Part 3.3 - Works of Vācaspati Miśra

Vācaspati Miśra was a prolific scholar of India. He is considered to be one of the greatest literary geniuses that India has ever produced. He had a wonderful expositional skill of presentation of whatever subject or system, he chose to handle. He is said to be one of the rare scholar who has written authoritative commentaries on all the six orthodox Indian philosophical systems. His name is ever associated with the honorific title sarvatantrasvatantra which is a rare honour conferred only upon literary prodigies. Among his works, the most important one is Nyāyavārtikatātparyaṭīkā, an authoritative commentary on Uddyotakara’s Nyāyavārtika. His other work in Nyāya philosophy is Nyāyasūcīnibandha, an index of Nyāyasūtra. His contribution to Sāṃkhya system is his work Sāṃkhyatattvakaumudī, which is a commentary on Īśvarakṛṣṇa’s Sāṃkhyakārikā.

His Tattvavaiśāradī is a work concerning Yoga philosophy and it is a lucid commentary on Vyāsabhāṣya of Patañjali’s Yogasūtra. His Vedāntic works are Bhāmatī and Tattvasamīkṣā. Bhāmatī is an authoritative commentary on Śaṃkarācārya’s Brahmasūtrabhāṣya. Again, Tattvasamīkṣā is a commentary on the Brahmasiddhi of Maṇḍana Miśra. On Mīmāṃsā system, he has written the work Tattvabindu which is an independent work on Bhāṭṭa school of Mīmāṃsā. His other work in the Mīmāṃsā system is Nyāyakaṇikā, a commentary on Maṇḍana Miśra’s Vidhiviveka. In the epilogue of his work Bhāmatī, Vācaspati Miśra has given the detail account of his own creations.^[1]

Besides these works Vācaspati is supposed to have written other works like—

1. Yuktidīpikā,
2. Vedāntatattva-kaumudī,
3. Nyāyatattvāloka,
4. Nyāyaratnaṭīkā and
5. Brahmatattvasaṃhitoddīpinī.

A brief description of all his works are given below.

(i) Tattvabindu:

Vācaspati Miśra has written the work Tattvabindu, which is an independent work on the Bhāṭṭa school of Pūrvamīmāṃsā. It is a short treatise on śābdabodha or vākyārthabodha. The main theme of Tattvabindu is what is the efficient (nimitta) cause of verbal knowledge (śābdabodha). In this regard, the author elucidates five traditional views of which four are considered pūrvapakṣa views and the fifth siddhānta or uttarapakṣa. Vācaspati Miśra wrote his Tattvabindu for the purpose of establishing abhihitānvayavāda after meeting the challenges against it mainly from the point of view of anvitābhidhāna of the Prābhākara system and from the point of view of other theories such as sphoṭavāda, varṇavāda and varṇamālāvāda. He has analyzed each of the objections raised by the anvitābhidhānavādins and answered it from the point of view of abhihitānvayavāda. Finally, he has established abhihitānvayavāda as the most satisfactory theory among the theories that are advanced by the different schools of thought in respect of the efficient cause of śābdabodha.

(ii) Nyāyakaṇikā:

Nyāyakaṇikā is the other work of Vācaspati Miśra in the Mīmāṃsā system. It is a learned commentary on the Vidhiviveka of Maṇḍana Miśra. The original work of Maṇḍana Miśra, Vidhiviveka is a work on the Bhāṭṭa school of Pūrvamīmāṃsā, which is an exposition of one of the aspects of Mīmāṃsā philosophy pertaining to the nature of vidhi. The Vidhiviveka is a learned exposition of vidhivāda in a concise śāstra style. The work by itself is difficult to follow unless one is well-grounded in the history of vidhivāda delving into the discussion about it in the bhāṣya of Śabara and the commentaries of Kumārila and Prabhākara. This necessity is fulfilled by Vācaspati Miśra in his commentary Nyāyakaṇikā. Vācaspati Miśra brings in his versatile knowledge of not only the above mentioned works on Mīmāṃsā but also of the works belonging to other Darśanas, orthodox as well the heterodox. In this commentary he made detailed elucidation of the different points on Vidhiviveka. The work Nyāyakaṇikā is divided into two parts viz. Pūrvakaṇikā and Uttarakaṇikā. The first part is on the pūrvapakṣa section of Vidhiviveka and the second part goes to its siddhānta section.

