[INDOLOGY] Suśruta with English Ḍalhaṇa, buyer beware

[David and Nancy Reigle]

Not sure if here is the most appropriate place to post this, but I think it
should be made known.

There are three English translations of the *Suśruta-Saṃhitā* which
indicate on the title page that they include Ḍalhaṇa's commentary. Only one
of them actually includes a translation of the whole commentary. These
three are:

1. Priya Vrat Sharma, *Suśruta-Saṃhitā*, With English translation of text
and Ḍalhaṇa's commentary along with critical notes, 3 vols., Varanasi:
Chaukhambha Visvabharati, 1999, 2000, 2001.

2. P. Himasagara Chandra Murthy, *Suśrutasaṃhitā*, Translation of Text &
Nibandhasaṅgraha Commentary of Śrīḍalhaṇa, 3 vols., Varanasi: Chowkhamba
Sanskrit Series Office, 2015, 2021, 2021.

3. Vasant C. Patil and Rajeshwari N. M., *Suśruta Saṃhitā*, With English
translation of text and Dalhana's Commentary with Critical notes, 3 vols.,
New Delhi: Chaukhambha Publications, 2018.

In no. 1, by Priya Vrat Sharma, there is a sentence in the Introduction,
Vol. 1, p. vi: "In the first six chapters, Ḍalhaṇa's commentary is given in
full so as to present a sample, later on, only the gist is given wherever
necessary." The gist that is given is often very brief in comparison with
how much is in Ḍalhaṇa's commentary, and "wherever necessary" means
that Ḍalhaṇa's
commentary is entirely omitted in a large number of places.

In no. 3, by Vasant C. Patil and Rajeshwari N. M., there is a sentence in
the Preface to Vol. 2 and to Vol. 3, both on p. iv.: "Dalhana's Commentary
is added at maximum places wherever necessary." This translation seems to
be modelled on Priya Vrat Sharma's, often copying it and giving the same
relatively small amount of commentary. In a number of places it includes
some abridged commentary where Sharma has none, but overall it still
entirely omits the commentary in many places. The whole translation of the
Uttara-tantra-sthāna seems to be directly copied from Sharma.

Only no. 2, by P. Himasagara Chandra Murthy, includes a translation of
Ḍalhaṇa's
whole commentary.

Best regards,

David Reigle
Colorado, U.S.A.
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