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Rare 8th-Century 'Sharda' Script Commentary on the 'Yoga Vashistha' Identified in a Private Jammu Collection

📅 April 1, 2026 📰 Northern India Antiquities
Rare 8th-Century 'Sharda' Script Commentary on the 'Yoga Vashistha' Identified in a Private Jammu Collection

A previously undocumented 8th-century commentary on the 'Yoga Vashistha' has been identified in a private collection in Jammu. Written in the Sharda script, this manuscript provides a distinctively Kashmiri interpretation of the foundational text's non-dualist philosophy. It focuses heavily on the 'philosophy of the mind' and the mechanisms through which perception creates a seemingly objective reality.

Preliminary study of the text suggests it was authored by a scholar closely linked to the early Trika system of Shaivism. The manuscript's unique insights into the subjective nature of time and space offer a fascinating early parallel to modern concepts of cognitive construction. The discovery highlights the importance of the Sharda script as a major vehicle for philosophical transmission in Northern India during the early medieval era.

Original source: Northern India Antiquities