Part 5 - Gaṇḍavyūha in Vyūha Literature

In this respect the narration of the merchant Sudhana’s journeys with his merchandise in different regions of the earth made him a hero of the Gaṇḍavyūha on account of his pure conduct. He achieved extraordinary merits. He has a vision of Avalokiteśvara, the compassion incarnate. Alike the Kāraṇḍavyūha, Gaṇḍavyūha is also appended by the Bhadracharia pranidhānarāja in which the mannerism of pranidhāna in benediction to Avalokiteśvara is available.

The Gaṇḍavyūha was edited in Sanskrit by Suzuki and later on, the bilingual edition of the text appended with Chinese and Tibetan focus its popularity outside India.

Rajedra Lal Mitra in his ‘Buddhist Sanskrit Literature in Nepal’ remarked:

“A highly amplified version of the works noticed under the name of Guṇa Kāraṇḍavyūha.^[1] The work is the prose, but it has obviously been amplified from the poetical version above named. The means and incidents have been in some cases modified or changed, and many new incidents and stories have been worked in. But in purport remains the same the glorification of the great Bodhisattva, Ārya Avalokiteśvara. The differences are not of such a character as to need detailed specification. The work belongs to the class Mahāyāna Sūtra, and as usual in that class of writings, does not bear the name of its author. Its name does not occur in the Rev. S. Beal’s Tripithaka.”^[2]

By the 3^rd century B.C. Mahāyāna Sūtras developed in different dimensions. Particularly Ratnakūṭa Sūtra and Avalokiteśvara Sūtra might claim distinction from Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, which probably appeared in south India. The Vyūha-sūtras were excellent in narrating eminence of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. In due course the popular Buddhism, among the Mahāyāna, had a tendency to deal the eminent personifications as the Buddha. In that respect Kāraṇḍyavyūha,s and Gaṇḍavyūha, Tathāgatavyūha have a lien. So Kāraṇḍyavyūha, along with Gaṇḍavyūha are taken in account here.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Here Guṇa-kāraṇḍaka-vyūha means consideration of the pros and corns, the merits in respect of Avalokiteśvara. So vyūha means to perceive, descry, to reflect, understanding. Tibetan: Sdong po bkod pa-sdong po bskod mvy for Gandavyuha. Here sdong po for kanda, ganda, stamba, etc. It means in the growth Bodhi brum. Gaṇḍavyūha may be regarded as trunk. Bkod pa is past tense of god means niveshati, samsthapayati. So vyūha suggest assemble of trunk like merits of the Buddha and Guṇa-Kāraṇḍyavyūha, is then assemblage of the basket.

[2]:

Rajendra Lal Mitra in his 'The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal, Calcutta, mentions the following: "... Chinese versions of Ratna-kāraṇḍaka-vyūha-sūtra are mentions in the catalogue of the Chinese translation of the Buddhist Tripitaka compiled by Bunyiu Nanjio published from classics India Publications, Delhi, 1989."