca sattvas ca no jata ye nirvanti na te sphutam I
na ka$ cin mocitab kais cid iti proktarp mahamune II
I thub chen gao phyir sems can rnams II ran las rna skyes de yi phyir I
I gao yan gao gis rna bkrol ies II de skad khyod kyis gsa! bar gsuns I
33. mayakarakrtarp yadvad vastusunyarp tathetarat I
vastusunyatp jagat sarvarp tvayoktarp karakas tatha II
I ji !tar sgyu rna mkhan gyis byas II dnos po ston pa de biin du I
I byas pa thamscad dnosstongzan II khyodgsunsde bzin byed pa poI
34. karako 'pi krto 'nyena krtatvarp nativartate I
atha va tatkriyakartr karakasya prasajyate II
I byed pa po yan gian gyis bgyis II byas pa can du 'gyur ba lags I
I yan na de yi bya ba byed II b y ~ d pa por ni thai bar 'gyur I
29a yasya naivasti T: naiva yasyasti GM; Ia: las NP; d gzod : bzod NP
32b rail las pro myail 'das ? NP; sphutam TMS : 'sphutam G
33a sgyu N : sgyur P; d gsuns : gsuil NP
34b krtatva!Jl TGMS: kartrtva!Jl AW; c
0
kartrT ( = S ?) :
0
kartra? G:
0
kartri (!) M
:
0
karta w
150
'l!J. That which does not arise, how can that be extinguished?
Sutn it is like an illusory elephant it is in reality originally at peace.
:10 . .Just as [wej are convinced that an illusory elephant, though
l.,pparently] born, is however not born, thus the whole [world is
,, pparently J born but in reality unborn.
'II. I mmeasurable World-saviours have [apparentl y] liberated
nnumerable beings one by one, but [in reality] not one [bei ng] has
lw<'n liberated by them!
Is it not a clear sta tement of Yours, 0 great sage, that when
1 hose beings who are extinguished are [in fact] not born [at all,
1 hl'n I no one is liberated by anyone!
:n. Just as the work of a magician is empty of substance, all the
of the world has been said by You to be empty of substance -
1nduding a creator:
:H. If the creator is created by another [creator], he cannot avoid
hl'ing created [and, consequently, is not permanent]. Alternatively
(ntha vii) [if he is created by himself] it implies that the creator is
1 lw agent of the activity affecting himself (tatkriyii) [- which is
.1hsurd, sviitmani kriyiivirodhiit].
'2'1. For the miiyiigaja, RA, II, 10-13; VS, ':1': MCB, II, p. 48.
:11 . For this v. Traiu, pp. 1260-1261 and Vajrauludikii , 3: .. . na kai cit
parinirviipito bhavati. tal kasya saul ... bodhisattvasya sattvasa'!ljiiii pravarltta,
na sa bodhisattva iti ... Cf. CS, II, 9 etc.
:n. The miiyiikiira, Sa'!ldhinirmocana, p. 170; 17-18.
:H. Refutation ofkiiraka: BV, 6-9; Dviidaiadviiraka, X; WZKSO, XII-XIII, pp.
85-100; MK, VIII; Bhiivaniikramo, I , pp. 200-201.
151
35. namamatrarp jagat sarvam ity uccair tvaya I
abhidhanat pfthagbhutam abhidheyarp na vidyate II
I 'di dag thams cad min tsam zes II khyod kyis gsun ni bstod de
gsuns I
I brjod pa las ni gzan gyur pa II brjod par bgyi ba yod rna mchis I
36. kalpanamatram ity asmat sarvadharmal;l I
kalpanapy asati prokta yaya sunyarp vikalpyate II
I de phyir chos rnams thams cad ni II rtog pa tsam zes khyod kyis
gsUt1s I
I gail gis ston par rnam rtog pa' i II rtog pa yan ni med ces gsuns I
37. bhavabhavadvayatitam anatitarp ca kutra cit I
na ca j iianarp na ca j iieyarp na casti na ca nasti yat II
I dnos dan dnos med giiis 'das pa II Ia lar rna 'das pa yan lags I
I ses pa med cin ses bya'an med II med min yod mi n gail lags dan I
38. yan na caikarp na canekarp nobhayaf!l na ca nobhayam I
analayam athavyaktam acintyam anidarsanam II
I gait yan gcig min du ma'an min II giiis ka rna yin gcig kyan med I
I gzi med pa dan mi gsa! dan II bsam mi khyab dan dpe med dan I
39. yan nodeti na ca vyeci nocchedi na ca sasvatam I
tad akasapratikasarp II
I gait yan mi skye mi 'gag dan II chad pa med cin rtag med pa I
I de ni nam mkha' 'dra ba lags II yi ge yeses spyod yul min I
40. yai) pratityasamutpadaQ. sunyata saiva te mata I
tathavidhas ca saddharmas tatsamas ca tathagatai) II
I de ni rten cin ' brd par 'byun II de ni ston par khyod bzed lags I
I dam pa'i chos kyan de Ita bu II de b:Zin gsegs pa'an de dan mtshuns I
35b gsun P : bsun N
36d yaya TMS : yatha G
37c jiiataJTI T (= S?): jiianaiJl GM
38c gzi: bzi NP
40a
0
Samutpadal) TGQS :
0
samudbhavai) M
152
35. You have loudly announced that the entire world is merely a
name. Nothi ng expressible (abhidheya ) is to be found isolated from
the expression (abhidhima).
36. Therefore You have declared that all phenomena are merely
abstractions (kalpana). Yes, even the abstraction through which
nnptiness is conceived is said to be untrue.
37-39. [That which] has transcended the duality of being and
non-being without, however, having transcended anything at all;
that which is not knowledge or knowable, not existent nor non-
existent, not one nor many, not both nor neither; [that which is]
wi thout foundation, unmanifest, inconceivable, incomparable; that
which arises not, disappears not, is not to be annihilated and is not
ptrmanent, that is [Reality] which is like space [and) not within the
range of words [or] knowledge (akfarajnana).
40. The fact of dependent co-origination is exactly what You
maintain to be empti ness. Of that kind is the true principle (sad-
dharma) and the T athagata is like that.
35. This and the following allude to Bhavasa'!'krantisUtra (ed. N.A. Sastri) p. !i-6,
q.v. Also A/aka, pp. 44, 685. For padas cd c( Lankiivatara, Il l , 78:
abhidhanavinirmulctam no lakvatt 11.
36. Lankavatiira, X, 10: asiiraka imt dharma lsiipy atra manyanii
i iiny4yayii iiinyeti manyate II. Cf. MK, XXII, 1l ;Stu!Jatitastava, 9: ltaba thams cad
span ba 'i phyir II mgon pa khyod kyis stori pa gsuris II dt yari yatis su brtags paste II drias
su mgon pa khyad mi bied II.
37. This and the following verses treatparamartha (la/lva) and itsparyayas: advaya,
aniJ/aya, OI!)'Okla etC.
38. pada d also supra, v. I. - For aniilaya, I; CS, IV, I.
39. akiiia: BV, 46.- CS, IV, 1: vakpathOtitagocaram. See also v, 23.
40. See CS, I, 22.- saddharma, supra 22. -tathagata: MK, XXII, 16: tathOgato
nil}svabhOvo ...
153
41. tat tattvarp paramartho 'pi tathata dravyam I
bhiitarp tad avisarpvadi tadbodhad buddha ucyate I I
I de ni de nid don dam ni II de bzin iiid dan rdzas su bzed I
I de ni yan dag mi bslu ba II de rdzogs pas na sans rgyas bljod I
42. buddhanarp sauvadhatos ca tenabhinnatvam arthatal;t I
atmanas ca ca samata tena te mata II
I sans rgyas rnams dan chos dbyins dan II des na don du tha mi dad I
I bdag iiid dan ni gian rnams dan II des na milam par khyod bied
lags I
43. bhavebhyal} siinyata nanya na ca bhavo 'sti tarp vina I
tasmat pratityaja bhavas tvaya siinyai} prakasital} II
I dnos po rnams las ston gzan min II de med par yan dnos po med I
I de phyir rten cin 'byun ba' i chos II ston pa lags par khyod kyis
bstan I
44. hetupratyayasaJ11bhiita paratantra ca sarpvrtii} I
paratantra iti proktal;t paramarthas tv II
I rgyu dan rkyen las byun ba'an lags II gzan gyi dban las kun rdzob ste I
I gzan gyi dban zes rab tu gsuns II dam pa'i don ni bcos rna yin I
45. svabhaval} prakrtis tattval'!l dravyal'!l vastu sad ity api I
nasti vai kalpito bhavo paratantras tu vidyate II
I no bo iiid dan ran bzin dan II yan dag rdzas dnos yod pa'ari.lags I
I brtags pa' i dri.os po med pa iiid II gian gyi dbari. ni yod rna lags I
46. astiti kalpite bhave samaropas tvayodital) I
nastiti krtakocchedad uccheda5 ca prakasital} II
I brtags pa'i dri.os po yod ces pa II sgro 'dogs lags par khyod kyis
gsuri.s I
I byas pa chad nas med ces pa II chad pa lags par khyod kyis gsuri.s I
4la dam: dan NP
42a sattvadhatos TGMQ : dharmadhatos S
44c paratantra iti proktai) AGMQT : paratantram iti proktal)l W
45b dravyal)l vastu TM : dravyavastu G (= S?); b vai kalpito MG (= S?):
vaikalpito TA; d tu vidyate TG: na vidyate S (cf. n.) : vidyetapi (!) M
46a brtags : btags NP; c krtakocchedad TMS : krtakoccheda G
154
41. It is also accepted as the truth (tattva), the ultimate meaning,
such ness and the real (dravya). It is the indisputable (auisalJlvadi )
fact. By understanding it [one] is called Buddha.
42. Therefore there is really no difference between the world of
livi ng bei ngs and Buddhas. Hence You are convinced of the identity
of yourself and others.
43. Emptiness is not different from thi ngs and there is no thi ng
without it. Therefore You have declared that dependently born
things are empty.
44. Convention (salJlvrli) arises from causes and conditions and is
relative {pllratantra). Thus the relative has been spoken of [by You].
- The ultimate meaning, however, is absolute (akrtrima);
45. It is also termed (iti) own-being, nature, truth, substance, the
real [and the] true.- [Conventionally] an imagined thing does not
exist but a relative is found [to exist].
46. You have stated that [affirmative] attribution (samaropa ) is to
state about a constructed entity that it exists. [You] have also
declared that cutting off [i.e. negation] is to state that a compound
r entity] does not exist because it is annihilated.
41. On tallva etc. e.g. Ramanan (1966), pp. 251-275; Traiti, pp. 2181-2201. - pcida
d also occurs Madhyamalcahrdayakarika, III, 267; Salcarasiddhiiii.stra, p. 433, q. v.
- The distinction between prajnaptisat and dravyasat already occurs Lanlcavata-
ra, Ill, 27. Cf. also May, op.cit., p. 159, n. 489.
42. On the relationship between dharma- and sattvadhatu see e.g. D. Seyfort Ruegg
( 1971 ), pp. 459-461 with ref. Also MK, XX II, 16. -somata, Vimalakirtinirdtia,
p. 474 (ref. ).
43. On sarvadharmaiiinyata, Traiti, pp. 2015 IT; BV, 57-58, etc.
44. This and the following three verses show the relationship between svabhava-
traya (as expounded in the Lairkavatiira, v. Index, s.s. v.) and sa9'advaya ace. to
Nagarjuna. Paramarthata& they areiiinya (v. BV, 28)
(i.e. pan"nifpannasvabhiiva = pralcrti, tattva etc. ) is akrtrima etc. (cf. MK, XV, 2)
and paratantra, i.e. SO'!fUfli exists, whereas pan"kalpita does not.
45. Cf. supra, 37-42, and Lankavatiira, II, 189: nii.sti vai leal pi to bhava& paratantrai ca
vidyatt ... The interpretation of this verse was to become the starting-point of
a long controversy between Mii.dhyamikas who held that paratantrasvabhava
only exists not and Yogacii.ras who held that
paratantra, as Lairkavatara itself states, exists. See Prajnapratfipa, 305b I;
Dharmapii.la, Taisho, 15 71, 24 7b; p. 22; Siinya.tiisapta-
tivrtti, 320b 4; also Avalokitavrata, J iianagarbha, KamalaSila.
46. Here uccheda in pada d corresponds to apavada, see Lanlcavatara, loc.cit. , piida c.
Negation is understood similarly samvrtitah, RA, I, 72: vin<iiat pratipaksad vii
syiid astitvasya nastita . ..
155
47. tattvajiianena nocchedo na ca sasvatata mata I
vastusunyaJ'!l jagat sarvaJ'!l maricipratimaJ'!l matam II
I yan dag ses l'as chad pa med II rtag pa iiid kyan med par bied I
I 'gro ba dnos pos ston pa lags II de slad smig rgyu 'dra bar bzed I
48. yadvan nocchedi na ca sasvatam I
tad vat sarval'!l jagat proktarp nocchedi na ca sasvatam II
I ji !tar ri dvags skom chu ni II chad med rtag pa yod rna yin I
I de bzin ' gro ba thams cad kyan II chad med rtag pa med par gsuns I
49. dravyam utpadyate yasya tasyocchedadikaJ'!l bhavet I
antavan nantaVaJ'!lS capi lokas tasya prasajyate II
I gail Ia rdzas sig ste 'gyur ba II de Ia chad sogs 'jigs pa ' byun I
I de Ia 'jig rten mtha' yod dan II mtha' med par yan 'gyur ba lags I
50. jiiane sati yatha jiieyarp jiieye jiianarp tatha sati I
yatrobhayam anutpannam iti buddhaJ'!l tadasti kim II
I ses pa yod pas ses bya bzin II ses bya yod pas de ses bzin I
I gail tsh:e giiis ka rna skyes par II rtogs pa de tshe ci zig yod I
51. iti sphutam uktva I
desayam asa saddharmarp II
I de !tar sgyu rna Ia sogs dpe II sman pa'i mchog gis gsa! bstan nasI
I Ita ba thams cad 'gog byed pa'i II dam pa'i chos ni bstan pa lags I
52. etat tat paramaJ'!l tattvarp nil_tsvabhavarthaddana I
bhavagrahagrhitanarp cikitseyam anutta ra II .
I no bo med pa iiid bstan pa II de ni yan dag dam pa lags I
I dnos po'i gdon gyis zin mams kyi II gso ba de ni bla na med I
47a jninena no TGS : jnine na co M; bied : bSad NP
48c sarvam TG ( = S?) : sarva M
50c yatrobhayam TG: yadobhayam MSW; d buddham GM (= S?): buddha T
52a etat tat P : etad eva (!) G : etat tu M; tattvaJ!l TMS : satya!Jl G
:156
17. According to cognition oftruth [however] You maintain that
chcrc is no annihilation or permanence. [You are] convinced that
ch, entire world is empty of substance, like a mirage.
1H. As a mirage is neither annihilated nor permanent, thus the
.. ntirc world is said to be neither annihilated nor permanent.
One to whom a substance presents itself, upon him [the
cl.,gmas of] annihilation and [permanence] incur; and he implicitly
.tccepts (tasya ... pra.sajyate) that the world is finite or infinite [etc.].
'>0. Just as there is cognisable when there is cognition, there is
mgnition when there is cognisable. Where both of them are unborn
what then is [there to be] understooq?
51. By thus expressing himself clearly through analogies such as
illusions etc. the Supreme Physician has shown the Good Law
which cures [its adht:rents] from all dogmas.
52. The ultimate truth (tattua) is the teaching that things (artha)
without own-being. This is the unsurpassed medicine for those
obsessed by the fever of posi.tivism (bhauagraha).
47. This cf. e.g. MK, XV, 10; XVII, II etc.- Formanci, RA. I ,
52-56; Traiu, p. 363.
48. Th(' m!gatr!'}ii is very common in Lairkiivatiira, e.g. III, 151, q.v. for an
explanation.
49. I.e. the acceptance (ahhyupagama, of dravya, i.e. bhiiva ( cf. SS, 21;
46-47; MK, XXI, 14 etc.) invariably entaiisiiiivatocchedagriiha (ref. May,
op.cit. , p. 213, n. 720) which again ramifies itself in various (v.
ibid. p. 276, n. 1015). Also supra, v. 22.
50. V. BV. 39; 45; 45; I; RA, I, 93-91; supra v. 37ff.
51. Cf. CS, I, 23 and supra v. 22.
52. For bhiivagraha- supra, vv. 16, 49 etc.- This verse does not leave any doubt
about Nagarjuna's conception oftattva and the purpose of teaching it, cf. SS,
68-69, 73; VV, 22; I; BV, 48-49, etc.
157
53. dharmayiijriika tenaiva dharmayajrio niruttaral;ll
trailokye nirargalal;l II
I des nachos kyi mchod sbyin pa II mchod sbyin rim pas rtag rgyun
dul
I 'jig rten gsum po sbyin sreg mdzad I + + + + + + + I
54. vastugriihabhayocchedi kutirthyamrgabhikaraJ:tl
nai riitmyasif!1haniido 'yam adbhuto naditas tvayii I
I dnos ' dzin 'jigs pa gcod bgyid cin II mu stegs ri dvags 'jigs bgyid pa I
I bdag med sen ge'i ita ro' i sgra II rmad byun de ni khyod kyis gsuris I
55. sunyatiidharmagambhirii dharmabheri pariihatii I
nail)svii bhiivyamahiiniido dharmasankhaJ:t prapurital) II
I ston pa nid dari chos zab pa'i II chos kyi rna chen brduri ba lags I
I rio bo nid med sgra bo che'i II chos kyi dun ni bus pa lags I
56. dharmayautukam iikhyiitaf!l buddhaniirp sasaniimrtam I
nitiirtham iti nirdiHarp dharmiir;tarp sunyataiva hi II
I sans rgyas bstan pa bdud rtsi yi II chos kyi rdzas ni gsuns pa lags I
I chos rnams kyi ni no bo riid II nes pa'i don do zes kyari bstan I
57. ya tlitpadanirodhadisattvajiviididdanii I
neyartha ca tvaya natha sarpvrtis ca sa II
I gait yan skye dan 'gag Ia sogs II sems can srog Ia sogs bstan pa I
I de ni bkri don kun rdzob tu II mgon po khyod kyis bstan pa lags I
58. prajriiipiiramitiimbhodher yo 'tyantam piiram iigataJ:l l
sa pur;tyagul)aratnii<;ihyas tvadguQiirl)avaparagai) II
I ses rab pha rol phyin mtsho yi II pha rol gan gis gtan phyin te I
I bsod nams yon tan rin chen phyug II mgon khyod yon tan phal rol
phyin I
53a tenaiva TG ( -= S?) : tvayaiva M; c i$tas PG ( = S?): hutas M; d omm. NP;
d ni rargalah AGMQT: niramtalam W
55a gambhira TG ( = S?) : gambhira M; dan pro kyi NP; c nado PG ( = S?) :
0
nada
0
(!) M; sgra N : dgra P
56a yautukam TG : yautakam M
57c caT: sa MQW : ya G; d sa AGMQT: tu W
58b param AGM: param T : svayam? S (ran NP), aul gtan ('tyantam?); d tvadgu
TG : tvarp gu M ( = S?)
158
:,:t Precisely therefore, 0 Sacrifice-priest of the Dharma, You
have repeatedly performed an unsurpassed dharma-sacrifice in the
thrl'c worlds which is unhindered and uni mpeded.
cl'i. You have uttered this wonderful lion's roar of not-self which
11tnoves the fear [due to] belief in things [and which] terrifies the
dnr, viz. the mean heretics!
r,:>. [You) have beaten the dharma-drum which is deep [with its)
principle of emptiness. [You) have blown the dharma-conch with its
pitch of selflessness .
.'"l6. The gift of dharma has been proclaimed [by You, viz.] the
ttl'ctar of the Buddha's teaching. The final meaning has been indi-
that is, of course (hi ), that phenomena are empty .
.'"l 7. But the teaching about origination, cessation etc., beings,
, .. uls etc., [only) has a provisional meaning (neyiirtha). You have
.tlso, 0 Saviour, called it convention .
.'"11!. One who has finally reached the further shore of the ocean of
perfect wisdom (prajiiiiparamitii), abounds in the jewels of the virtues
, .r merit [and] is fully conversant with the ocean of Your virtues.
For dharmayajna, Vimalakirti, pp. 212-216.- nifkapaf:a: BHSD, p. 167 (s.v.
kapQ{a); BCA, VI, 101 (Tib. sgo 'phar).- For nirargala (or nirarga4a) - often
said aboutya;iia, Tib. is usually sruils ma pa'i mchod sbyin- see BHSD, p.
299; CPO, s.v. agga[a.
S4. For the terrifying sif!!hanada, ref. CS, I, 22; BS, 101; BV, 52.
55. For dharmabheri and i anxha, also cliches, e.g. Suuar7J.abhasottammtra, V, 22-23;
Saddhar_mapu'Jtfarika, VII, 42; Af{asaha.rrika, p. 327.
See RA, I, 62 for dharmayautuka (or -yauta.ta?), cf. Prasannapada, p. 275 (read
khud pa inn. 7 for khyud pa, cf. Madhyamakaoatara, p. 184).-pada b also occurs,
RA, I, 62; 11, 9; MK, XVIII, II. - For nitartha, Prasannapada, pp. 43-44, cr.
ibid., p. 276.
57. This verse also seems to refer to Samadhiraja and Aksayamatinirdtia, v. 56. See
also Madhyamakavatara, p. 200; Wayman ( 1978), pp: 178-180; May, op.cit., p.
298, n. 1089 (ref.).
58. Allusion to the usual 'etymology' ofparamita (param ita), cf. Traiti, p. 1058
(ref.); final verse of Mahayanavif!!iikii; Har Dayal, op.cit., p. 165. - Like MK
etc. the mainabhidheya of this hymn has beenprajna, the foremostpiiramitii, cf.
BS, 5-7.
159
59. iti stu tva jagannatham acintyam anidar5anam I
yad avaptarp maya puQyarp tenastu tvatsamarp jagat II
I de !tar dpe med bsam mi khyab II 'gro ba' i mgon po bstod pa yis I
I bdag gis bsod nams gail thob des II 'gro ba khyod dan mtshuns par
sog I
II ity acintyastaval;l samaptal;lll
I bsam gyis mi khyab par bstod pa
slob dpon chen po klu sgrub kyi ial sna nas mdzad pa rdzogs so I
160
'' \1ay tht' world by virtue ofthc merit I havt> obtai nr d by th us
I ,, . \l'.i ll_t( I YouJ, the inconceivabl e landj incomparable Leadn or the
, ... ld. lwcome like You!
'" puqyapari1Jamanii
161
VIII. Ratnavali (RA)
l"his verse text composed in 500 with an extra verse added
11 t hr end, is not only ascribed to Nagarjuna in the colophons of its
l"ikt.tn and Chinese versions but also by authorities like Bhavya,
156
< :.:nt!rakirti,
157

158
and many other later authors.
!{,\.is only partially t>xtant in Sanskrit.
159
An Indian commentary
Hnposed by a certain Ajitami tra (TP, No. 5659) is only avai lable
11 1 a Tibetan translation. It is particularly useful for the fir5t two
, h.q>tcrs but on the whole far too brief to be of much use for the
'' udy of the remaining three paricchedas.
The phil osophical tenets of RA do not differ from those advanced
I ll :Vl K, ss, etc., but it supplements these dialectical texts by
.,n;,rding a code of Mahayima Buddhist principles - practical as
I ,,, Tl'. No. 5256, Dza fol. 115a ( = RA, V, 35-39).
I 7 . <:f. n. 89. Also Madhyamakavatiira, pp. 7, 8, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29, 184, 224;
l'ra.rannapadii, pp. 135- 188, 275,245,346, 347, 359, 360,413, 458. 460 ( = RA,
I I, 48-49), 496, .)49. Cf. dejong p. 137.
1 oil . Madkyamakalmpkiiravrtti, 75a (= RA, I, 60), 83a ( = RA, IV, 79).
l ' t'l. I, 1-77 edited and translated by G. Tucci, JRAS ( 1934), pp. 307-324
(reprinted in OfNra Minora, II, Rom a 1971, pp. 321-366).- II, 1-% and IV, 1-
100 inJRAS ( 1936), pp. 237252, 423-435. Tucci' s edition was reprinted by
P. L. Vaidya, Madkramakaiastra of Nagarjuna, Darbhanga 1960, pp. 296-310
and H. Chatterjee Sastri, The philosophy of Nagarjuna ascontained in the Ratnavafi,
Calcutta 1977, pp. 83-100 without significant changes. Partial versions by E.
Frauwall ner, Dre Philosophie des Buddhism us, Berlin 1969, pp. 204-217; K. S.
Murty, Nagarjuna, New Delhi 1978, pp. 87-103. Complete versions by J.
Hopkins tl a/. , The Pruious Garland and The Song of the Four Mindjulnems,
London 1975, and myself in Nagarjuna: og andu slcrifter, Kebenhavn
1980. Cf. alsodejon,s; in llj, XX, pp. 136-140; Nakamura ( 1977), p. 83, n. 44
for Japanese works. Some of my emendations to the Sanskrit text will appear
in the forthcoming edition of Ratniivali (Sanskrit-Tibetan) by M. Hahn.
The fi rst chapter contains several allusions to the ancient siitras: For 5 cf.
Sa'l'yutta, 1, p. 214; 10 v. Majjhima, Ill, 22; 14-19 v. Majjhima, III , p. 203 IT.; 26
v. Majjhima, I, p. 40; 3 1 v.Sa'l'yulla, III, p. 105; 34v.Sa'l'yutta, III , p. 132 IT.;
52-56cf.Sa'l'yutta, I II, p. 141 ; 80cf. Majjhima, Ill, p. 31; 93-96 v. I, p.
223. (Many of thest' are of course repeated elsewhert' in the canon to which
Nagarj una might as well be referring.)
163
well as theoretical - with particular regard to a grhast.lza, more speci-
fically to a king (see I, 2; 78 etc. ). It thus places Nagiirjuna's
philosophy within a wider framework. Taken as a whole we notice
that, as in the case of MK, SS, SL, CS and BS, no strict structural
principle is adhered to. But if no unity of composition is conspi-
cuous there is certainly, as we shall see, a unity of thought in the
light of which RA may be said to be a homogeneous work.
Since RA is already available in modern translations I shall
confine myself to offer an analysis of the main themes of its five
chapters.
160
The first pariccheda is r.ntitled * Ablryudayanailt$reyasopadei a (Tib.:
miwn par mtho ba dan 1ies par legs par bstan pa; Chin. is free but good: an
le jii too). After a brief introduction about abh;udaya ( = sukha) and
naii]Sreyasa (= mokJa) (cf. VaiitJikasiitra, I, I, 2; RA, III, 30) respec-
tively presupposing fraddha and prajna, the author encourages his
reader to have faith in the dharma which, to put it briefly, has two
aspects: nivrttir aiubhat krtmat pravrttis tu iubht sada (22). One should,
in other words, not act under the influence of the kleias but only, as
we shall see, motivated by karu!la. Now that Nagiirjuna has spoken
( 1-24) of the means of true sukha here in sm]lsiira he deals with the
second and the foremost mokfasiidhana, namely prajitii. This consists
in realizing the pudgaladharmanairatmya specific to Mahayana. It
amounts to nirvii!la which is simpl y bhavabhilvaparamari aktaya (42) or
freedom from rebirth in saT[Isizra. Having elaborated his doctrine
about transcending being and non-being (46-75) the author finally
lays down a method according to agama of how one can argue that
there is neither a pudgala nor any dharma, such as the skandhas,
mahabhiitas, dhatu.r etc., and thus personally realize the nairatmyadvqya
of Mahayana, or mnkta (76-100).
The second chapter, *Miiraka (Tib.: spel ma; Chin.: a ) , amplifies
the twomokfasadhana discussed previously. First ( 1-24) some remarks
concerning mayiivada, the 'ontological' foundation of Niigarjuna's
soteriology. However,yiivad avijnato dharmo 'haT]lkizraiatanaiJ, one must
as shown above (I, 1-24) devote oneself to the practice of the dharma.
In case of a king he must be devoted to the paramitizs, viz. dana, fila
160. Note that TP, No. 5428: Ratnavalyudbhavasap:iingavidhigathavirp.faka and TP,
No. 5928: Rajaparikathanilmodbhavapral)idhiinagiithavi'!'iaka - both ascribed to
Nagarjuna- are extracts from RA, V, 66-85.
164
.... 1 k.rmli and other virtues prescribed in Mahayana. ThJs the
tlwr pnramitas will also gradually prosper (cf. RA, IV, 80-83). Now
.. nw warnings against vices liable to afflict a monarch. Devices for
ol . 111dming the kfeJas are given (41-74). By following the dharma the
will succt>ed in obtaining the 32lak!anqs and the 80
l'nifk to a mahapumfa (76- 100).
TIH third chapter, * Bodhisa7J1bhara (Tib.: chub kyi tshogs bsdus
! t: < :hin.: pu tf zi liang) resumes ( 1-10) the traditional doctrine of
lw mnhnpurufala/qaT}a. Now ( 12-13) a couple of significant verses
.11ninctly summarize the entire purpose of Mahayana in theory
.tnd practice, viz. the auainment of Buddhahood. I t has two
.t. pcTtS, a ropakaya which is the outcome of an immense mass of
nwrit (pwgasa7J1bhara), and a dharmakaya, the result of an unlimited
,n,mn.artzbhara. After this culmination the remaining 86 verses depict
""It' <f the endless forms a bodhiJattvacarya (cf. MK, XXIV, 32)
"''''"t upon pu7J.yasarrzbhara may take motivated by karuT)a. It is a life
.. 1 rtwnta l and physical happiness (sukha, cf. I, 4). In another cardi-
11 .11 stanza (30) the notion of sa7J1bhara is linked to that of
'"d nni{I.Sreyasa ( cf. I, 3-4). With a wealth of casuistic details, often of
:ar cultural interest, the king is advised to benefit himself as well
"others by developing the piiramitas.- Note that while the theme of
1 hi-. chapter is the same as that of BodhisaT[lbhiJ.ra (translated below)
1111' treatment of this 'endless subject' (cf. BS, 2-4) differs so much
llt.tt the author hardly ever has to repeat himself.
:\gain, as he has done before, in the fourth chapter, Rajavrttopadeia
I Tih.: rgyal po'i tshul bstan pa; Chin.: zhtng jiao wan,g), Nagarjuna
1.1 kcs up where he left off in the previous pariccheda. After a capta-
llo hmevolentiae ( 1-6) the king is admonished to practise danapii -
uunita in various ways (7 -I 7) and adhere to the principles of justice
tdhnrma) in matters of state and law. Punishment should only be
'"flictcd out of compassion. These instructions, which so to speak
lrm an arthaJastra according to Mahayana, do, of course, fall under
1111' headi ng of pur)yasarrzbhara. In order to enhance the king's jniina-
"tf!lhhara the author then (46-65) argues that vedanii (and, naturally,
1111' other skandhas etc. as well) lack svabhava since they are pratitya-
"'mutpanna. Indeed, it can only be ascribed to ignorance that certain
11rdividuals (i.e. Sravakas) mock at Mahayana which is charac-
lcrized by altruistic and lofty ideals of various kinds. Actually the
lcachings of Mahayana are exceedingly profound, hence easily mis-
165
understood, and therefore the Buddha has prudently adapted his
teachings to the vineyiisaya (cf. MK, XVIII, 8 etc.).
So to sum up, as a grhastha the king should above all practise dana,
fila, and sarya. However, lokasya vaidharmya may enforce him to
become a pravrajita.
Accordingly the final chapter is entitled * Bodhisattvacaryopadesa
(Tib.: byan chub sems dpa'i spyod pa hstan pa; Chin. possibly better: chit
jia <.heng xing, * Pravrajitacaryii) . As we saw the dharma has a nivrtti-
and a pravrtti-aspect ( I, 22). It was thus shown how a l?,rha.stha
should abstain from the ten akuialakarmapatha and instead collect
puTJya by engaging himself in the perfection of dana, fila, k$iinti etc.-
Now the author focuses on the duties of a pravrajita. Disciplining
himself in the (t hree) ( cf. SL, I 05), the code of and
studying the sutras etc. he should abandon the 57 Here (3-33)
we encounter an interesting list of upaklesas, pancamithyajivas etc.
Though each of these 57 items also occurs in other Abhidharrna
( Vibhan.t;a, etc. etc. ), the list as a whole, ifl am not
mistaken, occurs in no other manual of Abhidharma. Thus I am
inclined to agree with my learned friend the Yen. Thrangu Rin-
poche (oral communication, Nov. 1980) according to whom Nagar-
juna himself is responsible for the number and order of these
(I subjoin a reconstruction of the Sanskrit based on the Tibetan
version - Peking and Narthang editions - occasionally compared
with the Chinese version. A few emendations have tacitly been
made, all obvious.) Along with the 119 icuialadharma registered in
the svavrtti to VV, 7 (see IHQ, XIV, pp. 314-323 for a detailed
discussion of these) and BS, 14 7, this' catalogus vitiorum proves a
valuable contribution to the question of the relationship between
early Madhyarnaka and traditional AbhiJharma.
Having thus abandoned these and other dv$aJ, a bodhisattva per-
forms the six paramitiis in a spirit of karutta (3 5-39). Doing so he will
gradually advance through the ten bodhisottvabhumis (here Nagarju-
na follows Dasabhumikasiltra) and accomplish his task by finally
becoming a buddha (40-64). While still a bodhisattva he must not
forget to perform the saptavidhimuttarapztja ( cf BS, 48fT. ) regularly
(65-87). - A final exhortation to practise Buddhism so as to attain
bodhi for the benefit of all living beings (88-1 0 l).
The above analysis has brought us in a position to summarize the
content of RA. As suggested by its very title A String of Pearls' a
166
' oo ft 11l l00 theme,combines the individual verses into a unity. This is
, .. ,,mj,ifinasal'(lbhara. While there is hardly a single verse.: which is not
" ' "1 ,. or less directly related to that topic, many of them may to
1 11' extent be read as 'ratnas' in their own right. Still their context
'" o;dd not be overlooked. Thus I find that the titl e of our text is
" 11-!' hosen to suggest that here a variety of instructions are unified
J,, cu1c: basic theme, bodhisal'(lbhilra.
l lw 1(1/JiajJancasaddofa(l of' RA, V, 3-33: Tibetan and Sanskrit
:..It ro ba, krodha
' khon du ' dzin pa, upa11aha
'chab pa, mra/c.ia
1 ' tshig pa, pradasa
' sYO, .fat/rya = 6. , but m.c. 5.)
t .-,;gyu, mqya ( = 5., but m.c. 6.)
, . ph rag dog, irva
1: St'r' sna; matsarya
' ! rio tsha med pa, ahnkata (for ahrikya)
11 1 khrel med pa, nnapatrapya
I I . kilcns pa, stambha
r1 cs r tsom,
I ; . rgyas pa, mad a
I I . bag mtd pa, jJramada
11. ( I) na rgyal, mana
(2) na rgyal las kyan na rgyal, manatimana
(4) na'o sriam pa' i na rgyal, asmimana
(5) mnon pa' i na rgyal, abhimana (m.c.: abhimanita)
(6) log pa'i na rgyal, mithyamana
(7) dman pa' i na rgyal, adhamamana (for iinamana )
I b. tshul 'chos pa, kuhana
I i kha gsag, lapana
I gzogs slon, naimittikatva
1' 1. thob kyis 'jal ba, nai!Ptfikatva
m. rried pas rried p<l rnams ' dod pa, !abhena !ipsa labhanam (m.c.)
: I skyon zlos, singa? (cf. Pali singa, BHS spigi)

1
'2. spuns meci pa, staimirya ( cf. Pali tintiT}a)
'tl. tha dad pa' i ' du ses, niinatvasa'l!}iza
L yid Ia mi byed pa, amanaskara
167
25. Ileum lclan tshul min, (abha.!!,a
0
? cf. Pali asnbha.l!,a-
tutt i)
26. zen pa, ,!!,ardha (cf. Pali gedha, BHS godha)
27. yons su zen pa, parigardha (cf. Pali BHS paligodha)
28. chags pa, lobha
29. mi rigs pa r ch<1gs pa, vifamalobha
30. c-hos ma yin pa Ia 'dod pa (read thus for chags pa rna yin ... cf.
Chinese fii fo _vii), adharmaraga
31. dud pa, piipecrhata
32. 'dorl c hags chen po, mahecchata
33. thob par 'dod pa, icchepsuta (for icchasvita?, thus Abhidharmadipn,
p. 310!)
34. mi !nod p:t, ak,riinti
35. ma ({US pa, rmfidara (anacara is not dcftniendum in spi te ofTib., cf.
( :hinl'Sc btl and e.g. Abhidharmadipa, p. 31 1 etc.)
36. hk,t' blo btl:: ha ma yi n, (cf. Chinese nlmyu)
37. ne du dan 'brei ha' i rnam par rtog pa,Jiiatisat[!bandhavitark.a
38. yul du srcd du,jrmapndfitn? (m.c. forjanapadnvitarka, cf. Chi nesetu
j uf and e.g. :1hltidharrnadipn. p. 310 etc.)
