bandhanāṣṭaka/bandhāṣṭaka/pāśāṣṭaka

[Peter Mukunda Pasedach]

Dear all,

I am working on the sixth chapter of Ratnākara's Haravijaya, together with
its commentaries by Alaka and Utpala. It is an ode to Śiva in which he is
praised with reference to a wide variety of systems and their texts known
at that time (Kashmir, 9th century). Thus the commentaries contain many
quotations that Ratnākara might have had in mind when composing his verses,
quite some of which I haven't been able to identify yet so that I would be
happy for pointers. Here is one:

In verse 170, ending a pañcabhiḥ kulakam,

pratipadya śaṅkara bhavantam avyayaṃ
sukhaduḥkhamohaparihīṇacetanaḥ |
vyativṛttatantumayabandhanāṣṭako
bhagavan bhavān iva bhavaty aṇuḥ sphuṭam || 170 ||

there is mention of a bandhanāṣṭaka escaping which the aṇu becomes like
Śiva. Referring to which the commentators Alaka and Utpala quote the
following:

prākṛto vaikṛtaś cāpi (A, U: caiva) āhaṃkārika eva ca |
sāttviko rājasaś caiva tāmasaś cāparaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
dharmādharmātmakaś ceti paśor bandhāṣṭakaṃ bhavet |
(A, U: dharmādharmamayaś ceti paśoḥ pāśāṣṭakaṃ bhavet |)

It has been suggested to me that the quotation might come from a tantric or
Śivadharma milieu.

A parallel idea of eight bondages is described in Kulārṇavatantra 13.90-91,
but the set there is completely different:

ghṛṇā saṅkā  bhayaṃ lajjā jugupsā  ceti pañcamī |
kulaṃ śīlaṃ tathā jātir aṣṭau pāśāḥ prakīrtitāḥ || 90 ||
pāśabaddhaḥ  pāśur jñeyaḥ  pāśamukto  maheśvaraḥ |
tasmāt pāśaharo yas tu sa guruḥ paramo mataḥ || 91 ||

Best,

Peter


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