Xxviii Gaudapada-Karika to K-bhäşya,14 the second Prakarana proves logically the वैतथ्य of द्वैत (तस्य व्रतस्य हेतुतो वैतथ्यप्रतिपादनाय द्वितीयं प्रकरणम् ) and hence the name वैतथ्यप्रकरण. Perhaps the real reason is that the first Kārika in the second Prakaraṇa begins with the word वैतथ्य (it would be remembered that the केनोपनिषद is so called because it begins with the expression केनेषितं ). The third Prakarana is called अद्वैतप्रकरण, because it like- wise proves the reality of the अद्वैत (तथाद्वैतस्यापि वैतथ्यप्रसङ्गप्राप्तौ युक्तितस्तथास्वदर्शनाय तृतीयं प्रकरणम् ). The fourth Prakarana is obviously called अलातशांतिप्रकरण on account of the striking simile of the अलात there ( Kärikās 47-50 ). The first Prakarana is variously described in the Manuscripts as आगम, ओङ्कारनिर्णय and ओङ्कारोपासना. In favour of calling the Prakarana आगमप्रकरण, the argument is usually advanced that it is based mainly on आगम or Sruti. The K-bhāşya remarks तत्र तावदोङ्कारनिर्णयाय प्रथमं प्रकरणमागमप्रधानमात्मतत्वप्रतिपत्त्युपायभूतम् ! While it is true that the first Prakaraña is mainly based upon the Mandū. kyopanişad, there is nothing specially characteristic about it so as to differentiate it from the other Prakaranas and to name it आगम. Besides, the word आगं is usually associated with special sectarian doctrines (cf. पाञचरात्रागम, शैवागम) and not with the general Upa- nişadic tenets which are referred to in the Kärikäs. This also will show how the name आगमशास्त्र does not seem to be appropriate for the Kärikäs as a whole. The concluding sections of the first Prakarana describe the sacred syllable ओम् in detail and wind up with the statement that 'he is the real sage who knows the Omkāra' (ओङ्कारो विदितो येन स मुनिनेतरो जनः । I-29). The name ओङ्कारनिर्णय or ओङ्कारोपासना or better still ओङ्कार as Anandagiri would have it, would be far more appropriate for the Prakarapa.'s V The Mandukyopanisad and the twenty-nine Karikas in the first Prakarana The Mandukyopanişad contains 12 prose passages or Mantras and commentators on the first Prakarana of the Kārikås apparently 14 We have described the bhāsya on the Karikas, attributed to Sankara- carya as K. bhasya, as we are of opinion that the bhāşya could not have been written by the great Sankara. A separate paper on this topic is going to be published by us in the near future. 15 Tha colophons in Ms. giving the titles of sections of chapters of a work vary so much that they can be regarded as but noting the individaal fancy of the copyist or the commentator. There are more than half a dozen titles found in Mss. for some of the Achyāyas in such a well-known work as the Bhagavadgita.
