Question

Who is the author of Mahāyānaviṃśikā?

• A. Ratnakīrti
• B. Dharmakīrti
• C. Nāgārjuna
• D. Vīrabhadra

Hint:

In Buddhist studies, whenever you see the name of a short text ending in "Viṃśikā" (20 verses) or "Triṃśikā" (30 verses), think of the Great Masters. For example, Vasubandhu wrote the Viṃśikā-vijñaptimātratāsiddhi, but the specific Mahāyānaviṃśikā is the work of Nāgārjuna.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: The Mahāyānaviṃśikā (The Twenty Verses on the Mahāyāna) is a concise philosophical treatise that summarizes the core tenets of the Mahāyāna school, particularly the concepts of emptiness (Śūnyatā) and the illusory nature of external phenomena. Short works ending in "Viṃśikā" (meaning 'twenty verses') were a common format for Indian masters to distill complex systems into a memorizable form.

Step 1: Attributing the work to Ācārya Nāgārjuna.
The Mahāyānaviṃśikā is traditionally attributed to the great 2nd-century philosopher Nāgārjuna, who is the founder of the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) school of Buddhism. Nāgārjuna is best known for his Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, but he also wrote several smaller texts known as the "Collection of Reasonings" and the "Collection of Praises." The Mahāyānaviṃśikā falls into the category of instructional verses that guide a practitioner towards the realization that all things are like a dream or a mirage.

Step 2: Analyzing the content and style.
The style of the text aligns with Nāgārjuna's dialectical method. It emphasizes:
• The non-origination of things (Anutpāda).
• The idea that there is no difference between Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa in the ultimate sense.
• The rejection of inherent existence in both the subject (mind) and the object (matter). Because these are the hallmark teachings of Nāgārjuna, the attribution to him is widely accepted in the Sanskrit and Tibetan canons.

Step 3: Evaluating other possible authors.
Let's see why the other options are less likely:
• (1) Ratnakīrti: He was an 11th-century Buddhist logician from Vikramshila. His works focus primarily on epistemology and the "momentariness" of existence (Kṣaṇabhaṅgavāda), such as the Apohasiddhi.
• (2) Dharmakīrti: A 7th-century master of logic. His major work is the Pramāṇavārttika. While he wrote many texts, he is not the author of the Mahāyānaviṃśikā.
• (4) Vīrabhadra: This name is often associated with later tantric traditions or local Buddhist scholars, but he is not credited with a foundational text like the Mahāyānaviṃśikā.

Step 4: Conclusion.
The Mahāyānaviṃśikā remains one of the important "minor" works of Ācārya Nāgārjuna. It serves as an introductory text for those wishing to understand the Mahāyāna view of reality in a brief, poetic format. It has been preserved in Sanskrit and translated into Tibetan and Chinese, always associated with the lineage of Nāgārjuna.