Vidydharas: Frheste Zeit bis zur kaschmirischen Br . hatkath by Jrg Grafe.

Frankfurt am Main; Berlin; Bern; Brussels; New York; Oxford; Vienna: Peter Lang, Europischer Verlag der Wissenschaften, 2001. 350 pages. 57. ISSN 0721-3581; ISBN 3-631-37654-5.

Jrg Grafe (henceforth JG) earned a diploma in library science from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hannover and studied Indian Philology, Art History and History of Religion at the Freie Universitt Berlin, where he received his MA (1995) and PhD (1998) degrees. e study under review is his doctoral dissertation in German submitted in 1998 and published in 2001. JG rightly points out (p. 13) that in comparison to gods, such as iva and Vis . u, and .n founders of religions, such as Gautama Buddha, who have been objects of study, less prominent gures (Gestalten) of Indian polytheism have been rather neglected. One of the classes of beings that have not been studied adequately is that of the vidydharas, that is, human or celestial beings (depending upon the religious and literary context) or occasionally also beings whose status was deliberately left ambivalent who are said to be characterised by possession of supernatural abilities. e gure of the vidydhara occurs in all three major Indian religions, namely, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, and while it is found in various literary genres, its presence is most conspicuous in secular narrative literature. As the author himself suggests (p. 20), his study is comparable to A.K. Coomaraswamys study of yaks .as and G. Borsanis study of apsaras. e study contains twelve chapters of varying length. In the rst introductory chapter JG provides a brief overview (pp. 1316) and critical appraisal (pp. 1617) of previous studies (none of which oer an overall picture of the topic), a sketch of the choice of material, and a description of the approach, structure, and objective of the study (pp. 1720). As JG himself recommends (p. 19), those who wish to gain a quick overview of the topic may go through the summaries (Zwischensummen) provided at the end of each chapter or subchapter. In keeping with the subtitle, the author proceeds, as far as possible, chronologically. e sources employed come from religious literature, treatises on aesthetics and other scientic (i.e. stric) expositions, inscriptions, and works of art. Chapter two (pp. 2124) is concerned with the vidydhara gure as presented in Vedic literature; chapter three (pp. 2561), as presented in eravda Buddhism; chapter four (pp. 6388), with how it is featured in Hindu epics, namely, the Mahbhrata and Rmyan . a; chapter ve (pp. 89124), with the same theme in Hindu Purn . as; chapter six (pp. 125145) with related material in epigraphic testimonies; and chapter seven (pp. 147169) with such material in paintings and reliefs and in ilpastras (Treatises on Artistry). Chapters eight, nine, and ten, which constitute nearly half of the study, are about how the subject is dealt with in narrative literature, specically, Jaina (pp. 171233), Nepalese (pp. 235263), and Kashmirian (pp. 265333) versions of the Br . hatkath, respectively. Chapter eleven (pp. 335338) contains a discussion of the lexeme vidydhara as dened in indigenous dictionaries including the Mahvyutpatti. e twelfth and last chapter (pp. 339350) draws conclusions on the basis of the study. is is followed by a list of symbols and abbreviations, a bibliography, and an index. References to primary and secondary sources have been provided, and occasionally relevant texts have also been cited in the footnotes. As the author himself states (p. 349), the study does not cover the entire range of sources evenly. Only samples of the pertinent Buddhist literature of rvakayna, Mahyna (obvi225

