History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.50

v7.c92.50

¹⁶⁹⁰ The evidence for attributing the work Saundaryalaharī to the great ācārya is not strong In H P. Śāstrī's Cat. of Palm-leaf mss in Nepa Durbar Library p. LXII there is an entry for तारारहस्यवृत्तिका, a Tāntrī compilation by a Śaṅkarācārya of Gauḍadeśa. This would emphasize that caution is required in accepting works ascribed to Śaṅkarācārya as genuine works of the great Advaita teacher. Vide D. N. Bose on 'Tantras, their philosophy and occult secrets' pp 29-30 for the names of 64 tantras mentioned in the Vārāhī-tantra together with the verses therein and Saundaryalaharī (tr pp 117-120) for a list of 64 tantras and Bagchi's 'Studies in the Tantras' p 5 for the names of tantras considered authoritative in the 8th century A.D. and even prior to it The तन्त्रालोक of अभिनवगुप्त states that there are groups of ten, 18 and 64 Śaiva tantras 'दशाष्टादशधोर्ध्वं यच्छ्रेयसे शास्त्रमुच्यते। *(Continued from last page)* तस्सारं त्रिकशास्त्रं हि तत्सारं मालिनीमतम्॥ I. 18 (Kashmir S. series, Vol. XXII p. 35). The नित्याषोडशिकार्णव (a part of वामकेश्वरतन्त्र) names the 64 Tantras in verses 13-22 of the first विश्राम, but it includes eight Yāmalas among Tantras, while Dr Bhattacharya (in 'Introduction to E B. p 52) tries to distinguish Āgamas and Yāmalas from Tantra and also in his Intro. to Sādhanamālā Vol. II pp XXI-XXII. The कौलावलीनिर्णय of ज्ञानान्दगिरि (Tāntrik Texts, vol. XIV) enumerates numerous tantras including Yāmalas in I. 2-14 and names (I 92-93) eight gurus.