History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.51

v7.c92.51

¹⁶⁹¹ Dr. Bhattacharya in Intro. to Guhyasamāja p. XXXIV holds that Asaṅga is probably the author of the Guhyasamāja and therefore that work belongs to the 3rd or 4th century A. D. One has only to read the Mahāyānasūtrālaṅkāra of Asaṅga ed. by Sylvain Levi and compare its refined and correct Sanskrit with the rather barbarous Sanskrit of the Guhyasamāja to come to the conclusion that the latter is not Asaṅga's work. There is no evidence to prove that Guhyasamāja belongs to the 3rd or 4th century A D. It is probably two or more centuries later than that; Bagchi ('Studies in Tantras' p. 41) is against identifying Asaṅga, the author of Sādhana No. 159, with the great teacher of Yogācāra.