The Sivasutra Varttika of Bhatta Bhaskaracarya

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

In the preface to the Shiva Sutra Vimarshini (Vol.I Kashmir series) it was promised that a comparison would be made, in the Introduction to the Shiva Sutras Varttika, between the interpretation of the Shiva Sutras, as gives by Bhaskara and published in this volume and that given by Kshemaraja in his Vimarshini. But, owing to shortness in the stock of the same kind and quality of paper as has been used in the printing of the text of the Varttika and it being thought inadvisable to use paper of a different sort in one and the same volume of a book, the publication of this promised Introduction is held back for the present.

But as the Text of the Varttika alone, without the Introduction, would make but a small volume, it has been thought expedient to publish along with it the text of the Spanda Karikas, with the Vritti of kallata, which has been printed on the same paper as used in printing the Varttika.

The text of the Shiva-Sutra-Vritti, which is obviously only an extract from the Vimarshini of Kshema Raja, published in the first volume of the series, is also given in this volume as an appendix to the text of the Varttika, for the convenience of readers who may like to make a comparative study of the two different interpretations of the Shiva Sutras, one given by Kshema Raja and the other as we have it in the Varttika.

For an account of the Spanda Karikas the reader is referred to Kashmir Shaivaism, (i.e., volume II of the series) constituting a general introduction to the whole system.

In editing the Shiva Sutra Varttika the following manuscripts were used:-
A –Belonging to Pandit Sahaj Bhatta.
B –Belonging to M.M. Pandit Makunda Ram Shastri, Head Pandit o the Department.
C –Belonging to Pandit Maheshvara Rajanaka of this Department.

All these were very imperfect manuscripts.
D –A very old manuscript on birch bark obtainted by M.M. Pandit Mukunda Ram Shastri from Shopiyam.

The edition of the Spanda-Karika-vritti was prepared from the following manuscripts:-
A –Obtained by Pandit Hara Bhatta Shastri of the Department; made the principal basis of the edition.
B –In Devanagari Characters, belonging to M.M. Pandit Mukunda Ram Shastri.
C –Obtained by M.M. Pandit M.R. Shastri.
D –Belonging to Pandit Rama Chandra Rajdan brought by Pandit Govardhan of the Department.