39. rni 'c hi ha'i rnarn par pa, nmnrnvitarkn
40. i<s rnam rigs d.u1ldan rtog, nnavnjiznptism[I.Jukto vilnrka (Tib. is a
correct nrHkrin1{ of anuzijiwpti" (thus Sanskrit but this must
ht' .rn early corruption ofrmavajizapti
0
, cf. Chinese shiinjuejue and
tmnl!flnriati" (CPO, I, p. 159))
11. rjes su chags pa dan !dan pa yi rnam par rtog pa,
pnranudayatapratism.nyukto vitarka (Hahn suggests pariinunayala
0
against Ms, hut cf. Pal i paranuddayatapafisa1[1yutto vitakko (see C PO
ref. I, p. 190. add Vibltan.tta, p. 346.))
42. chags (reg pa), sneha (-sai'[ISparsa) (for kamavitarka!)
43. gnod sems reg pa, vyapadasai'[ISparia (for vyap1zdavitarka, cf. 42 and
e.g. :lbltidltarmadipa, p. 311 etc.)
44. rni dga' ba, arati (for this and the following v. Vibhanga, p. 352)
45. phrad ' dod (Hahn for phrag dog), samutkar;!hii
46. siioms pa, trmdri
47. sgyid lug pa, alasya (Note: V, 28 hasfour deftnienda)
48. 'gyur ba, vfirmhltika (cf. Chinese pin)
49. za ma ' dod pa (read thus for zad mi 'dod pa), bhaktasa1[1mada
(Ha hn: bhaktasm[!mada, but cf. Pali bhattasammada and Chinesesh
Possibly a lso bhaktasamata, e.g. Abhidharmadipa, p. 311)
168
;,o. sems zum yin pa iiid, cetofina/ua
.-,I. 'dod dun, kamacchanda
:12. gnod scms, l!Yapada
53. rmi ba, styana (c( Chinese ruo)
54. giiid, middha
:>5. rgod pa, auddhatya
56. 'gyod pa, kaukrtya
57. the tshom, vicikitsa
(Addilional note: Originally I had worked out a list of the fifty-stven dofas giving the
T ibetan wi th references 10 Chinese and suggested Sanskrit originals. Then,
quite recentiy, the Sanskrit text of RA, V, 1-55 and i9- l 00 was published by S.
Dietz injoumol rifthe Nepal Rmarch Centre, IV, pp. 189-220, and just a few days
ago (2.3. 1981) I received a paper: 'On a Numerical Problem in Nagarjuna's
Ratnavali' from Prof. Michael Hahn (Bonn). The work of Dr. Dietz and the
courtesy of Prof. Hahn have enabled me to correct a number of the Sanskrit terms
origi nally proposed by me. Though 1 do not quite agree with all Prof. Hahn' s i e w ~
concerning numbers and readings I am si ncerely grateful for having had tht:
opportunity to consult his very valuable critical notes. I am also very glad to learn
that he is now preparing a critical edition of RA, 1-V (Tibetan and the ext ant
portions of the Sanskr it) (letter dated 28.1. 1981 ).)
169
\
i
IX. Pratityasamutpadahrdayakarika
(PK)
As I have had occasion to note elsewhere PK 2- '6' is quoted and
ascribed to 'iicarya' i.e. Nagarjuna by Bhavya . Other quotations
also occur.
161
Apparently a piece of counter-evidence is provided
by the fact that one of the Chinese versions (Taisho, No. 1651 ) attri-
butes PK and its Vyakhyiina to a certain bodhisattva cal it'd jing yi,
' Clear Mind' . But if we take this as a somewhat interpretative
rendering of Sanskrit *Sumati or the like (on the basis ofT ib. blo gros
hzan po, which, on the authority of and Kamala.Sila is
known to have been another name ofNagarjuna, or perhaps merely
an epithet as sud hi, dhimat etc. are stock terms for bodhisattvas) we may
conclude that PK is ascribed to this author by all sources known
to us.
162
Internal evidence is provided first of all by a closely related
passage BV, 59-63 q.v., RA. I, 29fT.; SS, 34, 37; MK, XVII, 27;
XVIII, 5; XXIII , I; VS, '6' are to the same effect. Moreover the
agama which inspired PK is the same as the one behind e.g. RA,
V, 41-60, viz. Da.iabhiimikastltra (also qcJOted SS, 249 b 7).
Though Nagarj una does not show any originality in PK the
theory expounded here is of vital importance to him inasmuch as it
161. I have edited PK and discussed its authenticity in my' Adversaria Buddhica' ,
WZKS, XX VI ( 1982) . - For further bibliographical details v. C.
Dragonetti, 'The Pratityasamutpadahrdayakarika and the Pratityasamut-
piidahrdayavyiikhyana of Suddhamati', WZKS, XXII, pp. 87-93; Naka-
mura ( 1977), p. 83, n. 40; V. V. Gokhale in collaboration with M.G.
Dhadphale, Encore: The Pratityasamutpadahrdayakarikii ofNagarjuna , in
M.G. Dhadphale (ed.), Principal V. S. Apte Commemoration Volume, Poona
1978, pp. 62-68 (with a plate).
162. To be sure, Chinese jing (usually uiiuddha, iuddha, also svaecha, niranjana, i ubha
etc.) cannot be taken as a n exaet rendering of the Sanskrit corresponding to
Tibetan bzan po (usually bhadra, su-, but also i ubha, prar:ita etc., e.g. Lokesh
Chandra, Tibetan-Sansltrit Dictionary, New Delhi 1961, p. 2094). However,
recalling, on the one hand, how free Bodhiruci' s renderings olten are, and on
the other, that Indo-Tibetan and Chinese tradition otherwise ascribe PK
(and iu commentary) to Nagarjuna (or Sumati) I do not hesitate to deem
the external evidence unanimous.
170
marks an exegetical attempt to reconcile the traditional
Jlmtit;asamutpada with the .fu'!)'ala-doctrine.
163
On the other hand we have the twelve sectors avidyadi, and the
pmpose of this formula is clearly to explain the genesis of du&kha nc
matter how obscure it may seem in details. In Abhidharma midyfi
and saqukara are generally assigned to the past, vijizanadi to the
present andjaryadi to the future and this is also the interpretation
tacitly endorsed by MK, XXVI, q.v.
However, the formula should also be understood in another sense
so as to aceord with Nagarjuna's opinion that strictly speaking, i.e.
paramarthata&, it is not rational to admit of puroaparasahalcrama (see
MK, XI, 2). In order to do so the twelve sectors are first reduced to
three groups. avidya, trRZiz and upizdima constitute kle.favartman,
.raT{Iskara and bhava make up karmavarlman. The remaining seven are
dubkhavartman (in other sources, e.g. RA, I , 35, calledjanman}.
By adopting this scheme from DasabhiJmikasutm and various
works of Abnidharma Nagatjuna has paved the way for introducing
his notion of bhavacakra (or saT{ISizramar,u!ala; RA, I, 36). It has three
phases preceding and succeeding one another from t:me wi thout
heginning: vikalpa (or aharrtkara, or simply klc.fa; SS, 34, 37), karma
(RA, I, 35) and finally janman (ibid.).
164
Moreover these three aspects may be reduced to two, hetu and
phala (RA, I, 38; VS, '6'), i.e.- and here we have to resort to other
sources for a helping hand (see ref. to BV, 59-63)- avidya, sa1'[1skara,
l!fTJ.iz and upnd(ma, in short kle.fa and karma are hetu, whereas the
remaining angas are phala. Now the author has achieved his initial
purpose: being hetu-phala the 'entire world' (i.e. the five skandhas, cf.
note to BV, 66) are pratiryasamutpanna, i. e. like illusions etc.
Thus the 'hrdaya' ofpratiryasamutpada amounts tu the nairiitmyavada
specific to Mahayana: not only is there no sattva ( = pud,rtala} but the
slcandhas are also empty being neitht>r one nor many ( cf. MK, II, 21 ).
We shall find occasion to revert to :1. full discussion of this
important topic .
163. See above all May's annotated version of MK, XXVI, op.cit., pp. 251-276,
with ref. La Valiee Poussin in MCB, II, pp. 7-26.
161. For trivartman in Ahhidharma see e.g. J. van den Broeck (tr.), La Jill/Cur rh
l'immorttl (A-p'it 'an Kan Lu Wti Lun), Louvain-la-Neuve 1977, p. 131, n. 2;
Koia, Ill, p. 68; Traiti, p. 349; 8(/dhicaryO.uatarapa,;,Jika, p. 351 (based on
DaiabhumikaJutra); Trif!!iikabhava (ed. S. Levi), p. 28.
171
X. Sutrasamuccaya (SS)
This compilation or anthology of sutras - mainly Mahayanasutras-
is ascribed to !\lagarjuna by Candraklrti t
6
s and Santadeva. 166 Some
quotations are given in Kamalasila' s Blzavonakrama.t
61
Otherwise it
is only available in Tibetan and Chinese translations. 168
Like BS and SL etc. SS is an exposition of .\-fahayana as a du.rkara-
carya stri ctly yathii,gamam. I t is addressed to bodhisattvas, pravrajitas
as well as grhasthas (similarly RA, BS, BV).
That Nagarjuna should have felt the need to present an authori-
tati ve selection of Mahayana texts is only what one would expect,
not onl y because he himself is one of the earliest and certainly
fi">rcmost exponent of that school, but also, as we gather from RA,
IV, 67-98, bPcause in his days Mahayana still met with severe
criticism from various quarters, above all, it seems, from the ' ortho-
dox' Sravakas.
On the whole SS is a most significant document for at least two
reasons. First of all the a bundance of quotations fiom Mahayana
scriptures at such an early date lends it a historical value that future
translators and editors of these sutras are bound to take into ac-
count. Secondly the outspoken religious convictions found in SS
165. Cf. n. 89; Madh.Jamalcin:utiira, p. 402.
166. Rodhi[Jal/ra yaryiir,atiira, V. 106. Discussion and references in A. Penali,
op. cit. , pp. 80-97.- r prefer Santadeva to Santideva as the former is invariably
the transcription given in our earliest source. Ati sa's BodhimiirgadipapcJijilciz
(TP, No. 5344, Ki fol 288b 5, 288b 7, 299b 7, 329a 2, 329a 7). TO ittm.
167. In G. Tucci (ed.), !wfinor Buddhist Texts, Ill , Roma 1971, pp. 22, 2.), 27, q.v.
(Having collatrd the Leningrad .VIs of Bhiivaniikrama, III, 1 found these
mi sreadings in T ucd's text : p. 2,6 read niriipa_ypd; p. 2,16,
0
paryantiidhi0 ; p. 7,
19, i iinyiini (clear!): p. II, 19, lciila'll vii; p. 27, l Z,
0
ratnaciiqe (not
0
/ciife! ) .)
168. TP, !'lo. 53:.!0; Taisho, No. 1653. Sanskrit fragments are availablt' not onl y
fiom sii tras still rxtant in Sanskrit and quoted by Nagarjuna (see the list Nos.
7, 17, 22, 24, 26, 36, 4.), 46, 47, 50, 63) but also in later compilations etc.
quoung from SS, e.g. Sik[iJSamuccaya. ( I regret that M. lchishima: 'Siitrasa-
I K yoshii ] no bon bun dan pen', in Tendai lfakuho, X IV, pp. 16.)-169
was not available to me.) - Ref. to an English version ofSS in II), XXIII ,
p. 326.
172
nnt ribute considerably to our understanding of the author himsel f.
. \ -; SS is intended to expound Mahayana in the words of iignma we
nnst not expect to discover much of a more philosophical interest.
S1 iII * II on has particular bearing on pra_jna for
IHn we find some of the agamas which most certainly
to his concept of sii7!yatii and induced him to provide
.t rg-umcnts (yukti) to that effect.
In its extent SS only falls a bit short of that of the remaining
anthentic writings. Thus I must abstain from transl ating or para-
phrasing the entire text, the more so since a version of SS is
txpected from the hand of Amalia Pezzali.
Still, for our purpose this need not be deemed a serious drawback
inasmuch as the compiler himself has arranged his sekctions from
110 less than 68 (collections of) sut ras under 13 main headings
summarizing the topics deal t with in the sutras cited.
I shall therefore confine myself to extract these 'headings' from
the body of the text. Finally I subjoin a list of the titl es of simas
from which Nagar:juna has drawn his selections.
169
I have recon-
structed the Sanskrit titl es in close agreement with the Tibetan
version. the reconstructions offered in a few cases do not
correspond exactly to the title under which the sutra is generally
known (i. e. from other q uotations, colophons etc. ) they may, I
believe, with a few exceptions, easily be located in the Chinese or
Tibetan (most conveni entl y by consul ting Hobogirin.
Fascieule annexe: Repertoire du Canon bouddhique si no-japonais
d' apres l' editic.m Taisho Daizokyo. Tokyo 1978, and e.g. the index
volume to the Tibflan TripiJaka, Peking edition. Tokyo 1962).
I . Ruddlwtpiida is atidurlabha
.( 172b3: rans rgyas' byun ha sin tu med par dka' Jte)
2. T o be born as a human being is atidurlabha
( 173b6: mi 'gyur basin tu ni.ed par dka' ste)
3. The Leight kinds of] are durlabha
( 174a7: dal ba 'byor ba riud par dka' ste )
4. Tathagatadefanii.fraddhii is durlabha
( 175b3: de bbn gfegs pa 'i bstan pa Ia dad pa med par dka ' ste)
169. This list is a. critical revision of A. Banerjee, "The Sutrasamuccaya' , in IHQ.
XVII, pp. 121-126.
173
* :->. Li.r ing beings who produce bodhicitta are durlabht1
( 178a3: gon dag ~ y a n chub tu sems bskyed pa'i sems can de dag rned par
dka' ste)
6. MahakaruTJa towards living beings is durlabha
( l82b8: sems can mams la siiin rje che bani riied par dlca ' ste)
7. Those sattvas who renounce antarayikadharmas such as karmavararJa
wounding a bodhisattva, marakarman, a contemptuous attitude
(avamanacitta) and saddharmaprahiiQa are even more durlabha
( 184\.>8: gan dag byan chub sems dpa' La rma 'byin pa'i las kyi sgrib pa
dan I bdud kyi las dan I briias pa'i sems dan I darn pa .. i chos spnn ba Ia sogs pa
bar du gcod pa 'i chos mams yons su spon ba'i sems can dag ni cites riied par
dlca' ste)
8. Those sattvas who live as householders but still arc able to
accomplish the dharmas with earnestness are even more durlabha
( l93a2: gan dag khyim par gyur kyan chos mams La nan tun gyis s.grub pa'i
sems can rnams ni ches riied par dka' ste)
Note: This is a lengthy and very interesting paragraph treating
the ethical aspects of the bodhisattvacarya of a .tJrhastha. It would
certainly deserve to be carefully compared with the corresponding
passages in RA, SL and BS.
9. Those sattvas who arc truly devoted to the parinirvaT}a of the
Tathagata are atidurlabha
(2 I 7b2: ga;l dag de bi;in giegs pa rnams kyi yoriS .ru mya nan las 'das pa
yan dag pa ji Ita ba htin du mos pa 'i sems can de dag ni Sin tu riied par dka'o)
I 0. Those satlvas who are devoted to ekay(ma are atidurlabha
(222b3: theg pa gcig La mos pa'i sems can de dag ni fin tu riied par dlca'
ste)
II . A bodhisattva should constantly embrace the saddharma
(225bl: byan chub sems dpa' dam pa'i chos rtag tuyons su bz.un bar bya'o)
Note: From the philosophical point of view this is essentially the
most interesting paragraph in SS. Here we find various scriptural
sources dealing with the fundamental notions of Nagarjuna's phi-
losophy as seen in MK etc.: iiinyata, vimokfamukha, anutpada, prajna-
paramita etc. - Again, like 8, this long paragraph deserves a
separate treatment.
12. A bodhisattva must not apply himself to the gambhiradharma-
ta without upayakauialya
(243b7: ~ y a n chub sems dpa' thabs La mkhas pa dan bra/ bar chos nid <.ab
mo fa sbyor har mi bya ste)
174
Note: The main source is here Vimalakirtinirdeia, IV, 17, 20; XII,
17 (in Lamotte's translation).
13. Sattvas who t'nter (praveia) the lofty grandeur (miihiilfr!ya) of
the budd has and bodhisattvas are atidurlabha
(246a3: gan sans rgyas dan byan chub sems dpa'i che ba 1iid rgya chen po !a
'j:tg pa 'i serns can de dag ni sin tu rizcd par dka 'o)
/Vote: See Vimalakirtinirdeia, V, 20.
Fontes
I. Ad/!_yasayasa'!lcodanasutra, 210 a 7, 210 b 2, 211 b 8.
!hag pa'i bsam pa bskul ba'i mdo
2. Ajata.Jatruparivarta, 180 a 7, 210 a 3, 211 a 4, 230 b I, 243 b 5.
ma skyes dgra'i le' u
3. 205 a 7.
nam mkha'i snin po' i le'u
4. AkJq_vamatinirde.faSiitra, 182 a 2, 215 a 6.
blo gros mi zad pas bstan pa'i mdo
5. Anavataptasutra, 2 12 b 2.
ma dros pa' i mdo
6. Anupunasamudgatasulra, 216 b 7.
mthar gyis yan dag par 'phags pa' i mdo
7. ArthaviniScayasiitra, 200 b 3.
don rnam par nes pa'i mdo
8. Avadana(!), 173 a I.
rtogs pa brjod pa
9. Avaivartikacakrasutra, 224 a 6.
phyir mi ldog pa' i ' khor lo' i mdo
10. Bhadrakalpikasutra, 173 b 2, 182 a 6.
bskal pa bzan po'i mdo
I I . Bhadramayakarasutra, 233 b 2.
sgyu rna mkhan bzan po' i mdo
12. 173a 7, 176b8, 183a3, 183a6,215a6, 215a
8, 226 a 3, 228 a 6.
byan chub sems dpa' i sde snod(kyi mdo)
13. Brahmapariprccha. 211 b 6, 221 a I, 227 b 7, 242 a 4.
,shans pas zus pa(' i mdo)
14. Buddhavalaf!!sakasutra, 233 b 4, 251 a 4, 252 b 6.
sans rgyas phal po che' i mdo
175
I
I
I ;,, C I 7:1 h I, I 75 a 8, I 7:'1 b I, I 77 a 8, I 83 a I,
:l()(j a 7, nu a 3 .
.:Ia ba' i siiin po'i le'u
I 6. Candraprahhaparivarta, 209 b 3.
zla 'od gyi le'u
17. Candrapradipa, 186 b 4, 195 a 7, 211 a 8, 241 b 2.
zla ba sgron ma' i mdo
18. Dasabhumikasi.ttra, 249 b 7.
sa bcu'i md0
19. DhararJisvararajapariprcclza, 184 a I, 223 b 4.
gzuns kyi dbati phyug gi rgyal pos zus pa(' i mdo)
20. Dharmasal'[lgitisutra, 181 b 4, 227 b 5.
chos yan dag par sdud pa' i mdo
21. Ekottarikagama, I 74 a 6.
gcig las ' phros pa' i lun
22. GarJ<Javyuhasi.ttra, 173 b I , 178 a 4, 2 I 2 b 4 (!), 224 b 7, 246 b 3,
248 a 4.
sdon po bkod pa'i mdo
23. jnanavaipu!ya.rutra, 173 a 7, 221 a 5.
yc ses si n tu rgyas pa'i mdo
24. KG.J.yapaparivarla, 181 a I.
'od sruns kyi lc' u
25. K!il(f!,arbhaJiitra, 207 a 3, 208 a 5. 209 a 2.
sa' i siiin po'i rndo
26. Lankiwatarasutra, 222 b 2, 224 b 3, 240 a 7, 241 b I.
Ian kar gsegs pa' i mdo
27. Lokottarapariuarla, 221 a I .
'jig rten las 'das pa'i lc'u
28. MahG.karur.zasutra, 214 a 5, 220 b 7.
snin tje chen po'i mdo
29. Mahasmf1nipatapariuarta, 223 b 3.
' dus pa chen po' i le'u
30. Maitreya.rit[lhanadasutra, 186 a 7, 217 a 4.
hyarns pa'i sen ge'i sgra'i rndo
3 1. Manjuirivikritjitasiitra, 186 b 3.
'jam dpal rnam par rol pa' i mdo
32. Manjuirillikuruitapariuarta(!), !90 b 6, 191 b 4, 234 b 6.
'jam dpal rnam par ' phrul ba'i le'u
33. Maradamanaparivarta, 243 a 4, 244 b 6.
176
bdud 'dul ba' i le' u(mdo)
:H. Niyat(miyatilvataramudrasutra, 186 b 7, 188 a 5.
nes pa dan rna nes pa Ia 'jug pa' i phyag rgya'i mdo
: ~ 5 . Pitilputrasamagamasutra, 181 a 4, 222 a 2, 229 b 3.
yab sras mjal ba'i mdo
: ~ 6 . Praj naparamita (!), 182 b 6, 190 a 2, 217 a 7, 220 b 3, 223 a 8, 237
b 2, 238 a 5, 239 b I , 242 a 6.
ses rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa
:n. Pravrajyantarayasutra, 193 a 8.
rab tu 'byun ba'i bar du gcod pa'i mdo
38. PraJantaviniicayapratiharyasutra, 180 a 4, 226 b 7, 227 a I.
rab tu zi ba rnam par nes pa'i cho ' phrul gyi mdo
39. Prasenajitpariprccha, I 79 b 4, 196 b 7.
gsa! rgyal gyis i us pa
40. Pu;pakulasutra, 214 a 3.
me tog brtegs pa' i mdo
41. * Ratnadarikadattasutra, 241 b 5.
khye'u rio po ches byin pa' i mdo
42. Ratnameghasutra, 183 b 3, 209 b 8, 226 b 2.
dkon mchog sprin gyi mdo
43. Ratnarasisutra, 180 b 4, 182 b 4, 21 1 a 1, 213 b 6, 216 a 2, 216 a 4.
rin po che'i phun po' i mdo
44. *Ratnasamuccayadeianasutra, 235 b 3, 235 b 7, 236 b 4.
rin po che bsags pa bstan pa' i mdo
45. Saddharmapwpjarikasutra, 172 b 4, 220 b 4 (his), 222 b 4.
dam pa'i chos padma dkar po' i mdo
46. Saddharmasmrtyupasthanasutra, 195 b 4.
dam pa'i chos dran pa ne bar gzag pa' i mdo
4 7. SaptaJatilca, 234 b 1.
bdun brgya pa
48. Sagaramatipnriprcchasutra, 192 b 2, 193 a I , 217 a 2, 225 b 7.
blo gros rgya mtshos ius pa' i mdo
49. SagaranagarajapariPrccha, 177 b I , 215 a 2.
klu' i rgyal po rgya mtshos ius pa
50. SaT[Iyuktagama, 173 b 6, 212 a 5, 221 a 3.
yan dag par !dan pa'i lun
51. Satyakaparivarta, 203 a 6, 223 a I.
bden pa po' i le' u
12 Nagarjuniana
177
II
:)'2 .. \'wdrlluihnlndhruuivatruamudrasutra, 176 a 8, 176 b 4, 185 a I, 187 a
4, 225 b 2.
dad pa'i stobs bskyed pa Ia 'jug pa'i phyag rgya' i mdo
53. SrimalasiTJI}zanada.rUtra, 224 b 2, 227 b 3.
dpal gyi phren ba sen ge'i sgra'i mdo
54. Suryagarbhapan'varta, 204 a 4.
ni ma' i sni n po'i 'e'u
55. Tathagatabimbaparivarta, 215 b 2.
de biin gsegs pa' i gzugs kyi le' u
56. Tathagataguhyasutra, 175 b 3, 175 b 8, 181 b I, 181 b 2, 227 b I.
de biin gsegs pa' i gsan ba'i mdo
57. Tathagatagurzajnanacintyavi!ayavataranirdeiasutra, 177 b 3, 250 a 8.
de biin gsegs pa'i yon tan dan yeses bsam gyis mi khyab pa'i
yul Ia 'jug pa bstan pa' i mdo
58. Tathagatalco!a{garbha)si'Jtra, 242 b 2.
de biin gsegs pa'i mdzod kyi mdo
59. TathagatotpattisaTJlbhavasutra, 217 b 4.
de bzin gsegs pa skye ba srid pa'i mdo
60. Udayanavatsariijapariprccha, 194 a 7.
bat sa la'i rgyal po sar pas ius pa'i mdo
61. Ugrapariprcch.iisutra, 193 a 3.
drag sui can gyis ius pa ' i mdo
62. Upii,yalcau.falyasutra, 192 a 4.
thabs Ia mkhas pa 'i mdo
63. Vajracchedilcii , 240 a 3 (!), 241 b 7.
rdo rje gcod pa (sive sum brgya pa)
64. "'Vimatisamudghatasutra, 174 a I, 204 a I.
yid gnis yan dag (legs) par 'joms pa'i mdo
65. Vimalalcirtinirdei a, 201 b 7, 237 a 4, 237 a 7, 243 b 8, 244 a 7, 245
a 2, 246 a 4.
66. * Vini.icayaraja [-sutra], 172 b 6.
rnam par gtan Ia dbab pa'i rgyal po['i mdo]
67. Viradattagrhapatipariprcclza, 183 a 6, 201 a 6, 201 b 3.
khyim bdag dpas byin gyis i us pa
68. Vi.iefacintibrahmaparip,ccha, 234 a 5.
tshans pa khyad par sems kyis ius pa'i mdo
178
XI. BodhicittavivaraQa (BV)
This regrettably neglected text comprises 112 stanzas (an!JiJubh)
introduced by a brief prooemium in prose. It has sometimes been
grouped as a tantric work
170
but a glance at the contents of BV
shows how unwarranted such a classification is.
BV is never mentioned or cited by Buddhapalita or Candrakirti.
On the other hand it forms one of the basic authorities for Bhavya
in his most mature work, the Ratnapradipa.
111
It is never quoted in
his earlier works, Tarkajvala, Prajnapradipa and [ *Kara- ]talaratna.
Among 'good authors' citing BV are especially Asvabhava and


I have also come across scores of quotations by
other commentators; fortunately several of these are in Sanskrit.
173
It is my general impression that CS and BV are the most
frequently quoted among all works ascribed to Nagarjuna in later
Indian literature.
The style of BV is similar to that of Y$, RA and CS. From a
historical point of view the most significant feature of this text is its
extensive critique ofVijnanavada, i.e. Buddhist idealism as testified
in the Lankavatarasutra.
174
Having seen how vehemently Nagarjuna
attacks any kind of acceptance of svabhava one would also expect
him to have criticized those who might have thought themselves
justified in maintaining the absolute existence of vijnana (citta). But
in the texts dealt with hitherto this has only happened incidental-
ly.175 Here BV provides us with the missing link.
170. Cf. Bu-ston, II, p. 126; J. Naudou, op.cit., p. 187. (Note that two verses
allegedly from RA are quoted by Bu-ston, I, p. 133, though in fact from BY,
91-92). BY is seldom referred to by modern authors though P. Patel
identified some quotations from it in IHQ. VIII, pp. 790-793. See also my
paper WZKS, XXVI ( 1982).
171. Ibid.
172. Both quote the celebrated verse 20, see ibit.'.
173. V. 12, 13a, 20, 25, 27, 45, 46, 52ab, 57, 98, 99.
174. Cf. n. 149 above for evidence ofNagarjuna's acquaintance with Lan/cO.vatO.ra-
sutra.
175. CS, I, 10; III, 50; SS, 56-57.
180
:'-tone of Nagarjuna's other works exhibit such a well-balanced
.tnd coherent structure as BV. This is to some extent a natural
1 nnsequence of the fact that the theme is at once simple and
1 m prehensive: bodhicitta. It has a relative aspect cons-isting in the
dcsire (prarthana) for the bodhi of all living beings,
176
and an absolute
mnsisting in the unlimited cognition of iiinyata, or bodhi.
171
BV thus
provides us with a compendium of the practice anc; theory of Mahii-
v;-ma addressed to bodhisattvas, grhasthas as well as pravrajitas. It
rnay indeed be said to be nothing but a vivaraQa of the celebrated
liJrmula RA, IV, 96: iiinyatakaruQagarbham eke[aT!l bodhisadhanam.
Sanskrit fragments apart, only two Tibetan versions ofBV are at
1111r disposal:
178
Sigla
A BodhicittavivaraT}a, trans. by Rab zi chos kyi bses gnen et al.
179
TP, No. 5470, Gijol. 22la-226b; TN, No. 3461, Cijol.
210b-215b.
B Bodhicittavivara1Ja, trans. by GU1;1iikara & Rab zi [chos kyi l bses
gnen, revised by Kanakavarman & Ni rna grags.
176. B has smon pa (pratJidhi, or prarthana), A hassmon lam (pratJidhDna). For bodhicitta
in general , see EOB, III, pp. 184-189; Har Dayal. op.cit. , pp. 58-64; RA, III,
86.
177. See 71 for this equivalence: tathata = bhiitalco/i = animitta = para martha
paramabodhicitta = iiinyata. Cf. SS, 69; CS, I, 27; III, 41, 45. - Siddhi, pp.
757-761.
178. To be sure TP, No. 2666, Gifol. 48a-50b (TN, No. 665), i.e. RodhicittavivaratJa
ascribed to Nagarjuna, is a brief prose commentary on the verse sarvabhava-
vigatam ... from the Guhyasamajatantra, which it quotes (loc.cit. , 49b 6}, cf.
note, p. 183 to the poem ofBV. It does not seem unlikely that the author of
this tract is identical with the one of GuhyasamajatantrafiJ.ii referred to above
(n. 12 & 47).
Taisho, No. 1661, i.e. Pu tf xin li xiilng, also ascribed to Nagarjuna is in fact
nothing but a Chinese prose paraphrase of BV. Dr. Eric Grinstead who
carefully compared it with my version ofBV succeeded in identifying all 112
verses (in some cases only slight traces) including the proem. Consequently
the Chinese ti tle should be taken as rendering Sanskrit not
Bodhicittanimittarahita (?) as Robinson, op.cit., p. 27 has, or LakfOIJavimulcta-
bodhih!dayaJastra, as Ramanan, op. cit., p. 35 suggests. - For strictly philological
purposes it has proved to be of no avail.
179. For the full list and a few other details v. EOB, III, p. 190.
181
TP, No. 2665, Gifol. 42b-48a; TN, No. 664, Gifol. 41 b-46b.
C BodhicittavivaraiJatzka, trans. by SmrtUniinaklrti ( = author).
TP, No. 2694, Gijol. 454b-484b; TN, No. 693, Gifol. 449b-
476b
B is, as we would expect from the names of the revisors, an excellent
piece of work, and it forms the basis of my edition. Throughout I
have carefully compared A and C. I n a few cases A has proved
invaluable, e.g. for v. 16left out in B due to haplography (homoearc-
ton). Cis a commentary ofhigh standard. It q uotespratikas from all the
112 stanzas and explains all moot points exhaustively. In a few cases,
like A, it permits us to emend corruptions in B. I have, however,
only registered variants in A and C when they affect the sense in
such a way that it may possibly be more authentic than the one
transmitted by B.
180
Synopsis
l. Proufmium:
I l. a. 1-3:
b. 4-9:
c. I 0-25:
thr me of this treatise is bodhicitta;
it is a yearni ng for the hodhi of all living beings,
it is the realization of iunyata, i.e.
bodhi.*
Tht: significance of developing bodhicilta.
Refutation of the belief in an atman, a. pemtanent
soul and a creator, as held by Tirthikas.
Refutation of the existence of the skandhas as
held by the Sravakas.
180. I have refrained from editing A as it would take up too much space without
contributing the least to a better understanding of the sense intended by the
authorofBV. On the other hand a comparison of A and B would (especially if
carri ed out as meticulously as done e.g. in N. Simonsson, /ndo-tibetischt
Studien, Uppsala 1957) shed some light into the workshop of the translators
and revisors.
182
Note that in tht apparatus criticus A, B and C indicate the consensus of the P
and N editions. My collation of these two editions of B has revealed
remarkably few variants: 5d brten P : rten N; 19c ni N : na; 74e bt.o P : bt.a N.
d. 26-56: Refutation of the fundamentals of Vijnanavada,
viz. trisvabhava, svasaqwedana, asrayaparinrtti and
iilayavij'iiana. - In reality vij'iiana is dependent, mo-
mentary, illusory and empty (39-56).
c. 57-72: All internal and external dharmas arc pratityasa-
mutpanna, or iiinya. To understand this is to
realize the absolute bodhicitta, or mokfa from the
bonds of karma due to kleia.
II I. a. 73-104: A bodhisattva who has thus become a buddha is
motivated by karu!la (i.e. by the power of his
previous pra!lidhanas) to apply all possible means
( =: upayakauialya) in order to rescue all sattvas
from SOTflSara.
b. 105-111: Conclusion. The reader is encouraged to produce
bodhicitta.
c. 112: A final pur;zyaparirJamana.
This introduction calls for some remarks. - The initial stanza is, as C 455 b 4
notes, from the Guhyasamaja (v. ed. Bhattacharya, p. 12, where it is printed as if
prose!): sarvabhauauigala'TI slcandhad!W.tuayatanagrahyagrahakauarjitam I dharmanairat-
"!)'asamataya soacillam adyanutpanna'!l iunyatahhavam II. It also occurs in Bodhicittavi-
vara(la (TP, No. 2666, Gifol. 48a 4) also ascribed to Nagarjuna (corresponds to
Taisho, XXXII, 1661 ). The corresponding Sanskri t text is reproduced in P.
Python, Vinaya-viniicaya-Upali-pariprccha, 'Hors-texte',fo/. 10 a 3 (not 10 bas the
edi tor assumes, cf. de J ong, 1/j, X I X, p. 131) with the variant in d iunyata.svabha-
vam. - How we are to account for the fact that a verse from a tantric text occurs in
BV I am not to say. Since, however, BV otherwise has nothing tantric about it (cf.
v. I) - nor has this verse taken in itself- it should not, !think, induce us to regard
the author ofBV as being identical, e.g. with the author of Paitcalcrama.
it is also also found in Bodhicittotpadavidhi, pure Mahayana, cf. n. 17, p. 12.
There are two aspects ofbodhicitta (not the same as those ofBodhicarynvatara, I, 15,
q.v.). The relative is merely desire, or quest (prlirthana) for bodhi. II is expressed
in a pravidhana, here alluding to p. 215 ( cf. Har Dayal ( 1932), p. 65;
see alsoSatapaiicOiatka, p. 40, which like BV presupposes the etc. for
tirl]4q etc.). The absolute is simply bodhi, see BV, 45 sq. -This passage is also
quoted in F. D. Lessing and A. Wayman ( 1968) , p. 334, q.v.; Guenther ( 1959), p.
131. - I have corrected B'smHtpo byan chub (a simple transposition) tobyait chub min
po (thus A and C, bodhima'!tfa, cf. BHSD, p. 402).
C 460b 4 explains snags (not gsait mags as A and B): de/a snags ni its slcyob ste I rnam
parmi rtog pa'i yeies dan snin rje'i ran bbn saris rg,as nas pa 'i phyirro II. I thus take
mantramukha as equivalent ofdhara!Jimulcha, see BV, 100 and Traite, p. 18.'i4 sq. for a
full explanation.
183
Bodhicitta vivaral)a II
Byan chub sems kyi 'grel pa II
I dr10s po thams cad dan bra! ba II phun po khams dan skye mched
kyi I
I gzun dan 'dzin pa rnam spans pa II chos bdag med pas mnam iiid
pas I
I ran sems gdod nas ma skyes pa II ston pa iiid kyi ran bzin no II
zes bya ba 'byun no II
sans rgyas boom !dan ' das rnams dan I byan chub sems dpa' chen
po de rnams kyis ji I tar byan chub chen por thugs bskyed pa de bzin
du I bdag gis kyan sems can ma bsgral ba rnams bsgral ba dan I ma
grol ba rnams grol ba dan I dbugs ma byun ba rnams dbugs dbyun
ba dan I yons su mya nan las ma 'das pa rnams yons su mya nan las
bzla ba'i phyir dus ' di nas bzun nas byan chub siiin po Ia mchis kyi
bar du byan chub chen por sems bskyed par bgyi'o II
byan chub sems dpa' gsan snags kyi sgor spyad pa spyod pa rnams
kyis de !tar kun rdzob kyi rnam pas byan chub kyi sems smon pa' i ran
bzin can bskyed nas I don dam pa' i byan chub kyi sems bsgom pa' i
stobs kyis bskyed par bya ba yin pas de' i phyir de' i ran biin bSad par
bya' o II
*
I.
I byan chub sems kyi bdag iiid dnos II dpalldan rdo rje rnams btud
de I
I byan chub sems kyi bsgom pa ni II srid pa 'jig de bdag gis bsad I
I a dnos B : sku AC; b mams B : 'chan A
184
Exposition of bodhicitta
It has been stated: ' Due to the sameness [or] selflessness of fall]
phenomena (dharma) one's own mind (svacitta) being devoid of all
entities (saroabhavauigata), exempt from the aggregates, elements,
sense-fields, object and subject (skandhadhatvayatanagrahyagrahakavar-
jita), is originally unborn (adyanutpanna ) [and] essentially empty
(iunyatabhava).'
