The Mandukya Upanisad and the Karikas of Gaudapada
Summary
Amarnath Ray revisits the debate over the relationship between the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad and Gaudạpāda’s Kārikās. The Māṇḍūkya, consisting of twelve prose passages, is one of the principal Upaniṣads, while Gaudạpāda’s prakaranạ comprises four books of metrical verses. Some Advaita scholars regard the karikas as explanatory verses appended to the Upaniṣad, while certain Vaiśnava commentators claim that the first book of verses is part of the Upaniṣad itself. Vallabhacarya went further, treating all four books as a continuation of the Upaniṣad. Ray surveys these opinions and points out that Gaudạpāda begins his work by quoting six prose passages from the Māṇḍūkya and then introduces his own verses with the words “Atheta ite ślokāḥ bhavanti,” indicating a clear demarcationimage/. The introductory formula shows that the verses are later than the prose passages, and Ray argues that Gaudạpāda deliberately chose the concise Māṇḍūkya as the basis for his Advaitin argument. He concludes that the so‑called Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad of Gaudạpāda does not exist: the Upaniṣad is simply the twelve prose sentences, while the Kārikās are Gaudạpāda’s independent commentary. The commentator who said that the prakaranạ begins with “Om ity etad akṣaram” meant that Gaudạpāda quotes the entire Upaniṣad to support his thesis, not that the Upaniṣad contains the versesimage/.
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Conclusion
Ray resolves the long‑standing debate by demonstrating that Gaudạpāda’s four books of karikas are not part of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad but an independent philosophical treatise. Gaudạpāda quotes the entire twelve‑sentence Upaniṣad and then composes verses to expound his Advaitic views, beginning with a formula that marks his own contribution. The so‑called Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad of Gaudạpāda therefore does not exist; the Upaniṣad remains the original prose text. Recognising this distinction clarifies the history of early Advaita literature and prevents confusion between scripture and commentary.