Some Remarks on the Date of Abhayakaragupta and the Chronology of His Works

By Gudr un BChnem ann, Kyoto Abhayakaragupta is known as the author of a number of Tantric works and translator of Sanskrit texts into Tibetan. Most of his original works were lost and preserved only in Tibetan translations. We do not have precise information about when he lived or where he was bom, etc., since the available Tibetan sources provide contradic tory accounts of his life. The colophons of some of his works state that they were written during specific years of King Ramapalas reign during the Pala Dynasty in Bengal and Bihar. The present paper evaluates the accounts of Abhayakaragupta s life and attempts to provide a relative chronology of his works based on the statements appearing in colophons and cross references found in his works. The following Tibetan sources provide information on Abhayakara guptas life: 1. the works of Taranatha (b. 1575) a. bKa' babs bdun Idan gyi m am tkar (written 1600); b. rGya gar chos 'byun (written 1608); 2. AbhayaJcara'i Hogs bijod by Bio bzan chos ky i rgyal mlskan of Tashi Ihun po Monastery, Tibet (written 1641), published in Singh 1968, pp. 189-192; 3. an account by S. C. Das based on writings of some Indian panditas who laboured in Tibet, resembling 2. in contents; 4. dPag bsam. Ijon bzan (= PSJZ) of Sum pa mkhan po Ye 6es dpal byor (written 1748). The bKa babs bdun ldan, p. 109 and PSJZ 120, 23, state that Abhayakara was born in Jarikhanda which according to Taranatha neighbours OdiviSa (= Orissa)". Jarikhanda must be identical with <rhar(a)khanda, the area of the Chot^a Nagpur plateau in north-east India. The name jhar/jhad suggests a forest or jungle area.

R. Sankrtyayana1 has identified it with the area near Baidyanath (i.e. Devgadh/Deogarh)2 in the district of Dumka in Bihar. According to Das (p. 16), Abhay&karagupta was bom in Eastern India near the city of Gauda". This city in the northern part of Bengal, in the Malda district, was once the capital of Bengal.1 The Tibetan translation of his Vajrayanapattimafljari (P 3310, vol. 69, Tei 223b. 1) states that he was from Magadha, which may refer to either the area where he was bom or where he taught, i. e. Vajrasana (= Buddhagaya), Nalanda and Vikrama6Ila.+ Magadha, the province of Bihar, properly South Bihar, near Jharakhaoda, extending into the vicinity of Gauda, includes the area of the Buddhist universities VikramaSila, Nalanda, etc. The city of Gauda is very close to the location of VikramaSila. Although we cannot locate Abhayakaraguptas birthplace, all three sources refer to a similar area in north-eastern India.

D as (p. 16) writes that Abhayakara was bom in the middle of the ninth century, which is too early as it contradicts the other statements in the same account, e.g., that he was a contemporary of King Rama1 R. S a n k ^ t y a y a n a : Tibbat mew bauddhadharma. In: Hindustani 4 (1934), pp. 1-47, p. 29. , o t? 2 Baidyanath is situated in the Santalpargapas at 24 30 N and 86 42 E. 3 Gauda was located at 24 54' N and 88 8' E. 4 According to bKa babs bdnn Ulan, pp. 112-113 and PSJZ 121, 1.