Just as the Buddhas, our Lords (bhagavat ), and the great bodhi-
sattvas have produced the thought of Great Enlightenment (maha-
bodhicitta), thus I shall also, from now on until [I dwell] in the heart
of enlightenment (bodhimacula), produce the thought of Great En-
lightenment (mahabodhicitta) in order that fwe] may save living
beings unsaved, liberate those not li berated, console those not con-
soled and extinguish those not extinguished (ati111an tarayemamuktan
mocayemasvastan asvasayemaparinirvrtan parinirvapayema iti).
When a bodhisattva having practised a course by way of mantras
has thus produced the bodhicitta which in its relative aspect (saTJ'l -
vrlj:akare!la) has the nature of aspiration (prarthana) , he must, by
means of meditational development (bhavanabalat ) produce the ab-
solute (paramartha) bodhicitta. Therefore I will expose its nature
(svabhava) .
*
I. Bowing to the glorious (mmat) Vajrasattvas embodying the mind
of enlightenment (bodhicittatmabhava), I shall expound the develop-
ment (bhavana) of the bodhicitta which abolishes [the three kinds of]
existence (bhava) [in saTJ1Sara].
I. I take bdag iiid dnos (or bdag iiid slcu with A and C) as translating atmabhava, for
which cf. May,o,tJ.cit., p. 278, n. 1017.- In b A readsJri- Vajradhara (dpalldanrdo
rje 'chan), whereas C speaks of rdo rje sems dpa'i slcu (which it identifies with
mahOmudra, hence the epithet i ri, which may also be explained lha'i ri_t:s phun
sum tshogs pa dan /dan pa'i phyir ... etc. more tan/rico, see 461 a S-8) without
showing any sign of the plural. lfB transmits the authentic reading I take this
185
2.
I sans rgyas rnams kyi byan chub sems II bdag dan phun sogs rnam
rig gi I
I r tog pa rnams kyis rna bsgribs pa II rtag tu ston iiid mtshan nid
bied I
3.
I siiin rjes brian pa' i sems kyis ni II 'bad pas bsgom par bya ba yin I
I thugs rj e' i bdag iiid sans rgyas kyis II byan chub sems ' di rtag tu
bsgoms I
'l.
I mu stegs can gyis gail brtags pa II bdag de rigs pas rnarn dpyad na I
I phun rnams kun gyi nan rnams na II gail iig gnas kyan riied rna yin I
5.
I phun rnams yod kyi de rtag min II de yan bdag gi no bo min I
I gail yan rtag dan mi rtag gnis II rten dan brten pa'i dnos po med I
6.
I bdag ces bya ste yod min na II byed po ies bya ga Ia rtag I
I chos can yod na chos rnams Ia II 'jig rten na ni spyod pa 'jug I
7.
I gail phyir rtag pas don byed pa II rim dan cig car gyis min pa I
I de phyir phyi rol nan du ni II rtag pa'i dnos de med pa nid I
6d spyod BC : dpyod A (if. TD, No. 3868, Yajol. 344a 4 : dpyad)
186
'2 . The Buddhas maintain that bodhicitta is not enveloped (niurta)
in notions (kalpana) conscious of a self, aggregates etc. (iitmaskan
d!tiidi ) [but that it] is always characterized by being empty (iiinyatii-
lnkyfll}a) lof any such notions].
with minds (citta ) [only] tinged by compassion (karu(la)
must develop [the bodhicitta] wi th particular effort (pr(!,Yatnena). This
lmdhicitta is. constantly (sadii) developed by the compassionate (krpat-
,,wka) Buddhas.
4. When the self (iitman) which is conceived (kalpita) by the sec-
larians (tirthika ) is analysed (viciiryama1,1a) logically (yukrya) it cannot
obtain a place inside any of the [five] aggregates (skandha) .
5. Being [identical with] the aggregates (skandha) [the self] would
not be permanent (nirya ), but the self(atmarz) has no such nature. A
container-content relationship (adharadheyabhava) is not [possible] be-
tween a permanent [self] and impermanent [aggregates].
6. When there is no so-called self (atman) how can the so-called
creator (kiiraka) be permanent (nirya):> If there were a subject
(dharmin) one may begin investigating its attributes (dharma) in the
world (lolce) .
7. Since a permanent [creator) cannot create things (arthakriyii )
whether it be gradually or all at once (yugapat ), therefore
there lire no permanent things whether it be exterior (bal!Ya) or
interior ).
to indicate bodhisattvas such as Samantabhadra etc. mentioned BV, 90, Ill.
- For bllava see C 461 b 2: de Ia Jrid pa ni iie bar len ,zyi phun po Ina 'iran hbn 'dod pa
dan dan mcd pa'i srid pa stt I 'bywi bn 'gy11r ba'i phyir ro II. Cf. MK,
XXVI, 8.
2. The genitive /cyi (which C 462a 2 also has) should be ret?.inerl and construed
with bi.ed. It reflects *buddhanizm ... mala or i[{a.
3. C 462a 3 sq. lists the eight arthakara explained Traiti, p. 1707,
q.v.
4-5. One cannot conceive atman - skandhas as eka or anya; MK, XVIII;
Schayer ( 1931), p. 90, n. 60.
6. A karaka who is nirya is impossible., not only because there is no atman (see
above) but also because he, as a dharmin related to dharmas would have to be
anirya like them, sec 7-9. See also CS, III, 34 with ref.
7-8. A creation all at once is against experience, a gradual one is incompatible
with the notion of a creator's omnipotence (iakti/samarthya), cf. e.g. Siddhi, p.
30; Prnmii'}avarttika, I, 9 sq. This is possibly the earliest occurrence of this
celebrated argument.
187
8.
I gal te nus na ci de ltos II de ni cig car diws 'byin 'gyur I
I gan zig dnos gzan Ia ltos Ia II de ni rtag dan nus ldan mi n I
9.
I gal te dnos na rtag min te II dnos rnams rtag tu skad cig phyir I
I gan phyir mi nag dnos po Ia II byed pa po iiid bkag pa med I
10.
I bdag sogs brat ba' i 'jig rten 'di II phun po khams dan skye mched
dan I
I gzun dan ' dzin pa iiid dag gi II blo yis rnam par 'joms par 'gyur I
11.
I phan par bz<!d pa rnams kyis ni II gzugs dan tshor ba 'du ses dan I
I ' du byed rnam ses phun po h:la II de I tar nan thos rnams Ia gsuns I
12. ruparp vedana budbudopama I
maricisadrsi sarpjiiii sal}'lskiiriil:t kada1inibhiil:t II
I rkan gnis mchog gis rtag tu yan II gzugs ni dbu ba rdos dan 'dra I
I tshor ba chu yi chu bur ' dra II ' du ses smig rgyu dan mtshuns sin I
13. mayopamal'!l ca vijnanal'!l
I ' du byed chu siri dan ' dra Ia II rnam ses sgyu rna Ita bu zes I
I phun po bstan pa ' di Ita bu II byan chub sems dpa' rnams Ia gsuns I
14.
I ' byun chen bzi yi ran bzin can II gzugs kyi phun por rab tu bsad I
llhag rna gzugs med nid du ni II med na mi 'byuri phyir na 'grub I
Sa ci de 8 : ci phyir A
lOa 'di B : ni A; cd A pro : gzun 'dzin blo yis 'jams par 'gyur B
12b dan 'draA : 'dra snail B
14b bsad BA : gsal C; d med na mi ' byun ... B : the tshom med par ... A
188
ll. If [a creator] were efficient (Sakta) why [would he be] depen-
d, nt He would of course (hi) emit things (bhava) all at
HHT (yugapat). That [creator] who depends upon something else
1 hhfivantara) is neither eternal (Sii.Svata) nor efficient (iakta).
'J. If [he] were an entity (bhava) he [would] not be permanent
hri\vata), for things (bhava) are perpetually momentaneous (kfO!lika ),
since it is not denied (ni[idtiha) (by you] that impermanent things
have a creator (karakatva).
I 0. This [empirical] world (loko yam) which is free from a self etc.
(ritmadi ) is vanquished by the [Disciples'] notion (buddhi) about [the
reality of] the aggregates, elements, sense-fields, object and subject
( rkandhadhatvayatanagrahyagrahaka).
II. Thus the solicitous [Buddhas] have spoken of the five
aggregates (pancaskandha) to the Disciples (iravaka) [viz.], form
(rupa ), feeling (vedanii ), apprehension (sal'{ljizii ), karma-formations
(saT{Iskara) and consciousness ( vijiziina ).
12-13. But to the bodhisattvas [the Buddha], the best among
bipeds (dvipiidiinam agrya), has always taught this doctrine (deiarza)
about the aggregates (skandha): ' Form (riipa) is like a mass of foam
(phenapirpja), feeling (vedanii ) is like bubbles (budbuda), apprehension
(sal'{ljizii ) is like a mirage (manci), karma-formations (saT[!skara ) are
like the plantain (kadali) and consciousness (vijiziina) is like an illu-
sion (maya).'
14. The form-aggregate (rupaskandha) is declared to have the four
great elements (mahiibhuta) as its nature. T he remai ning [four aggre-
gates] are inseparably established (avinabhavat siddha) as immaterial
(ariipin).
9. Being included among all things a creator (C 463b 7: dhan phyug Ia sogs pa )
must also be anirya.
10. This refers to the Sravakas (BS, 25-26 etc. ). As in its canonical usage the term
loko yam. or ayiiJ!! l.,ka occasionally has a somewhat pejorative tone.
11-13. The Sravakas only endorse pudgalanairiitmya but by quoting a celebrated , .
passage from their iigama (Satztyutta, III, p. 142; Sanskrit: Prasannapada, p. ;1>-...
41; cf. also Traiti, p. 370) Nagarjuna shows that even here we find evidence of

the Buddha's teachingofdharmanairatmya (cf. CS, I, 3 with ref.) . - Seep. 260. I' 12.1..
14. Following ( 14-24) is a refutation ofrupa (i.e. upadayariipa, cf. Traiti, p. 782, or
hhautika) for which cf. QS, 1, 5 with ref.
189
15.
I de dag rnams kyi mig gzugs sogs II khams rnams bsad pa de dag
nid 1
I skye mched dag ni gzun ba dan II 'dzin par yan ni ses par bya I
16.
I gzugs rdul med gzan dban po medII byed po' i dban po sin tu med I
I skyod pa po dan skyed pa dag II yan dag bskyed par rigs rna yin I
17.
I gzugs rdul dban ses skyed min te II de ni dban po las 'das yin I
I 'dus pas de rnams skyed byed na II tshogs pa de yan mi 'dod do I
18.
I phyogs kyi dbye bas phye ba yis II rdul phran Ia yan dbye ba
mthon I
I gan Ia cha sas kyis brtags pa II der ni rdul phran ji ltar 'thad I
19.
I phyi rol don ni rnam gcig Ia II tha dad ses pa 'jug par 'gyur I
I yid 'on gzugs ni gan yin pa II de nid gzan Ia gian du 'gyur I
20. parivratkamukasunam ekasyatp pramadatanau I
ku!]apa!) kamini b h a k ~ y a iti tisro vikalpana!) II
I bud med gzugs ni gcig pu Ia II ro dan 'dod by a bza' ba Ia I
I kun rgyu chags can khyi rnams bzin II rnam par rtog pa gsum yin
no I
21.
I don mtshuns pa yis don byed pa II rmi lam gnod pa bzin min nam I
I rmi lam sad pa'i gnas skabs Ia II don byed pa Ia khyad par med I
16 AC, sed om. B
17d tshogs pa de yan B : 'dus par yan ni A
19a ni rnam gcig Ia B : rnams gcig Ia yan A : ... rnam pa gcig dan I yai. C
21 b gnod pa biin min nam B : na ni rmis pa biin A: gnod sbyin don byed pa C (cj.
Vif(liatikii, 4)
190
I :>. Among these eye, form etc. are classifie-d It lw
clements (dhatu). These again are, as (.':' ''
ltl'll.f!.Tahaka), to be known as the [twelve] sense-fields
16. Form is not the atom Again, it is not thl'
.. r sense (indrrya) [and] it is absolutely not the actiw sclls.-
tArl mkendrrya?) [of consciousness]. [Therefore] an instigator pn
/" ) and a creator (janalca) are not fitted for producing [form].
17. The form-atom (ropaparamarJu) does not produce sense
consciousness (indriyavij'izana) [because] it transcends the senses (in-
drivatita) . If these (empirical forms are supposed to] be created by an
,,s,;emblage (sa1[!ghata ) [of atoms] this accumulation (samiiha), how-
.- vcr, is unacceptable (an4ta).
18. If you analyse by spatial division (digbheda) even the atom
lfJaramar;u) is seen to possess parts (bheda). That which is analysed
into parts (a1[!fa ), how can that logically be an atom?
19. Concerning one single exterior object (bahynrtha) divergent
judgements may prevail. That form (ropa) which is pleasant (mano-
hara) [to one person], precisely that may appear different to others.
20. In respect to the same female body, an ascetic, a lover and a
dog entertain three different notions: ' A corpse' , 'A mistress', 'A
titbit'.
21. It is [merely} due to [their] .fimi/arity to objects (arthasama) that
' things' are efficient (arthakrrya). It is like an offence while dreaming
I i.e. emissio seminis} (svapnopaghata), is it not? In the state of being
awakened from the dream there is no difference as far as the
dliciency of things is concerned.
15. Cf. e.g. MK, 111-V.
16-18. Traiu, p. 725;8/zQvaniJJcrama, I, pp. 20-22; May
( 1959), p. 54, n. 15(ref.) . This is .rUkf111a..Upa.
19-20. Refutation of sthula..Upa. Cf. Traiu, p. 733 which also cites the Sanskrit
verse from SarvafarianasaT[Igraha. For further ref. see Mimaki ( 1976), p. 309, n.
432. Similarly SS, 60; Catul}Jatalca, VIII, 2; Saundaranantia, XIII, 52.
21. Though things are capable of efficiency they are nevertheless Junya, cf. svavrtti
ad VV, 22.- For svapnopagMta, see ViJ?'iatikii, 4.
191
22.
I gzun dan ' dzin pa'i no bo yis II rnam ses snail ba gail yin pa I
I rnam ses las ni tha dad par II phyi rol don ni 'ga' yan med I
23.
I de phyir dnos po' i no bor ni II phyi don rnam pa kun tu med I
I rnam ses so sor snail ba ' di II gzugs kyi rnam par snail bar 'gyur I
24.
I ji I tar skye bo sems rmons pas II sgyu rna smig rgyu dri za yi I
I gron khyer Ia sogs mthon ba !tar II de biin gzugs sogs snail ba yin 1
25. atmagrahanivrttyartharp skandhadhatvadide5ana I
sapi dhvasta mahabhagais cittamatravyavasthaya II
1 bdag tu 'dzin pa bzlog pa'i phyir II phun po khams sogs bstan pa
yin I
I sems tsam po Ia gnas nas ni II skal chen rnams kyis de yan spans I
26.
I rnams par ses par smra ba Ia II sna tshogs ' di ni sems su grub I
I rnam ses ran bzi n gail ze na II da ni de nid bsad bya ste I
27. cittamatram idarp sarvam iti ya deana munel,1l
uttrasapariharartharp balanarp sa na' tattvatal_lll
I ' di dag thams cad sems tsam ies II thub pas bstan pa gail mdzad de I
I byis pa rnams kyi skrag pa ni II span ba' i phyir yin de nid min I
23c soan ba 'di B : snail ba ni A : soan ba'i C
25b khams sogs BS : Ia sogs A
26c da B : 'dir A
192
'.!'l. :\ s to the appearance of consciousness (vijniina ) under the
'""II of object and subject (griihyagriihakalcara) [one must realize]
rh.rt thC're exists no external object (bal!Jii.rtha) apart from conscious-
(uijnana).
:n. Therefore there is in no way at all an exterior thing in the
rnodc of an entity (vq.sturupa). This particular appearance of con-
"iousness appears under the aspect of form (ritpQ.Icara ).
:l1. just as people Uana) due to mental delusions (cittamohana) see
rllusions, mirages, cities of Gandharvas etc. (mayamanc(t:andharva-
nngnrii.di) , the manifestation of form (rupadariana ) is just like that.
15. The [Buddha's] instruction about the aggregates, elements
tc. [merely] aims at dispelling the belief in a self (atmagraha). By
[themselves] in pure consciousness (cittamatra) the
blessed [bodhisattvas] also abandon that [instruction].
26. According to the Idealists (vijnanavadin ) this manifold (citra)
I world] is established to be mere consciousness (citta ). What the
nilture (svabhiiva) of this consciousness might be [however), we shall
;utalyse at once (a<fya) .
27. The Anchorite's (muni) doctrine that 'The entire [world] is
rllt'rc mind' is [in fact] intended to remove the fear of fools. It is not
,, [doctrine] concerni ng reali ty.
22. Following concludes that there is no biihyiirtha, cf. Mahiiyiinavi,Uikiz, 19: utpizdo
hi vikalpo yam artho biihyo na vidyate II. Cf. Lankiivatiira, X, 154- 155.- But, as we
shall see, the author takes great pains to show that the cillamiitratii of the
Lankiivatiira (see Suzuki' s Index, p. 69) should be taken neyartha, i.e.
nairiitmyiivatiiratal}. For 24 note that 'dans les textes des Sravakas, on ne
recontre jamais l'exemple de Ia ville de Candharva' (Traiti , p. 370); cf. also
CS, lll, 5; RA, II, 12-13 (cittamohana). . -J J,
25. p. 488 (v .. l. citra
0
). _-
1
J.plo .'"' L, _
26. F ollowmg IS a refutauon of those Buddhists who mterprete Clttomatrata,
especially in the Lankiivatiiro, nitiirtho (26-45). hc..hJ.. .
27. Sanskrit Subhlljita.raT(lgraha (ed. Bendall), p. 20; Jiiana5rimitra, loc.cit. (with
lattriisa
0
for uttriisa
0
). cr. Siktiisamuccaya, p. 263; Prasannapada, p. 264, n. 2 .
.

/J .r .... u/'''1<), r ''" u<:. - 33
13 Nasarjuniana 193
28.
I kun brtags dan ni g:Zan dban dan II yons su grub pa ' di iiid ni I
I ston iiid bdag iiid gcig pu yi II no bo sems Ia brtags pa y,i n I
29.
I theg chen dga' ba'i bdag iiid Ia II chos Ia bdag med miiam pa iiid I
I sems ni gdod nas rna skyes te II saris rgyas kyis ni mdor bsdus gsuns I
30.
I rnal 'byor spyod papa roams kyis II ran gi sems kyi dban byas te I
I gnas yons gyur nas dag pa' i sems II so sor ran gi spyod yul brjod I
31.
I 'das pa gail yin de ni med II ma 'oris pa ni thob pa min I
I gnas phyir gnas ni yons gyur pa II da Ita ba Ia ga Ia yod I
32.
I de ji I tar de !tar snail min II ji I tar snail de de ltar min I
I rnam ses bdag med no bo ste II rten g:Zan rnam par ses pa med I
33.
I ji !tar khab len dan iie bas II lcags ni myur du yons su ' khor I
I de Ia sems ni yod min te II sems dan ldan bzin snail bar 'gyur I
28c gcig pu yi 8 : tshul gcig gi A
29c sems ni 8 : ran sems AC (rectt?)
32b min AC : yi n 8
33d bzin AC : iil1 8
194
28. [The three natures, viz.) the imagined (parilcalpita), the depen-
dent (ptzratantra) and the absolute (parini;panna) have only one
nature of their own: emptiness. They are the imagi nations (kalpana)
of mind (citta).
29. T0 [bodhisattvas] enthusiastic about Mahayana the preach-
ing of the Buddhas is in brief: the (nairiitmya ) and
equality (samatii ) of [all] phenomena (dharma) land the doctrine]
that mind is originally unborn (iidyanutpanna).
30. The Idealists (yogacarin ) have allotted predominance to mind
in itself (svacitta). [They] claim that mind purified by shifting
position (ii.frayaparivrtti ) [becomes] the object of its own specific
[knowledge] (svapraryatma{gatilgocara).
31. [But to this we object that mind] whiclr is past (atita) does
not exist land] that which is future (anagata) is not discovered
(apriipta) . How can [finally] the present [mind] shift over from place
[to] place?
32. [The store-consciousness (iilayavijnana)] does not appear the
way it is. As it appears, it is not like that. [Therefore] consciousness
(vijiiiina ) essentiaily lacks substance (nairiitmyarupa). [Hence] con-
sciousness (vijiiiina) has no other basis r than insubstantiality].
33. Just as iron (ayaQ) moves swiftly around (paribhram-) when
approached by a loadstone (qyaskiinta) r though] it possesses no mind
(citta) [but] appears as if it possessed mind (cittauad iva dr.fyate) ...
28. C 46'/b 7: de Ia J:un hrlll.f!.S ni gt_un 'dl.in te I phyi nan brtags pa t.<am niyin Ia ran
mtd pa'i phyir ro II dhan ni rlog pa 'iran biin te I rgyu rlcyen gian dban byas pa 'i
phyir ro llyons su grub pa ni gyi rnam par rto,t{s pa med pas so II mi 'gyur bar
yons su gnas pn'i phyirro II.- uuiJciivatiira, pp. 127-133; CS, I II, 44; Siddhi, pp.
514561, for suahhiivaimya. Nagarjuna's position is that II , 198,
q.v.
29. Seems to allude to the verse quoted above from 'Guh;a;amiija', but now it is a
question ofbodhisauvas devoted to Mahayana! - On the samatii of all dharmr;.s
e.g. Prasannapada, p. 374.
30. For asra_yaparavrlli (as here in Lankiivatiirasutra), or iiirayaparivrtti v. the study
by L.. Sehmithausen ( 1969), pp. 90104. For the term svapratyiitmagatigocara,
see Suzuki' s Index, p. 193.
31. Thus the author refutes this notion eJcapraharerJa!
32. C 468b 7: tshogs drug gi rnam paries pa dan I iion mori.r pa can gyiyidji /tar rnnm pa
dan dmigs pa dan snari ha dt /tar Jcun gii ma yin /e phyi rol gyi spyod yulla yori.r su spyod
minus pa 'i phyir ro II des na rio bo iiid bdag mtd rnam ies te don dam par raii hi in mtd
pa'i phyir ro II.
33. For this comparison LariJciivatiira, X, 14.
195
34.
I de bzin kun gzi rnam ses ni II bden min bden pa biin du ni I
I gait tshe 'gro ' on gyo bar 'gyur II de tshe srid pa 'dzin par byed I
35.
I ji ltar rgya mtsho dan ni sin II sems ni med kyan gyo bar 'gyur I
I de biin kun gii rnam ses ni II Ius brten nas ni gyo ba yin I
36.
I Ius med na ni rnam parses II yod pa min ies yons rtog na I
I de yi so so ran rig nid II ci 'dra ies kyan brjod par gyis I
37.
I so so ran rig nid brjorl pas II de ni dl'ws po nid du brjod I
I 'di de yin zes brjod pa ni II nus min zes kyan brjod pa yin I
38.
I ran Ia de bzin gzan dag Ia II nes pa bskyed par bya ba'i phyir I
I rtag tu ' khrul pa med par ni II mkhas rnams rah tu 'jug pa yin I
39.
I ses pas ses bya rtogs pa ste II ses bya med parses pa med I
I de ltar na ni rig bya dan II rig byed med ces cis mi 'dod I
40.
I sems ni min tsam yin pa ste II min las gian du 'ga' yan med I
I min tsam du ni rnam rig blta II min yan ran biin med pa yi n I
41.
I nan nam de bzi n phyi rot lam II yan na gnis ka' i bar dag tu I
I rgyal ba rnams kyis sems rna riled II de phyir sgyu ma' i ran biin
sems I
34c 'gro AC : sgra B
35 A valde di.ffert
38a de bzin B : nes bzin A
40b 'ga' A : dga' B
41c kyis A: kyi B
196
34. Thus the store-consciousness (alayavijiiana) appears to be real
though it is false [and] when it moves to and fro [as adanavijizana] it
[seems to] retain the [three] existences (bhavatraya).
35. Just as the ocean and trees are moved though they have no
mind (citta) likewise the store-consciousness (alayavijiiana) is [only I
active dependent upon a body
36. So considering the fact that without a body there is no con-
sciousness, you must also state what kind of specific knowledge of
itself (svapraryatmagati) this [consciousness] possesses!
37. By saying that a specific knowledge of itself (svapraryatmagati)
[exists] one [eo ipso] says that it is an entity (bhiwa). But one also
says that it is not possible to say that 'this is it'!
38. In order to convi nce oneself as well as others clever people
[should] always proceed without error!
39. The cognisable (jiieya) is known by a cognisant (jizatr). With-
out cognisable no cognition (jiiana) [is possible]. So why not accept
that object (vet(ya) and subject (vedaka) do not exist !Per re]?
40. Mind is but a name (niimamiitra). It is nothing apart from [its]
name. Consciousness must be regarded as but a name. The name
too has no own-being (svabhava).
41. Thejinas have never found mind (citta) to exist either inside,
outside or between both. Therefore mind has an illusory nature
(mayasvabhava).
35. Ibid., X, 57-59.
37. One should not speak of that which cannot be spoken of. But here the author
is not quite fai r, cf. MK, XXII, II.
38. Recalls Dhammapada, XII, 2.
39. Cf. CS, Ill, 50, q.v.- Though Band A have rig bya/rig byed this surely refers
to vedanaslcandha (as 40 refers to sOT(Ijnaslcandha). C 469b 7 correctly has tshor
bya/tshor ba. - Cf. CS, I, 6; SS, 55.
40. Ibid., I, 7; lii, 35 (with ref.).
41. Cf. SS, 51.
197
42.
I kha dog dbyibs kyi dbye ba 'am II gzur1 ba dan ni 'dzin pa 'am I
I skyes pa bud med ma nin sogs II no bo sems ni gnas pa min I
43.
I mdor na sai1s rgyas mams kyis ni II gzigs par rna gyur gzigs mi
'gyur I
I ran biin med pa'i ran bzin can II ji Ita bur na gzigs par 'gyur I
14.
I dnos po zes bya rnam rtog yin II rnam rtog med pa ston pa yin I
I gail du mam rtog snail gyur pa II der ni ston iiid ga Ia yod I
45. na bodhyabodhakakararp cittarp dfHarp tathagatail;ll
yatra boddha ca bodhyarp ca tatra bodhir na vidyate II
I rtogs bya r togs byed rnam pa'i sems II de bzin gsegs rna:ns kyis rna
gzigs I
I gail na r togs bya rtogs byed yod II der ni byan chub yod rna yin I
46. anutpadam asarpsthitam avanmayam I
bodhicittarp ca bodhir II
I rntshan iiid mcd cin skye ba rned II yod gyur rna yin nag lam brall
I mkha' dati byan chub sems dan ni II byan chub giiis med mtshan
iiid can I
47.
I byan chub siiin po Ia bzugs pa'i II bdag iiid chen po' i sans rgyas
dan I
I brtse ldan kun gyis dus kun tu II ston pa mkha' dan mtshuns par
mkhyen I
48.
I de phyir chos rnams kun gyi gzi II zi zin sgyu madan mtshuns par I
I gzi med srid par 'jig byed pa'i II ston po iiid ' di rtag tu bsgom I
42a kyi A : kyis B
46b yod gyur ma yin B : gnas pa med ciJi ACS
198
42. Mind has no fixed forms such as various colours and shapes
tuar1J.asaTflslhanabheda), object and subject (granyagrahalca) or male,
I.-male and neuter (stripuru[anapuTflSaka).
43. ln brief: Buddhas do not see [what cannot] be seen
lr(>r] how couid they see that which has lack of own-being as its
own-being (nai/,l.Sviibhii!D'asvab!Uwa)!
44. A ' thing' (bhiiva) is construction (vikalpa). Emptiness is ab-
sence of construction (nirvikalpa). Where constructions have appeared
how can there be emptiness (iiinyatii)?
45. The Tathagatas do not regard mind under the form of cog-
nisable (bodhya) and cognisant (bodhaka). Where cognisant and cog-
nisable [prevail] there is no enlightenment (bodhi ).
46. Space (iikasa), bodhicitta and enlightenment (bodhi) are without
marks, without generation. They have no structure, they are
beyond the path of words. Their mark [so to speak] is non-duality
(advaya).
47. The magnanimous (mahiitman) Buddhas who reside in the
heart of enlightenment (bodhima1J'fa) and all the compassionate
I bodhisattvas] always know emptiness (iunyatii) to be like space
(akasavat)
48. Therefore [bodhisattvas] perpetually develop this emptiness
(fiinyatii) which is the basis of all phenomena (dharma), calm
(ianta), illusory (miiyavat), baseless (aniilaya) [and] the destroyer of
existence (bhavavinasaka).
42. cilia ( = manas = vijMna) is - sa'!'vrtital] - a,.Upin. Thus it cannot be established
by means of rU/J4.
43. For the buddhacakfus see CS, II, 2: na ca nama tvayii kil'(l cid ilrf!Of!l bauddhena
caA:Ju.rii I.
44. Cf. e.g. MK, V, 7; XV, 4; May,op.cit., p. 92, n. 204. (iiinyatii = ni!uuabluivatii =
tattua = nirvikalpa etc.)
45. Sanskri t Pa;,jikii, p. 406. - Cf. CS, II, 2: na boddJW na ca boddhall)'am astiha
paramiirthatal] l.
46. Sanskrit, ibid., p. 421 with asa'flskrtam in b (thus also C 471a 8) which I have
corrected to OSOI(ISthitam with A (gMs J14 md) and B (Jod g,ur mayin). In b
Sanskrit may have read aviikpatham (cf. CS, IV, I etc.).
48. I.e. wnyatii destroys thosetJrf!is which give rise tolcuia, karma andpunarbhava, cf.
MK, XVIII, 5; Y$, 46-48; CS, I, 23 etc.
199
49.
I skye med dan ni ston nid dan II bdag med ces byar ston pa nid I
I bdag nid dman pa gait sgom pa II de de sgom par byed pa min I
50.
I dge dan mi dge' i rnam rtog ni II rgyun chad pa yi mtshan nid can I
I ston nid sans rgyas kyis gsuns gzan II de dag ston pa nid mi bzed I
51.
I sems Ia dmigs pa med pa ni II gnas pa nam mkha'i mtshan nid yin I
I de dag ston nid sgom pa ni II nam mkha' sgom par bzed pa yi n I
52. sunyatasirphanadena trasital) sarvavadinab I
I ston nid sen ge'i sgra yis ni II smra ba thams cad skrag par mdzad I
I gait dan gait du de dag bzugs II de dan der ni ston nid 'gyur I
53.
I gail gi rnam ses skad cig ma II de yi de ni rtag ma yin I
I sems ni mi rtag nid yin na II ston pa nid du ji ltar 'gal I
54.
I mdor na sans rgyas rnams kyis ni II sems ni mi rtag nid bzed na I
I de dag sems ni ston nid du II ci'i phyir na bzed mi 'gyur I
55.
I thog ma nid nas sems kyi ni II ran bzin rtag tu med par 'gyur I
I dnos po ran bzin gyis grub pa II ran bzin med nid bljod pa min I
56.
I de skad brjod na sems kyi ni II bdag gi gnas pa spans pa yin I
I ran gi ran bzin las ' das pa II de ni chos rnams chos ma yin I
50a ni AC : gi B
51 a dmigs pa BA : mtshan bya C; ni C(A) : yi B; c ni B: 'di A
52b smra ba BC: rgol ba A
200
Emptiness expresses non-ongmation (anutpada), voidness
:,mltitata?) and lack of self (nairiitmya). What inferior (hina)
IJwrsons] develop is not to be developed by [bodhisattvas].
:10. !\loti ons about positive and negative (suhhasubhauiknlpn)
I k.t nna] are characterized by being disintegrated (uyauacchrda).
I While] the Buddhas have spoken loftheir] emptiness, the others d0
, .. ,, accept [their] emptiness.
:11. The abode of a mind (citta) which has no support (aniilambana)
lt;ts the character of [empty] space. These [bodhisattvas] maintain
tha t development of emptiness (Simy atabhiiuanii ) is development of
-. pace.
52. All dogmatists have been terrified by the lion' s roar of empti-
llt'SS (siinyatasirrzhanada). Wherever they may reside emptiness lies in
wait!
53. An [Idealist] to whom consciousness (uijizana) is momentary
(kfnQika) cannot accept it to be permanent (nif)'a). How could it be
inconsistent (uiruddha) with emptiness that mind (citta) is actually
impermanent (anirya )?
54. When the Buddhas, in brief, are convinced that mind (citta)
is impermanent, why should they not be convi nced that mind is [eo
ipso 1 empty?
55. From the very beginning mind has never had any own-being
(.wabhiiua). Things proved to be substantial (suabhlwena siddha) [we]
are not to declare insubstantial (nail]suabhiivya).
56. The effect of this statement is that mind lacks substantial
foundation (atmasthana). It is not the nature of things to transcend
[their] particular own-being (suasvabhiiua)!
49. C 472a 3 ref. to MK, XIII, 8, q.v.- Forbdag nid dman pa, cf. alpabuddhi (MK,
V, 8), mandamtdhas (MK, XXIV, II ); avipaicit (RA, II, 19}. Contrariwise
the bdag nid chen po, 50, 54.
50. AI! vikalpas are kfa(lika, i.e. iii'!)'a; cf. v. 53. (This is of course only cf.
RA, I, 66-70.}
52. Sanskrit (ed. Kvcerne}, p. 246 with which I have emended
ace. to A's rgol ba, B' s smra ba and C' s (dnos por) smra ba (472b 5).- For
iunyatasil[lhanada, CS, I , 22; BS, 101.
1
. Jfi (,.:.v-
1
1t..k)
56. Cf. e.g. MK, XV, 7-8 for this axiom.
201
57. guQe madhurata cagner prakrtir yatha I
sunyata sarvadharma.;tarp tatha prakrtir II
I ji I tar bu ram mnar ba dan II me yi ran bzin tsha ba bzi n I
I de bzin chos roams thams cad kyi II ran bzin ston pa nid du ' dod I
58.
I ston nid ran bzin du brjod pas II gail zig chad par smra ba min I
I des ni rtag pa iiid du yan II 'ga' zig smras pa rna yin no I
59.
I ma rig nas brtsams rga ba yi II mthar thug yan lag bcu giiis kyi I
I brten nas byun ba'i bya bani II kho bo rmi lam sgyu 'drar 'dod I
60.
I yan lag bcu gnis ' khor lo 'di II srid pa'i lam du ' khor ba ste I
I de las gzan du sems can gail II las 'bras spyod par 'dod pa med I
61.
I j i ltar me Ion Ia brten nas II bzin gyi dkyil 'khor snail gyur pa I
I de ni der 'pho rna yin zin II de med par yan de yod min I
62.
I de bzin ph uri po nin mtshams sbyor II srid pa gzan du skye ba dan I
I ' pho ba med par mkhas mams kyis II rtag tunes par bya ba yi n I
63.
I mdor na ston pa'i chos mams las II chos mams ston pa skye bar
'gyur I
I byed po las 'bras Ions spyod pa II kun rdzob tu ni rgyal bas bstan I
57a bu ram A: bur ram B
59a rga ba yi : rga si'i (mtha') A: dga' ba yin B
63a las A : Ia B
202
", 7 . .J ust as sweetness is the nature of sugar and hotness that of
ti : .-. thus the nature of all things is maintained [by us) to be
,.,11ptiness.
:1a. When one speaks of emptiness as the nature [of all pheno-
nwnaj one in no sense advocates Nihilism \ucchedavada). Nor docs
1111(' advocate Eternalism (iiisvata).
r>q. The twelve members of relativity starting with ignorance
:mit(yii) and ending with decay (jara), which are subject to depen-
dt'nt co-origination (pratityasamutpada) [we] maintain to be like a
clnam and an illusion (svapnamayavat).
GO. This wheel (cakra) with twelve spokes (an,ga) rolls along the
road of life (bhovavartman). It is unacceptable (an4ta) that there
-; hould exist a living entit y (sa1tva) exempt from this partaking of the
fruits of its deeds (karmaphala).
61. Just as dependent on a mirror (adarsa) the outline of a face
(mukhama1pjala) appears though it has not mov'!d into it (saf!lkriinta)
hut on the other hand (api) does not exist without it ...
62. Thus the wise must always be convinced that the aggregates
(rkandha) appear in a new existence (bhava) [due to) recomposition
(pratisaf!!dhi), but t hey do not migrate [as identical or different].
63. To sum up: Empty things (bhiiva) are born from empty things.
Thejina has taught that agent (kiiraka), deed (karma), result (phala ),
and enjoyer (bhoktr) are [only] conventional (saf!! vrlitab).
57. Sanskrit Advayavajrasa'!'graha (ed. Sami), p. 42.
58. T he madl!}'amii pratipad avoids the extremes of uuheda and iiiivata, M K, XV, I 0;
XVII, 21; CS, III, 49.
