History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.126

v7.c93.126

Kumārila wrote the Ślokavārtika on Śabara's bhāṣya on P. M. S. I. 1 (in about 4000 verses) and the voluminous Tantravārtika on I. 2 to the end of chap. III of PMS and the Tup-ṭīkā on P. M. S. IV-XII (stray notes, not a regular commentary). Kumārila is credited with having composed two more commentaries, 'Madhyama-ṭīkā' and 'Bṛhat-ṭīkā' on P. M S.¹⁹³⁹ The latter has been referred to by the Nyāyaratnākara¹⁹⁴⁰ and the Nyāyasudhā on Tantravārtika quotes several verses from it (on pp. 201, 329-30, 393) and the Jaiminīya-sūtrārthasaṅgraha of Ṛṣiputra Parameśvara quotes Bṛhat-ṭīkā several times. On the Ślokavārtika two commentaries have so far been published viz. the Nyāyaratnākara of Pārthasārathi and the Kāśikā of Sucaritamiśra (in T. S. S.). In the Introduction to his English translation of the Tantravārtika, M. M. Dr. Ganganath Jha notices eight commentaries on the Tantravārtika of which the Nyāyasudhā or Rāṇaka of Someśvara (published in Chowkhamba Series) is a very exhaustive one, the others being in Ms. The Tupṭīkā ¹⁹⁴¹ has some regular commentaries but none is published. The Tantraratna of Pārthasārathimiśra deals at some length with the same chapters of P M. S (published partly in Prince of Wales, Sarasvatībhavana S.). On Śabara's bhāṣya Prabhākara wrote a commentary called Bṛhatī, a portion of which on the Tarkapāda (PMS I 1) with the commentary Ṛjuvimalapañcikā of Śālikanāthamiśra has been edited by Pandit S K. Ramanatha Sastri and published by the Madras University (1934). The Śāstra-dīpikā of Pārthasārathi is not a regular commentary on the P M. S. but it is a classic work on the P. M. S and follows the views of Kumārila Another very useful work is the Jaiminīya-nyāya-mālā-vistāra ¹⁹⁴² of Mādhavācārya (published by Anan. Press, Poona) that gives summaries in verse of the adhikaranas of the PMS with brief prose comments and also points out some of the differences of Prabhākara (called 'guru' by Śālikanātha and others) from Kumārila (in all about 15 points of difference being noted between the two as regards the first chapter of the PMS and three in the 2nd chapter). Śālikanātha wrote an independent work called Prakaraṇapañcikā (published in the Chowkhamba S S). There is another work of Prabhākara's school called Nayaviveka of Bhavanātha or Bhavadeva (ed. by Pandit S. K. Ramanath Sastri and published by the Madras University in 1937). This Bhavanātha is eulogised in the Madanaratnapradīpa on Vyavahāra (pp. 324-325, published by the Anup S. Library, Bikaner, 1948) as the sun to the lotus of Prabhākara's doctrine. The Tantrarahasya of Rāmānujācārya (2nd ed published in G O. S, 1956) composed about 1750 A. D. is the last noted work of the Prābhākara School and this work furnishes some useful information about the works of Prabhākara and the commentaries thereon by Śālikanātha. A verse in the Prabodhacandrodaya (Act II) after referring to Guru, Kumārila (or Tautātita), Sālikanātha and Vācaspati refers to Mahodadhi and Māhāvratī (work of Mahāvrata), the last two being mentioned in the Nayaviveka (pp 271, 273 respectively).