(iii) Nyāyavārtikatātparya-ṭīkā:

On Nyāya system, Vācaspati Miśra has written the Nyāyavārtikatātparyaṭīkā which is a lucid commentary on the Nyāyavārtika of Udyotakara. Nyāyasūtra of Gautama is the main work of Nyāya philosophy. The work Nyāyasūtra begins with the enumeration of 16 categories of knowledge viz. pramāṇa (valid means of knowledge), prameya (objects of valid knowledge), saṃśaya (doubt), prayojana (purpose), dṛṣṭānta (example), siddhānta (conclusion), avayava (members of syllogism), tarka (hypothetical reasoning), nirṇaya (settlement), vāda (discussion), jalpa (disputation), vitaṇḍā (destructive debate), hetvābhāsa (fallacy), chala (equivocation), jāti (futile objection) and nigrahasthāna (point of defeat).^[2]

Gautama’s Nyāyasūtra is commented upon by Vātsyāyana in his Nyāya bhāṣya. On this Nyāya bhāṣya, Udyotakara wrote his Vārtika i.e. Nyāyavārtika. Later, on this Nyāyavārtika of Udyotakara, Vācaspati Miśra has written a lucid commentary which is called Nyāyavārtikatātparyaṭīkā. The aim of Vācaspati Miśra in writing his Tātparyaṭīkā on the Nyāyavārtika is to acquire merit by restoring the very old teachings of Udyotakara which have been overwhelmed by the unassailable wrong reasonings of the Buddhists.

(iv) Nyāyasūcīnibandha:

Vācaspati Miśra’s other work in Nyāya philosophy is the Nyāyasūcīnibandha. It is regarded as an appendix to his Tātparyaṭīkā. This work is a valuable contribution to the Nyāyaśāstra, inasmuch as, it presents the correct version of the sūtras of Gautama. The author makes an attempt in restoring the text of the Nyāyasūtras in their proper form and sequence, when it was subjected to severe ill-treatment by the Buddhists who tried to distort and twist the sūtras.^[3] The aim of the author in writing that book is to have before himself the correct version of the sūtra work before proceeding to write his commentary on the Nyāyavārtika.^[4] Thus Vācaspati Miśra has restored the Nyāyasūtras as well as the Nyāyavārtika from the mud of wrong reasoning of the Buddhists through his two works Nyāyasūcīnibandha and Nyāyavārtikatātparyaṭīkā.

(v) Sāṃkhyatattva-kaumudī:

Vācaspati Miśra’s contribution to Sāṃkhya system is the work Sāṃkhyatattvakaumudī. It is a philosophical work which is an excellent exposition of the Sāṃkhya philosophy. It is written on Sāṃkhyakārikā of Īśvarakṛṣṇa, which is the first available text on Sāṃkhya philosophy. There are seventy verses (kārikās) in the Sāṃkhyakārikā and so it is popularly known as Sāṃkhyasaptati. In Chinese version, it is popularly known as Hiraṇyasaptati or Suvarṇasaptati. These seventy kārikās of Īśvarakṛṣṇa have been remarkably influential both as a summary of the Sāṃkhya position and as a symptom of Sāṃkhya’s contribution to India’s philosophical and cultural heritage. Different scholars have written different commentaries on Īśvarakṛṣṇa’s Sāṃkhyakārikā and these commentaries are Gauḍapāda bhāṣya of Gauḍapāda, Sāṃkhyatattvakaumudī of Vācaspati Miśra, Māthara bhāṣya of Māthara and Jayamaṅgalā by Śaṅkara who is different from the famous philosopher Śaṅkarācārya.