59-63. As I have shown WZKS, XXVI ( 1982), these verses are closely related
to PK, q.v.- See also Daiabhiimika (ed. Rahder), p. 50 which reduces avidyii,
and upiidiina tokleiavartman, saf!ISkiira and bhava tokarmauartman, and the
remaining seven angas As C observes 4 73b 7 avidyii, sarrzskiira,
tn']ii, upiidiina and bhava may also be regarded as lulu whereas the remaining
aitgas are pha/a. Similarly in the small treatise Dharmadhiitugarbhaviuara'}a
ascribed to Nagarjuna (see IHQ, XXXIII, pp. 246-249); ct: PK, 4. See also
Traiti, pp. 349-351.- Fort he finalpiidas of63 see CS, I, II, pp. 75-
76; Daiabhiimika, p. 49.
203
64.
I ji !tar n1a yi sgra dan ni II de bzin myu gu tshogs pas bskyed I
I phyi yi rten cin 'brei 'byun ba II rmi lam sgyu ma dan mtshuns
'dod I
65.
I chos rnams rgyu las skyes pa ni II nam yan 'gal bar mi 'gyur te I
I rgyu ni rgyu iiid kyis ston pas II de ni skye ba med par rtogs I
66.
I chos rnams kyi ni skye ba med II ston iiid yin par rab tu bsad I
I mdor na phun po Ina rnams ni II chos kun zes ni bsad pa yin I
67.
I de iiid ji bzin bsad pas na II kun rdzob rgyun ni 'chad mi 'gyur I
I kun rdzob las ni tha dad par II de iiid dmigs pa ma yin te I
68.
I kun rdzob ston pa iiid du bsad II ston pa kho na kun rdzob yin I
I med na mi 'byun nes pa'i phyir II byas dan mi rtag ji bzin no I
69.
I kun rdzob non mons las las byun II las ni sems las byun ba yin I
I sems ni bag chags rnams kyis bsags II bag chags bra! na bde ba ste I
68d byas : byas pa B
204
til . As for instance the sound of a drum (bherisabda) and a sprout
are created by [their] totality (siimagri) lof causes and
thus we] maintain that exterior dependent co-origina-
l i .. n (hahyapratityasamutpiida) is like a dream and an illusion (svapna-
maviitla/).
G5. It is not at a ll (jiitu ) inconsistent (uiruddha) that phenomena
(r/hanna) are born from causes (hetuja). Since a cause is empty of
: tUse (hetuiunya) [we] understand it to be unoriginated (anutpanna).
66. That phenomena (dharma ) [are said] not to arise (anutpada)
indicates that they are empty. Briefly the fi ve aggregates (skandha)
"T denoted by 'all phenomena'.
67. When truth is [accepted] as explained convention (saTfwrti ) is
not obstructed. By neglecting convention (salJ!vrti ) one will not get
hold of the truth (tattta).
68. Convention is explained as emptiness, convention is simply
emptiness for [these two] do not occur without one another just as
created (krta) and impermanent (anitya) [invariably concur].
69. Convention (sarrwrti ) is born from karma [due to the various]
passions (klesa), and karma is created by mind (caitasika). Mind
(citta) is accumulated by the residues (viisana). Happiness (sukha )
consists in being free from the residues (vasana).
64. As the previous verses treated adhyatmikapraJityasamrdpizda -
of course- this verse refers to bahyapratityasomutpada, presumably as treated in
the Salistambasiltra (quoted Panjika, pp. 577-579) though the bluriiahda (cf.
Prasannapada, p. 72) docs not figure here.
65. In the sa1[1Sarama'!4ala any 'lutu' is also 'phalo' and vice versa. Thus it is
httusuabhauaiuii.JO. cr. RA, I, 36, 47.
66. cr. RA, IV, 86: anutpado mahayant partfD'!' SUII.JOia I. - For sarut
(= .raruam), ref. May, op.cit., p. 206, n. 689; 30.
67. Cf. MK, XXIV, 8-10.
68. Here I understand sa'!'vrti as .rarve (cf. Madhyamakahrdayakarikii , Ill,
13. Also CS, 111, 44, with which cf. Lankauatara, II, 187) . I take iunyatii "'
pratitya.ramutpada \cf. MK, XXIV, 18), i.e. pratityasamutpanna (CS, 111, 44).
69. For the interpreta tion of this see MK, XVII, 26:karma kltiiitmakam, and ibid.,
XVIII , 5: karmakltiii For citta ("' uikalpa) cf. Lankiiuatara, Ill, 38:
cittena ciyate karma. - Again, citta itself is the outcome of previous karma
(vasanii ) due tokleia born from uikalpa (cilia ) etc. from time without beginning.
205
70.
I bde ba'i sems ni zi ba nid II sems ii ba ni rmons mi 'gyur I
I rmons med de nid rtogs paste II de nid rtogs pas grol thob 'gyur I
71.
I de bzin nid dan yan dag mtha' II mtshan rna med dan don dam nid I
I byati chub sems mchog de nid dan II ston nid du yan bsad pa yin I
72.
I gao dag ston nid mj ses pa II de dag thar pa' i nen rna yin I
I 'gro drug srid pa' i btson rar ni II rmons pa de dag ' khor bar 'gyur I
73.
I de !tar ston pa nid ' di ni II mal 'byor pa yis bsgom byas na I
I gzan gyi don Ia chags pa'i blo II 'byun bar 'gyur bathe tshom med I
74.
I gao dag pha dan rna dan ni II gnen bses gyur pas bdag Ia snon I
I phan pa byas par gyur pa yi II sems can de dag rnams Ia ni II
I byas pa bzo bar gyur par bya I
75.
I srid pa' i btson rar sems can ni II non mons me yis gduris rnams Ia I
I bdag gis sdug bsnal byin pa !tar II de bzin bde ba sbyin bar rigs I
76.
I 'jig rten bde 'gro nan 'gro yis II ' dod dan mi 'dod 'bras bu de I
I sems can rnams Ia phan pa dan II gnod pa las ni ' byun bar 'gyur I
77.
I sems can brten pas saris rgyas kyis II go 'phan blamed nid 'gyur na I
l lha dan mi yi Ions spyod gail II tshans dan dban po drag po dan I
78.
I 'jig rten skyon bas brten de dag II sems can phan pa tsam zig gis I
I rna drans pa ni 'gro gsum ' dir II ' ga' yan medIa mtshar ci yod I
70d rtogs pas : rtogs pa B : rig pas A
74c yi : yis B; (A qWJttuor pada)
77a brten A : bsten B
206
70. A happy mind is tranquil (Santa). A tranquil mind is not
1111fused (mii4ha). To be unperplexed (amii.rfha) is to understand the
1 ruth (tattva). By understanding truth one obtains liberation
(mokfa).
71. It is also defined as reality (tattva), real limit (bhutakoti),
signless (animitta), ultimate meaning (paramartha), the highest bodhi-
' 11/a and emptiness.
72. Those who do not know (jna-) emptiness will have no share in
liberation (mokja). Such fools migrate in he prison of existence [in]
one of the six destinies (Ia4gatibhavacaraka).
73. So when ascetics (yogacarin) have thus developed this empti-
lll'Ss their mind (buddhi) will, no doubt (na sal?'liaya) be devoted to the
weal of others (parahita):
74. ' I should be grateful to those beings (sattva) who previously
bestowed benefits (hitQI?'lkara) upon me, by being my parents or
fiiends (bandhu).'
75. 'As I have given suffering to the living beings (sattva)
in the prison of existence (bhavacaraka) who are being scorched by
the fire of passions (klesagni), it is also befitting that I [now) afford
them happiness.'
76. The sweet or bitter fruit (i!;tanij/aphala) the world [gets] in the
form of a good or bad rebirth (sagutidurgati) is the outcome of
whether they hurt or benefit living beings (sattva).
77-78. If the Buddhas arise to the unsurpassed stage (anuttara-
pada) by [rendering) living beings support (sattvasraya), what is so
strange if [those] who are not guided by the slightest altruism
(sattvahita) do not have any of those pleasures (bhoga) which the
guardians of the world (lokapala) Brahma, Indra and Rudra are
supported by in the three worlds (trailokye)?
70. By thus destroying vikalpa ( = citta, avitfyii etc.) by means ofiunyatii the result "is:
karmakltiakfayiin (MK, XVIII, S).
71. Forothersynonymsofthe absolute, CS, I, 27; III, 37-41, 52; MK, XVIII, 9;
XXV, 3; SS, 24.
72. Cf. 31.
73. What follows is mainly devoted to an exposition of the tathyasa'!lvrtibodhicitta
(C 476a 8) and only calls for a few notes (74-104). In general we here find the
same ideal of karu,., as in RA; BS; SS, passim.
77. On these gods, RA, I, 24; SL, 69; Traite, 137 sq.
207
79.
I sems dmyal dud 'gro yi dags s1ll sdug bsnal rnam pa du ma'i dnos I
I sems can rnams kyis myon ba gan II de ni sems can good las byun I
80.
I bkres skom phan tshun bdeg pa dan II gtir ba yi ni sdug bsnal nid I
I bzlog par dka' zin zad med de II sems can gnod pa'i 'bras bu yi n I
81.
I sans rgyas byan chub sems nid dan II bde 'gro dan ni nan 'gro gan I
I sems can gan gi rnam smin kyan II no bo gnis su ses par bya I
82.
I dnos po kun gyis rten bya zin II ran gi Ius bzin bsrun bar bya I
I sems can rnams Ia chags bra! ba II dug bzin ' bad pas span bar bya I
83.
I nan thos rnams ni chags bra! bas II byan chub dman pa thob min
nam I
I sems can yons su rna dor bas II rdzogs sans rgyas kyi byan chub
thob I
84.
I de ltar phan dan mi phan pa' i II 'bras bu 'byun bar dpyad pa na I
I de dag skad cig gcig kyan ni II ran don gnas .Zin ji I tar gnas I
85.
I snin rjes brtan pa' i rtsa ba can II byan sems myu gu las byun ba I
I gzan don gcig 'bras byan chub ni II rgyal ba'i sras rnams sgom par
byed I
86.
I gail zig bsgom pas brtan pa ni II gian gyi sdug bsnal gyis bred nas I
I bsam gtan bde ba dor nas kyan II mnar med pa yan 'jug par byed I
SOc zad med B : mi bzod AC
81a sems iiid B : sems dpa' A
83d kyi : kyis B : pa'i A
86a gan zig BA : gari gis C
208
79. The different kinds of suffering (duQkha) which beings (sattva)
\'Xperience as creatures in hell (niraya), as beasts (paJu) and as
ghosts (preta) are a result of hurting beings.
80. The inevitable and unceasing suffering (dubkha ) of hunger
(k[udh), thirst (pipasa), mutual slaughter and torments arc the re-
sults of molesting beings.
81. One must know that beings (sattva) are subject to two kinds of
maturation (vipaka): [that of) Buddhas [and] bodhisattvas and that
of good and bad rebirth (sugatidurgati).
82. One should support [living beings] with one' s whole nature
(sarvabhavena) and protect them like one' s own body. Indifference
(vairagya) towards the beings must be avoided like poison!
83. Perhaps the Disciples (i ravaka) obtain an inferior enlighten-
ment (hinabodhi) thanks to indifference (vairagyat) but the bodhi of the
Perfect Buddhas (sa1Jlhuddha) is obtained by not abandoning living
beings (sattva).
84. How can those who consider how the fruit of good and offen-
sive deeds comes about persist in their selfishness (svartha) even for a
single moment?
85. The bodhisattvas (jinaputra ) are active in developing en-
lightenment (hodhi ) which has compassion as its solid roots and
which grows from the sprout of bodhicitla and has the sole fruit of
altruism (parartha).
86. Those who are strengthened by meditational development
(bhavana) are frightened by the sufferings of others. [In order to
support them] they even forsake the pleasures of trance (dhyana-
sukha) and even go to the Avlci hell (avici)!
81. C 4 77 b 8: sans rvas dan byan chub sems dpa ' zag pa med pa 'i d,ge ba 'i rtsa ba 'i las kyi
T/Ul111 par smin pa'i snns can no II. The uipiika specific to Buddhas and
bodhisattvas is the kayaduaya, cf. BS, 3 with ref.
83. The pratisa1f1/chyanirodha of the Sravakas is inferior to the anuttara sall!)'aksa'!l-
bodhi of the Buddhas, cf. Vimalakirtinirdeia, p. 422.
86. Cf. BS, 164 with ref.
14 Nagarjunian.a 209
I
I
I
I ,
87.
I ' di nino mtshar 'di bsnags 'os II ' di ni dam pa'i tshullugs mchog I
I de dag rnams kyi ran Ius dan II nor rnams byin pa no mtshar min I
88.
I chos rnams ston pa 'di ses nas II las dan 'bras bu sten pa gail I
I de nino mtshar bas no mtshar II rmad du 'byun bas rmad du ' byun I
89.
I sems can bskyab pa' i bsam pa can II de dag srid pa'i ' dam skyes
kyan I
I de hyun 1"1 id pas ma gos pa II chu yi padma'i ' dab ma bzin I
90.
! kun bzan la sogs rgyal ba'i sras !I ston nid ye ses me yis ni I
I non mons bud sin bsregs mod kyi II de lta'an $nin rjes brian ' gyur
ciit I
91.
i si1ir1tje'i dban du gyur pa rnams II gsegs dan bltam da11 rol pa dat11
i khah nas ' byun dan dka' ba spyod II byan ch ub che dal1 bdud sde
'joms I
92.
I chos kyi ' khor !o skor ba dan !I lha rnams kun gyis zus pa dan I
I de bzin du ni mya nan las II 'das pa ston par mdzad pa yin I
93.
I tshans dan dban po khyab 'jug dan II drag sogs gzugs su sprul
mdzad nasI
I 'gro ba 'dul ba'i sbyor ba yis II thugs rje' i ran bzin can gar mdzad I
94.
I srid pa' i lam la skyo rnams Ia II nal so'i don du thtg pa che I
I 'byui1 ba'i yc ses giiis po yan II gsuns pa yin te don dam min I
89c de byun ft id pas B : srid pa' i skyon gyis A( d)
90b A, sed om. B
94c yeses ( jiiima-) B : theg pa ( *yana-) A(a)C
210
II i . They are wonderful, they are admirable, they are most extra-
" '""'..rily excellent! Nothing is (more] amazing than those who
' ' 'ilin their person and property!
1111 . Those who understand this emptiness of phenomena (dharma )
llr ll .dso] believe in [the law of] karma and its results, they are more
'" dnful than wonderful, more astonishing than astonishing!
11'1. Wishing to protect the living beings (sattva) they are even
I"''" in the mud of existence (hhavapanlr.a ). Unsullied (alipta) by its
,,nts they are like a lotus in mire.
'HI. Even though bodhisattvas (jinaputra) such as Samantabhadra
,.,, . have burnt the fuel of passions (Jr.leiendhana) by the cognitive fire
"' 1'111ptiness (sunyatajiUznagni) they are still moistened by compas-
Ill!
'l 1-92. And under the influence of compassion they display [their]
[from Tlliita] , birth, merriments, renunciation, penances,
.. ,at enlightenment, victory over the hosts of Mara, turning of the
the request of all the Gods as well as NirvaQa.
Having emanated such forms as Brahma, l ndra, and
I{ udra the compassionate natures make a performance agreei ng
"ith the world which must be guided (vaineyajana).
Though it has been said, in order to comfort those who are
with the way of life, that there are two [kinds] of knowl-
t'dl{t' (jniina) arising [from] Mahayana [this, however] is not the
11ltimate meaning (paramartha).
'II . For pada cf. CS, I, I with note. - On the twelve deeds cf. e.g. CS, II, 23;.
Dvii.daialcii.ranayastotra (TP, No. 2026); Bu-s ton, I, p. 133 (the verse ci ted here
from 'Ratniivali' is actually BV, 91-92!).
21 1
95.
I ji srid sans rgyas kyis ma bskul II de srid ye ses Ius dnos can I
I tin 'dzin myos pas rgyal 'gyur ba II iian thos de dag gnas par 'gyur I
96.
I bskul na sna tshogs gzugs kyis ni II sems can don Ia chags gyur cin I
I bsod nams yeses tshogs bsags nas II sans rgyas byan chub thob par
'gyur I
97.
I giiis kyi bag chags yod pa'i phyir II bag chags sa bon brjod pa yi n I
I sa bon de dnos tshogs pa ni II srid pa'i myu gu skyed par byed I
98. ddana lokanathanarp sattvasayavasanugal;ll
bhidyante bahudha loka upayair bahubhil;l puna}) II
I 'jig rten mgon rnams kyi bstan pa II sems can bsam dban rjes 'gro
ba I
I 'jig rten du ni thabs man po II rnam pa man po tha dad 'gyur I
99. gambhirottanabhedena kva cid I
bhinnapi ddanabhinmi II
I zab cin rgya che'i dbye ba dan lila Jar giiis ka' i mtshan nid can I
I tha dad bstan pa yin yan ni II ston dan giiis med tha dad min I
I 00.
I gzuns rnams dan ni sa rnams dan II sans rgyas pha rol phyin gail
dag I
I de dag byan chub sems kyi char II kun mkhyen rnams kyis gsuns pa
yin I
101.
I Ius nag yid kyis rtag par ni II de !tar sems can don byed pa I
I ston iiid rtsod par smra rnams Ia II chad pa' i rtsod pa nid yod min I
97c de dnos tshogs pa ni B : rj es mthar tshogs pa yis A(C)
98a kyi S : kyis B
lOla rtag par : brtags par B : rtag tu A( b)C
212
95. As long as they have not been admonished by the Buddhas,
the Disciples (.fravaka ) [who are] in a bodily state of cognition (jnana-
kiiyabhava) remain in a swoon intoxicated by concentration (sa-
miidhi).
96. But when [they have been] admonished they are devoted to
living beings (sattva) in various ways. Collecting moral and intellec-
tual provisions (puTJYa}nimasmpbhara) they [finally 1 obtain the en-
lightenment of Buddhas.
97. Since it is the potentiality (viisanii) of both [collections
(slU]'Ibhiira) ], the residues (viisanii) are said to be the seed (bija) [of
bodhi]. That seed [that is] the accumulation of things (bhiivasamiiha)
produces the sprout of life (bhaviiillcura).
98. The instructions of the saviours of the world (lokaniitha)
follows the sway of the resolutions of living beings. They also differ
variously among men due to the different devices (upiiya) [employed
by the Buddhas].
99. [The instruction may differ] due to difference in profundity
and superficiality [and] occasionally it is characterized by being
both. Though it sometimes may differ it is indifferently charac-
terized by emptiness and non-duality.
I 00. Whatever may be the spells (dhiiral)i ), stages (bhumi ) and
perfections (paramita) of the Buddhas, the omniscient (sarvajna)
[Buddhas] have stated that they form a part (aT[lsa) of the bodhicitta.
101. Those who thus always benefit living beings (sattva) by body,
words and mind, advocate the claims of emptiness, not the
contentions of annihilation (ucchedavada}.
96. On puvajniinasa'!'hh.ira, RA, III; BS, passim.
97. Cf. above v. 81.
98-99. Sanskrit quoted Saruadarianasarr1graha {ed. Abhyankar), p. 45 with cobha in
99b and bhinnii hi in 99c. Also in Bhiimati (ed. Sastri ), p. 414 with kila in 9Rd. -
For the idea, MK, XVIII, 8; RA, II, 35.
I 00. For dhara[li, Traiti, p. 1854 sq. - I have not traced the sutra.
101. Cf. above, v. 58.
213
102.
I ' khor ba mya nan ' das pa Ia II bdag iiid che de mi gnas pa I
I de phyir sans rgyas rnams kyis ni II mi gnas mya nan 'das ' dir bsad I
103.
I siii n rje ro gcig bsod nams gyur II ston iiid ro ni mchog gyur pa I
I bdaguan gzan don sgr ubdon du II gail ' thun de dag rgyal sras yin I
104.
I dnos po kun gyis de Ia ' dud II srid pa gsum na rtag mchod 'os I
I sans rgyas gdun ni ' tshob don du II 'j ig rten 'dren pa dedag bzugs I
,...,J<Jr 105.
i. . /(1./wl: I byan chub scms ' di theg chen po II mchog ni yin par bsad pa ste I

...
1
I miiam par gzag pa' i 'bad pa yis II byari chub sems ni. bskyed par
1 gy1s I
J"fr 106.
. .Jv.l' t
I ran dan gzan don bsgrub don du II srid na thabs gzan yod ma yin I
I byan chub sems ni ma gtogs pas II sans rgyas kyis sitar thabs ma
gzigs I
107.
I byan chub sems bskyed tsam gyis ni II bsod nams phun po gan thob
pa I
I gal te gzugs can yin na ni II nam mkha' gail ba las ni lhag I
(
108.
. I skyes bu gail zig skad cig tsam II byan chub sems ni sgom byed pa I
.
1
I de yi bsod nams phun po ni II rgyal ba yis kyan bgran mi spyod I
r!-" (
fi'-'''- 1 09.
1''1' ' :
1
I iion mons med pa' i rin chen sems II ' di ni nor mchog gcig pu ste I
_I iion mons bdud sogs chom rkun gyis II gnod min phrogs par bya ba
.' :r . ) 1 t,U (" min I
102b de (cf. Tattvasarasal[lgralra, 97a) : ste B :om. A
214
102. The magnanimous (mahatman) [bodhisattvasl do not abide
in NirvaQa or Sarpsara. Therefore the Buddhas have spoken of this
as 'the dynamic extinction'
I 03. The unique elixir (ekarasa) of c..ompassion functions as merit
(puT)yabhuta) [but] the elixir of emptiness functions as the highest.
Those who drink it for the sake of themselves and of others, they are
sons of the Hero (jinaputra).
104. Salute these [bodhisattvas] with your entire being (sarva-
bhaua)! They are always worthy of honour in the three worlds
(trailolcya) [for J these guides of the world are trying to represent the
lineage (va7JI}a) of the Buddhas.
l 'J5. [In] Mahayana this bodhicitta is said to be the highest.
[Therefore] you must produce the bodhicitta with determined efforts!
106. [In this] existence (bhava) there is no other means (upaya} for
tht> realisation of one's own and others' interests (svapararthasiddhi).
The Buddhas [at least] have to date seen no means apart from the
bodhicitta!
I 07. Simply by gcneratiP.g the bodhicitta a mass of merit (purzyarasi) is
collected. If it happened to take form it would fill more than the
expanse of space!
I 08. If a person, only for a moment, developed bodhicitta, the mass
of his merit (puvy-:zriiii) not even the J inas could calculate!
109. The most unique jewel is a precious mind (ratnacitta) without
passions (kleia). It cannot be damaged or stolen by such robbers as
passions (kleia) and Mara.
102. Cf. BS, 75 with ref. and G.M. Nagao in L.S. Kawamura (ed.), Bodhi-
sattva Doctrine in Buddhism, Waterloo, Ontario 1981, pp. 61-79.
I 05-109. For similar bodhiciuiinwa11sii, BS, 57 and Bodhicaryavatara, I.
215
110.
I ji !tar ' khor bar sans rgyas dan II byan chub sems dpa'i smon lam
ni I
I mi gyo de ltar blo iiid ni II byan chub sems giol rnams kyis bya I
Ill.
I no mtshar gyis kyan khyed cag gis II ji !tar bsad pa Ia ' bad kyis I
I de rjes kun bzan spyod pa ni II ran iiid kyis ni rtogs par 'gyur I
112.
I rgyal mchog rnams kyis bstod pa'i byan chub sems ni bstod byas
pa'i I
I bsod nams mtshuns med den du bdag gis thob pa gait yin pa I
I de yis srid pa'i rgya mtsho dba' klon nan du nub pa yi I
I sems can rkan giiis dban pos bsten pa'i lam du 'gro bar sog I
II Ob 'khor bar ( sa'!lsara- ) B : sdom pa ( safllvara-) AC
216
110. J ust as the high aspirations (pratJidhima) of Buddhas and
bodhisattvas in sarzzsara are unswerving (acala) thus those who tackle
the bodhicitta must make [their] intell ect (buddhi) [firm].
Ill. No matter how strange [all this seems] you must make efforts
as explained. Thereafter you will personally (svayam) understand
the course (carya) of Samantabhadra!
112. May the living beings (sattva) submerged in the waves of
life's ocean (bhavar7Java) perforce of the incomparable merit I have
now (adya) collected while praising the excellent bodhicitta praised by
the excellent J inas, gain a foothold on the road followed by the
Leader of bipeds (dvipcidendra)!
110. lnpiuia a A and C apparently read sa'!lvaro (sdom pa) against B's sa'!!Sare
('khor bar).
Il l. This refers to Samantabhadra's celebratedprauidluinas. For Bhadracaryapraf)i-
dhana (or Bltadracatipra1Jidhanaraja) v. EOB, II, pp. 632-638.- I do not think
that the commentary ascribed to Nagarjuna (TP, No. 5512) is authentic.-
For a modern edition of the verses see e.g. J. P. Asmussen, The Khotanese
Bltadracaryadeiana: Text, translation, and glossary, toget/tn: with the Buddhist Sanskrit
original, K0benhavn 1961. - Cf. also SS, 247 b.
112. The final verse forms a cf. 60; CS, III, 59; BS, 165 etc.
217
XII. Suhrllekha (SL)
While not a single Sanskrit fragment seems to have survived of the
123 arya,gitis in which Suhrllekha was originally composed, it is,
however, available in no less than three Chinese translations
(Taisho, XXXII, Nos. 1672-1674), a Tibetan (TP, No. 5409, cf.
No. 5682 which is a duplicate with a few important variants) and a
very good commentary (TP, No. 5690) corresponding to its name
Vyaktapada Suhrllekhafika by a certain Mahamati.
181
I have only come across one quotation in Indian fastras from SL.
It occurs in Candrakirti's Catui;Satakalika (TP, No. 5266), Yafol.
ll3b} without indication of source. It is v. 43. That SL is so seldom
cited is perhaps not surprising when one looks at its content. It is
mainly concerned with an exposition of the ethics of a layman and
was, incidentally, addressed to a certain king called bDe spyod (cf.
Jika, toe. cit., 325a) perhaps to be identifi<!d with Gautamiputra
Satakan:t"i of the Satavahana dynasty.
182
There can be no doubt that the author is a devotee of Mahayana
- he speaks of sugatapratima (2), the six. paramitii (8), Avalokitdvara
( 120) and Amitabha ( 121 ). On the other hand the theory offi11ryata
is hardly mentioned (but sec 40, 49) and the dialectics of prajna
known from MK etc. do not occur. But this is only what we would
expect from an author who adheres to the Mahayana ideal of upaya-
kauialya (see BS, 6, 17 etc.; BV, 98-99). Thus it shows great similar-
ity to BS, SS and certain parts of RA, without, however, actually
181. Apart from several partial versions three complete English ones are known to
me: L. Kawamura, Colden Zephyr: I'IIStructio'IISjrom a Spiritual Friend, Emery-
ville 1975, and Ven. Lozang jamspal et.al., Nii,s:arjuna's Letter to King
Cautamlputra, Delhi 1978. They supersede the pioneer version of H.
Wenzel: 'Friendly Epistle',JPTS (1886), pp. 1-32. Further bibliographical
information Kawamura, loc.cit., pp. 114-117. (Dr. S. Dietz is now preparing a
critical edition of Tib.} For a Danish version (from Tibetan) see lndiske
Studier I.
182. For the identity of this king, Kawamura, loc.cit., p. 4 (ref.}; dejong, II}, XX,
p. 137. Also n. 71 above. Recently S. Dietz, Die buddhistische Brief
literatur lndu'IIS, Bonn 1980, I, pp. 36-39.
218
1 "'' t the dharmadtiana given in those texts.
S I. is written in a straightforward and pleasing styl e.
183
Though
I tlwtan commentators have taken great pai ns to detect some subtle
of composition, there is, in my opinion, none such to be
'""''d.
1114
As is often the case with Nagarjuna a progressive compo-
. t ltllll is not to be expected. But surely there is a unity of thought: all
lll tnt;ttl endeavours are subsumed under one headi ng, viz. the desire
'"' nl case from the round of rebirth ( c I 04). This, as we have seen
"' R.-\, is achievt:d by fulfilling And, to put it
I I idl y, SL is concerned with the puQYasarrzbhara of a grhapati ac-
' oll'(ling to the teachings of the ancient agamas.
There being several modern versions ofSL I shall merely attempt
111 point out some parallels in Nagarj una's other works and identify
"11nc of the canonical sources upon which SL proves to be depen-
dC'nt ( cf. 2: ' ... nag 'di nanyan dam chos brjod la hrten ... ') for its very rich
!eThnical inventory.
18
5
1-3 form an exhortation to study the Dharma so as to aspire for
fmTJ_va. T he Dharma comprises-
4: SiX anusmrti, viz. buddha,
0
dhanna,
0
SOTJ!gha,
0
tyaga,
0
fi/a
0
and
t!l'lml(musmrti, sec ref. BHSD, p. 36; CPO, s.v. anussati etc.
S: ten kuialakarmapatha, viz. abstention frompra'!atipata, adattadana,
f..timamithyacara; mrfaVada, paiSuf!)avQda, pa:"lj)'OVada, S01[lbinnapra/apa;
nhhidllJa, vyapada and mithyadrf!i, cf. RA, I , 7-9; XVI I, II; Vimala-
Airtinirdeia, p. I I 8, n. 73 for canonical ref. - T o these ten art> also added
wnadyapana and svajiva in RA, I , 8; cf. Traite, p. 771 ; 816.
6: cf. RA, ibid.: danam adarat, and on the nature, k$elra and effect
1113. Or, to quote the celebrated words of his Chi nese rranslator, 1-tsing (tr.
Takakusu, op.cit. , pp. 159-160): 'The beauty oft he writing is striking, and his
exhortations as to the right way are earnest. His ki ndness excels that of
kinship, and the purport of the epistle is indeed manifold ... '
1114. See Mi pham's and Sa skya scholastic and elaborate 'tables of
content' in Kawamura, loc.cit., pp. 96-1 13.
1115. Only very few allusions or quota tions were traced to their canonical sources
by Wenzel. As a rule the Tibetan commentators were either ignorant of
Nagarjuna's sources (most of them never having been translated into
Tibetan), or (being devout Buddhists) simply not inclined to assess their
sacred texts from a hi storical point of view. To a very wide extent this is also
the case with Indian commentators of the Madhyamaka lineage. These
circumstances tend to obscure how 'traditional' Nagarjuna really was when
composing SL, BS etc.
219
of dimaparamita in general Traiti, pp. 650-769; Danaparikatha, TP, No.
5661.
7: this verse (quoted Guenther (1959), p. 164) describes Elapara-
mita in general ( cf. Traiti, pp. 770-864) whereas 5 specified it. Also
Pra'(lidhanasaptati, 24; Madhyamalcavatara, pp. 32-45.
8: the six paramitas, viz. dana,
0
Ela,
0
Virya,
0
dhy1lna
0
and
prajizilparamita, see RA, I, 12; II, 25; I V, 80-82; BS, passim; Traiti,
pp. 650-1113; Har Dayal (1932), pp. 165-269; Guenther (1959), pp.
148-231.
9: a ref. to the sabrahmakani ku/ani of Anguttara, I, p. 132 etc.
10-11: for the Traiti, p. 825 sq.; Anguttara, IV, p.
248 sq. (rep. Traiti, p. 828); BHSD, s.v. upofadha; CPO, s.v. aJ/hangu-
posatha. - kamavacaradeva, DharmasaT[Igraha, 127.
12: the eight dharmas (!ika, 333b) are matsarya, iathya, maya,
sanga? (chags pa), tandri? (moms las), kaufidya (or alasya, le lo), raga,
dvefa, cf. similar lists of faults RA,"V, 3 sq.; BS, l47etc. - The five
kinds of madn, viz. kula,
0
rV.pa, o iruta, o yauvana
0
and mahabhagamadn?
(dban than che ba), are known from e.g. Abhidharmadipa, p. 307; 27 kinds
Vibhanga, p. 350; cf. PED, s.v. mada.
13-14: the celebrated verse on apramadn (pramada listed as an upakleia,
cf. p. 167) is quoted in extenso by the !ika (326b) with sada (foryatha)
inpada d: Udanavarga, IV, I etc. etc.- For Nanda etc. v. PPN s.s.v.
15: ref. to Dhammapada, XIV, 6 (cf. Bodhicaryavatara, VI , 2). Also
PED, s.v. khanti and Traite, pp. 865-926 on kantiparamita. SuraT[Iga-
masamadhi, p. 15 7 on avaivartikatva, i.e. the eighth bhumi, Acala,
characterized by Also BS, 21, 23
etc. -(ika quotes a sima, q.v. (335b) , not traced.
16: Udanavarga, X IV, 9 etc. (this is sattvalcfanti, cf. Traiti, p. 865).
17: this verse (which all transl. seem to have misunderstood not
seeing that sems = sems can!) refers to Anguttara, I, p. 283: pasarJalekhu-
pamo puggalo, pa(havilekhupamo puggalo, udalcalekhupamo puggalo.
18: these three persons - guthabha'l}i, pupphabhaT)i and madhubhiu}i-
are described Anguttara, I, p. 128, q.v. (Kern's emendation to

for gutha
0
cf. PED, p. 253, is not supported by Tib. mi gtsan).
19: again a ref. to Anguttara, II, p. 85. Aryadeva also alludes to this
in Catul;.iataka, VII, 16, q.v.
20: the four ambupama puggata occur Anguttara, II, p. 107.
21: the Jika first ref. to a sutra: btsun pa bud med Ia ji /tar bsgrub par
bgyi i..es gsol ba dan I kun dga' bo mi ltas so ... , cf. Digha, II, p. 141, and
220
tlwu quotes another sutra (not identified) instructing
""" to look upon women (337a); cf. RA, II, 48, sq .
.''.1: the Jika ref. to: sems dul bas ni bde ba 'thob, cf Dhammapada, III,
:, tc., and PED, p. 267. - On the dangers of kamasukha see e.g.
I .d, ttwi.rtara cited Sik[ii.samuccaya, p. 204.
't l : possibly inspired by the Saddharmasmrtyupasthanasiltra, see Ka-
" "nura's trans!. p. 25. The form kimpaka (not, as here, kimpa) is
I ''"'d in PrajMdarpfa, 204.
:?4: cf e.g. Dhammapada, VI II, 4.
:?:1: see Anguttara, IV, p. 386; Traite, p. 1154.
16: for the leper (kUfthin) see Majjhima, I, p. 506. Also in Catu{ziata-
A,,, III, 14, q.v.
17: important verse suggesting that only paramarthadariana (i.e.
lln_yatadariana) can destroy the kleias and thus karma and janma, cf.
\ 1K, XVII I, 5; XXVI, 11 etc.
28: on .fila andjnana (= tattvajniina) cf. BS, 157; Catu{ziataka, XII,
II; Dhammapada, XVI, 9 (here dassana =
29: the eight lokadharma, BS, 20 (with ref.); 117.
:w: similar warning against 'nepotism' (sa1[Zvibhaga) e.g. in
11/laka, IV, 24; Narakoddharastaoa, 4.
31: on karma cf. Guenther ( 1959), p. 74 sq.
32: the seven dhana, viz. iraddhil (cf. RA, I, 5),.fila (above, 5 and 7),
hri, apatrapya, fruta, tyaga and prajna, see CPO, s.v. ariyadhana.
33: these are the cha bhoganal'[l apayamukhani of Digha, III, p. 182,
q.v.
34: seems to allude to Dhammapada, XV, 8 etc.: sal'{ltuHhi parama1(1
dhanaf!1.
35: the source of this legend about thenagaraja has not been traced.
36: the three kinds of wives to be avoided, Anguttara, IV, p. 92.
37: the four kinds of wives to be revered, ibid., p. 92.
38: this passage on a bhikkhu bhojant mattannu seems to be inspired by
.1nguttara, I, p. 114, q.v.
39: one should be awake in five of the six watches of the day and
night, see Anguttara, I, p. 114, on a bhikkhu jiigariyam anuyutto. Cf.
Dhammapada, XII, I.
40: on the four aprama1Ja, viz. maitri, karu1Ja, mudita and also
called the four brahmavihara, see RA, I, 24; Traiti, pp. 1239-1273.
41 : on the four dhyana, RA, ibid.; Traite, pp. 1233-1238.
42: when karma is based on rtag pa, mnon par zen pa, gizen po med pa
221
and two viz. yon tan dan /dan pa and phon 'thgs pa it brings a great
result, kuiala or akuiala (see {ika, 345b).
43: see Anguttara, I, p. 250 for this simile.
44: on the five nivara!la, viz. kamacchanda, vyapada, styanamiddha,
auddhatyakaukrtya and vicikitsa, RA, V. 30-33; BHSD, p. 311 ; Dharma-
dhatustava, 18-19; Traiti, p. I 0 13.
45: the five bala or indriya, viz. Jraddha, v'irya, smrti, samiuihi and
prajria, see BS, 97; Traiti. pp. 1125-1127. The {ika, perha ps by way
of anachronism, relates these five to the four degrees of the prayoga-
mar_ga, viz. murdhan, k[anti a nd laukikagradharma.
46: here rgyags (mada, see An,guttara, II I, pp. 71-75, its source) is
nearly a synonym of allaT{lkara, cf. Catui)Jataka, I V pasJim.
47: good karma leads to svarga but .fiinyata is conducive to mokfa,
sec RA, I, 43-45.
