Nāgārjuna and the Tathāgatagarbha: A Closer Look at Some Peculiar Features in the Niraupamyastava

This article examines several verses from the Niraupamyastava , where Nāgārjuna makes explicit references to the non-empty aspects of the doctrine of emptiness—a topic systematized and crystallized in the doctrine of Tathāgatagarbha , thought to have appeared later than his date and to have been unknown to him.
Establishing the authenticity of the hymn, in addition to the criteria utilized by Lindtner, the article analyses the style and the relationship of the text with texts belonging to other schools, thus locating Nāgārjuna in his historical and temporal context. The article also brings into focus the overlooked or marginalized topics present in Nāgārjuna's texts such as the practice of devotion and visualization of the Buddha as method for realizing emptiness.