pala. The chronological tables (reu m ig ) on the history of Tibet by Sum pa mkhan po Ye aes dpal byor give his birth year as the Wood-Dragon year (sin brug) and his year of death as the Wood-Serpent year (sin abrul), corresponding to 1064 and 1125. Ye See dpal byor assigns the same Wood-Dragon year as birth year to Brom ston and Gian tshul byan of rGyal, but in their cases the Wood-Dragon year in the earlier sixty year cycle, i.e. 1004, is appropriate. We know from Tibetan sources that Abhayakara was a contemporary of King Ramapala. Moreover, the colophons of three of his works state that they were written during specific years of Ramapala s reign. The works and their dates are 1. the Abhayapaddhati, composed during the twenty-fifth year, 2. the Munimalalamkara, composed during the thirtieth year, 3. and the Amndyamanjari, completed during the thirty-seventh year. The chronology of the Pala kings is still a matter of controversy and there are different calculations for dating Ramapaias reign. The initial year of his reign period is given as 1. 1057 by B a n e r ji 1928 (p. 533, 538); 2. 1077 by R. C. M a ju m d a r 1921 (p. 6) and A. K. M a ju m d a r 1977-80, vol. 1 (p. 410); 4. 1080 by D u f f (p. 131) and P a u l 1939 (p. 75); 5. 1084 by S m i t h 1909 {p. 246) and R a y 1931-32 vol 1 (pp. 346-347); 6. 1092 by V id y a b h u s a n a 1909 (p. 149) (on the basis of Tibetan sources). While the date suggested by B a n e r ji has been rejected by B h a t t a ch a r y y a as too early, the one calculated by V id y a b h u s a n a is too late and does not take archaeological and historical evidence into account, Ramapala probably ascended the throne between 1077 and 1084 D a s (p, 18) reports that Ramapala ruled for forty years, while S m i t h R. C. Ma ju m d a r , R a y , P a u l and A. K. M a ju m d a r have shown that he ruled for at least forty-two years, and the rGya gar chos > byun 190 and PSJZ i20>23 specify the duration of his reign as forty-six years. Ramapala was succeeded by his son Kumarapala, called Yak?a pala in the rGyagarchos 'byun 190,22 and PSJZ 121,5 and Aksapalain D a s (p. 18). r
3. 1078 by B h a tt a c h a r y y a 1930 (p. 168);

The following table supplies the two kings names and reign dates as indicated by A. K. Ma ju m d a r 1977-80, vol. 1 (pp. 408-12) and R ay 1931-36, vol. 1 (pp. 257, 282f., 350): King Reign (R a y ) Reign (A. K. M a ju m d a r ) c. 1084-1126 Ramapaia 1077-c. 1119 c. 1126-1130 Kumarapala 1120-? According to the rQya gar chos byun 190, 21-22 and D a s (p. 18), Abhayakaragupta died before Ramapaia abdicated the throne in favour of his son. The date must have occurred between 1119 and 1126, depending on which calculation is used, and it can be brought into accordance with the year of hie death, 1125, given by Sum pa mkhan po Ye Ses dpal byor. In contradiction to this, PSJZ 121, 6-7 states that Abhayakara became the chief priest of VikraraaSila at the time of Kumarapalas dethronement by his minister Lavasena. This statement coincides with the year of his death, 1125, only if A. K. M a j u m d a k s calculations for Ramapaia and Kumarapala are accepted. Following is a list of works ascribed to Abhayakaragupta. Most of them are preserved in Tibetan translations only. Their references are from the Peking Edition (P) of the Tibetan Tripifaka. Abhayapaddhati, a commentary (fiku) on the BuddhakapQlamahatantraraja, also known as the BuddhakapalamahtiMinlrarajaiika (P 2526) According to the colophon of the fourteenth pafala of the only extant Sanskrit manuscript, G 3827, preserved in the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, RASB, p. 163, the text was written in the twentyfifth year of Ramapalas reign at VikramaSila. It mentions the Amnayamanjari, Kalacakravatara and Vajravali (cf. extracts of the text in RASB, p. 164), Abhi$ekaprakararm (P 2214) Amnayamanjari, a commentary (tikd) on the Sarpfputatantraraja (P 2328) The text states that it was composed during the thirty-seventh year of Ramapalas reign (P, vol. 55, Dsa 356b. 4). It is referred to in the Abhayapaddhati (cf. RASB, p. 164) and Vajravali 178,1 and 182,4 etc. Bodhipaddhati (P 4585) BodhisaUvasaijivaragraAanavidhi (P 5365) Cakrasaifivarabhisamaya (P 2213) _ < Probably identical to the Sawvarodayabkisamayopayikd/Sawvarabhisamayopayika, referred to in the Vajravali (manuscript in RASB, p. 155 reads Saipvarodaya0; reprint edition by L. C h a n d r a [Delhi, 1977], 248, 5 reads Samvara1 1 ).