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ously meant in the sense of non-Tantric Mahyna) and Vajrayna, and of hagiographical and entertaining texts of the Jainas have been considered. Given the complexity and pervasiveness of the subject, it is understandable that treating all relevant and accessible sources in equal depth and detail in one study is impossible. A detailed investigation of the vidydhara gure as found in Buddhist literature (particularly Tantric and non-Tantric Mahyna) remains a desideratum. Having said that, any attempt along these lines will have to rst consider JGs excellent study. is work would be particularly useful for those who have no access to nonBuddhist Indian primary sources. Readers who are interested in the topic but do not read German will certainly lament that the dissertation was not written in English. Adequate tribute can be paid to this comprehensive and informative work only by someone well acquainted with the diverse Buddhist and non-Buddhist Indian sources that JG has employed for his study. As someone whose main elds of interest lie in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, the present reviewer, who is currently pursuing his own study of the Tibetan Buddhist concept and cult of the vidydhara, will only make a few selective comments on points related to Buddhism. e issues raised here are in a way marginal in JGs study, and hence can hardly be taken as detracting from his treatment of the chosen topic or diminishing the value of the book. In the concluding part of his discussion of the vidydhara gure in eravda Buddhism, JG states (p. 61): Given the misogynist attitude of the Buddhist sacral literature, the vidydhara is not yet a seducer or abductor (Aufgrund der misogynen Haltung der buddhistischen Sakralliteratur ist der Vdh [vidydhara] noch nicht Verfhrer oder Entfhrer). e thrust of this statement is misconceived, the use of the adjective misogynist being unfortunate. While elements of androcentrism and gender disparity can indeed be found in Buddhist sources, hatred of any sentient being, let alone women, would be at odds with the ethical purport of Buddhist scriptures. eoretical and practical measures prescribed therein primarily for monks, the main addressees for distancing themselves, as part of their spiritual training, from objects of their own intellectual-emotional delements (klea) including attractive women can hardly be regarded as misogynist.9 JG maintains (p. 120) that the word vidydhara in Buddhism is also used in the sense of dhran . . is claim is weak and requires further argumentation. It seems to be mainly based on the assumption that the title Dhran . pit .aka is used interchangeably with Vidydharapit .aka, and hence that dhran must be synonymous with vidydhara . I shall argue elsewhere that . while the title Vidydharapit .aka is well attested, Dhran . pit .aka seems to be a reconstruction (based on Chinese sources) and is actually nonexistent in Sanskrit, the correct reconstruction possibly being *Mantrapit .aka, at least to judge by Indian Buddhist sources in Tibetan translation. Furthermore, the fact that the term Vidydharapit .aka is employed as an alternative to *Mantrapit aka (or * Dhran pit aka for that matter) need not imply that vidydhara is a . . . synonym of mantra (or dhran . ) in the sense of magical formula: obviously Vidydharapit .aka means (Canonical) Basket of the Vidydharas and *Mantra(/dhran ) pit aka (Canonical) . . Basket of Magical Formulas. JG occasionally expounds the vidydhara concept in Tibetan Buddhism solely on the basis of secondary sources. For example, he speaks of the group of eight vidydharas known in Tibet (pp. 148, 168), of which he has learnt only from Lokesh Chandras Buddhist Iconography of Tibet (vol. 2, Plates, 11841189). But this source is incomplete and imprecise. e
For my brief discussion of gender issues in Buddhism, see Dorji Wangchuk, e Resolve to Become a Buddha: A Study of the Bodhicitta Concept in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. Studia Philologica Buddhica Monograph Series 23. Tokyo: e International Institute for Buddhist Studies, 2007, pp. 137138 (cf. pp. 327328).
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collective Tibetan term for the eight vidydharas is not rig dzin brgyad pa, which means the eighth vidydhara, but rather rig dzin brgyad. Only six of the eight vidydharas are mentioned by name, and some of these in an incomplete form (obviously for want of space) and hence misleadingly. e complete and correct list of the eight, already discussed in earlier secondary sources, is: (1) Hm . kra, (2) Majurmitra, (3) Ngrjuna(garbha), (4) Prabhhasti (or alternatively, in some sources, Padmasambhava), (5) Dhanasam . skr . ta, (6) Rom-bu 10 Guhya(deva)candra, (7) Vimalamitra, and (8) ntigarbha. JG could not possibly know the context in which the concept and cult of the eight vidydharas occur in Tibetan Buddhism by solely relying on L. Chandras book on iconography. It may be pointed out that the cult of the eight vidydharas occurs mainly in the sdhana-category (sgrub sde) or the bKa-brgyad (Eight Pronouncements) tradition of the Mahyoga class of the rNying-ma (Ancient) school of Tibetan Buddhism, and as will be shown elsewhere, it served as the core or foundation stone of the Padmasambhava cult in Tibet. is cult has exerted its inuence far beyond the rNying-ma school with which it is normally associated. JG also alludes to the vidydhara concept found in the Bar do thos grol brought to light by the treasure revealer (gter ston / bton) Karma-gling-pa (b. 14th century), without, however, mentioning the four (actually ve) kinds of vidydharas found there (i.e. tshe la dbang bai rig dzin, rnam par smin pai rig dzin, phyag rgya chen poi rig dzin, lhun gyis grub pai rig dzin, and sa la gnas pai rig dzin). Apparently, these various types of vidydharas, most of which derive from the Tantric literature associated with the *Guhyagarbhatantra, have been brought together here to occupy man .d . alas that are oriented to ve directions (i.e. the four cardinal directions and the centre). e reviewer intends to examine this topic more closely elsewhere. Given the extent of the work, the index is extremely selective, with numerous key terms, names, and titles in the work having not been recorded. It is not clear what the criteria for the choice of entries were. A more detailed index would have enormously enhanced the usefulness of this impressive study. Nonetheless, the relatively detailed table of contents and the summaries of the individual chapters partly make up for this deciency. Furthermore, the italicisation of all entries, of both German and Sanskrit terms (including both proper and common names) is somewhat confusing. In sum, despite the few minor points raised here, the reviewer can only applaud JGs outstanding study of the vidydhara. is well-researched and well-structured study, loaded with valuable information, reects the authors hard work and skill in employing historicalphilological tools and techniques. It is the rst major study on the subject, and its authoritativeness and value are bound to endure. Dorji Wangchuk

See, for example, Gyurme Dorje & Mathew Kapstein, tr. & ed., e Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History. Dudjom Rinpoche, Jikdrel Yeshes Dorje. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1991, p. 159: s.v. rig dzin (chen po) brgyad ; Eva M. Dargyay, e Rise of Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1998 (rst published in 1977), pp. 3637.

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