The Pramanavarttikam of Dharmakirti- An English Translation of the First Chapter with the Autocommentary and with Elaborate Comments (Karikas I-LI)- An Old and Rare Book

Preface Dharmakirti is no longer a mere name nowadays, though it was so a few decades back. His Nyayabindu with the commentary of Dttarmottara has run into several editions, and the critical edition of stcherbatsky is still the best. The Pramavavarttika was edited by Rahula Sankrtyayana with the commentary of Manorathanandin and: _so the chapter called Svarthanumana with the auto commentary of the himself with Karnakagomin's commentary. The edition of the auto commentary was based upon an insufficient manuscript and the major part was restored by the editor, Rahula Sankrtyayana, from the Tibetan rendering. Latterly Dr. Raniero Gnoli of Istituto Italiano Per 11 Medico Ed Estremo Oriente has brought out a critical edition of this which has removed a real desideratum. Another edition of the mum t has been brought out by Pandit Malvaniya, published from Varanasi. These editions have the real advantage of being based upon: - reliable manuscripts and as such free from conjectural reconstruction. : _are no longer in a quandary so far as the text is taken into - - 71: a hurdle of major magnitude has been removed and _ s service to the cause of Buddhist scholarship, students of - must handsomely acknowledge their obligation to the editors.

Dharmakirti's Pramavavarttika is an extremely difficult text both in respect of language and of content. His language is far too brief, which can be intelligible only after supplying the links which intervene one argument and another. Karnakagomin’s commentary supplies these ellipses and makes the text and the argument under-But in spite of the elaborate comments of Karnakagomin, auto commentary remains unintelligible in several places. There are many surds and snags which have caused us a veritable headache.

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