Vol. VI, No. 7.] Refutation of Max Mullet's theory &c. 309 



[N.S.] 



kritised Bengali, or Sadhubhasa. The degree of Sanskritization 

 increased as time went on, as is evidenced by the variety of the 

 forms of the language found in Gathas embodied in later Sanskrit 

 works like the Lalitavistara and the Saddharmapundarika. A 

 large number of inscriptions in sanskritised vernacidars have 

 also been found. One large work in this form of language is the 

 Mahavastvavadana of the Lokattaravadins, a sect of the 

 Mahasanghikas. The process of sanskritization continued 

 among the heterodox sects till the whole of heterodox classes 

 were included in the newly rising Mahayana School , who wrote 

 entirely in Sanskrit though their Sanskrit was a little different 

 from that of the orthodox Brahmanas. This process of sans- 

 kritization clearly indicates the presence of Sanskrit in the land 

 in vigorous existence. Who were the great writers in Sanskrit 

 among the Mahayanists ? Brahmanas again, who were convert- 

 ed into Buddhism, as Asvaghosa, Nagarjuna and Aryadeva. 

 They were born Brahmanas, received their finished education as 

 Brahmanas, they became converts into Buddhism and wrote 

 Mahayana works in Sanskrit. 



The first work on Mahayana in Sanskrit is Srlmala 

 Sutra. 



The second work is Lankavatara Sutra. 



3. Then comes the great writer Asvaghosa, eight of whose 

 Sanskrit works are known in Chinese translation. One of them 

 is the well-known epic Buddhacarita, the Sanskrit text of 

 which has been partly recovered. Two more of his Sanskrit 

 works are known, one entitled Vajra Suci, and the other Saun- 

 darananda Kavya. 



4. Nargarjuna, twenty- four of whose Sanskrit works are 

 known from Chinese translation, is the actual author of the Prajna- 

 paramita, 8000 or 10,000, though the entire Prajnaplramita 

 literature is said to have been rescued by him from the nether 



world, imrnWtir ^Ifn^n^rTT ; his Madhyamaka-kari ka has al- 

 ready been twice partially printed. He was a voluminous writer, 

 and he wrote only in Sanskrit. 



5. Within 265 to 316 the Pancavinsati Sahasrika Prajfla- 

 paramita was twice translated into Sanskrit. It was a recast of 

 the Asta Sahasrika according to the doctrines embodied in 



Maitreyanatha's Karikas entitled wfas^Tfa^irW^ . 



6. This brings us to another Sanskrit writer Maitreyanatha, 

 whose Abhisamayalankara Karika has been lately discovered. 

 Nanjio credits him with the authorship of ten Sanskrit works, 

 the Chinese translation of which ^till exists. 



7. Aryadeva, a disciple of Nagarjuna, whose Cittavisuddhi- 

 prakarana in Sanskrit was recovered from Nepal in 1897, and 

 who is credited by Nanjio with having written nine Sanskrit 

 works, the translations of which exist in Chinese. 



8. Nanjio catalogue of Sanskrit Tripatakasgi\ <*s tin* name 



