1851.] Review of " A Lecture on the S&nkhya Philosophy." 399 



The high antiquity, ascribed to the Sutras by the commentators, 

 who refer them to the inspired sages of the mythological era, may 

 justly be questioned. They are acquainted with the other systems, 

 sometimes quote each other, and refer to previous or later works. 

 Hence we are compelled to conclude, either that the Sutras are not 

 those of the reputed founders, or that they sprung all up at the same 

 time, and that their founders made several additions to them, em- 

 bodying in them the references to other systems. This is an absur- 

 dity which cannot be admitted by any one who is acquainted with the 

 gradual development of any science.* At any rate, the Sutras in their 

 present form are not the original expositions of the founders of those 

 systems, but the revisions of a later time, perhaps of different ages, 

 and there is no means to recover the Sutras in their original form. 

 Nor is it possible to ascertain by the sole evidence of the Sutras of the 

 several schools, which of them are more ancient than the others, for 

 the reason above adduced, that they presuppose an acquaintance with 

 each other. 



The Sutras of all the systems are posterior to Buddha, as they dis- 

 pute against the tenets of the different philosophical schools of the 

 Bauddhas, the final revision of which was made in the collection, known 

 by the name of Abhidharma, at the third Buddhist synod, 246 B. C.f 

 It is therefore most probable that none of the collections of Sutras in 

 their present form existed before 300 B. C. 



In this admission, however, it is not included, that the commence- 

 ment of those systems does not reach to a much higher antiquity ; on 

 the contrary, it appears reasonable to suppose, that at least the Ve- 

 danta, the Sankhya, and probably also the Yoga systems existed ante- 

 rior to Buddha. 



* Or he must, like the Hindu commentators, ascribe to the founders an intuitive 

 knowledge of the future ; but this would be also of no avail, since the Sutras 

 furnish no evidence, that they are composed by their reputed founders. 



f Lassen's " Indische Alterthumskunde." Vol. II. p. 259. 



"All of them (the founders of philosophical systems among the Buddhists) are, 

 in fact, mentioned as cotemporaries of their master, which, however, cannot be 

 true with regard to two of them. It must, therefore, be admitted, that in the collec- 

 tion, bearing the name of Abhidharma, works of different ages were comprehended, 

 although all must have existed previously to the time of the third synod." (246 

 B. C.) 