48: the four .rmrtyupasthana, viz. kaya
0
, vedana
0
, citta
0
, and dharmamr-
tyupasthima serve to destroy the four vipary{ua, viz. Juci
0
, sukha
0
, nitya
0
and (llmaviporyizsa, see Traiti, pp. 1150 sq. wi th ref.
49: a canonical allusion (e.g. SaT[!)'Utta, III , p. 44) for the Sanskrit
of which sec Prasannapada, p. 355.
50: the skandhas arc created by avidya etc. (see MK, XVII, 28;
XXVI), not by any other cause such as !svara etc. (see the intro-
duction to Akutohha_ya, TP, No. 5229, 34a: ... dban phyug dan I slcyes bu
dan I .tta dan I dus da1i I ran bi:.in dan I nes pa dan I :P,Yur ba dan I rdu/
pllran gri rgyus ... ; cf. I, 2: svabhavo niyatir
yadrrcha bhutani puru!a iti ... '.
5 1: the three SOTfiYI!iana, viz. vicikitsa and iilauratapara-
mar.fa, sec ref. PED, p. 656.
52: the lour satya must be culdvated with Jruta, fila and dhyana, i. e.,
I assume, with fila, samadhi and prajiia (viz. Jrutamay'i, cintamay'i and
bllavanamayi, c DharmasaT{lgraha, 110).
53: the three iikia (adhifila, adhicitta and adhiprajiia, c( BHSD, p.
527) comprise all the rules of 'diyarjtJhasiklcltiJ.padasata', v.
Anguttara, I, p. 230.
54: on the four smrJyupasthana, Traite, pp. 1121 -1 123; 1150 sq.
55: allusion to anitye nityam iti viparyasa, cf. v. 48 above; Traiti, pp.
925, 1076; MK, XXIII; Catub.Jataka, I.
56: also ref. to aJucau i ucir iti viparyasa, cf. ibid.
57: this re to Anguttara, IV, pp. 100-103, q.v.
58: sar.nsara without sara, e.g. Dharmadhatustava, 15. - For the
222
c,,ftlfi,kandha, R.A, II, I; 27; PED, p. 185.
for the mahimJavayugacchidrakurmagrivarpar;wpama, Majjhima, II I,
1 " ' ' : Therigatha, 500; also Paizjika, p. 9; SatapaizcOJatka, 5; Saddharma-
/'llll(f,trika, p. 463, etc.
r,n: the simile of the *suvarr;apatra also occurs in CatulJ.j'ataka, II ,
' I . ' f.V. See also Traiti, p. 1674.
1
d : t his refers to the four calera, see Anguttara, II , p. 32.
h'2: seems to refer to SaT(!yutta, I, pp. 87-89, q.v. Cf. BS, 141.
t,'l-()4: the eight akjaf]O, Vimalakirtinirdda, p. I 18, n. 71 (ref.); RA,
I II . 117.
h rt: ace. tO the commentary (356a) smrzsaradOffl is Sevenfold: ;leS pa
,,,.,f jHI (see 66), h/Jms mi SCS pa (see 67), fusyan danyan du 'dor na (68),
,.,:,i dnn yan du izin mtshams sbyor ba (68) ,yan dan yan du mtho dman gyi no
,.,,. , t; rur pa (69 sq.) ,grogs med pa izid (76), and 'gro ba drug pa (77 sq.).
li!i: in general, Sal'/ryutta, II, p. 178 sq.
h7: this simile occurs Sawutta, II, p. ISO.
fill: ibid., p. 185 and p. l79.
hq- 1 03: foliowing is a description - yathagnmam - of the rcpcateJ
. <!nd descent through !aqgati (69-75) and an account of the
":llirings of the various hells. Traite, pp. 95 1-968 (with ref. ) forms a
olctailt>d commentary to this. Sec also Guenther ( 1959), pp. 55-73.
104: a reminiscence of Anguttara, IV, p. 320, q.v. See also BS, 21
wi 1 h note.
105: fila, snmadhi and prajiza sum up the ( cf. above
,._ :>2). For the description ofnirvar;ta see Udana, pp. 80-81.
I 06: the seven bodhyanga, Traite, p. I 128.
I 07: here dhyana and prajiza apparentl y correspond to .iamatha and
1i!Ja.fyana, cf. Anguttara. II, p. 157.- The simile gopade udaka is also
<"a nonical, e.g. Anguttara, III, p. 188.- Dhammapada, XXV, 13.
I 08: on caturdaiavyakrtavastu, MK, XXII, I 2 (Prnsa.nnapada, p.
146); Traite, p. 154; May (1959), p. 278, n. 1015; CPO, s.v.
I 09-111: here the author merely propounds the canonical version
of the dvadaianga (e.g. PED, p. 394 for ref.), but in MK, XXVI and
PK he offers two current interpretations.
112: allusion toSalistambasutra (ed. Sastri), p. I (cf. Majjhima, I, p.
190). See also svavrtti ad VV, 54; MK, XXIV, 40.
113-115: the four aryasarya, see e.g. May (I 959) , pp. 206-250 with
ref.
116: for the interpretation of this verse see MK, XVIII, 12; CS,
223
II, 15. I have not traced the similes.
117: like RA, IV, 73 this refers to Dhammapada, I, I etc.
118-123: a final exhortation to practise the Dharma not only as
prescribed in the agamas but also along the lines of Mahayana as is
obvious from the ref. to pu7J.Janumodana (cf. BS, 51-52; RA, V, 67),
Avalokitesvara (cf. EOB, II, pp. 407-415), Amitabha (cf. RA, III,
99), the paramitas and parirzamana (cf. BS, 53; RA, IV, 90).- The
canonical passage for nirvaT)a as saT(!jnamatra ( cf. {ika, 376a) occurs
e.g. Prasannapada, p. 389; $at/do.rianasamuccaya (ed. Suali), p. 46;
PaitcaskandhaprakararJa (my ed.), p. 22.
[Additional note: SL, 55 and 104 are quoted in Dodhibhadra's Samadhisarrrl>hiira-
pariuarta, TO, No. 3924, Kifol. 85b.}
224
II. *Bodhisarpbhara[ka] (BS)
ll wl'ltli zi lian.t: lim, or simply BodhisaT[!bhara[ka),
I..-longs to that group of texts ascribed to Nagaij una which is only
,,Ltnt in a Chinese version. It is accompanied by a commentary
'oll ti(>OSed by a certain Bi qiu zi zai, l svara, or more likely,
,, , .. Both texts (Taisho, XXXII, No. 1660, 517b-541b)
"'n translated by Dharmagupta between 605 and 616 A. D.
\Jc.ithcr the Sanskrit original nor a Tibetan version is extant, at least
111 1 he Tanjur. Howevet , the fact that the scope of BS was known to
1\n-ston (' ... rah byun gi spyod pa gtso bor slon pa Byan chub kyi tshogs ... ' )
tt'tHit-rs it probable that a Tibetan version may have existed - and
pnhaps still does.
1
R6
The external evidence is provided by two quotations from Nagar-
juna's ' Byan chub kyi tshogs', *Bodhisa1'{!bhara (44) in Candraklrti's
(.'atuljJataka{ika (TP, No. 5266, Yajol. 103a) .
187
I have also come
across a quotation from BS (26) in Asvabhava's Mahayanasa1'{!graho-
fmnihandhana (TP, No. 5552, Lifo/. 329b).
188
Moreover an early date of BS is ensured by the fact that BS is
quoted in the of which a Chinese version from
ca. 408 still exists, whereas an earlier one (by from
ca. 265 is lost. In bot h cases Nagarjuna was held to be the
;tUthor.
189
The subject matter of BS is the same as that of the third pariccMda
of RA, i.e. bodhisaT[!bhara but the manner in which the author of BS
handles his 'endless' topic (3) differs. Clearly these expositions are
intended to be complementary to one another. -Though a Chinese
186. Otherwise Bu-ston may have based his description on Indian oral tradition.
Anyhow, one or two quotations would not warrant any such generally correct
classification of BS. - There is a Japanese translation of BS, v. Nakamura
( 1977), p. 83, n. 39 (not seen). In the West BS has virtually remained
unnoticed.
187. For the other quotation see v. 64 (with note).
188. Sec p. 231.
189. Cf. Ramanan, op.eit., p. 340, n. 61; Vimalakirtinirdeia, p. 76.
lS Nagarjuniana
225
version of a iost Sanskrit original is by no means an ideal starting-
point for a description of the author' s style, one cannot, however,
fail to notice that BS bears great resemblance not only to RA but
also to SL: The author desires to expose his subject strictly ;athaga-
mam - and so he does. Without in any way disavo,ving abstruse
points such as i unyata etc. he takes pains not to deler adikarmikas by
indulging too much in such matters. Again the style is not en-
with philosophical arguments or abstract accounts. Here,
as in SL- not to mention SS - the author shows a predilection for
numeri c::d !ists of various wholesome or unwholesome dlzannas.
Finally one may observe the many drHantas adduced by t he author.
\4ost, if110t all of:h<-m arc taken out oft he canonical script ures: in the
cascofSL mainly from theagamas (Dirgha etc.), in thecaseofBS mainly
from various Mahayanasutras but certainly also from the ancient
agamas.
In the sequel I have ventured to offer a translation of the Chinese
version of BS. Without dilating upon the difficulties and uncertain-
ties inherent in such a task in general I shall only emphasize that
my main objective has been to come as close as p0Ssible to the
original Sanskrit underlying the idiosyncrasies of the Chinese.
Though Eric Grinstead has rendered precious support in rebus sinicis
I expect - and hope - that other scholars will some day be able to
improve my work in various ways.
190
The following abstract is intended to facilitate the understanding
of BS as a whole:
The text. is addressed to bodhisattvas, i.e. to pravrajitas and grha-
sthas devoted to Mahayana ( 165). The subject matter is, as indicated
by the very title, the equipments, or collections for enlightenment
(bodhisaTflbhara) (I), as they have been proclaimed in various sutras of
the Mahayana. ThoughbodhisaT[Ibhara isananta it may conveniently be
placed under two main headings (see RA., III, l2-13),puwa- andjnana-
saTflbhara respectively resulting in the attai nment of a riipa- and a
dhannakaya i.e. in a buddhakaya. Though prajna ( consti tutingjnanasa1}'l-
bhara} is the most important saTflbhara (5-7) it does in fact only play a
subordinate role within the body of BS (see especially 19, 28-29,
190. A particular debt of gratitude is due to Prof. de Jong who went carefully
through the version which I myself and Dr. Grinstead had already revised
thoroughly at least four times. (Finally Prof. S. Egerod, Copenhagen, also
offered some remarks.)
226
40, 63ff. , 96, 149, 153). It is reasonable to suppose that a bhajana
would have to refer to MK. also called Prajna, though, to be sure,
BS never refers to any other of the author's works. The great major-
ity of verses are devoted to an exposition of the other five paramitiis,
viz. dana, fila (parartham, ace. to RA, IV, 81 ), k[imti, uirya (svartham,
ibid. ) and dhya11a (which ace. to RA, ibid., together with prajna is
mo4artham). A bodhisattva's fundamental attitude towards all other
living beings (sattva) is one of karuT)ii and upayakauJalya. Thus all
virtues (t!UTJa ) apart from dhyana and prajna may be classified as
various kinds of puT).JaSal[lbhara. Obviously there is really no end to
the multifarious forms a bodhisattvacarya devoted to these ideals may
take. Suffice it to mention that the main topics treated under this
broad heading in BS are saT{lgrahavaslu, daiabhumi (above all the
sixth, Abllimukhi, and the eighth, Acala; cf. RA, V, 41-61 for the full
list), bodhicittotpadavidhi, mahapuru!alakjaT)Q (extensively treated RA,
II , 74-1 00, q. v.), sattvaparipacana, puja, dharmadesana, sravakapratyeka-
bhumipraha'{la, etc. etc.
For further details I must refer to the notes and BS itself.
227
The [two] collections for enlightenment
(Bodhisarpbhara)
I. Now in the presence of the Buddhas I fold my hands (anjali) and
bow my head. I intend to explain - according to tradition (yatha,ga-
mam) - a Buddha's collections for enlightenment (bodhisa1J!bhara).
(517b 10)
2. How is it possible to explain without omission the collections
for enlightenment (bodhi), [for] the Buddhas are the only ones who
individually obtain infinite (ananta) enlightenment (bodhi)! (517c 14)
3. The body (kaya) of a Buddha has infinite qualities (anantagur.za ).
The [twoJ collections for enlightenment constitute the basis (mula) .
Therefore the collections for enlightenment do not have any fi nal
limit ei ther. (517c 24)
4. I can only explain a small part of these [two collections]. - I
praise (vand-) the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas. All the bodhisatt-
vas etc. I revere (puj-) successively to the Buddhas. ( 518a II)
5. Since [perfecti on of wisdom] is the mother ofbodhisattvas it is
also the mother of Buddhas. Perfection of wisdom (prajiiaparamita) is
the foremost (prathama) collection for enlightenment. (518c 3)
6. Perfection of wisdom is the mother of bodhisattvas. Skill in
means (upayakau.Salya) is their father, and compassion (karur.za) is
their daughter. (519a 24)
I. With 'according to tradition' Nagarjuna here, as it) RA, SS etc. , not only has
Mahayanasiitras in mind but also the ancient siitra-collections. - Note that
RA, Ill has the title *Bodhisa'flbhiira and that it treats the same subject
though it hardly ever overlaps the account given in the present work.
3. For buddMkiiya see Vimalakirtinirdt.ia, p. 138-14{); Samiidhirajasutra, XXII. -
Strictly speaking Nagarjuna acknowledges a rupakiiya due to anantapu.TJyasaT[I
bhiira, and adharmakiiya due toanantajniinasa'!lbhiira, see RA Ill, 9-13; Y ~ , 60.
4. Vandana and pujana form a part of the anuttarapujii, cf. note to BS, 48.
5. Prajnaparamitii is often called ' mother of Buddhas', cf. Murti, op. cit., p. 277;
Prajnapiiramitastotra. - I n RA l , 5 prajna is pradhana compared to iraddhii, a
theme elaborated SS, 175b 3-178a 3 according to the Tathagataguhya-,
* Vimatisamudghiita-, Sraddhiibaladhiiniivataramudrasutra, BodhisattvapiJaka, Can-
dragarbhaparivarta, Sagaraniigariijapariprcchii and Tathiigatagu.7Jajnaniicintyavi-
iayiivataranirdeia.sutra. Sraddha in bu.ddhadeiana is realized in piiramitiicarya, etc.
6. For a definition ofupayakau.ialya, see v. 17; also Har Dayal (1932) pp. 248 IT;
Vimalakirtinirdeia, p. 116; SS, 243b 7-246a 3.- Correct rin in pada b to d ng.
228
i. < :hari ty (dana), morality (fila), patience energy (virya),
'' lllt't' (dlryiina) and the rest (ie$a) beyond these five [perfections) are
oil due to wisdom (prajnii) and comprised by [this! piiramitii.
d 'lh21 )
11. Creal compassion (mahiikarur;za) penetrates into the marrow of
II,.. hone (asthimajjan ). It is the support of all living beings (sarva-
"'1/tizirayabhuta). Like [the love of a} father for his only son (ekaputra)
11,.. tenderness [of a Buddha] pervades everything. (525c 24)
'1. If one thinks of the Buddha' s virt ues (gur;za ) and listens to the
n1iracles (rddhi) of the Buddha [this creates] love, joy, a feeling [of
t tppinessJ and purity. This is called great joy (mahiimuditii ).
o'!lia 13)
I 0. As far as living beings are concerned a bodhisattva must not
dtsnt or abandon them. He should, to the best of his abili ty, at all
t lfllt'S take care (saT[Igralz-) of them. (526b II)
I I . From the very beginning [of his career] a bodhisattva ought -
111 accordance with available strength - to be skilled in the means of
,onverting people so that they may enter Mahayana. (526b 17)
12. One may convert beings fas numerous as] the grains of sand
on the Ganges (gangaviilukii ) so that they obtain sainthood (arhat-
fdlflla ), but to convert one [single person] to Mahayana- that creates
merit (puV'a)! (526b 24)
13. Some [persons] are instructed according to Sravakayana and
l'ratyekabuddhayana. Because of their weak powers (mandabala)
they are not fi t for conversion [to Mahayana]. (526c 6)
14. Those who are not fit for conversion either to Sriivakayana, Pra-
tyckabuddhayana, or to Mahayana must be assigned to meritorious
tasks (puQyakriyavastu). (526c 12)
7. For piiramita see also RA, IV, 80.82; V, 35-39; Traiti , pp. 650.1111.
R. For mahiikarutJii see Traiti, lll, pp. 1705-1717. For the common image of
asthimajjan, see ibid., p. 2230, n. I; Har Dayal (1932), p. 24.
9. The buddhaguva are daJabala, the four vaisiiradya, the four pratisa'!wid and the
eighteen iivetJikadharma, exhaustively treated in Traiti , pp. 1505-1707. On
rddhi, ibid., pp. 329-330; 381-385. Muditii is the third ibid., pp.
1239-1273; mahamudita, ibid., p. 1709, n. See also ibid., pp. 1340-1361 on
buddhanusmrti.
14. There are three pupyakriyavaslu (dana, fila, bhiivanii ), Traiu, pp. 2245-2260.
229
15. If people are [utterly] unfit to receive conversion [conducive
toj heaven (svarga) and liberation (molcia), tht> n by advantages in
this world (duJa/okahita) [a bodhisattvaj must attract them in ac-
cordance with this power. (526c 20)
16. Towards people who cannot possibly be induced to conver-
sion a bodhisattva should generate great compassion (mahiikarul)a).
He must not discard them! (526c 28)
17. Attracting with gifts (danasarfll;raha), teaching the Dharma
(dharmadt>iana), also listening to the teaching of the Dharma, and
also practising acts of benefit to others (parahita ) - tht:se are skilful
means (upayakau.ialya) of attracting [others]. (527a 5)
18. While he benefits living beings without being tired and with-
out carelessness (apramada) [a bodhisattva] expresses his aspiration
for enlightenment (bodhipra'f)idhana ): To benefi t others is to benefit
oneselfl (527a 14)
19. By entering the profound foundation of phenomena (gambhlra-
dharmadhatu), exempt and separate from conceptual constructions
(vikalpa), entirely without effort (yatna), all matters are spontaneous-
ly (svayam) abandoned. (527a 22)
20. Profit (labha), reputation (ya.fas), honours (praSat[tsa) and
pleasure etc. (sukhadi) are four things one should not be attached to.
In the opposite ones [viz. alabha etc.] one should not become em-
broiled (apratigha): this is called {worldly] reuunciation (ryaga).
(527b 5)
21. As long as he has not obtained the Irreversible [stage] (auai-
vartika) a bodhisattva should, for the sake of enlightenment (bodhi )
perform these actions as zealously (prayatnatal}) as if his headdress
(iirobhiqa'f)a) was on fire. (527b 12)
15. I.e. these people neither perform good karma which results in rebinh in
svarga, nor do they attain thatjiiana which amounts to molr.fa; cf. RA, I, 43.
19. The wordgambhiraJharma (i.e.pratityasamutpada) is explained Traiti, pp. 337-
338; 396 (- the verse quoted here 107a 11-12 is surely MK, XXIV, 18).
Otherwise only a few stanzas in BS refer directly to iim.Jala, see especially
28-29 and 64.
20. Here the author refers to /olr.aJharmatyaga, cf. Vimalalr.irtinirdtia, p. I 08, n. 50.
For other kinds oftyaga, Traiti, pp. 1413-1419.
21. The image iirobhiifa1J4 (or i iraicaila) is canonical, cf. Upatipariprccha, p. 114,
n. I; SL, 104; Sura'f'gamasamadhi, p. 212, n. 217; BHSD, s.v. adiptaiiraicailo-
pama. -The eighth bodhisallvabhumi (i.e. Aca/a) is also called avaivartilr.a (or
avivartya), see RA, V, 55; Sura'f'gamasamadhi, p. 120, n. 5; pp. 208-210; Traiti,
pp. 243-245; 1502, n. 3; 1804.
230
22. Thus all the bodhisattvas while seeking enlightenment (hodhi)
h;t\e energy (virya), without rest, for they shoulder a heavy burdeu
'hltara.). (527b 27)
23. When he has not yet produced great compassion (mahalraru!fii)
tnd patience (kj(mti) although hi.' may have acquired the lrre-
\Trsible (avaiuartil:a) a bodhisattva would become like a mortal by
h:ing careless (527c 4-)
24. Ifhe enters the Sravaka- and Pratyekabuddhabhumis then he
hecomes a mortal. It is because the roots of the knowledge of de-
liverance of the bodhisattvas are cut (527c I I)
25. Even if he fell into hell (niraya) a bodhisattva would not
lwcornes a mortal. It is because the roots of the knowledge of deliver-
alice (mok!qjiianamula) of the bodhisattva are cut off. (527c 21}
26. While fa lling into hell (niraya) does not afford an absolute
hindrance (atyantav(t:hna) to bod hi, _it is in fact an absolute hindrance
to fall into the lands of the Sriivakas and Pratyekabuddhas.
(527c 25)
27. Just as it is said that people who love life (iiyu{l) are afraid to
lave their head cut off (fir[accluda) {thusJ the lands (bhiimi) of the
Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas ought to evoke similar fP.ar.
(.'>28a 4)
28. fThe anutpadakianti consists in seeing everything as] unborn
(arwtpanna), undcstruc ted (aniruddha), neither unborn nor undc-
structed, neither bod1 nor neither, nc:itherempty (.fiitrya) nor non-empty
(aiiinya). (528a I I )
29. When one docs not swerve from the Middle View (madhyama-
dar.fana) with regard to a ny phenomenon (dharma ) whatsoever, tht're
is acceptance [of the fact that things arej unborn (anutpadakjimti ),
because all ideas (uikalpa ) are eliminated. (528a 22)
26. This verse is quoted (without indication of source) in Asvabhava's Mahaya
nasaT[Igrahopanibandhana, 329b l -2: dmyal bar 'gro ba byan chub Ia JJ gtan du bge,s:s
bytd ma yin zyi JJ ran saris 'l!,yas lcyi sa dan ni JJ iian thos sa dag bgegs byed do I J.
27. Siitra-quotation not traced (Saddharmasmr("yupasthana?}.
28. For anutpiida etc. sec above all Vimalakirtinirdeia, pp. 41-43. Apparently this
verse is quoted (but not identified) in Traiti, p. 327 (97b 27-29. The lines
ibid., arc, of course, themarigala.ilokau ofMK, c[ Traiti, p. 326). What
remains of p'ii.da d apparently occurs 97c l as kong fii kong!
29. All this is only suggested here: one must turn to MK, SS etc. for details.
231
30. As soon as you have obtained this conviction (k1anti) at that
very moment you receive the prediction (l!)liikarar;za ). You certainly
will become a Buddha once you have obtained the Irreversible.
(528b 2)
3 L C ntil (yavat) a bodhisattva attains the stage of Presence (abhi-
mukki) he should strengthen his sama,dhi and ought not to become
careless (pramatta). (528c 13)
32. The [sixth bhumij, the abhimukhz-stage of a [future] Buddha is
steadfast concentration. This is the father of a bodhisattva [and]
great compassion (mahakarur;ta) is his mother. (529a I)
33. Perfection of wisdom (prajnaparamita ) is his mother and [skill
inj means (upaya) is his father. Because they [respectively] generate
and sustain, the term 'bodhisattva's parents' is employed. (529a 10)
3+. A small-scale quantity of merit (puvyarii.fi) cannot bring about
enlightenment (bodlli). By collecting a quantity of merit the size of a
hundred Sumerus one brings it about. (529a 17)
35. Even though [a bodhisattva] performs slight merit (puT).ya) it
[must] on the other hand be expedient (sopaya). He must produce a
support (alamba) for all living beings [thinking,] (529b 6)
36. Ali the actions I perform shall always be lor the benefit of the
li vi ng beings (sattva} ! - Who can measure the merit of' an intention
like this? (529b 17)
37. to cherish one's own family, or one's body, life (ftva) or
riches (dhana), not to covet pleasures (sukha) and power (ai.fvarya), or
the world (loka) of Brahma and the other gods (deva), (529b 26)
38. Not to covet nirvar;za, but to act for the sake of living beings-
this is precisely (eva) to care for t he living beings. - Who can
measure this merit? (529c 2)
39. To save and protect a world lacking support and protection
from suffering and pain - who can measure the merit (purga) of
entertaining such intentions? (529c 12)
40. To possess the perfection of wisdom (prqjnaparamita) for one
month or for several months as [intensively as] when mi lking a cow
for a short time - who can measure the merit? ( 529c 19)
30. For see the commentary translated in a valuable note in Siiral]'l-
gamasamiidhi, p. 203.
31. For the sixth l>humi (Abhimukhi) , RA, IV, 51 (- follows Dalabhiimika, q.v.);
Traiti, pp. 2418-2420; Har Dayal, op.cit., p. 289.
33. Cf. BS, 6.
232
II . To recite for oneself and to teach others the profound
. 11pturcs praised by the Buddha, and to explain the various
,,w.111ings (artlw) - this is called a mass of merit (puTJyarasi ).
'.
1
'1c 26)
1'2. By causing innumerable beings (sattva) to turn their minds to
nlit.:lllenment (bodhi ) the store of merit (pUQYakosa) will excel even
"'"n so that one will obtain the Immovable stage (ocala bhiimi).
,ma 6)
t:t To follow [the Buddha] and to tum the victorious dharmacakra
1111 ncd by the Buddha, and to calm and quench bad impulses- this
".1 hodhisattva's store of merit (pur;yagarbha). (530a 17}
H. By bearing the great suffering of hell- not to mention a little
\tra suffering - so as to benefit and please living beings - bodhi wi ll
lw in the right hand. (530b 3)
1:>. To initiate acti on not for oneself but only to benefit and please
li' ing beings (sattvahitasukhaya) motivated by compassion - bodhi is
in the right hand. (530b 9)
16. Wisdom (jnana) without conceptualization (prapanca}, zeal
(l:irva) without sloth (kau.fidya }, generosit y (dana ) without stinginess
{nuitsarya)- bodhi is in the right hand. (530b 15)
l7. Bei ng independent, without thoughts obsessed, having per-
li-nly complete and unsullied morals (fila ), accepting [that things)
are unborn - bodhi is in the right hand. (530b 23)
48. In front of the fully enlightened Buddhas who are present
(pratyutpanna) in the ten regions I entirely confess my sins (papa ).
(530c 4)
49. If the Buddhas who have attained bodhi in the universe of ten
directions (daiadigdhiltu) are reluctant to expound their teaching
(dharmadeiana) I entreat them to tum the dharmacakra! (530c 12}
41. Quoted in Candrakirti's 103a 2 (from Nagarjuna's Byan
chub kyi tsho,I!S): sdug bmal /tayar 'dug cig II gan bg sems can phan bdt'i phyir
II dmyal ba'i sdug bsnal cht bt.od pa II de'i lag gyas na byan chub po II.
48. This is papadtiana, followed by adhytiarj{J. (49), yacana ( 50), pu11yimumodana
(5 1-52) and paril)amanii (53). Cf. RA, V, 65-87 (Sara(!agamana, pUjana,
adh;tfOIJa,yacanii, bodhicittotpiida and parinamanii ); Bodhicittotpiidaui-
dhi (uandana, pafiadeianii, purvanumodana, i ara'}agamana, atma!yiiga, bodhicillolpii-
da and pari'!iimana); Upiilipariprcchii, p. 107, n. 4 with ref.;
X I V.
233
50. If the samyaksambuddlzas present in the universe of ten direc-
tions desire to give up their life (jivitasa'!Lfkiira) [i n sar[!Siira], I bow
my head and request them to remain. (530c 18)
51. The meritof!iberality and good morals (diinaiilapuv.ya ), and [good]
thoughts and actions produced by living beings by means of body,
mouth a nd mind - (530c 24)
52. We a ll rejoice in the merit (pu{lya) accumul::t ted by holy men
(iirya) and common people (prtltagjana) of the past, present and
future. (530c 26)
53. If only I could make all the merit I have into a lump
(pirp[l-kr-) and pass it on to the li ving beings so that they may obtain
sat{lbodhi! ( 531 a 5)
54. In this way l repent, exhort [the Buddha to preach], request
[the Buddha to remain], and turn !my merit] over to hodhi. One
must know [that thus I will be] like the Buddhas. (53 1a 13)
55. One [ought to] express remorse for one's unwholesome sins,
request the Buddhas [to abide in sa'!Lfiira], rejoice in meri t and
transfer it to bodhi as the Jinas have stated. (531 a 21 )
56. One must do so every third hour, day and night, joining
palms (krtanjali), with the right knee-cap touching the ground, and
the upper garment arranged on one shoulder. (531 a 27)
57. If the merit (puQya) created lin this way] in one hour had
outward form [then real ms amounting to] many thousand [times
the] number of grains of sand in the Ganges still could not contain
it. (531b5)
58. Once [a bodhisattva] first has produced the thought [of
enlightenment, bodlzicitta] he ought to show respect and kindness
towards all minor bodhisattvas as if they were his teacher or
parents. (531 b 17)
53. This recalls Aftasohasrikii, p. 70, q. v.
56. Ace. to RA, V, 65 this rite is to be performt.-d three times daily (iiin gcig bbn
yali dus gsum .. .). - The posture is fami li ar, cf. e.g. Suuilcriznlauilcriimipariprcchii,
p. 3: ... ekiztzUam ul/ariisaliga'!' krtvii d ~ i ' ! a ' ! ' jiinuma'Jl!ala'!' Prthivyiz'!' pratif!ha-
pya ...
57. The bodhicittotpiidapu19a is described similarly i n RA, V, 86. It was probably
inspired by a well known verse from Viradattapariprcchii , see Bodhipathapradi-
pa. pp. 110-1 11.
234
,'1 Even if a bodhisattva has committed a sin he should not talk
. .!""'' it, even less (ka katha) tell an untruth. One should only sp<'ak
11..-rruth. (53lb28)
till. Ir a man expresses the vow (praT}idhimll ) lO become a Buddha,
, ,,,.. must wish th:lt he does not fall back, show [him thr merit of
1111' Buddha), fire his zeal, and producejoy. (53 lc II )
C I . l f he has not yet unra veil ed the very profound (atigamblzira)
as hf must not say that they are not Buddha's I fh( makes
' 'wh statements he will get gr('at suflering in return. (531 c 21)
11'2. If all si ns. as the five iinantarya etc., are added together in a sum
"": rom pared with the a Love two sins they do not amount to a
l1.tction lofthose two]. (53 l c 28)
li:'. One should carefully develop (.ru-blzavay-) the three doors to
r..!t'ase (vimokiamukha ), first emptiness (sii'!_yata), the mark less
, mimitta), and third the wish less (aprar;.ihita). ( 532a I 2)
64. Since dharmas lack own-being (niljsvabhiiva ) they are empty
lirif!pn ), being empty how can they have marks (nimitta)? All marks
lwing extinct (Santa) and abolishrd (niruddha) how can wise men
111akc wishes (for anythingl? (532a I 9)
65. While [the bodhisattva] is cultivating and ccntcmplating
tltrsc [Lhree doors to release, and] traversing thf path to nirvii1Ja he
Prust not think that the buddhakiiya does not exist. Do not relax
dlorts on this score! (532a 27)
66 As far as nirvalJn is concerned he will not realize it at once
( tilqatkaroti), but he must produce this thought (c:itta ): We must
ipen the perfection of wisdom (prajiiaparamita). (532b 3)
()2. By committing one of tht five (cf. <'.g. VimalakirtinirdtJa , p. 156, n.
33) one samanantarat!l narake!upapadyate. However, this is not byan chub Ia ,I{ tan
du bge.t;s, cf. BS, 26, as are the two sins mentioned in 60-61.
fi3. The three vimo4amukha arc discussed Traiti, pp. 321-325 (note that 1he vcrsl'
quoted here p. 323 = 96 c 13-14 must be identified as :vtK, XV Il l, 7); 1b1d ..
pp. 1213-1232; Vimalakirtinirdtia, p. 148, n. 16.
64. This is ci ted by Tson kha pa, Lam rim, 414 b 1-2 (from chub kyi
ron bi.in mtd pas ston Ia ston pa ni II yin dan mtshan mas ci b g byed par 'gyur II mtshan
ma tham.scad log par 'gyurba'i phyir II mkhas pas ci slt smon lam 'debs pnr 'gyur II. His
source is Catu!Liatllkafikii, 21Sb 2, identified by Uryuzu Ryushin in IBK,
XVll, p. 518, to which Prof. de.Jong has kindly called my attention.-CC also
Wayman ( 1978), p. 252.
66. Cf. CatuiJ.iataka, VIII, 22.
235
67. For instance, a master archer (iivastriicarya) releases his ar-
rows so that each of them are aimed one at the other and, mutually
supported, do not fall - the great bodhisattva is also like that. (523b 10)
68. Carefully he aims the arrow of mind (citta = prajna) at the
vimokiamukha [called] 'empty' (.furrya ); the arrows of [skill in] means
(upaya) concomitantly support it so that [his prajna] is not allowed to
fall into nirva!la. (532b 14)
69. Let us not desert the living beings (sattva)! In order to benefit
the living beings first generate this attitude (manas) and then be in
possession of the (vimok,ramukha-)practice. (532b 21)
70. There are living beings who have attachments during a long
time (dirgharatram) and cultivate (samudacarati) misconceptions (vipa-
ryasa) and [wrong] notions (nimitta). All this is due to delusion
(moha) . (532c 3)
71. Those who are addicted to [wrong] notions (nimitta) [and]
misconceptions (viparyasa) can get rid of them by proclaiming the
Dharma (dhamwdesana). First one focuses mind (citta) on reality (ta-
thata?) and then comes into possession of the (vimok,ramukha- )prac-
tice. (532c 9)
72. Bodhisattvas benefit living beings (sattva) but do not see any
living beings! This is indeed a very difficult point, exquisite, one
cannot grasp it. (532c 16)
73. Even if [a bodhisattva} is predestined (nityatipatita) he must
practise the vimolcfamukha. Since the original vow (pra'l)idhana) is not
yet fulfilled [a bodhisattva] does not realize nirva'l)a. (532c 22)
74. Ifhe has not yet attained his predestination (samyaktvaniyama)
being [only] concerned with skilful means (upayakauialya) the origi-
nal vow is not yet fulfilled. So, again, he does not realize nirva7.Ul.
(533a l)
67. A celebrated image, cf. Traiu, p. 1140, n.l.
69. The correct auitude is, of course, bodhicitta; the term yoga refers to the three
vimoksamukha as the commentator notes and as shown by 73.
70. The iirst part of this verse alludes to Udimauarga, I, 19 etc. (cited Traite, p.
2296, n.l.}.
72. Cf. Niraupamyastaua, 9: sattvasai(IFiii ca te niitha sarvathii na pravartaie
ca sattueJu tvam ativa II. Sural(lgamasamiidhi, p. 148.
73. Cf. RA, I, 24; SL, 40.
236
7:>. I A bodhisattva has] extreme distaste for sa1J1Sara but still turns
'"wards saT]lsiira. He should have faith and joy in niruan.a, yet also
rn his back on niruiir.za. (533a 6)
76. One should fear the passions (klesa) but one should not ex-
h.\llst the passions (klesa); one must accumulate good karma in
rdtr to suppress the suppressing passions. (533a 15}
77. A bodhisattva has a passionate nature, he does not yet have a
ttt n'rln.n-nature. [So only when] the passions are not [yet] burned
.1way [can a bodhisattva] produce the seed of enlightenment (bodhi-
htja = bodhicitta). (533a 23)
78. A bodhisattva predicts [the destiny of] other beings; this
prl'diction has as necessary condition a Tathagata's merit and skill
cnabling them to reach the further shore (param = niruan.a). (533b 4)
79. A [bodhisatt va should] propagate and establish all the sastras,
tcchniques, sciences and arts (Silpasthiinauidyakala) for the use and
benefit of mankind. (533c 8)
80. According to the stages of transmigration (gati) and caste
(jiiti) in the world of potential converts (uaineyasattuadhatu) a bodhi-
sattva proceeds there as he wishes; by virtue of his vows (pran.idhana-
halat) he accepts rebirth. (533c 20)
81. When faced with various evil matters and flattering (saJhya ) or
deception (maya) of people one must put on stout armour (sa7Jlnaha )
without being disgusted [by sa1J1Sara ), and without being afraid [of
seeking bodhi]. (534a 2)
82. [Bodhisattvas with) a completely pure (parisamaptauiJuddha)
mind do not flatter or deceive. They reveal all [their] sins and
evils, but conceal and store [their good deeds [without boasting].
(534a 13)
75. For aprati.[{hitanirviiiJa etc., see Vimalakirtinirdeia, pp. 144.
79. The various iastras are, ace. to the commentator: mathematics, metallurgy,
medicine, exorcism, botany, mineralogy, astronomy, oneiromancy and
anatomy. - For iilpakarmasthiina, vit(}'ii and kala cf. Traiti, p. 1856;
Sura'!'gamasamiidhi, p. 145; BS, 103; Mahiivyutpatli, 217-218; 76; Bu-ston, I
p. 44 with notes.
81. .fii(hya and miiyii often occur together, cf. e.g. Vimalakirtinirdeia, p. 114, n. 61.
