56

Contemporary Manuscripts of Nīlakaṇṭha Caturdhara — A.D. 1687–1695

By P. K. Gode · Annals of the B. O. R. Institute

56. Some contemporary Manuscripts of the Works of Nīlakantha Caturdhara, the Commentator of the Mahābhārata — Between A. D. 1687 and 1695^*

In my paper¹ on Nīlakantha Caturdhara, the commentator of the Mahābhārata I have recorded the following contemporary Mss of Nīlakantha's works :— A. D. 1687—Ms of आदिपर्वटीका dated Śaka 1609 — A. D. 1687 (p. 94 of Cata. of Vangīya Sāhitya Pariṣat, Calcutta, 1935). A. D. 1691 — Berlin Ms of भारतभावदीप belonging to गोविंद चतुर्धर (Weber p. 107).

In August 1943 Messers R. D. Kamat and D. D. Kamat of Bombay presented to the B. O. R. Institute about 100 Mss in memory of their father the late Mr. Divakar Bhalchandra Kamat² whose interest in Sanskrit literature was reponsible for the collection of these Mss. In this Kamat collection I find the following con temporary Ms of Nīlakantha's commentary on the Mahābhārata :—

Vanaparvan (folios 439) containing the text and Nilakantha's commentary on it. The Ms was copied in Samvat 1751—(A. D. 1695) as will be seen from the following colophon — Folio 439^a — “ संवत् १७५१ भाद्रपद शुद्द १५। श्रीविक्रमार्करसिंहदुशराद्रिभूमौ १७५१ श्रीव्यंबकेन रघुनाथसुतेन काड्यम्। श्रीनोलकंठकृतभारतभावदीपो श्रीशंकरापंणधिया लिखितः सनामभिः ॥ १ ॥”

It is clear from the above extract that this Ms was copied at Benares by Tryambaka, the son of Raghanātha in A. D. 1695. On folio 439^a we find the endorsement ‘ वनपर्व ४३२ इदं पुस्तकं रघुनाथपंडितस्य’ which is in the same hand as the four-lined stanza in the above extract. Most probably Tryambaka, the copyist, prepared this copy for his father Raghanātha.³

I have already pointed out that Nilakantha composed his शिवताण्डवटीका in A. D. 1680 and his गणेशगीताटीका at Benares in A. D. 1693. In view of these dates the Mss of his works copied in A. D. 1687, 1691 and 1695 are contemporary copies and hence valuable for a critical edition of his commentary भारतभावदीप, portions of which are represented by these dated Mss.

In the list of Nilakantha's works recorded by Aufrecht⁴ no work of the name ‘विदुराधानविचार’ is found. There is, however, a Ms of it in the library of the Oriental Institute, Baroda. It is described by Pandit K. S. Ramaswami Śāstri Śiromaṇi in his Catalogue of Mss of Śrauta-Sūtras and Prayogas (Des. Cata. of Mss Vol. II, 1942, G. O. S. No. XCVI) on page 79 as follows: — “ No. 526 विदुराधानविचार by Caturdhara Nilakantha son of Govinda Dīkṣita—Śaka 1799—Place of orgin:—वृद्धिकपुर.”

Pages 338-339 – विदुराज्ञानविचार. ‘ It is discussed here whether a widower is allowed to kindle the sacrificial fires once again according to the śāstras or not. The author quotes in this connection many authorities and comments upon several texts bearing on the subject. ’ The Ms begins: — “ अथ चतुर्घरनीलकण्ठप्रणीतानापरनीकाधानविचारः । श्रीशं वन्दे – यत्सेश्वरं नमस्कृत्य ब्रूञ् प्रन्थान् विभाज्य च । अपत्नीकाग्नित्राधादीनिति विचार्यते ।। तन्नायं पूर्वपक्षः etc.” Colophon – “इति चतुर्घेरदासनवतोत्रिन्दद्रक्षीक्षितननुजनिळकण्ठस्य कृतिः समाप्ता ।”

If this work is a genuine work of Nilakaṇṭha it is a definite addition to the works of Nilakaṇṭha so far known.

The B. O. R. I. Ms of the Vanaparvan (Kamat collection) was copied at Benares by one त्र्यंबक son of रघुनाथ in Samvat 1751= A. D. 1695. As regards the identification of this copyist त्र्यंबक रघुनाथ I have to put forth the following hypothesis :—

त्र्यंबक रघुनाथ may be identified with त्र्यंबक रघुनाथ हणमंते, the son of रघुनाथ नारायण हणमंते⁵ (A. D. 1653–1683) the celebrated minister of kings Shahaji and Shivaji. He died at Vālān on his way to Karṇāṭak in A. D. 1683. His brother Janārdanapanta succeeded him as Minister during the regime of Chatrapati Rajaram. रघुनाथपंडित हणमंते is responsible for the compilation of राजव्यवहारकाश under instructions of Shivaji the Great.