Candraprabhd, a commentary ftikd) on the Pahcukramamata (P 2700) Ganacakravidhi (P 3317) Jnanadakimsadhana (P 2489) Jyotirmanjari (homopayikd) (P 3963) The Sanskrit text was edited on the basis of a manuscript from the University of Cambridge Library in O ku y a m a 1983 and 1986. The other extant Sanskrit manuscript (National Archives, Kathmandu, no. 1/1697; cf. BrhaUiizipatra, ed. by P u r n a r a t n a v a j r a c a k y a , vol. 7, pt. 3 [Kathmandu, 1966], p. 150), was not used by O k u y a m a . The text refers to the Vajravali (cf. O kuy a m a 1983, p. 126, 6; 133, 8 and O kuy a m a 1986, p. 106,5) and is referred to in the Vajravali (e. g. 14, 4; 235, 4). ' Kalacakravatdra (P 2098) For the only extant Sanskrit manuscript, cf. RASB, pp. 161-62. According to The Blue Annals, p. 765, the text was written about sixty years after the introduction of the Kaiacakra in MadhyadeSa (1027)", i.e., 1087, but Ratnarakgita insists that it was written not sixty but forty-five years afterwards, i.e., 1072. The text is referred to in the Abhayapaddhati (cf. RASB, p. 164). Kalacakroddana (P 2095) Mahakalakarmaaarfibhdra (P 4946) Mamiakaumudi, a commentaiy (vftli) on the Atfasahazrikaprajndparamild (P 5202) Munimatdlamkara, a commentaiy on Maitreyas Abhiaamaycdarnkdra (P 5299) The text states that it was composed during the thirtieth year of Ra mapaias reign (P, vol. 101, Ha 397 b. 7). For a partial edition of the Tibetan text, cf. I so d a 1984 and 1987. NdthakdkayonitarparjiavidJiikrama (P 4960) Nvfpanvnyogavali (P 3962, 5023 [called Manjuvajrddikramabhi^amayasamuccayani#pan7iayogavali]) The Sanskrit text was edited by B. B h a tt a c h a r y y a (Baroda, 1949). The work refers to the VhjravoM (e. g., 4, 6j 7, 15) and is referred to in the Vajravali (e.g., 14, 3; 14, 4; 46, 2; 117, 1; 256, 1). Raklayamaviakani$pannayoga (P 2892) Svadhi^thdnakramopadesa (P 2215) A Sanskrit manuscript of the text is preserved in the National Archives, Kathmandu, no. 3/693 (fols. 61a. l-63a. l).s
5 Cf. A Descriptive Bibliography o f the Sanakrit Buddhist Literature. Vol. IV- The Buddhist Tantra. Ed. K. T s u k a m o t o , Y. M a t s u n a q a , and H. I s o d a . Kyoto 1089, p. 267. I wish to thank Mr. N. O k u y a m a for providing this reference.

