Verses of the “Kashmir Recension” of the Bhagavadgītā / Translation from the Sanskrit, Introductory Article and Commentaries by D. V. Burba

In the twenties of the last century, the German Indologist F. O. Schrader had noted that in some medieval commentaries on the Bhagavadgītā, whose authors came from Kashmir, the verses differed from its "canonical" version, based on the text of Śaṅkara's commentary. Having assumed that there was a special "recension" of this book in Kashmir and discovered later the incomplete birch bark manuscript (in śāradā script) of the "Kashmir Recension", he reconstructed on the basis of this manuscript supplemented by other sources, and published The Kashmir Recension of the Bhagavadgita (in 1930). The Kashmir Recension has slightly more than 700 verses of the "canonical" version of the Bhagavadgītā. Also, many verses in the two versions have certain differences (which however usually does not lead to a radical change in meaning). This publication for the first time offers the Ukrainian translation of the "additional" (absent in the critical edition) verses of the "Kashmir Recension" of the Bhagavadgītā. The introductory article acquaints reader with the history of the "Kashmir Recension" and the controversy surrounding it. In particular, the arguments of the opponents of F. O. Schrader are presented; they do not agree with his opinion (based on assertions of some manuscripts of the Mahābhārata according to which the Bhagavadgītā allegedly contains 745 verses) that the text published by him is older than the "canonical" version. The notes draw parallels between the "additional" verses and the classical text and explain some terms and realities.