- For sarpniiha, cf. Traiti, p. 1841, n. 2; Sural[lgamasamiidhi, p. 179, n. 154.
237
83. Being pure [in regard to] the karma of body and speech, a nd
also [in regard toJ the karma of mind [a bodhisattva] cultivates all
the moral rules not allowing any shortcoming or dimi-
nution. (534a 25)
84. [A bodhisattva must] peacefully dwellin mindfulness (smrti ).
He selects an object (iilambana) and contemplates in solitude em-
ployi ng mindfulness (smrti ) to safeguard himself [so that his] mind
becomes a mind without attachment (asaizga). (534b 7)
85. If discursive thoughts (uikalpa) should arise he must deter-
mine whether they are wholesome (kuJala) or unwholesome (aku-
iala). He should a bandon all the unwholesome ones and increase
(bahufikr-) the wholesome thoughts. (534b 16)
86. If his mind is disturbed by objects (ui[aya) he should concen-
trate his mindfulness (smrti), lead his mind back to the object and in
case it is fi ckle, cause it to remain still. (534b 21 )
87. Do not relax or fall into clinging (abhiniueia) but cultivate
strenuousness (virya). In case [a bodhisatt va] cannot uphold his
concentration (samadhi) he must therefore constantly strive.
(534b 28)
88. l f[you arc about to] ascend the Sravakayana or the Pratyeka-
buddhayana merely acting for [your, or its] own benefit (svahita) do
not abandon firm energy (ulrya)! (534c 5)
89. Not to speak of the great bodhisattva (mahiipu1Ufa)!- Being his
own saviour and also the saviour of other people should he not put
forth ten thousand million (kofisahasra) times the zeal (ulrya)!
(534c 9)
90. For half an hour one may practise various [meditations] and
for one hour follow a different procedure, but to practise concentra-
tion (samiu/hi) is not feasible in this way!- One must let [one' s mind]
be fixed on one object (ui[aya)! (534c 14)
91. There should be no affection for the body, and no regre1 for
one's life (iiyub). Even if one wants to protect this body, still it will in
the end be of a rotten and miserable nature. ( 534c 19)
83. Allusion to daiakuialaJ:armapatha, see Vimalakirtinirtleia, p. 118, n. 73, a nd
ibid., n. 72 for iikfO.pada.
84. These verses (84-87) on dhyanaparamita may be compared with Traiti, pp. 984-
105 7; ArthaviniicayaJiitra, 12-14 (the four samadhibhavana, smrtyupaJthana
and samyakprahal)a ).
238
' 1:2. One should altogether (ekanta) not be attached to gains
l11 h'm), honours (satkara) and fame (yaJas) . As if one' s head (or]
l"tlws were on fire one should act vigorously to fulfil one's vow
''' '(tidhana) [to liberate oneself and others]. (534c 27)
1:1. Determined, then, to produce the J'Ummum bonum (uttamahita)
1., bodhisattva] cannot wait till tomorrow. Tomorrow is far away.
I l.nv can one preserve a transient existence (535a 2)
: I. I A bodhisattva must] peacefully dwell in mindfulness (smrti)
I" indifferently] as if he [hadj to eat the flesh of his favourite son.
\ \ I til e eating it he is neither attracted nor repelled. (535a 8)
' 1:1. What the purpose (kimartham) is of becoming a mendicant
f' mrnjita), [and how] one must consider whether what we have
1. nt or have not yet done must be done or not- this is explained in
ill< nasadharmakasutra. (535a 15)
% . Sec that compound things (.m7Jiskrta) are impermanent (anirya)
l.tnd that] there is no I (aham) or mine (mama. ). One must be aware
,,-. til the deeds of Mara and abandon them. (535b 2)
!17. Produce zeal and cultivate the [five] indriya> the [five] bala> the
1<'\'('n] bodhyanga, the [four] rddhipada, the [four]prahatza, the [eight-
l .. ld I marga, and the four smrryupasthiina. (535b 12)
A mind can continually be a place of birth for good things
iltilrt ), happiness (sukha) and merit (kuiala), but it can also be a root
.. r evil. One must consider this carefully. (535b 23)
99. As far as positive phenomena (dharma) are concerned, I must
daily watch closely how they increase and how they diminish.
(rl35c3)
!12. Cf. note on 21.- The three concepts labhasatlciirayaias are well known as Pali
liibhasaklcarasilolca, see ref. in PED, s. v.
93. The summum bonum (pradhiina- or viiiftahita?) refers to nai{lireyasa, or molcfa, cf.
RA, I, 4; III, 30; SL, 104. Also SL, 55.
!14. The image is canonical, seePED, s.v. puttama'!'-Sa (especially Sa1[1yutta, II, p.
98). - Adopt the variant nian in piida a.
'15. Daiadharmakasutra': Taisho, No. 314. (Quoted thrice in Silcfasamuccaya. )
!16. For Miiralcarma see 36; SS, 190 b I fT.; Traite, pp. 339-346. - Fornirmamo
MK, XVIII, 2-3.
'17. The 37 bodhipakjilca are treated at length Traite, pp. 1119-1<'07. Also
mentioned SL, 106 (bodhyanga), 113 (marga), 45 (bala, indrrya ), 48 (smrtyupas-
thiina). BS, 121 for rddhipada.
'Ill. Cf. SL, 42.
239
I
!
I 00. If one sees others achieve increase of profit (hilaPUf!i),
support respect (gaurava ) and fame (nama) one's mind should
not react even with the slightest envy (matsarya) or jealousy (irva).
(535c 8)
101. Without desiring the objects [of the senses] (vi.faya, gocara)
one should live as if dullwitted, blind, dumb a nd deaf. At the right
moment the lion's roar (si7J1hanada) frightens the heretical deer
(tirthyamrga)! (535c 15)
102. Welcoming and farewelling, one must honour those to be
respected. In all matters of dharma [one must be] kind and helpful.
(535c 23)
I 03. By saving and releasing those who suffer annihilation one's
own self prospers and is not destroyed. [By] culti vating the sciences
(vidya) and crafts (iilpakarman) well one trains oneself and instructs
others. (535c 28)
104. As far as particularly good phenomena (dharma) are con-
cerned one must strenuously keep to them. Practise the four foun-
dations of propitiation (saT[Igrahavastu), and donate clothing, beve-
rages and food. (536a 8)
105. Do not rebuff those who beg for alms. Reconcile all your
kindred. Do not turn against your followers (parivara). Donate
dwellings and property. (536a 16)
106. One's parents, relatives and friends should be duly treated.
The extent to which they should be treated is that of the supreme
(anuttara) Lord (iivara). (536a 25)
107. Even ifit be a slave, one should speak kindl y to him and take
care of him. One should show him great respect, distribute medi-
cine and heal all diseases. (536b 2)
too. cr. ss, 20, 92.
101. Foniphanada, Vimalakirtinirdtia, p. 98, n. 4; BV, 52; CS, Ill, 54.
to3. cr. as, 79.
I 04. The four sa'llgrahavastu (diina, priyavO.dita, arthacarya and samiinartha), see
Vimalakirtinirdeia, p. 116, n. 67; RA, ll, 72;Ak!ayamatinirdeia, Bufol. l49a-150a.
105. This, ace. to the commentator, produces the
cf. RA, II, 86.
240
I 08. [Those whose] head is [adorned with an U f ~ i ~ a due to] the
good karma of previous actions, [whose] voice is fine, smooth,
beautiful and wonderful, [whose] voice [i.e. brahmasvara, is due to]
good karma and a correct mentality [they will] - in the future
(pa.fca.t) as in the past (purvam)- [never] fail to be respected. (536b 7)
I 09. Do not harm the followers of others. Look at living beings
with a compassionate eye. Also [look at all beings] without a jealous
spirit, as if they were [your own] relatives and friends. (536b 23)
110. One must unfailingly do as one has promised. If one acts
according to one's words others will have confidence in one. ( 536c I)
Ill . One should support Buddhism (dharma) and be aware of
those who are idle (pramatla).- Also make golden precious nets and
cast them over the shrines (cairya). (536c 5)
I 12. If one wants to seek out a fair maid [then] one should give
her ornaments (alal'{lkara). But one must also discourse on the
virtues of the Buddha (huddhaguQa) as well as give her various
jewels. (536c 10)
113. Oue should cast statues of Buddha sitting upright on exqui-
site lotus-blooms. - As far as the six principles (dharma) are con-
cerned one should practise [them with] joy and pleasure. (536c 19)
114. Those who are honourable (pujya) are not to be dishonoured.
Even in order to [$ave your] life do not criticise the dharma spoken by
the Buddha or those people who discourse on the dharma. ( 536c 26)
115. [Make] distributions of gold (kanaka) and jewels (ratmz) to
the teachers (ticarya) and to the cairyas of the teachers.- If one forgets
what one learns, concentrate (upon it] so as not to be confused.
(537a 3)
116. When one has not yet fully thought out one's actions one
must neither panic nor just imitate [the actions] of others.- Do not
believe in any of the gods (deva), serpents (nag a) or ghosts (yakfa) of
the heretics (iirth.ika). (537a 11)
108. For brahmasvara (also a mahiipui'Ufalalcj01Ja), see e.g. RA, II, 91. - ~ o r a
complete list of all the /akfa'!a and their causes, Traiti, pp. 271-281; RA, 11,
74-1 00; Arthaviniicayasiaranibandlzana, 26. - yalhii pima'!' lalhii paicizl, also CS,
I, 25.
113. This refers to the six .rizriznryiz dhammiz known from Digha, III, p. 245.
Perhaps they are also refer;ed to RA, III, 35.- Traiti, p. 1739, n. 4.
16 Ntatjuniu.a 241
117. One's mind should be like a thunderbolt (vajra): capable of
penetrating all dlulrmas. One's miPd should be like a mountain:
imperturbable in all situations. (537a 18)
118. Enjoy expressions transcending the world (lokottara). Take
no pleasure based upon transactions of the world (lokavyavahara). In
oneself one must keep all the virtues and help others to keep them
too. (537a 23)
119. Develop the five spheres ofliberation Contemplate
the ten notions of impurity (a.fubha). Also reflect upon the eight
thoughts of a mahapuru!ja. (537b 3)
120. One must clearly develop the five superknowledges (abhijna),
viz. divya.frotra, rddhi, paracitta[jnana] and purvanivasanu-
smrti. (537b 20)
121. The four bases of power (rddhipada) form the root, viz. will
(chanda), mind (citta), energy (virya) and deliberation (mimaT[Isa).
The four infinite foundations (vihara) are love (maitn), compassion
(karu!la) , joy (mudita) and equanimity (upekfa). (537c 5)
122. The four elements (dhatu) as a poisonous snake, the six bases
(ayatana) as an empty village, the five aggregates (skandha?) as a
murderer- thus one must look upon these! (537c 25)
123. Revere the Dharma and the teachers of the Dharma. Also
put aside any animosity towards the Dharma. The teacher must not
clench his hand. The audience must not be annoyed. (538a 8)
124. One should preach the Dharma to people without rudeness
and without expectations - only with a compassionate heart, a
devoted and respectful mind. (538a 14)
117. In all situations, i.e. in regard to the eight lokadharma (Comm.).
119. Thepaiica vimuttiiyatatuini are known from Digha, III, p. 241, q.v.- The ten
aiubhasatpfoii, Traiti, p. 1312 ff. Eight mahiipurutavitarlca, Digha, II I, p. 287 ( =
a{!ha dhammii uppiidetabbii).
120. For the five abhijnii, Traiti, pp. 328-333. The six arc listed RA, Ill, 92-97.
Also Traiti, pp. 1809 ff.
121. Traiti, p. 1124 for rddhipiida. -For the four brahmavihiira, or apramii')a, ibid.,
pp. 1239-1273; RA, I, 24; SL, 40.
122. These comparisons (iiiivifa, iil'!)'agriima and vadhaka ) are weli known, see
Vimalakirtinirdeia, p. 136, n. 28. Jciiya/par!ad in piidn c, and comm. *vedaniJ-
kiiya, is not plausible.)
242
,._. .,, He insatiable (atrpta) for learning and commit to memory
., '' '' you have learned. Do not be deceitful to respected holy
I" " ""alities (puT)yakjetra) but give pleasure to the teacher (ticarya).
' lll .t 1 1)
1'.
1
fi . Do not let your thoughts, [when] looking at other sects,
lwr ish any respect. Do not, on account of the difficulty of the
Jll orddhist] treatises, study or recite worldly texts. (538a 26)
In. Do not, on account of anger, slander any of the bodhisattvas.
\\ hen one has not yet grasped and learned the Dharma one must
" ' ol l'ause calumny. (538b 2)
I :!II. Get rid of pride and abide by the four noble principles (iirya-
"f1111 ) . Do not despise other people; do not be self-important either.
o'l !\h 5)
I :!9. Whether an offence is real or fictitious do not inform others
.olooul it. Do not take any notice of the faults of others. just be aware
I vour own faults. (538b I I)
I ~ 0 . Buddha and the doctrine (dharma) of the Buddha should not
1 ... objects of speculation (kalpanii) or doubt (sa1]1iaya). Although the
I lltarma is very difficult to believe in one must have fait h in it .
.:!li b 15)
I : ~ I . Even if [a bodhisattva] dies by stating the truth or is de-
l" ived of [his status as] cakravartin king, or Indra, he must state
li re truth and nothing else. (538b 21)
132. [Even if you are] hit, insulted, threatened, flogged or tied up
ll >y someone] do not bear any resentment towards him! Future and
pnsent [evils] are all due to one's own bad karma! (538b 25)
1'12. The following stanzas (132-145) are inspired by the author's study of
Kasyapaparivarta (Ref. are to in the ed. of von Staei-Holstein). - See
loc.cit., I. - For the iicaryamUffi, Vimalakirtinirdeia, p. 267, n. 19; CPO,
II , p. 33.
I :!k KOJyapaparivarta, 2.
l :!'1. Ibid. 2.- For puC!Jalcftlra, see PED, s.v. puirirakkhttta; SiiratpgamasamOdlli, pp.
231-235.
I :!fi. This and the following to be compared with 3-5.
I :!II. Thi s and the foil wing two verses are moulded upon KO.iyapaparivarta, 6. -
For aryavap.ia, ref. in Traiti, p. 1739, n. 4.
I'll . Ibid., 8. - A bodhisattva who is cjulca never tells a lie.
1'12. Ibid., 8.
243
133. One should respect, love and support one's parents very
much. One should also serve one's instructor (upadhyaya) and revere
the teacher (acarya). (538c 2)
134. To preach the very profound Dharma [i.e.
Mahayana] to those who believe in the Sravakayana and in the
Pratyekabuddhayana- this is an error for the bodhisattva. (538c 8)
135. If there are people who believe in the profound Mahayana
and one still advocates the Sravaka- and Pratyekabuddhayana -
this is also an error for a bodhisattva. (538c 13)
136. Many people (mahajana) come [to the monastery] out of
interest for the Dharma. If they are careless (Saithilika) one should
not preach to them. One should, however, take care of evildoers and
establish unbelievers [in Mahayana]. (538c 17)
137. [A bodhisattva] must abandon the [four] errors mentioned.
The virtues of a purified man (dhutaguT}fl ) should be recited and
learnt. They must also be practised and cultivated. (538c 23)
I38. [The four kinds of bodhisattvamarga are:] Equanimity (sama-
citta), balanced discourse [on the Dharma], to be well-established in
impartiality (samatasuprati.flhita) and also to be quite the same (sama-
SaT[lyukta) towards all living beings (sattva) wi thout difference.
(538c 29)
139. [The four kinds of genuine bodhisattvas] act for the sake of
the Dharma, not for the sake of profit (hitartham), for the sake of
merit, not for the sake of reputation {Slokartham). [They only] wish to
save living beings from suffering (dul}lcha) without wanting pleasure
for themselves. (539a 6)
I40. [If a bodhisattva] sincerely intends to seek the maturi ng of
his actions (karmavipaka) he must make the [three] puTJyakriyavastu
arise. He must also mature living beings (sattvaparipacana) and reject
his own affairs. ( 539a II )
133. Cf. ibid., 10.
134. T his and the three following verses give the four bodhisattuoskhalita, ibid., II;
Sik[ilsamuccaya, p. 54 (cf. Traiu, p. 1846).
137. For the twelve ascetic practices (dhiitaguua ), Dharmosaf!lgraha, 63; BHSD, p.
286; p. 150, n.
138. The Sanskrit has sarva.rattut/U samaclltalli ... buddhaprimosamildapan.ata
samyakprayogatii, cf. Kiiiyapaparivarta, 12.
139. See ibid., 15- 16.
I <W. Ibid., 16. - For pupyakriyauostu, see BS, 14 and note.
244
141. [A bodhisattva shouldj approach [these four kinds of] good
friends (ka!Ja!lamitra): namely, the teacher (dharmacarya), the Buddha,
those who encourage ascetics (pravrajita) and [final!y] monks
(bhik[u). (539a 16)
142. Those who rely on worldly sciences (lokaJastra ), those who
are especially eager for worldly goods ( a m ~ a ) , [those who] believe in
the Pratyekabuddhayana and [finally those who believe in] the
Sravakayana- (539a 24)
143. A bodhisattva must be aware of these four [kinds] of bad
friends (kumitra)!- What must be sought after are t he so-called four
great treasuries (mahanidh1ma): (539b 1)
144. The supt'r-worldly (lokottara) Buddha, study of the [six]
perfections (par am ita)' a mind looking upon the teacher ( acarya)
without impediments (apratihata}, fand finally] being happy to dwell
in empty places. (539b 5)
145. Like earth (prtlzivi), water (ap), fire (tejab), wind (vayu) and
space (akasa), entirely and everywhere, the [bodhisattvas] are equ-
ally beneficial to the living beings (sattva). ( 539b I l)
146. One should consider the very meaning (arthamiitra) [of
Buddha's words} a nd unremittingly produce the dharar.zls. Do not be
of any hindranC'e whatsoever to those who are studying the
Dharma. (539b 19)
14 7. Those who are to be disciplined in the [nine] bases of quarrel-
ling (ag!zatavastu) [must] put aside the [twenty] minor matters with-
out exception. The eight kinds of sloth (kauflqya) must also be
extinguished. (539b 26)
141. KD.iyapaparivarta, 14. Other kinds ofka{yapamitra are mentioned SS, 212 b 3,
q.v.
142. The four A:umitra mentioned here and in 143 occur op.cit., 13.
144. Ibid., 17.- For apratihatacitta also Traitt p. 393-394.
145. This verse sums up Kas;-apaparivarta, 29-32.
14 7. The nine aghatavaslu are canonical, see ref. in Vimalakirtinirdtia, p. 289, n.
18. - The twenty minor matters<< (i.e. upakltia) are, ace. to the commenta-
ry: asraddhya, alrrikya, iajhya, auddhatya, vikjepa, pramada, vihil]lsa,
anapatrapya, A:auiidya, kaukrtya, styana, middha, upanaha, mrakfa, irva,
ma/sarya, UllllQ/ j ( Or mada?), /crodha, vipra/isara (Or a{tkhya etc.?) and mUcha
(?); cf. Dharmasa']lgraha, 69; V'{, 7 (svavrlli); RA, V, 3-33 passim; various
treauses on Abhidharma under the headings paryavasthana, up(lk{tia and
nivaraiJa. - The eight kusitavatthimi, e.g. Digha, III, p. 255.
245
148. Do not have any improper affection (raga), [for] unreason-
able desire is not in accord with one's {true] wishes. Those who are
disunited should all be united without asking whether they are
friends or not (mitramitra ). (539c 16)
149. A sage (prajna) does not base his actions on emptiness by
apprehending emptiness (Sunyatopalabdhi) . If one [absolutely) must
apprehend (upalambheta) emptiness that error would amount to the
fault ofbeliefin a personal substance (satkayadn/i) . (539c 23)
150. Sweep the dust, smear [cowdung], make decorations and
perform worship (puja) of the shrines (caitya) with many kinds of
drum-music and offerings such as incense (gandha), hair dressed in a
knot etc. (539c 29)
151. Make various lamp-wheels (pradipacakra). Worship the
shrines (caitya) and donate parasols (chattra), leather sandals, riding
horses, carriages, chariots, etc. (54-0a 6)
152. [A bodhisattva] should take special delight in the Dharma
and enjoy an intellectual belief (avetyaprasada) in the Buddha' s
attainments (prapti). He should gladlv supply and serve the Sangha
and take pleasure in listening to the true Dharma (saddharma).
(540a ll )
153. Unborn (anutpanna) in the past, not remaining (anavasthita)in
the present and not arrived (aprapta) in the future- thus one should
look upon all phenomena (dharma)! (540a 18)
154. Be gracious to the living beings (sattva) without seeking a
reward from them. One should bear [their] troubles alone without
grasping for pleasure for onesel( (540a 24)
155. Even if one is worthy of[ rebirth in heaven which is) the result
of great merit (mahapuTJ)Iavipaka) one's heart should not be uplifted
or elated. Even if one is in need like a hungry ghost (preta) one
should not be downcast or sad. (540b I)
148. Cf. KiiJyapaparivarta, 23.
149. The comment:-.ry to this verse is translated Traiti, p. 1228, q.v.- See also
KiiJyapaparivarta, 63-65, quoted Prasannapada, p. 248.
ISO. On vandana and puja see Sik!O.samuccaya, XVII.
I 52. For auetyaprasada, Vimalakirtinirdtia, p. 99, n. 8; ( 1959), p. 219, n. 744.-
Correct qu in pada a to fo..
153. This amounts to anupalambhaiiinyata, cf. Traite, p. 2035.
246
156. If there are some who are fully disciplined (iik[ita) they must
be paid full respect. Those who are not yet disciplined should enter
the discipline (iik.[a) and must not be objects of contempt. (540b 6)
157. Those whose good conduct (fila) is perfect should be re-
spected. If [they] violate good conduct (.fila) they should return to
[the practice of] fila. Those whose wisdom (jnana) is perfect [should
be] approached as friends. Those who are dull should be estab-
lished in wisdom (jnana). (540b 10)
158. The suffering (dubkha) of sa7J1sara is manifold: Birth (jati), old
age (jara), death (mara1J.O) and bad n#rth (durgati). But do not fear
such perils (bhaya)! Conquer Mara and bad understanding (daU[-
prajna). (540b 17)
159. Gather all the virtues (gu1Ja ) in all the Buddha-fields
In order that all attain them one must make lofty vows (praTJ.idhana )
and efforts (virya). (540b 22)
160. Always wi th regard to things (dharma) one should not ap-
propriate them but give them up - this is to accept the burden and
take over responsibility for the sake of all living beings. (540b 28)
161. One who correctly examines (samyakparikir) all phenomena
(dharma ) [sees] that there is no ego (aham) and no mine (mama). Still
he does not abandon great compassion (mahakaruTJ.a) and great
kindness (mahamaitri). (540c 6)
162. One must surpass all worship (puja) in order to worship the
Buddha Bhagavat. Of what nature is this (puja,)? It is the so-called
dharmapiija - (540c 15)
163. If one grasps the hodhisattvapilaka and obtains the various
dharaTJ.i while penetrating the profound (gamhhira) foundation of[all]
dharmas- thaJ is the dharmapuja! (540c 23)
157. Apparently inspired by the Ratnamtgha, cited SS, 183b 6-7, q.v.
159. For buddllaksttra, cf. the ref. in Vimalalcirllnirdtia, p. 461.
160. This is summarized RA, I V, 96: iunyatalcarur;ragar6ham ekt[aT[I bodhi-
sadhanam (cf. Prasannapada, p. 360, v.l.).
162. For dharmapUja. Vimalalcirtinirckia, pp. 377-382.
163. This w:rse echoes Vimalalcirtinirdtia, p. 378. -See, ibid., n. 18 for the meaning
of bodhisattvapi!alca.
247
164. One should hold to the main thing (artha ) and not just prefer
various articulations One must enter the profound path
of the dharma with joy and not show any heedlessness (pramada).
(54la 10)
165. When ascetics (praurajita) and householders (grhastha ) have
collected these collections (saT[Ibhara) for great aeons (mahakalpa)
numerous as the sands of Ganges they shall attain perfect en
lightenment (samyaksaT[Ibodhi)! (54la 23)
164. Here wii renders vyaiija11a (one of the four pratisarll!'a), cf. de Jong' s remarks in
TM EaJtern Buddhist, XII I, p. 157.
248
The unity of Nagarjuna's thought
llw purpose of the following pages is to present a synthesis of the
'' ' lids of Nagarjuna's philosophy anci its presuppositions. Any such
.lfHpt must be preceded by a brief sketch of the historical back-
,.,.,,,Hrf if the proper perspective is not to be distorted. Without, of
"" rsc, wishing to appear disparaging of previous efforts to present
' 'nrvey of Madhyamaka I do, however, think that the two circum-
LIIH'<'S warrant a novel exposition of the Madhyamaka system
by N agarjuna.
191
First, previous accounts of his thi nking
'' " '' onl y been based on the testimony provided by a few of
"".l{:trjuna's works. Secondly, and to some extent an outcome of the
''"' these discussions tend to present his philosophy as a series of
"'"n or less coherent and sensible ideas concerning various episte-
logical or ontological issues. Nevertheless, in my view, an
.lf<ntive perusal of Nagarjuna's authentic writings will show that
extraordinary genius succeeded in blending a great mass of
rllht'rit ed moral, religious and philosophical ideas into a harmoni-
.. us whole. If we had to condense his system in all its aspects to one
,i11gle term we should choose bodhisadhana (not e.g. sW!yata or prati-
tl'llwmutpiula).
By recognizing this (i.e. bodhisadhana = pu'l:Ya}iianasaT{Ibhara) to be
lht heading under which all his various theories and injunctions are
unified we shall, moreover, have brought ourselves in a better
position to appraise each of his writings in relation to others and
within its own confines.
1
9
2
I 'II . For previous exposi tions see the works referred to above n. I, and La Vallee
Poussin: ' Reflexions sur le Madhyamaka', MCB, II, pp. 1-59; P. Tuxen,
lndkdmde henurkninger til huddhistisk relativisrru, Kebenhavn 1936.
1'12. Some remarks on this p. 265. Here much remains for 'higher criticism'.
249
, J
I . Background
a) Non-Buddhist
While Nagarjuna was, of course, aware of the existence of
'heretical' darsanas such as Sa'llkhya, j aina,
193
Nyaya,
1014
Lokayata,
195
*Isvaravada
196
and probably also many other sectari-
ans, their influence upon the development of his thought vi rtually
comes to nought. Doubtless his study of Nyaya, and, I suppost,
provoked his endeavour to match the former's notion of
apavarga to the Buddhist nirv(u;za and the latter' s abhyudaya/nailpreyasa
to his own sukha/molqa.
197
A similar attitude is observable in his
attempt to absorb the deities of popular religion, Brahma, Indra,
Rudra etc. by interpreting them as emanations of the Bud-
dha.198 We never find any trace of positive influence from thest
sources in Nagarjuna' s authentic writings.
On the other hand it must be conceded that he could not escape
the impact which orthodox Brahmi n dialectics (vada ), natural phi-
losophy, arts, crafts and sciences indirectly exerted upon the Bud-
dhist milieu. Allusions to cikitsa, silpa, vidyii, kala and various worldly
sastras (BS, 79) indicate the wide scope of his erudition, and here on
the level of 'empirical sciences' he obviously did not hesi tate to
make the best of tradit ional Hindu lore as means conducive to
temporal happiness (abhyudaya) .
199
Let us finall y not be oblivious of a circumstance so obvious that it
may easil y be overlooked. From his birth to his death Nagarjuna
193. See RA, r, 61.- For an extensive critique of these schools one has to turn to
the writings of Aryadeva.
194. In VP (ed. Kajiyama), p. 148 Nagarjuna refers to the spokesmen of this
school as the rigs pa phra ba'i phyogs su /hun ba. I think that they are identical
with the *Naya-sauma known from Chinese sources, v. Tucci ( 1929), p.
xxviii; Ui ( 1917), p. 55, n. 3. (Surely Chinese xiii mo - Tib. phra ba, probabl y
Sanskrit siikpna. ).
195. RA, Ill, 68 refers to Lokayata (or Lokayatika, Tib. 'jig rten rgyaiz pan). They
are frequently criti cized in the Lankiivatiirasiitra, see Suzuki 's Index, p. 150.
Thei r identity is not very clear.
196. Cf. CS, III, 34 with ref. (also Suzuki's Index, p. 45).
197. See VP (ed. Kajiyama), p. 155; RA, I, 3-4; Ill, 30.
198. BV, 77-78; 28.
199. Endorsing traditional Hindu learning at the level ofsai]IV[Iisarya Nagarjuna is
in fact merely following an ideal generally advocated in Mahayana
scriptures, cf. Buddhavalal]lsakasii.tra ci ted SS, 251 b and BS, 79 with ref.
111ust as a member of the community have received an incessant
flow of impressions and convictions, prejudices and superstitions
liom the Hindu society surrounding him. This forms a part of his
background which was never recorded and for an assessment of
whi ch no sources are available to us.
I' ) Buddhist: Tripi{aka
:"Jagarjuna's writings give ample evidence of his acquaintance not
only with the siitras of Mahayana but also with the Siitras, Vinaya.
.md Abhidharma of Hinayana, or as he invariably puts it conscious
of the variances between the three vehicles: Bodhisattvayana versus
Sravaka- and Pratyekabuddhayana.
Before considering the features which distinguish Mahayana
from Hinayana it may be useful to recall the fundamentals of the
Dharma propounded in the ancient siitras.
200
The historical Buddha himself, once enlightened (buddha ), had no
other wish than to impart to others a method (miirga) conducive to
the attainment of deliverance (mokja) from the cycle of birth and
death (sa'!!Sara), i.e. from dubkha. The conviction that our life in a
gati in saT]lsiira without beginning in time solely depends upon our
previous volitional actions (karma) he shared with numerous con-
temporary sramaQas. The conviction that adherence to such a life
was the source of nothing but dubkha, and the idea that nothing
could be deemed more desirable for living beings than to obtain
extinction (nirviirza ) from the life-process he also shared with many
other contemporaries. It was in regard to the method (miirga)
devised for escape and, surely - if we read between the lines - by
virtue of his impressive personality as a teacher of 'gods and men'
that the Buddha stood out among contemporary preachers with
fundamentally the same presuppositions in such a way as to appeal
mainly to the upper strata of society. His was a marga for iiryas, not a
popular religion for Pfthagjanas, the profanum vulgus.
As said, his entire social life was devoted to teaching the miirga to
monks and laymen. He never tired of re-formulating it from new
200. Thi s survey is an attempt to give the gist of the Tripi taka, and is above all
based on the testimony of the sii tras. In the majority of cases I refer to the Pali
canon as it is the most convenient to consult (Nagarjuna, of course, used a
Sanskrit recension).
251
and different angles according to the demands of circumstances and
invariably with a keen perception of the capacities and inclinations
of his proselytes. Though he surely enhanced his pedagogical ex-
perience the theory behind his teachings remained unchanged
throughout his life. It is kleias that motivate living beings to that
karma which keeps the wheel of life turning, above all raga, dveja
and moha.
As the Dharma gradually gai ned ground and, with it, the Saql-
gha, rules for the regulation of the daily life of the monks came into
demand. Hence the origin of the Vinaya, the collection of monastic
rules. From a doctrinal point of view they add nothing to tht
Dharma propounded in the collections of Sutras. It is hardly sur-
prising to find that the rules codified in the Vinaya of the various
schools may vary in a number of instances due to geographical and
other circumstances. The one referred to by Nagarjuna seems to
have been that of the M ulasarvastivadins.
The origins of the third Pi!aka is to be sought in the sutras
themselves, or rather, in my opinion, with the Buddha himself.
Abhidharma originally marked an attempt to group all the positive,
negative and neutral dharmas familiar from the discourses of the
Master systematically so as to permit the monks studying in se-
clusion to gain a survey of these. Through the exercise and gradual
development ofhis intellectual faculty (prajna)
201
the monk was thus
enabled in a most rationalized manner to become thoroughly con-
versant with those dharmas to be developed and those to be aban-
doned. So, while the ingenious device laid down in Abhidharma on
one hand had the advantage of forming, so to speak, a highway to
mok!a, its abstract and systematic spirit did, on the other, inevitably
embody a tendency to dogmatism, an attitude which, in the end,
was to render it unfaithful to the original intention of its founder. In
the course of time some of the best Buddhist minds contributed to
the vigorous development of Abhidharma, a development which
reached its peak about the time ofNagarjuna wit h the compilation
of the magnificent thesaurus of Buddhist lore, the MahavibhO.[a of
Sarvastivada. It was, as we shall see, a profound resentment against
the prevailing and somewhat complacent tendency to dogmatism, or
201. For the tnr,idha prajna, v. Digha, III, p. 219. Vibhanga, p. 324; Dharmasa'flgraha,
II 0. See also PED, s. v. pa;;na ('intellect as conversant with general truths').
252
'clinging', among Abhidharmikas that induced Nagarjuna to adopt
ilw non-dogmatic spirit breathing in the Prajiiaparamitiisutras and
I'<"J.{Cnerate it, as it were, among the renegades.
fhe fact that, as the Buddha himself phrased it, aya'?l dhamma-
;mn_yo ekaraso vimuttiraso
202
also accounts for his characteristic and
.,utspoken opposition to speculative and dogmatic theories not
l .. nding themselves to personal experience and ratification. The
Buddha's deliberate btoxi) towards current 'metaphysical' antadva-
l'''dufi had a decisive impact upon Nagarjuna, and I will conclude
1 his survey by collecting some of these and other passages from the
;mcient sutras which were to be formative of his philosophical
thinking.
i) It was in his celebrated sermon at Benares that the Buddha first
preached the Four Noble Truths: The life of the individual ( = the
five upadanaskandha) is sheer dul]kha. Its origin (samudaya) is tm1a, the
will to life. (Note that strictly speaking this only gives a simplified
'exoteric' account of dul]khasamudaya. The real cause is avidya). The
purpose of human life is its nirodha, i.e. Nirvarya. The Buddha shows
a path (a method) to nirodha, i.e. the eightfold, further reducible to
.rila, samadhi and prajna. - This provides us with the motive, the
cause, the purpose and the method of Buddhism in nuce.
Here I quote the recension Nagarjuna is most likely to have
known, that of the Mulasarvastivadins.
203
His own paraphrase
occurs SL, 113- 115:
204
I. .. . catvarimani bhikiava aryasaryani; katamani catvari? dubkham arya-
saryam, dubJchasamudayo dubkhanirodhn dul]khanirodhagamini pratipad arya-
saryam. dubJcham aryasaryam lcatamat? jatir dubJcham,jara du!lfcham, vyadhir
dubJcham, mara(UZ7]'1 dubJcham, priyaviprayogo dubJcham, apriyasaT[lprayogo
dul;kham,yad apicchan paryeiama7)0 na labhate tad api dubJcham;
tab panca ime upadanaskandha du!lfcham; tasya parijnayai margo
bhavayitavyab. dul;khasamudayam aryasaryaT[l katamat? t[iT}Q paunarbhaviki
nandlragasahagata tatra tatrabhinandini; tasyab prahaT}aya margo
bhavayitavyal;. dul;khanirodham aryasaryaT[I katamat? yad asya eva tmzayal;
202. Ailgultara, IV, p. 203; Udana, p. 56; Vinaya, II, p. 239.
203. Cited from R. Gnoli, TM Gilgit Manv.scriptojtMSailghabMdavastu, Roma 1977,
pp. 137-138. (This ed. is in need of numerous corrections.)
204. TP, No. 5682, 289a-289b (also TP, No. 5409 with minor variants).
253
i'
paunarbhavikya nandiragasahagatayas tatra tatrabhinandinya aietaprahiJ-
!fGTJI pratinisargo vimtlbhaval} kiayo virago nirodho vyupaiamal} astaT[Igamal};
tasya siikiiitkriyayai aryG.[Iango margo bhiivayitavyal}. dul}khanirodhagiimini
pratipad aryasarya1Jl katamat? iiryiiJiiingo margal} - tadyatha, samyagduJiiJ,
samyaksa1J!kalpal}, samyagvak, samyakkarmantal), samyagaJival), samyagvya-
yamal}, samyaksmrtil}, samyaksamadhif.; so 'pi bhiJvayitavyal) ...
2. SL, 113-115.
I yan dag Ita dan ' tsho dan rtsol ba dan I
I dran dan tin ' dzin nag dan las mtha' dan I
I yan dag rtog iiid lam gyi yan lag brgyad I
I ' di ni zi bar bgyi slad bsgom par bgyi I
I skye ' di sdug bsilal sred pa zes bgyi ba I
I de ni ' di yi kun 'byun rgya chen te I
I ' di 'gog pa ni thar pa lags te lam I
I de thob 'phags lam yan lag de brgyad lags I
I de !tar 'phags pa' i bden pa bzi po dag I
I mthon bar bgyi slad r tag tu brtson par bgyi I
I pan na dpal gnas khyim pa rnams kyis kyan I
I ses pas non mons chu bo las brgal bgyi I
ii ) No less celebrated but far more intricate is the Buddha's
teaching of the dvadaiangapratiyasamutpada. The purpose of this for-
mula is to explain the genesis (samudaya) of dul;lcha. The author
himself spoke of it as the dharma gambhiro gambhiravabhaso durdrso
duravabodho 'tarlcyo 'tarkyavacaral} siilqmo nipu!fapauitavijnavedaniyal} ... -
It is, so to speak, the 'esoteric' account of dul}khasamudaya.