Among the commentaries on the Sāṃkhyakārikā, the Sāṃkhyatattvakaumudī of Vācaspati Miśra occupies the prominent place. It is a fairly simple and plain exposition of the kārikās of Īśvarakṛṣṇa. While commenting on the kārikās, Vācaspati explained word by word the original text critically and comparatively. At the beginning of his commentary, Vācaspati observes the formality of introducing the auspicious verse (maṅgalācarana) which contains an indication of the prakṛti, which is the equilibrium state of three guṇas, viz. sattva, rajas and tamas. It also gives an indication of puruṣa of the Sāṃkhya system. Before going to explain the kārikās, Vācaspati starts an introduction before each and every kārikā of Sāṃkhyakārikā and also takes up the important issues for discussion here and there in his commentary. In his work, Vācaspati explains the kārikās relating to the sources of valid knowledge accepted in the Sāṃkhya system (perception, inference and verbal testimony), satkāryavāda (the theory of causation), asatkāryavāda, the theory of three guṇas (sattva, rajas and tamas), ārambhavāda, vivartavāda, the plurality of the puruṣa (puruṣa bahutva) etc. Vācaspati discusses everything in detail with the help of example and citation. Between the commentaries of the Sāṃkhyakārikā, the Sāṃkhyatattvakaumudī is very popular and this can be estimated from the number of commentaries written on it.

These commentaries are as follows:

(i) Tattvakaumudīvyākhyā by Bhāratī Yati,
(ii) Tattvārṇavā by Rāghavānanda Sarasvatī, disciple of Advayānanda,
(iii)Tattvacandra by Nārāyaṇa Tīrtha, who studied under Vasudeva Tīrtha and Rāmagovinda Tīrtha,
(iv) Sāṃkhya-Tattva Vilāsa by Raghunātha Tarka Vāgiśa Bhaṭṭācārya.
(v) Sāṃkhya Tattva Vibhākara of Vaṃśidhara.
(vi) Tattvavaiśāradī:

The Tattvavaiśāradī is a work of Vācaspati Miśra concerning Yoga system of Indian philosophy in the light of Pātañjala-yogasūtra. It is a lucid commentary on the Vyāsabhāṣya or Yogasūtrabhāṣya of Vyāsa. It is a detailed and technically proficient treatment of Yoga system. It cannot fully appreciate Vyāsa’s contribution to Pātañjala-yogasūtra without Vācaspati Miśra’s Tattvavaiśāradī. It is due to Vācaspati Miśra alone, the secrets of Yogaśāstra could be fully restored to posterity.

The word yoga literary means ‘union’ i.e. spiritual union of the individual soul with the universal soul. According to Patañjali, yoga does not mean union but spiritual effort to attain perfection through the control of the body, senses and mind and through right discrimination between puruṣa and prakṛti. Patañjali defines yoga as the inhibition (nirodhaḥ) of the modification (vṛtti) of the mind (citta).^[5]

The Yogasūtra is the first work of the Yoga school of Indian philosophy propounded by Patañjali. It is divided into four pādas (parts). The first pāda is called the samādhipāda, which treats of the nature, aim and forms of yoga, the modification of citta (the eternal organ) and the different methods of attaining yoga.

The second one called the sādhanapāda, deals with kriyāyoga as a means of attaining samādhi (concentration), the kleśas (the cause of suffering), the fruits of action (karmaphala) and their painful nature, and the fourfold theme of suffering, its cause, cessation and the means thereof. The third is called vibhūtipāda, which gives an account of the inward aspects of yoga and the supernormal powers acquired by the practice of yoga and so forth. The forth is called the kaivalyapāda which describes the nature and forms of liberation, the reality of the transcendent self and the other world and so on.

(vii) Tattvasamīkṣā:

On Advaita Vedānta, Vācaspati Miśra has written the work Tattvasamīkṣā which is a commentary on Maṇḍana Miśra’s Brahmasiddhi. The work Brahmasiddhi occupies a unique place among the works on Advaita Vedānta philosophy not only because of its comparative antiquity but also because of the comprehensive and elaborate treatment of the various aspects of the doctrine it contains serving as a model of philosophical reasoning. The author Maṇḍana Miśra describes this work as a prakaraṇa (short treatise) which is written for the purpose of vindicating the authority of the Vedānta which intimates the non-dual, ever-existent Brahman. The main purpose of this work, as indicated by its title, is to ascertain the real nature of Brahman which is the ultimate reality, by means of a searching enquiry and critical investigation. The term siddhi which we find in the title of the work stands for conclusive ascertainment (niścayaḥ) as a result of careful investigation; and it presupposes discussion of a polemical nature.

The work is divided into four chapters:

(1) the Brahma-kāṇḍa,
(2) the Tarka-kāṇḍa,
(3) the Niyoga-kāṇḍa, and
(4) the Siddhi-kāṇḍa.

