Dear collegues,
Maybe I missed it, but has anyone taken a look at Naudou's "Les Bouddhistes Kaśmiriens" yet?
Jean Naudou, Les Bouddhistes Kaśmīriens au moyen age. Paris 1968, pp. 103 f. :
« Avant d’aborder ces deux sujets — logique et vajrayāna — signalons un personnage dont les œuvres sont admises au
bstan’-gyur, mais dont rien n’indique qu’il ait été bouddhiste. Il s’agit d’un médecin, le plus savant sans doute du Kaśmīr médiéval, Candranandana, qui, au contraire de tant de maîtres, est daté avec une précision tout à fait satisfaisante, puisque
l’un de ses ouvrages est accompagné de vœux adressés au Śāhi Thakkana, connu également par la
Rājataraṅgiṇī [VI, 230.231 et 236], mais qui n’est pas mentionné par al-Bīrūnī. Abhimanyu, nous informe Kalhaṇa, mena une expédition contre ce souvereign qui reçu un nouvel
abhiṣeka à l’occasion de son allégeance au roi de Śrīnagar. Comme Abhimanyu régnait de 958 à 972, on peut admettre avec une approximation suffisante que Candranandana vivait dans la seconde moitié du xe siècle.
Ce médecin, auquel on donne le titre de Sakalāyurvedaśāstrakuśala, était, d’après les données généalogiques transmises par la traduction tibétaine de ses ouvrages, fils de [Ratinandana] et petit-fils de [Mahānandana)], [p. 104] et il était originaire
du Kaśmīr. II rédigea un volumineux traité qui n’occupe pas moins de 2 188 pages en traduction tibétaine et qui s’intitule
Padārthacandrikāprabhāsa. Il se présente comme une vivṛtti de 1’Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya de Vāgbhaṭa II et comporte les huit divisions traditionnelles : la section traitant des généralités [sūtrasthāna] (mdo’i gnas) constitue à elle
seule près du tiers de l’ouvrage (Mdo, CXX). La section relative au corps [śarīrasthāna] (lus-kyi gnas), l’étiologie [nidānasthāna] (nad-gźi’i gnas) et la thérapeutique, [cikitsasthāna] (gso-ba’i gnas)
occupent un second volume ; la toxicologie [kalpasiddhistāna] [sic.] (čho-ga grub pa’i gnas) et l’[uttarasthāna] (phyi-ma’i gnas), où sont réunies differentes matières (ophtalmologie, oto-rhino-laryngologie, gynécologie,
etc.), constituent le dernier volume (Mdo, CXXII 1). Le même auteura composé l’Aṣṭāṅgādikabheṣaja nāma paryāya qui, bien qu’il se présente comme un traité indépendant, fait partie de
Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayavṛtti comme nous en avertit le titre tibétain : sman-dpyad yan-lag brgyad-pa’i sñiṅ-po ’grel-pa las, etc. (Mdo, CXXII. 2) (91 p .). »
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Jean Naudou, Buddhists of Kaśmīr, First English Edition, Translation work from French by Brereton and Picron, Delhi 1980, p. 121 f.:
“Before grappling with those two subjects—logic and vajrayāna— let us mention a personage whose works were admitted to the
bstan’-gyur, but about whom there is nothing to indicate that he has been a Buddhist. This is a doctor, doubtless the most learned of mediaeval Kaśmir, Candranandana, who, unlike so many teachers, is dated with quite satisfying precision, since one
of his writings is accompanied by good wishes addressed to Śāhi Thakkana, equally known through the Rājataraṅgiṇī [VI, 230-231 and 236] but who is not mentioned by al-Bīrūnī. Abhimanyu, Kalhaṇa informs us, led an expedition against that sovereign, his allegiance
to the king of Śrīnagar. As Abhimanyu reigned from 958 to 972, one is able to admit with sufficient approximation that Candranandana lived in the second half of the 10th century.
That doctor, who is given the title of Sakalāyurvedaśāstrakuśala, was according to genealogical information, passed down through the Tibetan [p. 122] translation of his writings, son of [Ratinandana] and grandson of [Mahānandana], and he was a native
of Kaśmīr. He edited a voluminous treatise which occupies not less than 2188 pages in Tibetan translation and which is entitled
Padārthacandrikāprabhāsa. It is presented as a vivṛtti of the
Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya of Vāgbhaṭa II and consists of the eight traditional divisions : the section dealing with generalities, [sūtrasthāna] (mdo’i gnas) constitutes itself alone nearly a third of the work (Mdo, CXX). The section relating
to the body, [śārīrasthāna] (lus-kyi gnas), aetiology, [nidānasthāna] (nad-gzi’i gnas), and therapeutics [cikitsāsthāna] (gso-ba’i gnas) occupy a second volume; toxicology [kalpasiddhistana] [sic.]
(cho-ga grub-pa’i gnas) and [uttarasthāna] (phyi-ma’i gnas), where are united various matters (ophthalmology, oto-rhino-laryngology, gynaecology, etc.) constitute the last volume (Mdo, CXXII, 1). The same author composed the
Aṣṭāṅgādikabheṣaja nāma paryāya which, although it is presented as an independent treatise, forms part of the
Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayavṛtti, as its Tibetan title informs us : sman-dpyad yan-lag brgyad-pa’i sñiṅ-po’i grel-pa las, etc. (Mdo, CXXII, 2) (91 p.).”
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M.A. Stein comments on the Śāhi ruler Thakkana mentioned by Kalhaṇa (note 230 ad
Rājataraṅgiṅī 6.230):
"Nothing is known of the ruler here referred to. He may have been some small chief in a neighbouring hill claiming descent from the great
Śāhi family of Kābul and Gandhāra; [...]. The name Thakkana occurs elsewhere ; comp. vii. 422, 447, etc."
Best wihes,
Roland Steiner