205
Ancient and modern attempts to interpret this enigmatic formula
are not lacking.
206
That it was a matter of deep concern to
205. Gnoli, op.cil. , p. 128; cf. TTaili, p. 35, n. 2.- The two different canonical
accounts of are, in my view, not to be regarded as more or less
inconsistent or incompatible. Tht> former, or 'exoteric', is usually given to an
audience unacquainted with the Buddha's Dharma, the latter, or 'esoteric' to
monks well versed in the Dharma. Thus they are simply expressions of the
Buddha's 'upayakauialya'.
206. See ref. in May, op. cit., p. 251, n. I, and the late F. Bernhard: 'Zur I nter-
254
:'-J;-tgarjuna is seen most clearly in PK and SS. The significance of
1 he principle of pratityasamutpada in its extended general sense is
('vidcnt from all his writings. MK, XXVI and SL, 109-112 repro-
c luce the traditional list of the twelve nid(znas beginning with avidya,
cnding with dul}kha.
I .
. .. idam eva111 dvildaJanga111 pratityasamutpadam anulomapratilomaT{I vyavalo-
ka_yan,yaduta asmin satida111 hhavati, asyotpadild idam utpadyate - yadutavi-
sarrskarapratyayaT[I vipianam, vijnanapratyayaT[I
namaropam, namaropapratyayaT[I IOt/ayatana1/Z, [at/ayato.napratyayai) spar-
fa!;, spariapratyaya vedana, vedanapratyaya tmza, trroapratyayam upildanam,
upadanapratyayo hhavai), hhavapratyaya jatipratyaya jaramaraQOioka-
fmidevadu!Jkhadaurmanasyopayasa ami hhavanti; evam asya kevalasya mahato
dul}khaskandhasya samudayo hhavati; yaduta asminn asatidaT[I na hhavati,
asya nirodhad idaTfl nirudhyate - yaduta avidyanirodhat sa'[!skaraniro-
dhal; ... 207
2. SL, 109-111.
I rna rig pa las las te de las ni I
I mam ses de las min dan gzugs rab 'byun I
I de las skye mched drug ste de dag las I
I reg pa kun tu ' byun bar thub pas gsuns I
I reg pa las ni tshor ba kun 'byun ste I
I tshor ba'i gii las sred pa 'byun bar 'gyur I
I sred pas len pa bskyed par 'gyur ba ste I
I de las srid pa srid las skye ba lags I
I skye ba yod na mya nan na rga dan I
I ' dod pas 'phons dan 'chi bas 'jigs sogs kyi I
I sdug bsnal phun po sin tu che byun ste I
I skye ba 'gag pas 'di kun 'gag par 'gyur I
pretation der Prati tyasamutpada-Formel', WZKSO, XII-XIII, pp. 53-63.
207. Gnoli, op.cit., p. 127.- SL, 109-111 cited from TP, No. 5682, 289a (also TP,
No. 5409 with insignificant variants}.
255
"\
iii) Nirvar;ta was really nothing but dullkhanirodha, either with skan-
dhas ( = du&kha) remaining or without any skan
dhas remaining (nirpadhisefaniruar;a), i.e. deliverance from futun
birth. This state of psycho-somatic peace may, however, be con-
sidered from various conventional angles:
208
Psychologically it is klefakraya barely different from the Stoic ideal of
ema8Et.a. Thus SS, 221 a cites Saf!lyuktagama: ... dge slon dag khyed Ia
mya nan las 'das pa dan I "!>'a nan Las 'da' bar 'gro ha'i lam biad par
bya 'o II de la mya nan las 'das pagan i:.e na I 'di ita ste I 'dod chags ;;ad pa dan
I i:.e sdan ;;ad pa dan I gti mug ;;ad pa'o II ... c( Sal'{lyulta, IV, p. 371: ...
nibbiinaii ca vo bhikkhaue desissami nibbanagamin ca maggal'{l ... ragakkhayo
dosakkhayo mohakkhayo ...
Ontologically it is a world beyond sa7f1Sara. SL, I 05 alludes to the
well-knowu passage from Udana, p. 80: ... atthi, bhikkhaue, tad ayata-
naTfl yaltha neua pathavi no apo na tejo na vayo no lzlc(uanoiicayatanaT[I na
uinnO(IaTicayatanal'{l na aki1zcannayatanal'{l na neuasannanasannayataTia'fl na
yal'{lloko na paraloko na ubho candimasuriya. tatrapahaT[l, bhikkhaue, neua aga-
til'{l vadami na gatiTfl na JhitiT{l na cutil'{l na upapattip; appatiJ!haT{l appauattaT[I
anarammal)al'{l evetal'{l - eseuanto dukkhassa ti.
SL, 105.
I tshul khrims dag dan ses rab bsam gtan gyis I
I mya nan ' das ii dul ba dri med I
I go ' phan mi rga mi 'chi zad mi ' tshall
I sa chu me rlun iii zla bra! thob mdzod I
Epistemologically (sometimes barely distinguished from the above-
mentioned points of view) one may say that paramal'{l ariyasaccaT{l ya-
didarrz amosadhammatp nibbanatp (Majjhima, III, p. 245, c( 35).
Nevertheless it cannot be an object of the senses or of consciousness.
Nagarjuna alludes to Digha, I, p. 223 in 34 (q.v.) and RA, I,
93-95.
209
208. Cf. recently R. E. A. Johansson, The PJychology of Nirvana, New York 1970;
G. R. Welbon, Tht Buddhist Nirv1il}o and its Wtsltm lnterprtlm, Chicago 1968;
J. W. Boyd: 'The Theravada View ofSamsara' , in Buddhist Studies in honour
ofWalpola Rahula, London 1980, pp. 29-43.-SL, 105cited from TP, No. 5682,
288b-289a (also TP, No. 5409 with slight variants).
209. TP, No. 5658, 133a-133b. - Note that Pali sabbotopaha (v. PED, p. 448
and Majjhima, I, p. 329) is rendered by Tib kun tu bdag po. But -paho is
256
anidassanaTfl ananlaTfl sabbatopahaTfl
'"'1/ npo ca pa!havi tejo uayo na gadhati
. ulm dig han ca rassaii ca anuTfl thiilarrz subhiisubha;p
0 t:ho Tl nmnn ca rupan ca asesaTf! uparujjhati
mlltiT} assa nirodhena etth'elaTfl uparujjhati
1 ... , dan chu dan me dan rlun II rin thun phra dan sbom nid dan I
I sogs nid ni mam ses su II 'gag par 'gyur zes thub pas gsuns :
I rnam ses bstan med mtha' yas pa II kun tu bdag po de Ia ni I
1 ' ' dan chu dan me dan ni II rlun gi gnas thos 'gyur ma yin I
I dir ni rin dan thun ba dan II phra sbom dge dan mi dge dan I
1 'dir ni min dan gzugs dag kyan II ma Ius par ni 'gag par ' gyur I
" ) The initial nidana of dubkha ( = skandha) is, as we saw, auidya. which
,., not merely lack or absence of knowl edge but positively, amitra-
,11, more or less a synonym of ablziniutia, dnli, kalpana or graha, (cf.
1.(. DhammasaizgaT}i, p. 213 which Nagiirjuna may have had in mind
ul SS, 64, q.v.). It may have various objects (v. Dhammasaizgm:zi,
p. 190), and according to the Pratltyasamutpadasiitra (quoted Prasan-
llfmda, p. 452, ad MK, XXIII, I , q.v.) it also has a cause: 000 auidya-
,11 hhik,rauab sapratyaya sanidana. kai ca bhiklaua/J auidyaya hetu/J?
tvoniio manaskaro hetub. auilo mohajo manask{m
l'll!yiiyii he tub. (ity a to 'uidyii sai'{Lkalpaprabhava bhauati).
More specifically avidya is due tu the four viparyasas (SS, 10, q. v.).
l'he canonical passages are scarce, e.g. Aizguttara, II, p. 52: .00 anicce
hltikkhaue niccan ti saniziivipallaso cittauipalliiso diUhiuipalliiso, adukkhe
hltikkhaue dukkhan ti saiinauipalliiso cittauipalliiso diJihiuipalliiso, anattani
hhikkhaue alta ti sannauipal!{JSO cittauipalliiso diJthiuipalliiso, asubhe bhik-
Uifwe subhan t. i saiiizavipalliuo cittauipallaso di&thiuipalliiso 00. ( cf. Vi-
'haizga, p. 376; SL, 48; MK, XXIII, passim; Koia, V, p. 21 (ref. )).
l venture to think that we here have a clue to one of the most
puzzling apophthegms in the ancient canonical texts, viz. ' Katyayanaua-
''lida' referred to MK, XV, 7 q. v. This sutra proposes to define sa-
"!YGgduJi, cf. Sarrzyutta, II, p. 17: 000 dvayanissito khuayal]l Kaccayana loko
Vl'hhuyyena atthitan ceua natthitaiz ca. lokasamudayai'{L kho Kaccayana yatha-
hhtital]l sammappaizizaya passato ya loke natthita sana hoti; lokanirodhal'fl kho
surely -prabha as often in BHS. (Cf. also de Jong, Buddhist Studits, Berkeley
1979, p. 49.)
II N
257
; I
I I
I I
]
'I
K accayana yatlzabhutaT[I sammappannaya passalo ya toke atthita sii na hoti ...
sahham atthiti lcho Kaccayana ayam elco anto, sahhar[l nattkiti ayrif.n dutiyo
anto ... zto
These canonical extracts provided Nagiirjuna with his fundamen-
tal philosophical outlook: dutllcha ( = skandha) is due to avidya, which
again is a result of the activity of the viparyasas. These four arc, in the
final analysis, founded upon the assumption of asti anct nasti. This
dichotomy is, as it were, the nemov '\jlciJOO of the cycle of life
(sa'!lsara).
211
Nagarjuna arrived at this position from a desire to achieve a
consistent exegetical result of his study of the Buddha' s doctrine
recorded in the .;criptures.
2
t
2
I n the eyes ofNagarjuna the Buddha
was not merely a forerunner but the very founder of the Madhya-
maka system. It would be a rewarding task but also extend the
limits of the present inquiry to consider to what extent his opinion
was historically justified.
v) Among the fuur viparyasas the third: anatmani atma iti is the
gravest and most basic. It consists in a vilcalpa which imposes a self
(ahaT(lkara, Tib. bdag tu 'dzin pa) upon the five skandhas taken
collectively or separately. It is also called and may as
such ta ke twenty different forms (c( SL, 49 and ref. Traite, p. 737,
n. 3) . RA, I , 31 -35 has its counterpart SaT[!yutta, III, p. 105:
213
1.
... seyyathapi iivuso Anand a itt hi vii puriso vii daharo yuvii maT)rjanakajatiko
adase va parisuddhe pariyodiite acche vii udalcapatte sakaT[I mukhanimilta1Jl
paccavelclchamano upadaya passeya no anupadaya, evaT[I eva lcho iivuso itnanda
ropa'!l upadaya asmiti hoti no anupfidaya ... vedanaT[I ... saizizaT[I ... sa'!llchare
... viiiiza!laTfl upad{iya asmiti hoti no anupadaya ...
210. For further references and a discussion of this see Hooogirin, s.v.
Chiido, especially p. 459. Also p. 16.
211. Cf. YS, 1: XV, 10; RA, I, 38 etc.- See also the discussion about the
fourteen avyalqtavastiini in op. cit. , pp. 36-SL Also op. cit., p. 277,
n. 101 S. - In the linal analysis they are based on the assumption ofasti ornasti.
212. This is quite decisive. Nagarjuna is not a but primarily a
Buddhist patriarch with uncompromising faith in the Dharma, cf. BS, 61-62;
123-127.
213. Cf. BV, 61-62; PK, 5.
258
2.
yat/Wlarsam upadaya svamukhapratibimbakam I
drsJ'ale nama tac caiva na kif!l cid api tottvata/J II
aharr.karas tatha skandhan upadayopalahhyate I
na ca kirp cit sa lattvma Jvamukhapratibimhakam II
tVOI!IVidharthasrrw.u;iid dharmacalqur avaptauan I
JVO.Yat{l caiva 'bhikroam uktauan II
(sicandhagraho .Yavad asti {(wad evaham iry api I
ahOI!lkare soli puna!z kanna janma tataf! punab II)
3.
rupa1Jl natma rupav(m 'Ia pi calma TU/Jt natma nafmani rupant . . . tVOTJ'l
yavad vijnan<J!I11i>tma vijnanavan natmii natmii niitmani vijnanam iti
... tat hi! anatmanal.z sarvadharma iti ...
214
4.
SL, 48-49.
I mi ni yan dag nid du mi brle zin I
I mi rtag hdag med mi gtsan rig par bgyi I
I dran pa ne bar rna giag rnams kyis ni I
I phyin ci log bzir Ita ba ' phun bkrol ba I
I gzugs ni bdag rna yin zes gsun ste bdag I
I gzugs dan !dan min gzugs Ia bdag gnas min !
I bdag Ia gzugs mi gnas te de biin du I
I phm1 po !hag rna bii yan ston rtogs bgyi I
vi ) Ancient Buddhism - and Hinayana- denied the existence .of a
permanent iitman. Instead it acknowledged the five skandhas which,
like all other phenomena (dharma) arc chara.:terizcd by three lak$a-
viz. dubkha and anatman. Mahayana went further: In the
final analysis the skandhas are no less illusory than the notion of an
iitman. Though this was scarcely in accordance with the stage of
214. Sanskrit Prasmmapndii. p. 355; Suhhajitnsa'!l,l('aha (ed. Bendall), p. 394;
Dhammasan,f!.niJi, p. '220; Mahavyutpatti, CCI X. - The following verses SL, 48-
49 quoted from TP, No. 5682, 285b (also TP. No. 5+09 without significant
variants).
259
development reached in the ancient sutras they nevertheless adum
brated the advent of Mahayana, above all in the pregnant stanzas of
Sarrz.yuktagama on which BV, 12-13 (q.v.) are based.
215
phena/Ji!lt/opamaTJI nipa1f1 uedana budbudopama I
maiicisadrfi sarrzjna I
rnayopamaTfl ca uijnanam uktam adityabandhuna II
ruarrz dharman ulk$011101)0 bhik$UT arabdhavlryaliQII I
diva 11a yadi ua riitrau I
pratiuidhyet Hmtar[t Sa'flskaropaJama1f1 Jivam II
c) Buddhist: .\fahiiyana
Dcspitr an increasing number of modern contributions to the study
of 1\bhayana sittras our knowledge of the historical origi ns of this
dewlopcd f-">nn of Buddhism :.till rcmainf> meagre and fragmentary
and will, for .-11l one can say_, do so for d<;cades to come. !
16
For-
tunately this circumstance barely has any decisive effect upon our
undnstanding of as an expon<:nt of Mahayana.
217
O n
the mntrary. the fact that he is the firs t indi vidual known to have
collected the sl'uras of the new school and systematized thei r
teaching-s pro\'ides us not wi th a terminus ante quem for more
t han thrrc scores of sutras but also with valuable textual and
exegetical materials. As we havP seen Nagarjuna's SS is a collection
of extracts culled largely from sutras belonging to Mahayana. In
addition CS and BS contain numerous allusions to, or even quo.a-
tions from, these texts.
218
In general, one may conclude that Nagarjuna was thoroughly
conversant with the ancient Tripi!aka as well as the more recent
215. Frcq Jentlv ci tt>d, her;;- from Pm;annnpndii, p. 41. On .lii'!)',llii in the ancien t
sinras v. Tnilt, pp. 1079-1081; 2140-2144 (with ref.). Piili, Sa'flyulla, 111, p.
142. - Cf.abovc all :lkf0)'071alinirdtia, Bu.fol. 125 a &-126 a 6.
216. Very useful is H. Nakamura: 'A Survey of Buddhism with
bihliog-raphiC'al Not!'s. Part 1: Sl'nras', in Tht.Journal ofl nterculturnl
Studirs. II 1. pp. 60-145. Speaking of Har Dayal , The Bodhi;nl/va doctrine in
Samkrit liuralure, akamura says: 'Probably the best cri tical study of
the textual evidence with the career of the Bodhi sattva.' 1 agree.
217. It would, of course, be interrsting to pose the question: Is Nagarjuna a
faithful exponent of Mahayana? But it is impo :sible to answer it at present.
218. 1 have done my best to locate tht"se hut much to be done.
260
I ' loped siitras of Ma hayana. Without ever breaking radically
,\ltla the ancient tradition these scriptures launched new ideas
. ol 1tll the nature of the world (Sitr!)'ata) and the foundation of
rhi t a! behaviour (karu(!a), and in Nagarjuna they found a staunch
'' Pporter.
:he mai n source of inspiration for his magnumopus, MK, with the
.ulll itlc: Prajna, is that group of Mahayana scriptures commonl y
nnwn as Prajizapiiramitarutras.
2
t ') As Yasunori Ejima puts it: 'The
I l ruli!'Yflmaka-karika starts \\ ith and aims a t nothing other than
, .. ,.,,iiipararamita or perfect wisdom.'
220
N agarjuna' s ipsissima terba
l'l''''l' that of these texts he knew at least Saptaiatikii
11:d l'qiracrhcdika.
22
t
If one were to condense the tenets of the Prajnaparamita litera-
""T into a few sentences it would perhaps amount to this: Their
. "'' ' u.f the world is that fundatnentally all phenomena (dhr.rma ) are
, .. id of substance, i. e. illusory or empty. Thei r view C?f the individuaL is
1 as a bodhisattva gradually recognizing this fact one should,
... n>rdingly, li ve in the equanimit y of universal emptiness, and, at
d,,. same time, through cvmpassion, devote oneself to the task of
lihnating all other beings without scorning any means for the
.whicwmcn t of that ideal (upayakau.ialya).
212
!\la turally, in the course of time, the deepened conception of the
""rid led to novel developments .vithin the field of ontology and
pist .. mology. The view of the human situation likewise
a flourishing movement in the field of religion and ethics.
\II this gave room for the work of' independent thinkers, and for
.'1'1. I n this field wear> indebted to tlw work of the late Edward Conz1, v. hi s
us<'ful bibliography in Tht PraJiiiipiiramitii /.1/t raturt, Tokyo 197H. St"c' al so I..
l.ancas1er (cd.), Prajniiparamitii and related lj!Si cms. Studit ! in hmwr of f:'du;ard
Con::t, Berkeley 1977 .
.''/fl. Y. Ejima, Chugan-shiso no tmkoi, Bhiivm htka kmkrii. Tokyo 1980, p. 495 .
li e frum in SS, v. the list 36, 4 7 and 63.
!:)!. Ct: Conzc's sun1mary.lol. cit., p. 15: "The thousands of lines of the PrajnOpO-
ramita can be summed up in the following two sentences: I) One should
hecome a Bodhisattva (or Buddha-to-be), i.e. one who is content with
not hing less than all -knowl edge attained through the perfection of wisdom
lor the sake of all living beings. 2) There is no such thing as a Bodhisattva, or
as all-knowledge, or as a 'being', or as the perfection of wisdom, or as an.
attainment. To accept both these contrad ictory facts is to be perfect. ' Cf. 'ibid.
lor 'new ideas' in these sittras (tathata, upayakauialya llnd punyapari!'iimanii).
261
this reason it often proves advantageous to centre the s tudy of
Mahayana around its indiviciual representatives.
Here, however, we must confine our investigation to
himself. Several passages in RA show that he was well awan nf
the features distingui shing-the largeyana from the less comprehcn
sive one, and moreover, of the sustained opposition aroused by thr
prevalence of such divergences.
223
i) First of a ll \1ahayana and Hlnayana differ in their outlook
of the world. They both endorse iui!Yalii as a fundament al
feature of existence (one of the three lakiaT)as) preached by tlw
Buddha. But according to :\.1ahayiina this term indicates ' non
origination' i.e. the fact that all phenomena lack svabhava, wh<'nas
Hlnayana simply takes it as a synonym of impermanence (similarly
MK, X III , 3-4ab, q.v. ):
IV, 86ab.
anutpado mahiiyane sunJ;ota I
ii ) The ancient scriptures do not mention concepts specific to
Mahayana such as the vows for enlightenment (praTJ.idhana ), tlH'
bodhisattva's practice (carya) of the paramitas. his drdi:;ation of ihl'
merit thus achieved and his extraordinary powers
(adhif!hana, cf. BHSD, s. v.). Therefore they do not provide sufficient
guidance for the achievement of bodhi:
IV, 90-9lab.
na bodhisattvaprarzidhir na I
uleta/.! frii vakayiine 'smiid bodhisattva/.! kutas lata/.! II
adhiHhiiniini nolctiini bodhisatlvasya bodhaye I
Nor do the ancient texts speak of a bodhisattva's perseverance
{praliithii = prasthiina, c( Bodhicaryavaliira, I, 15) in his bodhicaryii:
IV, 93.
na sutre bhii[itaTfl I
bhfitaT{1 ca mahiiyiine grahyam asmiid 'licalcfaf)ailj. II
223. See below and BS, 24-27. Cf. Har Dayal, op.cit., pp. 1-29.
262
\l .. n,wer, the notion of /JuQYn- andjniinasmflhhara characteristi c of
\I :dt ayiina is still an object of critique or neglect on the part of the
,. J! ... rcnts of Hinayana:
I\. ,1)7.
1
,tfhl 1attmsya sa'f!lbharo rnahayane tathagatni!t I
sa tu .rammur/hailt fJradvii!aii caiva nindyate II
I\. B3.
''"lll'n}nanamayo y atra budd hair hodher mahapathalt I
.f, .itns tan mallilyanam ajnanad vai na clriyate II
I >nc to his sense of ' human responsibility' (knrutzyn) a bodhisattva
"'"wins from entering nirva!la in order to help other living beings to
hl;tin hodhi (cf. R..\, IV, 66). This is the very core of \1ahiiyana ethics
.tnd to abuse it can onl y be considered a sign of mtntal depravity:
1\ ', 7R-79.
J.a ru!lapunakab sarve nivnnda jiiananirmala{1 I
ul.tti _vatra mahayane kas tan nindet sacetana& II
uifa!'czair akrtatmabhilt I
nin1}ate 'rlya mahayana'!! mohiit svaparavairihhib II
The eight stages of spiritual progress in Sravakayana do not reach
.ts far as the ten bhumis in Mahayana.
224
The former lead to arhattva,
the latter to buddhatva.
\" , 40.
ratha sravakayane 'Ilav sravakahhumayab I
mnhfi..vane daia latha hodhisattvasya bhiimaynlt II
iii) Despite such divergencies one should not simpl y discard Srava-
kayiina as useless or unorthodox. On the contrary, thisyana should
be regarded as preliminary to the grcatyana. It addresses itself to
:!:.?4. The eight Sravakabhumis refer to the eight aryapudgalas, v. Sa1(1yutta, v. p.
202. For these stages and thei r relationship to the bhumis of Mahayana v.
Sura1(1,1Jamasamadhisi.ttra, pp. 246-251.
263
those Buddhists whose moral and intellectual faculties are still at ""
inferior stage of development.
IV, 94-96.
yathaiva vaiyiikaraiJO miitrkiim api pa{hayet I
buddho 'vadat tathii dharmaT[Z vineyiinii1[1 yathiik[amam II
kt[aTfl cid avadad dharma1[1 papebhyo viniV[ttaye I
ke{a'f{l cit purgasiddhyartharp kefii1[1 cid dvayaniSritam II
dvayani.fritam ekefa1[1 gambhlrarp bhlrubhi[a7J.am I
iiinyatiikarurzagarbha'fl kcfO'fl- cid bodhisadhanam II
This accounts for the fact that the Buddha often varied hill
teachings according to his audience and ci rcumstances (cf. BV,
98-99; MK XVIII, 6 & 8; Y$, 33). But this is merely a pedagogical
device. Therefore, in reality, there is only one single yiina as Sra-
vaka- and Pratyekabuddhayana are comprised in Mahayana (cf.
ss, 10).
225
IV, 88.
tathagatabhisandhyoktimy asuklwTfl Fzatum iry ata& I
ekayanatriyanoktiid atma rakva upekfaya II
II. Nagarjuna's philosophical system
The variety of Nagarjuna's authentic writings in regard to stylf:,
themes and philosophical profundity is certainly undeniable. To be
sure, one cannot quite rule out the possibility that such diversities
are to some extent to be accounted for by assuming personal mo-
tives, such as shift of interests or development of thinking. However,
apart from the fact that SS and VV certainly were written later than
MK, no means of establishing a relative chronology in his author-
ship' are at our disposal. In my view the decisive reasons for the said
225. On tkayana, see Siddhi, p. 673 and p. 724 (the verses translated here are from
Candrakirti's Triiaraf}QSaptati, 45-47!). Ref. in MahayanasaT(Igraha, p. 63 ;
Virnalak'irtinirde.fa, p. 214, n. 144. Also F. Kotatsu: ' One vehicle orthree' , }IP,
III, pp. 79-166.- On upekfa, see Akfayamatinirdtia, Bufo/. 140 b 1-141 b 6.
264
\'ariety of Nagarjuna's wnungs is to be sought in the author's
desire, as a Buddhist, to address himself to various audiences, at
\'arious levels and from various angles. This motive would of course
)I(' quite consistent with the Mahayana ideal ofupayakauJalya (cf. BS,
17}. Thus MK, SS and VV were intended to be studied by philo-
minded monks. VP was written as a challenge to Naiya-
yikas. Y$, VS and PK are contributions to Buddhist exegesis. CS is
:1 document confessing its author's _personal faith in t he Buddha's
dt'ran.i, while SS, BV, BS, SL and RA on the wholr addressed them-
sdves to a wider Buddhist audience, monks as well as laymen.
I will thus take it for g ranted that Nagii.rjuna never changed his
fi mdamental outlook essentially, and, accordingly, look upon his
writings as expressions of an underlying unity of thought conceived
before he made his debut in writing.
SL is the most ' elementary' of Nagaljuna's writings. It was com-
posed in order to arouse the reader' s intt" rest in the val ues of
Buddhism in general (I). With the exception of a few stray ailusions
tlwre is nothing here that a n adhcrent of Sravakayana would be
inclined to disavow. It mainly consists of injunctions enjoined on
laymen (cf. 118). Nagatjuna's remaining ""orks wr re written from the
higher level of Mahayana and we must probably take it for granted
that he assumed his readers to be well versed in the fundamentals of
the Tripi taka.
226
The career of a bodhisattva, i.e. a grhastha or a pravrajita devoted
to the ideals of Mahayana is inaugurated the moment he forms the
hodhicitta selting his mind on enlightenment. Now he does not
merely seek his own nirva'!a ( = kleiarkandhanirodha ) but yearns for
the bodhi of himself as well as all other beings. Thus he exhibits a
sense of human responsibility, or compassion (karu1Ja ) virtually
foreign to Hinayana. Intellectuall y he will remain satisfied with
nothing less than the omniscience of a Buddha.
227
The first manifest expression of a bodhisattva's new attitude is his
226. Thus MK and SS cannot be read without a basic knowlt;dge of Abhidharma.
Verses such as RA, III, 35; BS, 62, 97, 11 9, 147; SL, 27 and 53 etc.
presuppose the reader's acquaintance with some of the sutras. RA, V, 34 and
SL, 53 refer to Vinaya rules.
'227. On bodhicitta, Har Dayal, op.cit. , pp. 50-79; BV,passim; RA, II , 74-75; Siddhi,
p. 727; A. Bareau in Die Rtligiontn lndims, Stuttgart 1964, p. 147 (with ref. p.
146, n. 3).
265
'
I i
regular performance of the so-called anuttara pufa, or the bodhicittot-
padavidhi. RA. , V, 65-87 thus enjoins a bodhisattva to declare his
faraTJ.agamana, pi!jana, pndadd ana, bodhicittotpada and
purgapari(.lamana three times a day in front of a buddhapratima, a stupa
or any other sacred object.
228
The purpose of this rite is to remind the bodhisattva of thr lofty
ideals which he has himself. Thus a bodhisattva embarks
on Mahayana by declaring his lofty aspirations (prm;idhana) th('rc-
by, as it were, swearing his all egiance to its principles.
But pious promises and solemn vows wi ll not do. In order to
become a buddha a bodhisattva must personall y collect the moral and
intellectual outfit (sa1J!bhara) conducive for hodhi. In due course an
will endow him with a Buddha's physical body
(nipakaya) adorned with the remarkable
and the eighty anul!Ja;yanas, whereas an will
bring him in possession of the inconceivable dharmakaya. These two
bodies constitute buddhahood.
229
But before the bodhisattva finally becomes a buddha he must, as
said, fulfil the two sa1pbizaras for bodhi. This is done by practising the
six paramitas in a spirit of karuT)a, viz. dana, fila, lc[anti, virya,
and prajiia ( cf. S L, 8) . 230
In RA, V, 36-38 Nagarjuna briefl y defines the 'perfections' and
states their respecti ve effects: Liberality (dana ) is to surrender one's
own goods (sunrtha), good morals (.fila) arc actions beneficial to
others (paraltita), pa ticnce (lcfanli ) is to renounce anger (krodha ),
energy (virya) is to strive for merit (fubhapari.f!.raha); trance (dhyana ) is to
228. RA, V, 65. See also note to BS, 48. Recently B. C. Beresford has translated th"
Triskandhakasutra ( cf. Upaliparip[cclla, p. I 07, n. 4) in hi s Mahayana Purification:
The Confmion Sutra and the practice of Vajmsaltua, Dharamsala 1978. Thi s book
includes excerpts from Bodhyiipattideianavrtti (TP, No. 5506) ascribed to
Nagarjuna. Even if the authorship of this very interesting commentary
remains questionable, there can be no doubt tha t it originated in the 'circk'
of early :vfadhyamaka. It is closely related to Matrce!a's Sugatapancalri'!'iat-
stotra and other early texts on bodhisattuauidhi, e.g. Bodfv'akarapranidllana (TP,
No. 5930) also ascribed to !llagarjuna. ( It would certainl y prove a rewarding
task to deal with all rhese early ritual texts collectively. )
229. RA, I II, 12-13. - On themahapurufalak!al)a v. RA, II, 76-96; Traite, pp. 271281
(wirh ref.). For theanuvyanjanas, see the list in .'vfahii)iiruual[lgraha, pp. 56 -58
and the ref. ibid., p. 54 ; Konow ( 1941 ), pp. 57-81.
230. On thepiiramitas, Har Dayal,op.cit., pp. 165-269; Traitt, pp. 650-1113;Siddhi,
pp. 620-638.
266
lw <'Onccntrated without passions, insight (prajiia) is to ascertain the
IIIII' meaning (saryartht!nilcaya}, compassion (krpii ) is an attitude
Jtt!li ) whi ch is the same- (ekarasa) towarcl ail living beings (salll'O),
1r.unrly love (kant!la). From diina comes enjoyment from sila
k rppiness (sukha), from kranti grace (kanti), from 11lrya brillianc<',
I, 1111 dhy(ma peace (Santi), from mali ( = prajiia) liberation (mukti), and
lr"n' krpa success in all matt ers (sarvartha).'
23 1
- According
,., Ri\, IV, 131-82, mahayanartha is this: dana and fila are performed
'"u,irtlw, kfanti and rirya arc sviirtlw, and prajiia are mok{artha.
The practice of: hese perfections is tantamount to bodhisaT[Ibhara.
.cording to a later source dana, fila and kranti are thl!s equivalent
I " pw;yasaT(Ibhilra, while dhyana and prajizi: amount to jnanasaT[Ibhara
'"!ureas uirya is a mutual friend' (giiis ka'i grogs).
232
lt would indeed be possible to read BS, SL and RA as expositions
.r ;hcse paramitas and understand virtually any verse as an instance
or one or more of these. This, however, 1 will leave for the reader
'1imself to undertake.
The gradual process vf development which a bodhisattva u'nder-
practising the paramitas and a large number of other moral and
intell ectual virtues is minutely depicted in a number of \.fa hiiyana
lxts. According to the scheme of DaJabhumikasutra which is the
.tuthority followed by Nagarjuna (and later Madhyamikas) in this
r,.spect, a bodhisattva must ascend through ten spiritual stages
(hhumi) before he finally achieves buddhatva.
233
An abstract of the ten
hodhisatlMbhumis is given RA, V, 41-61: 'The first is Pramudita [so
called) si nce the bodhisattva rejoices as he abandons the three sawo-
jnnns and is born in the Tathagatagotra. By ripening this his danapara-
mita becomes eminent. He shakes one hundred lokadhiitus and be-
comes an emperor ofjambudvipa. The second is called Vimalii because
the ten kinds of physical, vocal and mental karma are stai nless since
he naturally abides by them. By ripening this filaparamita becomes
:!'\ 1. TP, No. 5658, 149a-149b; cf. the quotation in Tarkajvala referred to above n.
156.
'2:12. Commentary to BV, 96 (TP, No. 2694, 480b) .
2:13. On the ten bhumis see, above all, Har Dayal, op.cit., pp. 270291; Siddhi, pp.
721 742; Traiu, pp. 23 72-2445; Sura'!lgamasamadhisiitra, pp. 155-158.
267
I
. I
I:
j
I
eminent. He becomes an altruistic cakravartin, a glorious master of
the seven ratnas. He is an expert in making living beings avoid bad
morals. The thi rd bhttmi is [called] Prab!W.kan because the peaceful light
o(Fiiina arises as dhyiina a nd abhijna arise and raga and dvt!a are com-
pletely extinguished. By ripening this he controls [the piiramitas ofl
and Being a clevermahndradeviiniim he resistskamaraga. Thr
fourth is called because the light of samya,gjnana. arises as h('
cultivates all the eminently. By ripening this he be-
comes a devariija of[the gods of] Suyama. He is a master in subduing
the attacks of T he fifth [is called) Sudurjaya because it is
very difficult for any of the Maras to gain power as he becomes skilled
in understanding the profound meaning of the aryasagas etc. By
ripening this he becomes a king of the gods residing in Hr
repudiates the foundations of kleJ:a [anci) df!!i of all the tlrthakaraJ.
The sixth is called Abhimukhi because he faces the buddhadharmas as
by cultivating i amatha and vipaiyanii he advances to obtain nirodha.
By ripening this he becomes a king of the gods [of] Sunirmal)a.
Being invincible by Sriivakas he pacifies thost' who have adhim(ma.
The seventh (bhiimi is called] Diira'[lgamii because it has passed far
beyond calculation since moment by moment he there enters niro
dhasamapatti. By ripening this he becomes a master of the Vasavarti n
gods. Having realized the iiryasaryas be becomes an aciiryamahiinrpa.
Likewise the eighth [also called] Kumarabhumi, is Acalii becaust:
it is fathomless. It is also rcalled) Acala because the gocara of body,
speech and mind is acintya. By ripening this he becomes Brahma, a
master of a thousand (worlds). He cannot be matched in arthani.rcaya
by Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas etc. The ninth bhumi is called
Sadhumati. Here, like a crown-prince, he has a fine intellect by
obtaining the pratisaT[Iliids. By ripening this he becomes Brahma, a
master of two thousand [worlds]. He cannot be surpassed by Arhats
etc. in questions concerning the attitudes ofliving beings. The tenth
is Dharmamegha because the rain of saddharma falls as the bodhisattva
is consecrated with the light by the Buddha. By ripening this he
becomes a master of the Suddhavasa gods. A lord of infinitejniina he
is a supreme maheivara. Thus these ten are celebrated as the
bodhisattvabhiimis ... '.Subsequently the bodhisattva becomes a buddha
(ibid. , 61-64) .
The majority of Nagarjuna's writings - MK, SS, VV, CS,
BV and VP - centre upon one single piiramitii, viz. that of prajna.
268
This is above all an outcome ofNiigarjuna's innate philosophical
ndination, but it is also a natural consequence of the fact that
/llaj;uiparamita is considered the most important of all the paramitas
.. -t: ns, 5-7; RA, I, 5). It will therefore be reasonabl e to s ubject it to
.-l s<r consideration.
2
3
4
Traditionally prajna is claimed to exhibit three degrees: one of
tuti. one of cinta and one of bhavana. The first consists in the correct
. ndcrstanding of the scriptures (iigama ). As far as the writings of
are concerned _SS, PK, SL etc. are designed to serve
rhat need. The second is tantamount to well-reasoned appraisal of
'' hat one has learned from one's study of the scriptures. These two
kinds of prajna are thus of a discursive or rational order and serve a
nost practical purpose, i. e. a correct understanding of Buddhist
dogma. The third morle of prr.jna gradually unfolds itself by means
.. rbhavana and is based on the former two. It consists in meditating
pon the results of one's learning and understanding so as to realize
'item for oneself and integrate them in one's personality.
