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Essay name: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)

Author: William James Arraj

The essay represents a study and partial English translation of the Svacchandatantra and its commentary, “Uddyota�, by Kshemaraja. The text, attributed to the deity Svacchanda-bhairava, has various names and demonstrates a complex history of transmission through diverse manuscript traditions in North India, Nepal, and beyond.

Page 164 of: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)

Page:

164 (of 511)


External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)


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Warning! Page nr. 164 has not been proofread.

158
however, likely more accurately reflects its earlier independent
context.1
The text then announces the next topics: the splitting of the
categories (padarthabhedanam); casting off (tyÄgaá¸�); joining
(yojanam); and experience (anubhava�). These categories do not
exactly correspond to those in the anukramaṇikÄ that apparently
has, at this point, a corrupt reading. 2 In addition, though not
listed here, the phrase, "to be known" (jñeyam), that precedes
these topics in the anukramaṇikÄ and has there an ambiguous
meaning and syntax, now appears as a distinct but connected
topic. 3 Since the "needle of knowledge" splits or pierces the
categories, the discussion of the “to be known" topic has logically
been placed here.
A kind of miscellany, this section of five topics (pp. 211-215)
first compares the activity of knowing with a lamp, then proceeds.
to a discussion of the meaning of definition, the relationship of
attribute and category, the means of knowledge, and finally the
nature of scripture. Equating scripture with the hamsa formula,
the text then begins a lengthy excursus recapitulating (pp. 215-
225) the exercise of this formula. Differentiating this hamsa
1 V. p.209, vs. 333: "... visuvadevamvidham jñÄtvÄ ko na
mucyeta bandhanÄt. "
2 The number is the same but the order and names are
different. Thus vss. 232b-233a (p.142) reads "... tyÄgam
samyogamudbhavam // bhedanam ca padarthÄnÄm; vs. 334 (p.209),
in contrast, reads ". padarthabhedanam Å›rṇu / tyÄgaá¹�
cÄnubhavam caiva yojanam ca pare pade."
3 This is the construction of Ká¹£emarÄjaá¸� (p.144); he also
construes (pp. 144-145) the following bhavaprapti- with the
anubhavam, and the triple pervasion of AtmÄ, VidyÄ, and Åšivaá¸�,
with the final jñÄtvÄ The complete verses (pp. 142-143, vss.232b-
233) read: ... śünyam samarasam jñeyam tyÄgam
samyogamudbhavam // bhedanam ca padarthÄnÄm
bhÄvaprÄptivaÅ›ÄtpunaḥÄtmavidyÄÅ›ivavyÄptimevam jñÄtvÄ tu
yojayet. "

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