________________
4.
passages quoted by Aniruddha from Nyayamanjari in his Vivaraṇa-Pañjika are not found in Jayanta's Nyayamañjarī. This proves that there was a Nyayamanjars other than the well known Nyayamañjars of Jayanta. But unfortunately it is lost to us.
Nyayamanjarigranthibhanga
This commentary is important because it is the only extant commentary on the famous Nyayamanjari of Jayanta Bhatta, As the title of the commentary suggests, it explains the knotty sentences or phrases occurring in the Nynyamanjari. It is not a commentary in the usual sense of the term explaining each and every term. It is not even a running commentary. It is of the nature of an annotation. Even so it is an interesting and invaluable commentary because its author is a learned person who has a clinch of the philosophical problems. The prankas are mostly taken bodily from the text of the Nyayamañjart, though at some places we find the chayatype pratikas also. In selecting knotty sentences the author has shown his philosophical genius. He sometimes gives different readings prevalent in his days. He even records different explanations offered by others of the concerned portion of the text of the Nyayamañjart. He has rendered considerable service to the world of scholars by pointing out as to whose view Jayanta is referring to at a particular juncture in the Nyayamanjari. He has thrown a flood of light on various philosophical points. He has studied well the works of Nyaya, Buddhist and Mimamsa philosophers. Hence sometimes he clearly explains their positions, sometimes he brings out clearly the distinction between the two views upheld by opposing groups, sometimes he suggests new points, sometimes he reproduces cogent arguments and pertinent passages in support of the view in hand. His explanations of the Buddhist views referred to by Jayanta are illuminating. The subtle distinction between višesabuddhi and bhedabuddhi is clearly explained by him (see p. 89.). We cannot but have praise for him when we study the fine line of distinction drawn by him between the Buddhists and the Prabhakaras with regard to their view about abhavayyavahara (p. 41). On p. 89 he suggests that 'nanu buddhir apy eka nitya ca' applies to both the Sankhyas and the Bhattas. Such places are numerous in the commentary.
Were there other commentaries on the Nyayamanjari ?
There are a few suggestions in the present commentary to the effect that there existed some commentaries on the Nyayamañjari even prior to the present one. At some places Cakradhara records different explanations offered by others of the textual portions of the Nyayamañjari. The following are instances in point. On p. 2. Cakradhara explains the first verse of the mangala of the Nyayamanjari. Having given his own explanation of the compound 'sankalpasaphalabrahmastambārambhāya', he records the different
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