09-27-2008, 07:32 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-27-2008, 07:33 AM by Hauma Hamiddha.)
Bodhi- Since you propose that the ultimate source of VK is the mahopaniShad, I started looking for evidence for its early age. Here is a preliminary overview:
Commentary on MU by sha~nkarAnanda ~1300 CEs
vetAlapa~nchavimashatikA translated into Mongolian in 1305
Commentary of rAmAnujAcharya ~1080 CEs
These are well after pa~nchatantra and derivative sources. So How old is the mahopaniShad really?
The oldest attestation I was able to locate is a double mention:
mahopaniShadaM mantram adhIyAnAn svarAnvitam |
pa~nchopaniShadair mantrair manasA dhyAyataH shuchI ||
and
idaá¹ mahopaniShadaM chaturveda-samanvitam
sAMkhyayogakR^itaM tena pa~ncarAtrAnushabditam ||
from the nArAyaNIya section of the bhArata. So the pre-mantra-mArga pA~ncharAtra vaiShNava-s had a mahopaniShad that I suspect was the core of the text that today survives under that name. This would then mean that a such a mahopaniShad was in place before viShNusharman and could potentially have contained a version of the VK. I am investigating this more to better resolve the whole matter and will sum it up on my usual site.
Commentary on MU by sha~nkarAnanda ~1300 CEs
vetAlapa~nchavimashatikA translated into Mongolian in 1305
Commentary of rAmAnujAcharya ~1080 CEs
These are well after pa~nchatantra and derivative sources. So How old is the mahopaniShad really?
The oldest attestation I was able to locate is a double mention:
mahopaniShadaM mantram adhIyAnAn svarAnvitam |
pa~nchopaniShadair mantrair manasA dhyAyataH shuchI ||
and
idaá¹ mahopaniShadaM chaturveda-samanvitam
sAMkhyayogakR^itaM tena pa~ncarAtrAnushabditam ||
from the nArAyaNIya section of the bhArata. So the pre-mantra-mArga pA~ncharAtra vaiShNava-s had a mahopaniShad that I suspect was the core of the text that today survives under that name. This would then mean that a such a mahopaniShad was in place before viShNusharman and could potentially have contained a version of the VK. I am investigating this more to better resolve the whole matter and will sum it up on my usual site.