Gentoo Studies

[Shrisha Rao]

On Wed, 5 May 1999, N. Ganesan wrote:

> >someone quoted an accepted opinion among Indologists that the word/concept
> >of `bhakti' was first propounded by a Buddhist; look
> >at the ashhTAdhyAyI, IV-3-95, where the word is used
> >by Panini, who lived before Buddhism.
>
> Har Dayal, Bodhisattva doctrine in Sanskrit says that bhatti
> first comes in Theragatha; This, info being from 1930s,
> may not be the 'accepted opinion' today. Also, with no
> critical edition for ashtadhyayi available , is that section in
> the original or in a later layer?

A question that doubtless cuts both ways; anyway, it is not critical to
the issue, since the word occurs in the Black Yajur Veda also.

Regards,

Shrisha Rao

> N. Ganesan