Tharkasastra

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nidhaaya hrdhi visvesam vidhaaya guruvandhanam

baalaanaam sukhabodhaaya kriyathe tharka sangrahaha

 

 

This work Tharkasangraha is composed after praying to the Lord of the

Universe and saluting to the guru for the sake of the learners to make

it easy.

 

Tharka sangraha is the work of Annambhatta, scholar from Andhra who lived in the

later part of 17th century. He has also written commentaries for Mimamsa, Panini

and vedantasutras. This was written to introduce the learners to the Nyaya and

viseshika systems formulated by Gouthama and Kana:da.

 

It is usual to start a work with a mangala sloka inorder to avoid impediments to

the completion of the work. If there are impediments or incompletion inspite of

mangala sloka it only means that the impediments are too many to be warded off

by mangalsloka. If the work reaches its completion without a mangalasloka, it

only means that the pryer has been dine already before the start.

 

nidhaaya means placing, Hrdhi at heart, visvesam, the Lord of the

Universe.

 

vidhaaya is doing, guruvandhanam, salutations to the guru.

 

baalaaya –for learners or beginners. Even though the word baala

means children here it means anyone who is a beginner.

 

sukhabodhaaya, for the sake of easy learning, bodha meaning learning.

 

Tharkasangraha is the name of the work and kriyathe means it is done. Composed.

sangraha means brief or concise.

 

As the original works of Kanadha and Gouthama are difficult to understand as

they are in suthra form, Annambhatta has simplified it and gives it in a concise

form.

 

Any work must have four aspects which should be indicated in the beginning. They

are, aDhikaari, vishaya, sambanDha and prayojana. That is the one competent to

learn the work. Here it is indicated by the word baalaa, the beginner .Vishaya

is the subject matter which is tharka, sambandha is the relation of the work to

the subject which is a condensation of the subject , tharka sangraha. The

prayojana is the

purpose and it is indicated in the sloka as sukhabodha, easy learning.