Santideva’s Bodhicharyavatara: Original Sanskrit text with English Translation and Exposition based on Prajnakarmati’s Panjika

Bodhicharyavatara, also known as Bodhisattvacharyavatara in Tibetan, is an eighth century A.D. text composed by Santideva. It consists of ten chapters containing over nine hundred slokas of lucid verse. The text of this book was first brought to the notice of scholars in 1889 by Minayef, a Russian scholar. It has, over the years, been translated into several languages which speaks for the popularity of this great Mahayana text. Poussin translated it into French in 1912 and was followed by Finot's translation into French in 1920. It was first rendered into English by Barnett in 1909. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives at Dharamasala brought out an English translation of the Tibetan recension in 1980. R. Schimdt's German translation appeared in 1923, followed by Prof. Tucci's translation into Italian in 1925. It was rendered first into Gujerati and then into Marathi by Dharmananda Kosambi. A Hindi translation of H.H. The Dalai Lama's Discourses (delivered at Manali, Himachal Pradesh) was published in 1983 by the Private Office of His Holiness. The text of Bodhicharyavatara, as translated by Sarvajnadeva and revised by Dharmasribhadra and Sumatikirti, is included in Tangyur. A translation of Prajnakarmati's Panjika by Sumatikirti is also included in Tangyur. It may be emphasized that the world 'bodhi' in the title of the book is, in fact, to be construed in the sense of maha-bodhi or the enlightened knowledge of the non-existing nature of all knowable reality. Such enlightenment is 'buddhatva' or Buddha-hood, the ultimate goal of all Mahayana vows. The 'charya' or conduct to attain such supreme enlightenment is a three-fold practice-'prasthana-charya' 'sadhana-charya' and 'laksya-charya' that is practices in the form of taking to the path, rigorous pursuit of the vows and the attainment of the goal. IN other words, it comprises the generating of 'bodhichitta' the six perfections and the transformation or transition into 'dharmakaya' Herein Santideva follows the footprints of the Madhyamika school as represented by Nagarjuna and his disciples.