Bha.t.ta Bhaaskara Mi;sra's Bhaa.sya on the Taittiriiya

[Ashok Aklujkar]

I am reposting this because it has so far not appeared on the list. I do not
know why. My server and computer did not give any indication of delivery
failure. -- a.a.

From: Ashok Aklujkar <aklujkar at interchange.ubc.ca>
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 14:03:38 -0700
To: Indology <INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Bha.t.ta Bhaaskara Mi;sra's Bhaa.sya on the Taittiriiya
Braahma.na

Arlo,

Given my resources here, I cannot help you with your main query, but perhaps
my attempt at a different translation will serve to guide your query
properly.

The common word is va;sa.mvada 'under control, in possession, existing under
the direction of,' not va.m;savada (in fact, I cannot recall coming across
the latter anywhere). Misplacement of the anusvaara is not uncommon in
Naagarii printing.

The first passage you cite is:
> godaavariitiirasthasya kasyacana pa.n.ditasya va.m;savada.m
> taittiriiyabraahma.nasya dvitiiyaa.s.takasyaantimaanaa.m catur.naam
> anuvaakaanaa.m bha.t.tabhaaskarabhaa.sya.m duraasadam aasiit |

To me, its natural meaning would be: 'It was difficult/impossible to obtain
Bha.t.ta Bhaaskara's commentary on the four last anuvaakas of the second
a.s.taka of the Taittiriiyabraahma.na which is/was, under the control of a
certain pandit living on the bank of the Godaavarii.'

Such statements about not getting access to a precious or particularly
valuable ms are (unfortunately) found in the introductions of the editions
of several Indic texts.

More importantly, my translation, implying that at a certain time the latter
part of B-B's work was at least thought to exist, would make the use of
ko;saantaraabhavaat 'because other mss did not exist (because I/we did not
have access to other mss)' and lupta.m du.spaa.tham ca 'lost and having
bad/corrupt readings' in your third passage understandable (I am assuming
that nothing else of relevance has been written between the passages; I do
not have the original in front of me).

Second passage:
> Hence this edition supplies Saaya.na's comm. (the `Maadhaviiyabhaa.sya') for
> those anuvaakas:
>
> ata;s ca tatra saaya.nabhaa.syam eva nive;sitam |

Third passage:
> ko;saantaraalaabhaac ca taittiriiyasa.mhitaayaa.m ca braahma.ne ara.nyake ca
> lupta.m du.spa.tha.m ca bha.t.tabhaaskarabhaa.syam apahaaya
> saaya.nabhaa.syam eva nyave;si |


ashok aklujkar