Catustava

The article investigates the Caturstava, a collection of hymns attributed to the Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna. Early scholars, unaware of the work’s provenance, first encountered some of its verses in the late 19th century. The publication of the Dvoḍiccaryāvatārapradīpikā revealed the existence of a Caturstava by Nāgārjuna and in 1903 de la Vallée Poussin identified and translated a Tibetan version. He assumed that the collection consisted of four hymns—Niraupamyastava, Lekitistava, Cintavajrastava and Paramārthastava—and his identification has been widely accepted. This article re‑examines the evidence, comparing verses attributed to Nāgārjuna in the Tanjur with those in the supposed four hymns. The author finds discrepancies: some cited verses do not appear in Poussin’s edition and others are found in different stotras. He also analyses an additional hymn, Cintyastava, which contains lines similar to verses cited without sources. The study concludes that the composition and titles of the Caturstava remain uncertain; more research into Tibetan and Sanskrit sources is needed to establish the work’s structure and authenticity.

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