Of these, the third chapter is the biggest occupying nearly half of the work, and the last one is the smallest.

(viii) Bhāmatī:

Bhāmatī is the last work of Vācaspati Miśra and it is a lucid commentary on Brahmasūtraśāṅkarabhāṣya of Śaṅkarācārya; which is written on Brahmasūtra or Vedāntasūtra of Bādarāyaṇa. We have an access to only one of Vācaspati Miśra’s principal work on Vedānta, viz. the famous Bhāmati, unanimously accepted as one of the most authoritative commentaries on the great bhāṣya of Śaṅkarācārya. Many of his contributions to the Advaita Vedānta school of philosophy, such as Brahmatattva-saṃikṣā, Vedānta-tattva-kaumudī, Brahma-tattva-saṃhitoddīpinī etc. known through references in the works of Vācaspati himself, or other later writers, have been virtually lost to us, and thus, Bhāmatī, the only work-extant, becomes the only source of information as regards the monistic view, upheld by him. Bhāmatī represents one of the three sub-schools of Advaita Vedānta and it is popularly known as Bhāmatī school. Bhāmatī however does not fail to re-pay in abundance the critical study thereof with a view to gather a fairly accurate and generously comprehensive conception of Miśra’s Advaitic outlook. For, though of a nature of a commentary, and hence deprived of many an advantage, which an independent work is naturally entitled to, Bhāmatī does not fail, as it is coming at the end of a unique and glorious career of a versatile philosophical genius, shows Vācaspati, the thinker, the commentator, the critic, the scholar, the writer-at his best. Considered from this point of view, Bhāmatī assumes an almost undeniable significance that surpasses all other works of him, and an indispensable importance, which even a student of Miśra’s contribution to other systems of philosophy, cannot afford to deny or neglect.

The Bhāmatī has itself been commented on by several other works, by which we can testify the importance of this work. The most notable of these is the Vedāntakalpataru by Amalānanda.

Other commentaries on the Bhāmatī are—

(1) the Bhāmatīvyākhyā or the Ṛjuprakāśikā by Śrīraṅganātha otherwise known as Akhaṇḍānanda,
(2) the Bhāmatītilaka by Allāl Sūri,
(3) Bhāmatībhāvoddīpikā by Acyuta Kṛṣṇatīrtha and
(4) Bhāmatīvilāsa, of which writer is unknown to us.

In this way we find a brief account of the date, place and works of the author Vācaspati Miśra, who is a versatile genius, contributed a lot to Indian Philosophy. He was a Maithili Brahmin from the region of Bihar who flourished in the middle of the 9^th century A.D. From the study of his works on the different systems of Indian Philosophy, it becomes clear how he adheres to the demands and propriety of the particular system on which he is writing. He does not show any bias of the other systems when he is commenting on a work belonging to other systems. He elucidates the views expressed in the text of a particular system and contributes his points only in accordance with the doctrinal standards of the particular system. This is the greatness of Vācaspati Miśra as a commentator. This does not mean that he is simply satisfied with the interpretation and elucidation of the texts of the different systems. He goes further and enriches the field of each system with his original views. It is to be noted that he introduces his original views by way of interpreting the original texts in such a way to find culmination in a new doctrinal point.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

yannyāyakaṇikātattvasamīkṣātattvabindubhiḥ /
yannyāyasāṃkhyayogānāṃ vedāntānāṃ nibandhanaiḥ // Bhāmatī on Br. SSBH , Vol. 2, p. 1020

[2]:

pramāṇa-prameya-saṃśaya-prayojana-dṛṣṭānta-siddhānta-avayava-tarka-nirṇaya-vādajalpa-vitaṇḍā-hetvābhāsa-chala-jāti-nigrahasthānānāṃ tattvajñānānniśreyasādhigamaḥ iti nyāyasyādimaṃ sūtram / Nyāya Sūtra , I.I.1

[3]:

Contribution of Vācaspati Miśra to Indian Philosophy , p. 7

[4]:

yadalambhi kimapi puṇyaṃ duṣṭarakunibandhapaṅkamagnānāṃ śrīgotamasugavinām atijaratināṃ samuddharaṇāt / Nyāyavārtikatātparya-ṭīkā , p. 700

[5]:

yogaḥ cittavṛtti nirodhaḥ / Yogasūtra , 1.1