Extracting the essential meaning of the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, Nāgārjuna presented the Madhyāmaka understanding of voidness and dependent arising in several philosophical works. The most comprehensive of these is Root Verses on Madhyāmaka, Called Verification (Prajñā-nāma Mūlamadhyāmaka Kārikā). Because the text is extremely concise, it has given rise to differing interpretations over the centuries.
Āryadeva and Buddhapālita explained the text according to what later became known as the Prāsaṅgika interpretation. Bhāvaviveka challenged this approach and formulated what later came to be known as the Svātantrika interpretation. In response, Chandrakīrti defended the Prāsaṅgika position in two major works: Engaging in Madhyāmaka (Madhyamakāvatāra) and Clear Words (Prasannapadā), his commentary on Nāgārjuna’s Root Verses on Madhyāmaka. Together, these works established the Prāsaṅgika interpretation that was subsequently adopted, in various forms, by the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
In this collection, Dr. Alexander Berzin presents translations of selected chapters from the original Sanskrit of Prasannapadā, making the depth and precision of Chandrakīrti’s explanations accessible to modern readers.