235
T aking it for granted that h1s reader is conversant wi th this l{rada-
1 ion N agarj una does .1ot spend many words discussing prqjni.i in t hr
.thstract but instead employs it in its current sense of ar.a lyti cal
understanding, or ' intellect as conversant with general truths'
( PED s.v. panna, q.v. ). However, his djalecti cal writ ings- especially
:viK, SS and VV, which may in fact be regarded as exercises in the
=pplication of this paramita - vividly display how he assigns a new
nd major role to prajna. Now prajna is not merely the analytical
f: tculty which allows us to determine the lakfa'!as and the smbhaua of
dharmas at the vyauahara level with certainty but it is the mediator
which conveys its adept from a world of appearance (sa'l!vrti) to one
of absolute reality (paramartha ). Here the deep impact the Prajnapii-
rarnita texts exerred upon Nagarjuna is unmistakable. So to Niigar-
,iuna prajna is at the outset a critical faculty constantl y engaged in
.malysing the more or less common-sense notions presented to it by
tradition or experience. The more it penetrates them and "loosens
:hem up' the more thei r apparent nature vanishes and in the final
.malysis their true nature turns out to be 'empty', i. e. devoid of
:1:14. On the relationship between prajna and the other paramitas, cf. Muni, op.cit.,
p. 267 and pp. 209-227; Traiti, pp. 2365-2371.
:! 15. See n. 201 above; Vimalakirtinirdeia, pp. 420-425; Bhavanalr.rama I (ed. Tucci ).
pp. 198-205; (my d.), pp. 16-27; Ratnapradipa, VII.
269
substance, or simply illusory as it cannot really be dete::mined as A
or, for that matter, non-A. At this stage prajna has also brought it!l
own raison d' etre to an end: by analysing its objects away it has also
deprived itself of an objective support (arambaT)a etc.).
236
At this moment the analytical understanding <>uddenly shifts into
dn intuitivejiiana which has sutryata as its 'object', i.e. which has no
object. The culmination of prajna, then, isjniina, or intuitive insight
into reality (tattva) beyond the duality of asti and niisti. Thisjnana is
also the suspension of avidya which, as we have seen, in the final
analysis is bastd on the wrong assumption of existence and non
existence etc.
237
Bodhi!'>attvas who arc still far from buddhahood may enjoy occa-
sional glimpses of tattl'a si nce their prajiia has not yet achieved the
perfectibility of a piiramita. It is only a buddha who has perfected the
and prajiiaparamita, i.e. jnimasar(l.bhara so that he is in the
unremitting possession oftattvrljn1na. He is the only one to whom the
epithet sar11ajna applies for he experiences the samatii of all dharmas,
their Simyatii. He knows them ail to be the same.
238
The development of the pilramitiis must in other words rome
about gradually. Again and one must apply one' sprajna to the
' facts' of experience and tradition. This necessity accounts for the
circumstance that Nagarjuna' s dial ectical writings arc so replete
with 'repetitions' of what is essentially a very simple principle
indeed. - Let us therefore turn our attention to thr stage where
prajna plays the principal role.
All conscious beings find themselves living in an extended world
236. As Aryadcva puts it VIII, 5): bhava& .fOT[Idehamiitrq!a jayatt
(' ... a bit of critical sense .. .') . I cannot refrain from giving
Oharmakirti's celebrated verse to the same effect (Pramiicuwartt1ka, 11,
209):yathi1 yathiirthii.i cin(ynnte vifiryo'lte tatha tathii (T o the ref. given in Miya
saka's ed. may be added: Modhyamakalafllkaravrtti, TP, No. 5285, 65b;
(ed. Dhruva), p. i 17; Siddhiviniicayafikti (ed . .Jain), p. 92; Nyaylma-
tiiravivrti (cd. Upadhye), p. 31 (printed as prose!).
23i. cr. Oll.Jiiana in samyas:jiiiinf' 10; RA, II , 22);jiiiinacokfUS
54; CS, I, I); viviktajiiiina (CS. I, I); asamajiiana (CS, Ill, I); tattvajiiiina (CS,
Ill, 19; 47);i imvntiijiiiina ( BV, 90) . See also XXVI, I I: XVIII, 12; BS.
46. For (a )par!fiiiinn. 4, 6, 47, 48; RA, I. 28, 39; II, 22 et(' - Hobi'girin s.v.
(;hie.
238. Traiti, pp. 1743- 1755: HobOgi rin s.v. Byodo (samatii ): Vimalakirtinirdtia, passim:
R.\, I, 74; II , 6, 8.
270
.. r plurality (prapaiica). Only the Buddha is beyond prapanca.
239
Now,
110m th<- common Buddhis t outlook we cannot realiy distinguish
lwtwecn an 'objective, and a 'subjective world, we cannot really
iml.tte 'facts' from 'judgments'. This is a most decisive poini which
, hould nvt be left out of account.
24
For this reason prapunra al<;o
llwans our expansi on of the world, or, as one might say, the world
pnsented to us in and by language. The very modus opcrandr of
/JrnfJanca is vikalpa, usuall y to be translated as or con-
nptual thinking' but occasionally also as 'distinctions,
,Jifferences' and the like. Vikalpas differentiate the world of prapanca
into which is said to exist (astiti) and something which is
,aid not to exist (niistiti) and hypostatise these respectively as being
o/l hiwa) and non-being (abhava). These again entail the heresies of
rirvrlla- ancluccher/adarsana. These are the basic conscious functions
.,:-mind. Subsequently we !orm ideas (snrrkalpa ), assumptions (pari-
f..alpa). opinions (kalpana), theories, or (dr-t!i ) etc. , and this in
the end is tantamount to dubkha. All of them are ultimately b::tscd on
thC' uncritical acceptance of being cJ. 46).24
1
prajna pt'rforms its ta!'k in the systema ri c
endeavour to demonstrate that thc jala of prapaha is em pry, that it
!otcks 'objective' foundation (cf. Y$, 25-27 etc.). This is achieved by
,,. ingmg to light that asti and nasti hypostatised by the activity of
. tl:nlpa do not appertai n to reality (tattva).
Before we sec how prajna faces its task the categories in which
;ikalpa operates must be ascertained. The things (bhava) and con-
ceptual phenomena (dharma) assumed to exist are nec<'ssarily con-
nived in te rms of hetu/phala, purva/apara/saha, karaka/kriya/karma/
:>:l!l . On propaiico May. op. cit., p. I 75, n. 562; !.. Schmi thausen, Dn Nirrii.IJOAbschnitt
m du dtr V\'i cn 1969, pp. 137-142.
: Hl. T his ;unbigui ty is decisive in key words such asartlta ('object" or
upolohdlu (' exist' or "perceive'), pmpaiico (" the universe' or sa{Yo
(" reality' or "truth' ), sod (" n::tl' or "'tOO<I"), ('occnrrcncc', 'possibil-
ity") etc. to mention only a few at random.- I think that. in a certain ,ense La
Vatt;;c Poussin was quite right when he claimed: ' Indians do not make a dear
distinction bo:twccn facts and ideas, hetwren ideas and words, tory never
c-learly recognized the principle of contradit tion.' (quoted in de" Jon't's review
in JIP. 1, p. 401, q.v. ). - On the other hand this nt'ed not always be <'.
drawback! - Cf. also the most into:resting book by th< latc R. E .. A:johansson.
Th, {)_ynamic P$_Jcholo.e.r of Ear(y /Juddhi.fm, London 1979.
On pori-. vi- and sa'!'kalpayati etc. sec May, op.cit .. p. 64, n. 64.
271
i
t
I
I
I
kara7Ja, Jua/para, d!rgha/hrasua, eka/aneka (i.e. sarrzkhya)
etc. In short, human understanding invariably presupposes some
kind of spatial, temporal or causal relationship.
242
At the very base of any specific relationship lies the principle of
identity (ekatva) and difference (anyatva). Without assuming this
dichotomy no language, no rational discourse, no world- in a word,
no prapaiua is possible.
243
Now, what Nagariuna simply wants to demonstrate is that strict-
ly speaking (i.e. paramarthata&) not a single bhaua or dharma can be
conceived either a:s 'one' (eka), i.e. as an independent unity, or as
'other' (arrya), i.e. as absolutely independent of its corrdate (cf. MK,
II, 21 ). Why not' Because, obviously, the assumption that anything
is eka or anya faces endless absurdities when confronted with the
rel entless demands of logic (yukti) or experience (upapattil sarrzbhava).
It would be of little avail to depict how easy it is for Nagii1juna to
demonstrate the inherent conflict in discursive thinking ('reason')
as none of the correlates in the above-mentioned categories can be
taken as eka or anya - who would e.g. maintain th<:t long and short
were identical or absolutely independent! MK, SS and VV show
this at length and anyone could - and should, if he follows Nagar-
juna's advice about getting rid of all uikalpas - rnultiply the instances
ad inJinitum.
244
- From this it seems clear that the constructions of
vil<.aipa do not point to any tattva, and I think that in this perspective
the meaning of terms like niriilamba, aniilaya, nirii.rra)1a, aniispada,
i urrya , vivikta etc. also becomes intelligible. It simply means that
there really is no dharma or hhaua to fix one's mind upon as support.
- By pointing out that nothing within the domain of experience can
be conceived in and by itself independently of something else, Na-
garjuna merely intends to cail attention to the fact that nothing has
242. This list is culled from \-1K, SS,passim, and the ' tahlc of cat<'gor ies' given RA,
I , 91-92, q.v.
243. Cf. MK, II, 21 (quot ed below); also X IV, 19: tasya niisti
_YII yo Ina santi teniineke 'pi ymaiko 'pi na viqyate II . (Ofteu cited in
iater liter<: ture) . Similarly Prama!lavarttika. ll, 360: bhlwa yena niruP.rante
tadrupm!l n.?Jti lyasmad rkam antkaiJI vii riipa'!l ltfa'!' na vidyate II.- Eji rna,
op.cit., p. 254.
244. Sec the cxhortntions occurring at intervals in MK ( but not in any of the
author's <>ther works!): Ill, 8; IV, 7; VIII, 13; X, 15 and XIX, 4 (note that
the verses Prasannapadii, p. 384 already appear in Prajiiiipradipa ad loc.!).
2.72
.thllfim (or, of course, parabhava etc., cf. lVfK, XV, 3).
245
He dis-
1'1. "" the absurdities inherent in the assumption ofbhavn of any kind
" IJ .ohocver. Instead of taking things in terms of asli and niirti one
become aware that all ' entities' are pratityasamutpanna, with-
.. nt, however, committing the fallacy of conceiving pratitynsamutpada
",, b et in and by itself. Transcending asti and nasti it is not apprr-
but elusi ve like phantorns, mirages and drea ms, or, to use
' to nn often employed in Mahayanasutras: things are simpl y anut-
!. 1111/t c. 246
From later Madhyamaka sources we learn that there are four
, ,,,j,, arguments (mahahetu) in s upport of anutpada.
247
As each of
" ".'' ' is already applied by Nagarjuna himself it will be convenient
' ' .1dvance them here:
I. - whi ch demonstrates that there is no
' "ltj,.ct of origination. Examples of this are provided by SS, 4; CS, I,
I 'l; I II, 9; MK, XII, I and I, 6-7:
11t1irn.wto naiva sata& pratyayo y uj yate I
pratyayab ka.syn satai ca pratyayena kim II
,, 1nn nasan na sadasan dhq,rmo nirvartate yada I
nirvartako hetur eual[l sati hi y ujyate II
.! . - which demonstrates that there is no source of origina-
tion. Sec MK, XXI, 12-13; CS, I, 13; III, 9. But MK, I, I affords
1 ht classical instance:
"" .wato napi parato na dvabhya'!l napy ahetutaq I
utfmnna jatu vidyante b!Uivab kua cana ke cana II
'l. l'kanekaviyoga - showing that things cannot be established since
1 hey cannot be conceived as identical or different. See SS, 32; MK,
'\XI , 6 and, above all, 11, 21:
.' t: . On the interpretation ofsuabhiwa. May, op.cit., p. 124, n. 328; de.Jong,JIP, I I,
p. 2-3. Cf. also Steinkellner. liZKSO, XV, pp. 179-211.
.'II i. See e.g. Vimalalcirtinirdti n. pp. 39-51 .
.' 17. They have been d iscussed by Atisa in his Pai!jikii to Bodhipathapradipa. 189-208
and translated in my Atisa' s Introduction to the two Truths, and its sources',
in.f/P, IX, pp. 206-2 I 2. (The nomenclature is probabl)originall y.Bhavyas.)
273
I
I
ekibh1wena va siddhir nanabhavena va yayob I
na vidyale tayob siddhib kathaf!! nu khalu vidyate II
4. proti.tyasamutpada - which points to the fact that 'things' only
ap!)ear as they do in relati on to a correlat ive and vice versa. See CS,
III, 11-16. MK, XIV, 5-7 puts it tersely:
anyad anyat praiitya9an nanyod anyad rte 'nyatal; I
yat pratitya ca _yat tasmat tad anyan n(lpapadyate II
yady anyad arzyad GT':)'asmad mzyasmad apy rte bhavet I
tad anyad anyad an_yasmad rtf' nasti ca nasfv atal;. II
na'!yasmin vid_;at' 'nyatvam ananyasmin na vidyate I
avidyamane canyatve nasty anyad va tad eva va II
Cf. also Y$, 19 and MK, XVIII, 10:
pratitya _yad_yad bhavati na hi tiivat tad eva tal I
na cim_;yad opi tat t a . ~ m i i n nocchinnarrt niipi sii.fvatam II
These proofs are of course conducted at the lcHl of cintiimayi prajnii
wi th the specific purpose of rendering support to the unsystematic
statements of anutpada found in the Pr:\jiiaparamita scriptures
(- Jrutamayi prajna). Needkss to add, it must be left to the adept
himself to attain anutpiidajnana by practising bhavanamayi prajna.
Bei ng aparapratyaya (Tib. : gzan lasses pa mayin) (cf. MK, XVIII , 9)
it cannot be communicated by scriptures or arguments.
248
Thus Nagarjuna is able to argue- or at least to suggest- tha t all
theories etc. generated through the operations of vikalpa arc, in the
final analysis, untenable as they impose absurd implications (pra-
sanga) on the proponent of any kind of hhava.
249
But the svabhavauadin is not prepared to succumb to such allega-
tions. On the contrary, one may suspect the Priisaitgi ka of tacitly
endorsing the existence of the very svabhava he is negating, for how
could anyone negate something unless he presupposes its existence as
negandum? That would be a glari ng inconsistency. But Nagiirjuna is
248. Sec also the ref. in CPO s.v. apara{p)paccaya. The Chinese version of
aparapratyaya in MK, XVll l, 9 is quite expli cit: <;I {.hi, "personally known' .
249. f or prasanga, Murti, op.cit . . pp. 131 sq.; Ramanan, op.cit. , p. 152.
274
111\inc<:d that. this is an unwarranted accusation (arlhilaya, cf. MK,
, \:I V, 1:3; VV, 63). Lack of svabhl wa is universal and knows no
\cTptions. For this reason there is really no question of negating it
,.,,,ti[fdha). Nagarjuna merely does his best to suggest its absence.
lie himself is not really negating - or affirming - anything at all. If
l u assumed bh{wa at the outset and then negated it he might have to
.. (,. td guilty of the alleged inconsistency. But, as said, everything is
II!IJ'a ( = anutpnnna) as it lacks svabhava and his own arguments claim
., .. except ion to that rule. Similarl y all the Buddhist dharmas; being
1
totlitynsamutpanna they are certainly siirrya.
250
In the terminology of the Nagarjuna's 'negations'
1 1l'llbhava may convt'niently be classified as with-
. lit any intended affi rmation rather than paryudasas impl ying an
dlirrnat ive proposition.
251
I r the opponent, at this stage, has been persuaded to accept
arguments - ad hominem, in a sense - he
.J, .. uld, as said, appl y himsdf to bhavami in order graduall y tu become
i "'I'Mlnttlly convi nced of universal emptiness, i.e. in order to obta in
"h.tt is technically termed the anutpattikadharmakilmti.
252
However, living beings who have fully realized universal rmpti-
nrss - .wmajnata - arc rare indeed. T his, as we have seen, presup-
p.,scs tha t the practi ce of dl!)liina and prajnii has been brought to com-
plete perfecti on (paramita ). Only Buddhas have gone that far.
253
And this brings us to Nagarjuna's celebrated doctrine of two
truths (sarya), or two levels of reality. The distinction between a
'"'!urrti- and a paramarthasarya was not invented by Nagarjuna: it is
laound, above all, in \tfahayanasiitras previous to him.
254
It is worthy of
notice that even though the theory of satyadvaya has a cardinal func-
.' oll. :\II this has been discussfd at length in VV, q.v.
'.' ' ol . Cf. K. V. Abhya nkar & .J. M. Shukla, A Dictionary of Sanskrit Grammar,
Harod a 1977. pp. 244 and 373. - In Madhyamaka, as known, the
argued hy way of pra.rajyaprati[tdha. cf. especially
Ej irna, op.cit .. pp. I 13-125; Y. Kajiyama, An Introduction to Buddhist philosophy,
Kyoto 1966, n. 62. - Nagiirjuna nevrr uses these terms but may havt' known
1hcm, cf. the fragment from Lokaparikja above n. 27 and Tarka;uala, 21 3a .
. ' '/. . BS, 28-30, 4 7; .5ura1Jl eamawmiidhisiitra, p. 160, n. 11 9 (anutpallikadharmak!lmti is
nbtained at the eighth hhumi (.4cala)).
".' o"l. SL, 8 etc .
.' I. C )n this subject sec my paper mentioned n. 247 whi ch givfs some of the most
interesting Indian sources.
275
tion in his philosophy it does not play a very conspicuous role on the
pages of his writings. The locus classicus is of course MK, XXIV,
8- 10:
due sarye samupasrirya buddhana1f1. dharmadeiana I
lokasal'[lurtisatya'!l ca saryal'[l ca paramarthatab II
ye 'nayor na uijananti uibhagaTfl saryayor duayob I
te tallva'!l na uijananti buddhaiasane II
uyauaharam anasrirya paramartho na deiyate I
paramartham aniigamya niruaval'[l nadhigamyate II
Read along wit h the other pertinent passages, viz. SS, I ; 69-73; VV,
28, and 30-33, q.v., these verses provide us with the following
important information. In order to achieve Nirvaoa one must
understand paramartha, i.e. pratiryasamutpada = nil;suabhavata == i iinya-
ta. But before this is feasible a beginner must as a conditio sine qua non
receive instructions (desana) about the Dharma and practise ac-
cordingly. Unless his teacher resorts to the conventions oflanguage
(uyauahiira) he is unable to impart his instructions. Otherwise the
pupil cannot form any correct idea about the lafssav.as and suabhaua of
the skandhas, dhiltus and ayatanas the true nature of which, viz.
i unyata, he must gradually realize himself through the exertion ofhis
own prajna.
Thus the lokasaT{IU(tisarya is an indispensable pedagogical device
for one's personal understanding ofparamartha. As Candrakirti aptly
puts it: upayabhiital'[l uyauahiirasaryam upeyabhutaT{t paramarthasaryam.
255
The two truths cannot be claimed to express different levels of
objective reality since all things always equally lack suabhaua. They
are merely two ways oflooking (darfana) at things, a provisional and
a definite. The first is, in the unpretentious words of Akutobhaya ad
MK, XXIV, 8-9, *saruadharmotpadadariana, the second, *saruadhar-
manutpadadarfana.
256
This uibhaga must be clear. In his characteristic
style Bhavya puts the same thing thus:
.255. Madhyamakiivatara, VI, 80 (some ref. in AO, XL, p. 89, n. 12).
256. TP, No. 5229, 102b.
276
tathyasa'lwrtisopanam antam;za vipa.fcita& I
tattvaprasadaiikhararohanaTJI na hi yujyate 11
257
By adopting this satyadvayavibhOga and taking it as an upaya-upeya
relationship Nagarjuna is enabled, on one hand ( = paramarthatab) to
maintain that all things are empty, on the other (= saTJl vrtitab), to
advocate the practical value of all the various Buddhist teachings
about skandhas, paramitas etc. etc. - So while there is no ontological
j ustification for satyadvayavibhOga there is most certainly a didacti c
(psychological) one, and as long as all living beings have not yet
become Buddhas the need for dharmadeiana will remain. But the day
all sattvas have fulfill ed jnanasmzzbltara by realizing pudgaladltarmanai-
ratmya, and puT)yasaT[lhhara by perfecting dana, fila and k[anti the
manifold Buddhist teachings are rendered superfluous.
Let us finally recapi tulate Nagarjuna's soteriological system.
Really the entire universe is nothing but emptiness beyond all con-
ceptions and limitations. However, owing to avidya we find ourselves
confined in a manifold world of dubkha. The beginning of avidya
cannot be accounted for, but fortuna tel y, as the Buddha has pointed
out, it can be abolished by Fiona.
258
Therefore we should strive to
arouse ourselves, and - not to forget - all others from the nightma re
of ignorance. But we shall not obtain 'enlightenment' before we
have prepared ourselves morally and intell eclUall y for bodhi. We
must unremittingly collect an immense amount of puT)yajnanasaT[I-
bhara before we wake up as buddhas and recognize that all along we
have been dreaming a life in sa1(1Sara. Now we see that ( Y ~ , 5) : na
sa1(1Sara1(1 na nirva!laTJI manyante tattvadariinab.
Such are the simple frames of :vfahayana's view of the world, and
indeed, mutatis mutandis of several other major anci ent Indian
(Hindu) soteriologies.
2
S
9
257. Madhyamakahrdayak.arilca, III, 12, see Ejima's ed. p. 271; my edition of Atisa's
Satyadvayiivatiira. 20 (in the paper ref. ton. 247).
258. MK, XXVI, II ; XI, 1: Being based on avidyii sa'!uara has no beginning
(anavara.tvo hi ... ), but the au ai nment ofjiiima brings it to an end.
259. Due to considerations of space I must abstain from drawing parallels 10
cognate Indian darianas or to Western philosophers. See, however Conze's
' Buddhist Philosophy and its European Parallels', and 'Spurious Parallels to
Buddhist Philosophy', PEW, XIII, pp. 9-23 and 105-115 (reprinted in hi s
Thirty Y ~ a r s of Buddhist Studits. Oxford 1968). - Cf. recently N. Katz (ed. ),
Buddhist and Wuttrn Philosophy, New Delhi 1981 (not seen).
277
II I. Vestiges of influence
lt will be a very fascinating task to trace the impact of Nagarj una'a
writings on the subsequent development inside and outside thf
domain of Buddhist thinking, and if the present study has to somf
extent paved the way for such research it will have served a useful
purpose.
Though it admi ttedl y fa lls outside the limits imposed upon
work I cannot resist the temptation briefly to point out somr
instances where the influence ofNagarjuna {or his school) must ht
assumed to account for the state of affairs.
I) Aryadcva was the first important and direct pupil of Nagar
juna.
260
His works must a lways be with a side-glance to thos('
of his guru. The fi rst lour chapters of his magnum opus. Catutziataka, in
sixteen chapters, deal with the means of abandoning the four vipmya
sas: nirya , sukha- , i ucigraha and ahai'(Lkara.
261
Nagarjuna also treats
these 'perverted views' in MK, XXIII, and, with increasing atten
ti on to their basic significance as a source of avidya, in SS ( 10; 62)
written later than MK. Still, Nagatjuna's discussion is not as
extensive as the importance of the topic would warrant. It is there-
fore natural to regard CatuMataka I-I V as a deliberate continuation
of the work initiated by Aryadeva's teacher.- Catulj.fataka IX-XVI
seethes with arguments di rected against various 'heretics' , above all
representatives of Sarpkhya and Similarly Aryadeva's
*Sataka l -X (Taisho, No. 1569}. As we have seen Nagarjuna is
aware of these and other tirthikas ( RA, I, 61) but for some reason he
apparently only engaged in a debate with the Naiyayikas. It is
therefore a fai r guess to say that he decided to leave the task of
260. For a bibliography of Aryadeva, v. Traiti, Ill, pp. 1370-1 375, and most
recently J. May Aryadeva et Candrakirti sur Ia permanence', in tl
houddhisme . . \1ilanges of[trts a Etitnnt Lamotte, Louvain-la-Ncuve 1980,
pp. 215-232. - For three new fragment s sec my note 22 in II}, X X Ill, p. I 78.
There are three more verses in Madhyamakiila1(1kiiravrtti, TP,
No. 5285, 61a, q.v. ( I must postpone further remarks on Aryadcva and his
works to my edi tion of Catul]iatalca, to appear in lndislr. e Studier VII.)
261. For the titles of the ind ividual chapters v. V. Bhattacharya, The Catui;Jata/ca of
.4ryadeua, Calcutta 1931, pp. xx-xxi.- On the fouruiparyiisascf. SL, 55 with ref.
278
.. -luting other non-Buddhist schools to a talented disciple he could
'.-1 y on: Aryadeva. It may be added that though Aryadcva proves
nl rcmely faithful to the thought of his master the sryle in which he
.erhed his arguments was very much his own.
li t \Ve have evidence to the effect that Catul}iataka was studied by
.trly Jaina philosophers.
262
An interesting instance is provided hy
K undakunda's Samayasiira, I, 8:
;:d/(/ r;aui sakkam llrJajjo a7Jajjabhiisa1[1 uiTJii u giiheduT[l I
toltn uauallilre7Ja uiTJii paramatthuuadcsaT)am asaf.ka'!l 11
263
!"his recalls Catt:l]iataka, VIII, 19:
n(u!YOJ'O bhfi;ra_ya sak}'O
tw laukikam rte loka& sakyo griihayit"'1l tatha II
SimilarlySamayasara, I , 7, II , 12 etc .. q.v., betray an unmistaka ble
i11fluence from the Madhyamika theory of saryadunya.
II I) I d0 not think that it is possible to name one single later
:vfiidhyamika in India- Prasangika or Svatantrika- who docs not
cxpressly acknowl edge, or at least indicate (through allusions, quo-
tati?ns etc.) Nagat:juna as his authority par excellence, second only
to Sakyamuni himself, of course. Whether future research J ecides
to focus on issues such as the development of the philosophical
prose style, the difference in presenting the margo, the controversy
between Prasangikas and Svatantrikas, or on the debates between
Madhyamaka and Yogacara - to mention only a few vital ap-
proaches - it will be imperative to take one's starting-point in the
extant writings of Nagarjuna.
IV) Though traces of Madhyamaka influence may now and then
also be detected injaina and Carvaka sources (see especially Tattuo-
'!fi2. Catu!liataka, XI, 18 quoted in Dvadaiiira'l' Nayacakram (cd.Jambuvijayaji), p.
73; Antkantajayapalakii (ed. Kapadia), I, p. 233; I I, p. 202. Hastavalaprakara'Ja.
I {if authentic) cited Duiidasara'l' Nayacakram, p. 93.
:!li3. Cited from Kundakunda, New Delhi 197 1, p.
17. (For Kundakunda's date, v. E. H. Johnston, Early SiiT[Ik/eya, p. 14.)
279
paplavasil(lha, passim) it would be no exaggeration to claim that it
penetrated deepest in early Advaita Vedanta, and subsequently in
affiliated Hindu literature.
This is nowhere as manifest as in the Cautjapcu[ryakarikas. a fo t<t
which has also already been noticed by several modern schol ars.U
But the close a ffinity between Madhyamaka and Vedanta wall
recognized by some oftbe ancient Buddhist authors too. The firs t to
do so seems to have been Bhavya, the author of Madhyamakahrdaya-
karika.
265
In his Madhyamakala1(1karavrtti (ca. 725-7SH)
also quotes some stanzas from what is now known as Gau<faparfi.ya
karikas.
266
It is not without a certain indignation that he cites
II, 31 -32, 35 exclaimi ng: ' What they state has already been said by
the Tathagata! ' (de dag gis gan brjod pa de ni bde bar gfegs pas gsuns pa).
It is sheer plagiarism, so to say.
svapnamaye yatha du!e gandharvanagarar{l yatha I
tatha vi..fvam idaT]l du!a'!' vedanlefu vicakfa7Jaib II
I rig byed mtha' Ia ned (!) rnams kyis II rmi lam sgyu ma ci 'dra
dan II
I dri za'i gron khyer ci 'dra mthon II de ltar 'jig rten 'di dag mt hon I
264. Cf. t.g. La Vallet Poussi n, 'v!CB. II, p. 35: ' Lc bon intcrprete de Ia pcnscc cit
scrait Gau<:(apada, lc maitre de Sarpkara ... Arme dts
a rg ument s tliics expressions de faisant sicn toutl e nihili smt dr
:"liigarjuna, Gauc.fapiida int roduisit dans l'arehalquc Vedanta Ia doctrine dr
l' irrealite du contin11rnt (m1yiivada), Ia doctrine rigourcuse de !' unite et clu
caract ere ' impensablc' de I'Etrc.' - \ 1orc recently .\lturti, op.cit .. pp. I 09- 117;
F. Whaling: Sankara and Budcihism ,JIP, VII, pp. 1-12; T . Vcttrr: 'Oit
GauQapiidiya-Karikas: Zur Entstehung und zur Bedeutung von (a)dvaita',
IVZKS, XX I I, pp. 95-131; also T. Vetter, Studitn t.ur Lt hre und Entwicklung
Sankaras, Wien 1979, pp. 27-74.- Tuxen, op.cit ., pp. 22-24.- This is not the
place to discuss the decisive impact the saryadvaya theory has exerted upon
the iabdQduaitauada of Bhartrhari, though this fact and its far-reaching impli
cations seem to have escaped the noti ce of the modern interpreters of thr
Vakyapaarya. This point will be dealt with in a forthcoming work by \of r.
Torvald Olsson (Lund).
265. Pointed out by M. Wall eser, Dtr iilltr..t Vedanta. Cuchichlt, Kritik und Lthu.
Heidelberg 1910, p. 18. Cf. V. V. Go'khale: 'The Vedanta-Philosophy de-
scribed by Bhavya in his Madhyamakahrdaya', II), II, p. 175 . .
266. Cf. Walleser, op.cit., p. 20. - Walleser's list is not complete as
also ci tes III, 31-32. - His quotation of II, 31-32, 35 occurs Madhyamakala'!'
karavrtti, TP, No. 5285, 81 b.
280
1111 nirodlw na cotpattir na baddho nn ca sadhakab I
1111 m u m u k ~ u r na vai mukta iry tia paramarthata II
r ~ o g pa med ci n skye ba med II bcins pa med cin sgrub po mcd I
I thar ' dod med citi thar pa mcd II ' di ni don dam nid yi n no I
l'itnragabhayakrodhair m,;nibllir l'tdnparagaib I
nirviknlpo hy nyal{l du!nb prnpniuopn$nmo 'dvayab II
I chags dan 'jigs dati khro bral ba II rig byed mthar phyi n thub
roams kyis I
I spros pa ner zi gnis med pa' i II rnam parmi rtog ' di mthon no I
Let these brief observations suffice to indicate that an extensive -
and rewarding - task is awaiting future research within the field of
Madhyamaka studies.
281
, I
I!
I
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286
Oansk resume
Dct har lrenge forskningen bekcndt, at den buddhistiskc
txnker Nagarjuna (2.-3. arh. e.K.) gennem sit forfatterskab har ud-
"'vet en umadclig indOydelse paden filosofiske og religi0se udvikling
inden for og udcn for den sakaldte Mahayana-buddhismes
cg-entlige domrene.
\'len kl art har det ogsa staet, at den dag endnu er fj<'rn hvor hans
v:crk og dets bctydning kan betragtes som cndeligt udforsket.
Det star dog allerede nu fast at Nagarjuna er mere end blot en
historisk central skikkelse. Hans filosofiske tankrr har kra\" pa op-
mrerksomhed for dcres egcn skyld. Om en almindt:lig og tiltagcndr
interesse herlor vidner ikke mindst den eftcrhanden uovcrskueligc
mrengde artikl cr, monografier, oversrettclser osv. der skyldes save!
europreiske som asiatiske forskcre.
Alligevel befindcr lorskningen sig her i den pcniblc situation at
forudscctningerne for den videnskabelige bearbejdclse af Nagarju-
nas tanker og deres indOydelse endnu ikke er skabt: Traditionen
tilskri ver ham forfatterskabet af mere end et hundrede af de hvad
form og indhold angar yderst forskelligartede skrifter. Kun fa er
overleveret i deres originalaffatning pa sanskrit medens hovedpar-
ten kun er tilgrengelig i tibetanske og kinesiske oversrettelser, der
tilmed ofte byder lorstaelsen store vanskeligheder, bl.a. grundct
manglende leksikografiske og litteraturhistoriske forarbejder. Den
moderne forskning har bl. a. derfor i reglen henholdt sig til tre-fire
vigtige vrerker hvis regthed gerne stiltiende blev taget for givct som
udgangspunkt for indholdsmressig behandling.
Nrervccrende afhandling - dcr for sin fremgangsmadc og sine
resultater forudsretter og videref0rer forfatterens tidligere arbejde:
Nagarjuna - !Egte og Vtgte. En analyse og sammenfatning af Nagar.Junas
autentiske Vll!rker og fragmenter udskilt blandl samtlige pa sanskrit, tibetansk
og kinesisk under hans navn overleverede skrifler ( upubliceret speciale) -
rejser derfor i f0rste omgang spergsmalet: Er det muligt at udskill<'
en genuin kernc i denne mrengde vrerker der traditionel t tillccgges
lorfatteren? Med henblik pa regthedsbestemmelsen opstilles dels
287
I I I
II
, I
I
I
I l
>
I!
I
l
noglc indre kriteri er, dels nogle ydre. Til de ferste hercr stilistiskc,
lilosofiskc og kompositionelle ovcrcnsstemmclser mellcm Mulama-
dhyamakakarika, der i henhold til den sarnstcmmende overlevering
aksiomatisk betcgnes som forfim erens hovedvrerk, og de evrigc ham
tillagte vrerker. De ydre kritcricr leveres af trovrerdige vidner<c
Der ta:nkcs her frernfor alt pa en rrekke kommentatorer der star i
Nagarjunas tradition, den sakaldte Madhyamaka. Safremt en elkr
flere af disse kildcr udtrykkeligt tillreggcr Nagarjuna forfatterskabct
ar et vrerk der samtidigt sandsynligger sin autenticitct i lyset ar de
nrevnte indre kritcrier, da accepteres traditioncns vidnesbyrd og
vrerkl:t ancrkendes som regte.
Som det fremgar heraf har dct ikke blot v<.eret paknevet at gen-
nemlrese aile de vrerkcr der tillreggcs Nagarjuna, men det har des-
uden vrerct uomgrengeligt at konsultere den langt mere omfimendt
kommentarlitteratur, hvis tydning i evrigt ikke bekvcmmeligg0res
af den omstrendighed at st0rstcparten endnu ikke er udforsket og
kun foreligger i reldre tibetanske bloktryk. - I midlertid har studiet
af kommentarlitteraturen i flere henseendcr vist sig overraskcndc
udbytterigt. Ad dissc vcje er saledcs et stort antal fragmenter bragt
for dagens lys, bl.a. fra vrerkcr dcr ansas for tabte. .
Afhandlingen er disponeret salcdes at dcr indledningsvis gives et
overblik over de vrerkcr som i ovenfornrevnte arbejde grupperedes
som enten afgjort ua:gte (IX. dcrvcd at de kompromitteredc sig ved at
anferc en forfatter dcr ma srettes senere end Nagarjuna, idet mulig-
heden for interpolation naturligvis ikke overses), eller tvivlsommr
(nogle dog med sterre sandsynlighed for at vrere regte, andre med
mindre). Dernrest behandles de tretten vrerker der tidligere er
bestemt som regte, et for et men efter omstrendighederne pa forskel-
lig vis: xa-ca -ciJv UAYJV ol M>yoL WtaL'tYJ'tEOL. I enkelte tilfrelde hvor
de pagreldende tekster allerede er eller forventes udgivet eller over-
sat til et hovedsprog, har jeg begrrenset mig til en indholds- eller
argumentationsanalyse eller pa anden vis s0gt at bidrage med sup-
plerende materiale. Hvad de evrige va:rker angar har jeg enten ud-
arbejdet en kommenteret oversa:ttelse (isrer fra tibetansk og kine-
sisk) eller kritiske udgaver (sanskrit og tibetansk) med tilh0rendt
filologisk Jlpparat OSV., Sa vidt muligt ud fra devisen: "0J.I.YJQOV tl;
' 011TJQO'U Ofte er dct, som nrevnt, takket va:re citat-
forekomster i kommentarlitteraturen lykkedes at idcntificere san-
skritfragmenter fra vrerker der i evrigt er gael tabt eller maske kun
288
i tibetansk e ller kinesisk oversa>ttelse .
. \fhanci lingcn a lrund!!s mcd pa gr undlag af de indvundaw lnrsk
IIIIH.:s rcsultatcr at give en sammcnfattrndc skildring al' N;tgit rjunas
systrm i lysct af dcts histori ske lor udsa-tningtr.
I"il slut gives nogle ,ink om i hvilkrn retning den kommrndc
t. '' skning med sa-rlig li>rcld kunnc rcttr sin indsats indcn I(H t t
.llfH:idsfeJt hvor vidcnsbhcn j mangt llf{ 111t'f{Cl rndnu ma tra' dt' sine
'"rncsko.
289
Appendix
The Nepalese MS of Catul;.stava wi th Akii.rifikii.:
CS. l:
CS, II:
CS, III:
CS, IV:
290
Lokiiiitastava, fol. I b3-8b4
Niraupamyastava, fol. 9a3-16b6
Acintyastava, fol. 17a4-32b7
Paramii.rtlzastava, jot. 33a2-35b9
292
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