History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c94.184

v7.c94.184

A good deal has been said by Mr Diwanji in his paper on ‘Bṛhad-yogi-yājñavalkya and Yoga-Yājñavalkya’ in ABORI, vol XXXIV (1953) pp. 1–29, in his preface to Yoga-Yājñavalkya in JBBRAS, volumes XXXVIII and XXXIX pp 103–106 and by Swami Kuvalayanand in his reply in ABORI, vol. XXXVII for 1957 pp. 279-289 and in the paper 'the real Yogayājñavalkyasmṛti' in the journal 'Yogamīmāṁsā' vol. VII. No 2 (and also published separately as a pamphlet in July 1958). It would not be relevant in this work to discuss the points in dispute between Mr. Diwanji and Swami Kuvalayanand. In the bhāṣya on the Śvetāśvataropaniṣad attributed to Śaṅkarācārya²³⁰⁹ (published by Ānan. Press) on p. 28 four verses and a half are quoted from Yogī-Yājñavalkya, none of which is found either in Bṛ. Y. Y. or Y. Y. Besides on Śv. Up. II. 9 (pp. 42-44) 29 verses on Yoga matters are quoted in the bhāṣya, but the name of the author or work whence the quotations are taken is not mentioned. Not one of the 29 verses wholly occurs in Mr. Diwanji's Y Y. He is able to point out only five or six half verses as occurring in Y Y. out of the 29 verses, while a whole verse quoted in the bhāṣya (viz. 'prāṇāyāmair' &c) occurs in Bṛ. Y. Y. (8. 32). It may be further pointed out that Aparārka and the Smṛticandrikā quote in all about 100 verses from Yogī (or Yoga-) Yājñavalkya which are found in Bṛ. Y. Y., but not in Y. Y. The Kṛtyakalpataru (on Mokṣakāṇḍa alone) quotes (on pp. 146, 149, 166, 171, 196-197) about 70 verses from Yogī-yājñvalkya which are found in chapters 2, 8, 9 and 11 of the Bṛ. Y. Y. Mr. Diwanji has not been able to show that verses of the Y. Y. (ed. by him) are cited anywhere in the above three digests. Mr. Bhabatosh Bhattacarya in his paper on Yogī-Yājñavalkya-smṛti and its utilization in the medieval digests of Bengal and Mithilā (in J. G J R. I vol. XV for 1958 pp. 135-140) points out that king Ballālasena of Bengal (1158-1179 A. D.) in his Dānasāgara contains a fairly large number of quotations from the Bṛhad-Yogī Yāj. (pub. by Kaivalya-dhama). It appears that Viśvarūpa²³¹⁰ (first half of 9th century A.D.) quotes a half verse from the Bṛ. Y. Y. and remarks that the work is composed by the author of the Yāj smṛti himself. Therefore, the Br. Y. Y. is an early work and cannot be assigned to a date later than the 7th century A. D.; while Y. Y. is a much later compilation composed in the 8th or 9th century or even later. The present author is not, however, prepared to hold that Br. Y. Y. is the Yogaśāstra of Yāj. mentioned in Yāj smṛti III. 110, since the Yoga material contained in it is meagre as compared with the Smṛti material The present author is glad to find that on pp 7-8 of the Sanskrit Preface to the edition of the Bṛhad-Yogi-Yājñavalkya-smṛti the editors express grave doubts about the identity of the author of the Yāj. smṛti with the author of the work edited by them.