Ucch'u^majambhalasddhana (= Sadhanamala, no. 295, printed in Sadha namala, vol. 2, 576, 1-597, 13; P 4089, 4435, 4565) Upadesamahjari (Sarvatantroipannopapannasamanyabhagya) {P 5024) Vajraniahakaldbhicarahtmia (P 4954) Vajramahakalakrodhanatharahaayasiddhibhavatantra (P 62) Vajravali (mandalopayika) (P 3961) For a facsimile edition of a Sanskrit manuscript, cf. Vajravali, repro duced by L. C h a n d r a (Delhi, 1977); for the romanized text of the mawfala section according to one manuscript, cf. B h a tt a ch a r y y a 1981, pp. 79-91. The text referB to the Amnayamanjari (e.g., 178, 1; 182, 4), Jyotirmanjari (e.g., 14, 4; 235, 4), N SP (e.g., 14, 3; 14,4; 46, 2; 117, 1; 248, 4-5; 256, 1) and Sarfivarabhisamayopdyika (probably identical to the Cakmsa'iftvarabhisamaya) (e.g., 248, 5). It is referred to in the Abkayapaddhati (cf. RASB, p. 164) and N SP (e.g., 4, 6; 7, 15). VajrayandpatUmanjari (P 3310) According to its Tibetan translation (P, vol. 80, Thu 338 a. 3-6 [cf. O kuy a m a 1988, p. 886, note 8]) and the Thob yiga, quoted in the additional remarks to S c h ie f n e r s translation of the rGya gar chos byun, p. 330, the Sadhanamala was compiled by Abhayakaragupta. The Blue Annals, p. 1048, Btate that it was transmitted through Abhayakara gupta. However, the Sanskrit text of the Sadhanamala does not mention a compiler and ascribes only one sadhana, the Uccku^majambhalasadhana (see above), to Abhayakaragupta. The Kalacakravatara seems to be one of Abhayakaraguptas earliest works, if we rely on the statement that it was composed in 1072 or 1087. However, 1072 as its year of composition is incompatible with his birth year, 1064, given by Sum pa mkhan po Ye fies dpal byor. The Amnayamahjari seems to have been written over a long period of time. It is mentioned in the Abhayapaddhati, written in the twenty-fifth year of Ramapalas reign (i.e., 1101 according to A. K. M a ju m d a r and 1108 according to R a y ) and completed in the thirty-seventh year of Ramapaia (i.e., 1113 or 1120). The Cakraaajfivarahhwamaya, Jyotirmanjari, Kalacakravatara, N SP and Vajravali precede the Abkayapaddhati for the following reasons. The Abhayapaddhati refers to the Kalacakravatara and Vajravali. The Vajra vali refers to the Cakrasarfivambhisamaya. The Vajravali and JyotirmanV o s t r i k o v : Tibetan Historical Literature. T ra n sl. from G u p t a . Calcutta 1970, p p . 1 9 9 -2 0 2 .

* Passage unidentified On the class of biographies called Ikob yig, cf. A. I. the Russian by H. C.

ja r i and the Vajravali and N S P refer to each other and must have been written at the same time. The Vajravali, Jyotirmanjari and NSP (all written in or before 1L01 or 1108) form one unit and are known as the three cycles (skorgsum )1 in the Tibetan tradition. According to Abhayakaragupta, the Vajravali, a practical guide to all preliminary rites preceding the initiation into the mand-ala, iB the main text, while the NSP, dealing with man/jifilnx in detail, and the Jyotirmanjari, dealing exclusively with the homa ritual, are supplementary. All three works must have been written at the same time since they refer to one another. B h a t t a c h a r y y a s statement (1981, p. 71) that the Vajravali was written a few years later than the NSP, since the Vajravali mentions it, is not valid, because both the NSP and Vajravali refer to one another. The Munimaldlarfikdra dates five years after the Abhayapaddhati, as it is said to have been written in Ramapaias thirtieth reign year (i.e., 1106 according to A. K. M a ju m d a r and 1113 according to R a y ).
B ibliography and A bbreviations
R. D.t III.: Pala Chronology. In: The Journal of the Bihar and Orissa Research Society 14 (1928), 489-538. B h a t t a c h a r y y a , D. C.: Pala Chronology - A Reply to ProJ. Banerji. In: Indian Historical Quarterly 6 (1930), 153-168. B h a t t a c h a r y y a , D, C.: The Vajravali-ndma-Mandaltrpdyika o f Abhayakaragupta. In: Tantric and Taoist Studies in Honour o f R. A. Stein, ed. by M. S t r ic k m a n n , vol. 1: 70-95. Bruxelles 1981. 7%e Blue Armais. <Transl.) by G. N. R o e r i c h . 2 vols. Calcutta 1949-53. Bu ston. History o f Buddhism (Chos-hbyung) by Bu-ston. Part 1: The Jewelry of Scripture. Part 2: The History o f Buddhism in India and 'Tibet. Transl. from Tibetan by E. O b e r m i l l e r . Heidelberg 1931-32. BttHNEM ANN, G.: Some Remarks on the Author Abhayakaragupta and his Works. In: Nifpannayogdvtdi. Two Sanskrit Manuscripts from Nepal. Compiled by G. B D h n e m a n n and M. T a c h ik a w a . Tokyo 1991, X1II-XXII. Das, S. C.: Contributions on the Religion, History * c. o f Tibet. IV: Rise and Pro gress of Buddhism in Tibet. Chapter I. In: Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 51 (1882), 1-75. D uff, C. M. [W. R . R ic k m e r s ] : Tke Chronology o f Indian History. From the Earliest Times to the Beginning o f the Sixteenth Century. N. d., n.p Reprint New Delhi 1972. F r a u w a l l n e b , E.: Landmarks iti the History o f Indian Logic. In: Wiener Zeitschrift fur die Kunde Sud- und Ostasiens 5 (1961), 125-148, 7 Cf. A. W a y m a n : Ths Buddhist Tantras. New York 1973, p. 239, note 26. 8 Cf. Vajravali 14, 4: ata eva vajravalya jyoti(,r)ynanjari r.a (or: riva) nippannayogavali parikarah.
B a n k r ji,

