Essay name: Devala-smriti (critical study)
Author:
Mukund Lalji Wadekar
Affiliation: Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda / Department of Sanskrit Pali and Prakrit
This essay represents an English study of the Devala-smriti—an ancient text attributed to sage Devala classified as belonging to the Dharma-Shastra branch of Indian literature which encompasses jurisprudence and religious law. This study deals with the reconstructed text of the Devala-smriti based on surviving references, emphasizing Devala’s unique viewpoints on social, religious, and philosophical aspects, particularly the Sankhya and Yoga philosophies.
Chapter 2 - Devala—his bio-data
50 (of 54)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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19
The opinion of Pandita Udayavira Shastri that Devala is
earlier than the Sankhyakarika is quite proper, but his view
зазнал
61 that Devala is indebted to the extant Sankhyasutra & the Tattvas amasa
is not acceptable; as Devala has declared, as noted previously,
his indebtedness to the ancient, voluminous & recondite Tantras
of Sankhya & Yoga & not to the extant sūtras.
The above internal evidence is also corroborated by the
external evidence (No.4), about reference to Devala in the
Matharavṛtti, suggesting Devala to be earlier than Isvarakrsna.
(2) Moreover, the elucidation of Yoga-tenets is also
based upon the ancient works of Sankhya-yoga. It is not in accordance
with the extant Yogasutra of Patanjali. The definitions & explana-
tions of numerous terms of Yoga, do not exhibit any influence
of the Yogasūtra on Devala. Hence Devala is earlier than the
extant Yogasutra of Patanjali 20 (147 B.C. to 400 A.D.).
21 (3) Though Devala expounds the Sankhya & Yoga philosophy,
he describes the Brahman as the ultimate state to be reached.
The Sankhyakarika & the Yogasūtra (and other traditional extant
works on Sankhya & Yoga systems) do not admit the above doctrine.
While the expositions of Sankhya in the Caraka (Sarīra, I.154/155,
V.21,V.34) & the Buddhacarita of Asvaghosa (XII.65) admit like
Devala that the ultimate state to be reached, is Brahman. This
fact, further, indicates that the exposition of Devala is not in
conformity with the traditional Sankhya & Yoga philosophy, as
found in their extant works, but is based upon some ancient
works of those systems, which accepted the Brahman as the ultimate
reality, though not the material cause of the world.
22 [
