When we begin the study of the I~varavdda ofG. 1 one basic problem presents itself immediately. Broadly speaking, it could be designated as the problem of the sources. The problem arises from the fact that when we read the text of G. several passages strike us as adaptations from previous authors or as paraphrases of their writings. Hence the need to determine exactly the nature, extent and significance of the sources. One should further point out the real dimensions of the study of the sources: It is not a question of determining by means of external criteria and formal similarities and disimilarities different kinds of passages in the given text; but much more it is a question of determining the different layers of thought and working out in depth all the implications of the different sources in them, so that we come to have an exact and perhaps also a creative understanding of the author himself and thus to evaluate him in the real context of his work.
In this article attention is focussed only on one of the most important sources of G's [gvaravadd viz. S's ]~aravdda. 2 It is to be noted first of all that the general structure of both the treatises is exactly the same in the pftrvapaks.a and to a large extent also in the uttarapaks.a. In the pftrvapaks.a, both the authors discuss the various possible formulations of the pak.sa, sddhya and hetu; in the uttarapaks.a, there is some difference in the plans; S. gives successively his own formulation of the paks.a, sadhya and hetu, while G. gives a full syllogism establishing the existence of God and then answers various objections raised against the pak.sa, sddhya and hem.
Let us analyse one by one the various sections of the treatises of G. and S.;
we begin with the pftrvapak.sa section on the paks.a. Here G. presents us with seven formulations of the pak.sa as given by the pftrvapaks.in, while S. gives us six. The table shown below and the following comments show their similarities and dissimilarities. TCI 1. Ksityhdi (1, 6) 3 2. Sam §ayavisayah... vivSdavi.sayo v~ (2, 3) NSD 1. K.sityadikatvam (108, 5) 2. viv~dadhyfisitat~'am (108, 4) and safiadigdhakart.rkatvam (108, 5)