The Introductory Section of Varāhārya’s <i>Maṅgalavāda</i> (a MS from IOM, RAS Collection)

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the introductory section of Varāhāryas Māṅgalavāda, based on the MS housed in the collection of IOM, RAS. The title maṅgalavāda is also a common name for a number of works that belong to the Navya-nyāya tradition. The works of this genre discuss and justify the practice of maṅgala, i.e. auspicious verses at the beginning of a literary or philosophical work. Varāhāryas Māṅgalavāda can be provisionally dated to the 17th century. So far, no references to the works of this author have been discovered, so the MS can be considered unique. The introductory section provides a brief discussion on the effectiveness of the maṅgala practice, and on the cause-and-effect relationship between the maṅgala and its result. Varāhārya makes use of Nyāya terminology, but at the same time considers maṅgala a kind of ritual. Due to its ritual context, the work can be also attributed to the tradition of Navya-mīmāṃṣā. The article provides transliteration and translation of the introductory section, and a facsimile reproduction of the corresponding sheets of the MS.