[INDOLOGY] Date of Candranandana

[Matthew Kapstein]

Just to follow up on Andrey's comments:
In the concluding verses in the Rin chen bzang po translation Candranandana states that he was born in Kashmir (kha che'i yul du skyes pa yin). The translator does not tell us where he studied or translated the text, but because Rin chen bzang po did work extensively in Kashmir, we may assume he did so there.

Matthew

Matthew Kapstein
Directeur d'études,
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes

Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
The University of Chicago
________________________________
From: andra.kleb at gmail.com <andra.kleb at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 6, 2019 11:15 AM
To: Indology <indology at list.indology.info>; James Hartzell <james.hartzell at gmail.com>; Matthew Kapstein <mkapstei at uchicago.edu>
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Date of Candranandana

Dear Dr Hartzell,

The introductory verses to Candrananda’s commentary on the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā call the text Padārthacandrikā (not Amṛtahṛdaya Aśṭāṅga Guhyopadeśatantra ?!). See “[…] padārthacandrikāṃ ṭīkāṃ […] kariṣyāmi … ”

As far as I am aware, the assumed date of the Tibetan translation provides, indeed, the earliest terminus ante quem, but, as to now, one could not find any evidence to determine the terminus post quem — that is, the TPQ is given merely by the composition of the root text.
I heard from several scholars in India that they thought Candrananda hailed from Kashmir. I am not sure about the rationale behind this belief, but I guess that it is influenced by the Tibetan tradition. As for Sanskrit sources, someone Candrananda (the Padārthacandrikā has not been published in its entirety yet, so we still don’t know if it’s the same Candra or not) is often quoted by Kṣīrasvāmin (fl. ca. 11th cent.) in his commentary on the Amarakośa, and one can also establish that Candra’s text exhibited significant influence on Indu (fl. ca. 12th cent.). Both authors were most likely from Kashmir, which may supply some very weak evidence for connecting Candra with this region.

best,
Andrey
On Oct 6, 2019 22:28 +0900, Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>, wrote:
Dear Jim,

According to the catalogues of the Tibetan canon, the translation was done by Rin-chen-bzang-po (955-1054), and, because he also translated the root text, this seems likely to be correct.

Although Vairocana of Pa-gor seems to have been a real 8th c. individual, it is very difficult to disentangle whatever is factual from the enormous body of legend that grew up around him. Because the Tibetan medical tantra, the Rgyud-bzhi (Four Tantras), is an apocryphon that claims its authority with reference to the period of the 8th c. monarch Khri srong lde'u btsan, it is not surprising that the "historical" tradition that developed around it would have wanted to appropriate other authorities as well.

best,
Matthew

Matthew Kapstein
Directeur d'études,
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes

Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
The University of Chicago
________________________________
From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of James Hartzell via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
Sent: Sunday, October 6, 2019 5:57 AM
To: Indology <indology at list.indology.info>
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Date of Candranandana

Hi

Does anyone have a definitive date for Candranandana, author of the commentary Amṛtahṛdaya Aśṭāṅga Guhyopadeśatantra on Vāgbhaṭa´s Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya (or Aṣṭhāṅgasaṃhitā)?  According to the Tibetan medical history tradition, as reported in "The Origin of the rGyud bzhi: A Tibetan Medical Tantra” by Todd Fenner (https://www.thlib.org/encyclopedias/literary/genres/genres-book.php#!book=/studies-in-genres/b27/dn3/), Vairocana studied with him in Kashmir, and translated this text into Tibetan, and presented it to King Trisong Detsen (Tibetan: ཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན), who ruled (according to Wikipedia) 755 CE until 797 or 804 CE.

Dr. Fenner´s history would place Candranandana in the late 8th century CE.  Has this account been further confirmed?

Cheers
James
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