Some Remarks on the Date of Abhayakaragupta, 127 rGya gar chos 'byun. Tarandthae de Doctrinae BuAdhir.nc in India propagationie narratio. Contextual Tibeticum e codicibus petropolitanis edidit A, S c h j e f n e r . Petropoli 1868. {Tdrandtha's Geschiehte desBuddhismus inInd ien atts dem tibetischen ubersetzt von A. S c h i e f n e r . St. Petersburg 1869.) H a d a n o , H.: Kasmira-mahapai?4ila Sakyasribhadra. Tibetto kinsei bukkyo shi jyosetsu, In: Bunka (Sendai) 21/5 (1957), 1-21. I s o d a , H.: Abhayakaragupta: Munimatalarp.kara'. (Text) (I). In: Tohoku Daigaku Bungakubu Kenkyu Nenpo 34 (1984), 251-320. I sod a , H.: Abhayakaragupta: Munimatalaipkara". (Text) (II). In: Tohoku Daigaku Bungakubu Kenkyu Nenpo 37 (1987), 138-176. I s o d a , H.: Ratndkarasanti to Abhayakaragupta. In: Journal of Naritasan Insti tute for Buddhist Studies 11 (part II) (1988), 67-80. bKa bobs bdun Idan. T a ra m th a ' Edelsteinmine, das Buck von den VermiUlem der Sieben In&pirationen. Aus dem Tibetiaehen ubersetzt v o n A. G r O n w e d e l . St. Petersburg 1914. M a j u m d a r , A. K.: Concise History o f Ancient India. Vol. 1: Political History, vol. 2: Political Theory, Administration and Economic Life. New Delhi 1977 80. M a j u m d a r , R, C .: Tkr Chronology o f the Pdla Kings. In: Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, New Series 17 (1921), 1-16. NSP. Nifpamuvyogavali o f Mahdpaiidito Abhayakaragupta. Ed. B. B h a t t a c h a r y y a . Baroda 1949 (reprint, 1972). O k u y a m a , N.: Jyotirmanjari no kenkyu (I). In: Bunka (Sendai) 47/1-2 (1983), 29-46. O k u y a m a , N.: Jyotirmanjari no kenkyu (H). In: Tohoku Ivdogaku Shukyo Oakkai Ronshu (Sendai) 13 (1986), 108-91. O k u y a m a , N.: Tibetto bukkyo paiUhe.on keisei mi kansuru fu tu ts u no kadai. In : Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies 36/2 (1988), 892-886. P, The Tibetan Tripifaka. Peking Edition. Repr. under the Supervision of the Otani University, Kyoto. Ed. by D, T, S u z u k i . 168 vols. Tokyo-Kyoto 1965 61. Paul, P. L.: 'flit Early History o f Bengal. Vol. I. Calcutta 1939. PSJZ, Pag Sam Jon Zang by Sunipa Khan-po Yege pal jor. Part 1: History of the Rise, Progress and Downfall o f Buddhism in India. Pt 2: His tori/ o f Tibet from. Early Times to 1745 A .D . Ed. by S. C. D a s . Calcutta 1908. RASB, A Descriptive Catalogue o f Sanscrit Manuscripts in the Government Collec tion under the Care o f The Asiatic Society o f Bengal by M , H a r a P r a s a d S h a s t r i . Vol. I: Buddhist Manuscripts. C a lc u tta 1917, R a y , H . C.: Hie Dynastic History o f Northern India (Early Medieval Period). 2 vols. Calcutta 1931-36. SadhanamcUd. Sadhanamala. Ed. B. B h a t t a c h a r y a . 2 vols. Baroda 1925. S i n g h , B. P.; A Thibetan Account o f Abhayakaragupta. In: The Journal of the Bihar Research Society 54 (1968), 179-98. S m i t h , V. A.: The Pala Dynasty o f Bengal. In: The Indian Antiquary 38 (1909), 233-48. Vajravali. Vajravali. A Sanskrit Manuscript from Nepal containing the Ritual and Delineation o f Marsalas. R e p ro d u c e d b y L o k e s h C h a n d r a fro m th e C o llec tio n o f P r o f . R a q h u v i r a . N ew D e lh i 1977. V id y a b h u s a n a , S . C .: History o f the Mediaeval School o f Indian Logic. C al
c u tta 1909,

