Читать книгу The Rise of Wisdom Moon - Krishna mishra - Страница 46

introduction

Krishna·mishra’s Legacy

The reception history of “The Rise of Wisdom Moon” in India has been studied in depth so far only with respect to one regional language, Hindi (including Braj).23 It is clear, however, that, starting with its impact within Sanskrit literary culture itself, the play became established as a touchstone for the form of the allegorical drama, and more specifically a model for literary instruction in philosophical matters. The evidence available to us demonstrates both unusually broad diffusion and enduring popularity. The interest that its philosophical content generated is indicated by its widespread use as a source for knowledge of the “heretical” doctrine of the Charvakas (or Lokayatas), the skeptical hedonists and materialists who had been among the bugbears of early Indian thought. Indeed, the fourteenth-century “Compendium of All Viewpoints” (Sarvadarsanasamgraha), among the best known of all Indian philosophical summations, bases its record of the Charvakas to a large extent upon their representation in “The Rise of Wisdom Moon.”24

M. Krishnamachariar (1970 [1937]: 678), in his history of classical Sanskrit literature, mentions no fewer than ten commentaries on our play. This fact alone confirms the high regard with which it was held among Sanskrit scholars, and suggests, too, that it was frequently a subject of instruction. Not all learned readers of Sanskrit, however, followed Krishna·mishra in his adherence to Advaita Vedanta. This was surely one of the reasons for which imitations of his play proliferated, tailoring his model to the needs of differing philosophical or sectarian affiliations. These works often ________

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