त्र्यंबक रघुनाथ composed a work ‘आशाचिनिर्णय’ in Sanskrit, which is popularly known as त्र्यंबकी. This work was most probably composed during the reign of king Sambhaji (A. D. 1680–1689)⁶. Prof. P. V. Kane⁷ however, assigns त्र्यंबकपंडित to about 1.60 A. D.

but this chronology seems to be incorrect. There are some Mss of the आशीर्वादनण in the Govt. Mss Library at the B. O. R. Institute, one of which viz. No. 334 of 1891-95 is dated Samvat 1842— A. D. 1786. As व्यंबक पंडित was a contemporary of Nāgojibhaṭṭa, his reference to नागोजिभट्टीय pointed out by M. M. Prof. Kane is obviously a contemporary reference to Nāgojibhaṭṭa.

In June 1943 Mr. Śrīdhar Sāmarão Hanmante the present des- cendant of the celebrated Minister of Shivaji, Raghunātha Nārāyaṇa Hanmante read a paper on the History of the Hanmante Family based on certain documents, copies of which have been kindly made avilable to me by the Secretary of the Bhārata Itihāsa Samshodhaka Mandal, Poona. I give below the genealogy of the Hanmante family reconstructed on the basis of these documents:—

सगोत्र (divided into अंश ) (pr. at Nir. P.) quotes निर्णयसिंधु and नागोजि- भट्टीय about 1760 A.D. Page 701 — “ उग्रस्वकर्णोडित son of नारायण of the आप्सरसमूद्रगोत्र about 1760 A. D. a of आशीर्वादनण.” This statement “son of नारायण” is not correct as व्यंबक was son of रघुनाथ.

1. I have to thank Mr. N. M. Khuperkar M. A. of the B. O. R. Institute for drawing my attention to this paper as also the authori- ties of the B. I. S. Mandal for lending to me this paper together with the copies of the documents, some of which I note briefly as follows:— No. 1 — Dated 6th Feb. 1689 — mentions तिमाजी रघुनाथ and his inam village बाणेरे. No. 2 — Account sheet dated A. D. 1708 — mentions मातृश्री आमा. No. 3 — Dated 10th December 1700 — mentions बाणेरे. No. 4 — 26th Dec. 1700 — mentions villages बाणेरे and माण. No. 5 — 6th Dec. 1708 — Letter of तिमाजी रघुनाथ who mentions मातृश्री आमा and तीर्थरूप आबा and village बाणेरे. No. 6 — 30th Jan. 1709 — mentions बाणेरे. No. 7 — 13th Dec. 1713 — Letter of तिमाजी रघुनाथ to चिंतामणिदेव of Chinchwad — mentions मातृश्री आमा — refers to some deposit with चिंतामणि देव. No. 8 — Letter of रघुनाथ त्रिमल to श्रोस्वामी (of Chinchwad ) asking for settlement of his account, as the writer was in financial difficulties.

(c. A. D. 1600) त्रिमल (हणमंते)

her properties for religious purposes).

Another dated Ms of Nilakaṇṭha's Bhāratabhāvadīpa dated Samvat 1749 (= A. D. 1691) is available in the Anup Sanskrit Library, Bikaner, according to the information kindly sent to me by my friend Mr. K. M. K. Sarma, M. O. L., the Curator of this Library.

( Continued from the previous page )

No. 10 — 20th Feb. 1736 — Receipt from गंगाधर त्रिभल and रघुनाथ-

an instalment of Rs. 3000. ) No. 11 — Letter of गंगाधर and रघुनाथ reporting to श्रीदेवस्वामी the

( of Chinchwad. ) No. 13 — 12th October 1742 — Letter of बाबुराव शंकर on behalf of

and his settlement of their account for Rs. 21000 pay- able by instalments. No. 15 — वेंकटराव गंगाधर to विश्वनाथभट वैद्य — mentions यशवंतराव पवार,

as an occurrence of the previous year. No. 17 — Letter from नारायण and रघुनाथ refers to the death of

( Continued on the next page )

The colophon of this Ms as supplied to me by Mr. Sarma reads as follows :—

“ इति श्रीमत्परवाक्यप्रमाणमर्यादाध ( पु ) रंधरचतुर्धरवंशावतंस श्रीगोविंदसूरि- सूनोः श्रीनीलकण्ठस्य कृतौ भारतभावदीपि शांतौ राजधर्मार्थः प्रकाशः समासिमगमत् । एकोनत्रिंशदधिकशततमोऽध्यायः समाप्त ॥ संवत् १७५३ समै नाम कार्तिक वदी द्वादशी ।”

I now conclude this paper with the following table recording the dated Mss of the works of Nīlakantha Caturdhara mentioned in this paper :—

I have already pointed out that Nilakantha composed his शिवनाण्डवटका in A. D. 1680 and his गणेशगीताटाका in A. D. 1693. These dates prove the contemporaneity of the four dated Mss recorded in the above table and discussed in this paper.