Erganzungen zu M. Mittwedes Textkritischen Bemerkungen zur K d th a k a - S a r nh it n

Von T h o m a s O b e r l ie s , Tubingen Wie in den als Band 31 der Alt- und Neu-Indischen Studien erschienenen Textkritischefn) Bemerkungen zu, Maitrdyani-Sarfihitd* hat M ittw e d e auch in dieser Veroflentlichung, erschienen als Band 37 der genannten Reihe, in dankenswertester Weiee die bis zum Jahre 1988 gemachten Verbesserungsvorschlage zum tzxtus reeeptus der KathakaSarphita gesammelt. M i t t w b d e hat somit dem Vediaten innerhalb von nur drei Jahren zwei unaohatzbare Hilfsraittel geschaffen, die bei jeder Arbeit mit der MaitrayaniSaTfihitd bzw. dem Kafkaka zu Hilfe gezogen werden sollten. Was iiberdies M Bueh fur die Vedistik so wichtig macht, ist die Tats ache, dali K a rl Hoffmann wie bereits fiir M i t t w e d e s erste Veroffentlichung sein Hand exemplar zur Verfugung gestellt hat. Uberdies fanden (bis p. 97, Kafh 1/258.5) Verbesse rungsvorschlage von Dr. W erba (Wien)1, der seit geraumer Zeit eine Neu-Edition des Ka^haka vorbereitet und gegenwartig neben H o f f m a n n , N a r t e n und W itz el sicher derbeste Kenner des Kdfhaka ist, in grofier Menge Aufnahme. M i t t w e d e s Vorgehensweise ist die gleiche wie in den nTextkritisckefn) Bemerkungen zur Maitrdyani-SaTjihita: die gesammelten Verbes serungsvorschlage s in d nach Seite und Zeile der von S cu R O E D E R S ch en Ausgabe angeordnet. Das Gros der referierten Verbesserungsvorschlage entstamint dem Oevre C a l a n d s 2 und O e rte ls, daneben s in d p ra k tis e h alle relevanten Arbeiten versehiedenster Vedologen ausgebeutet worden3.
it t w e d e s

1 Textverbesserungsvorschlage von W e r b a sind im folgenden mit W e r b a s I nitialen (Ch. W.) versehen. 2 M i t t w e d e konnte bei seiner Arbeit noch nicht auf den von W i t z e l auetgearbeiteten Index C alan d s Kleine,(r) S rhriflen (Stuttgart 1990) zuriickgreifen. Am Rande aei vermerkt, dafi dieser Index, zumindcst. was das K afhaka betriflt, leider ungewohnlich viele Fehler anfweist. s Z u begriifien ist auch, daB dienrnal H e r t h a K r ic k s meiaterliche Wiener Dissertation beriicksichtigt worden ist, anders als in der M a itra ya n i-S a iph ita-