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INTRODUCTION
the country of the modern Berars. They were not only followers of the Tattariya Sakha of the Black Yajurveda, but were also the teachers of their school, they belonged to the Kasyapa gotra, and were distinguished for their piety, inasmuch as they maintained the five fires, observed vows, and performed Soma-sacrifices Fifth in ascent to Bhavabhuti was a certain Mahakavi, who had instituted a Vajapeya-sacrifice. Bhavabhuti's grandfather was named Bhattagopala, his father Nilakantha, and his mother Jätükarni He himself was given the name Śrīkantha, and if the statement of Viraraghava in his commentary to Mv. is to be trusted, he obtained the title Bhavabhuta' from his patron-king because of his clever use of the words bhava and bhats in the verse 'samba punātu bhava-bhūtapavitra-martih'. His teacher was one Jñananidhi (Store of Learning'), and was the best of the Paramahamsas or ascetics of the highest order.
The fact that all his extant diamas very faithfully depict court-life leads us to the inevitable conclusion that he was a courtier
XXIV
Judging by the Benedictory Stanzas in his Mal., the invocation of Siva in Mal V. 1, the oft-repeated mention in Mv of Parasurama as being the disciple of Siva, of Rama (the incarnation of Visnu) as cherishing a love for the followers of Siva, and of Ravana as being a devotee of the same deity, we may safely conclude that Bhavabhuti was a Saiva or at least had strong Saiva tendencies The fact that all his plays were acted at the festival of Kalapriyanatha points to the same conclusion This conclusion 18 further strengthened by Bhavabhuti's departure from his source in making Ravana offer his heads to Siva instead of to Brahmā as narrated by the epic from which he borrows his plot But he was probably no very orthodox member of his sect, for we find him saluting the sun in Mal. I. 5 and Brahma in Mv. I, 1.
Utt R. Ch In the former place it is introduced without much natural connexion, thus evincing the partiality of a native'Bhandarkar in his Malati-madhava (Bombay, 1905), notes, p 8
1 If the MS K is to be absolutely relied upon, we find therein the mention of a very important and valuable fact, not yet known to us In the Prelude (p 2, 1 9) this MS leads tadamusyāyanasya tatrabhavato vajapeyrno mahakaveh simhabhüteh pañcamah. If we were to admit this reading as authentio-though there seems to be little reason for doing so, as neither any other Mo MS. nor any of the MSS of the Mal, which repeats the passage verbally, corroborate it-we have to modify our present notions of Bhavabhuti's ancestors I'm reading
would make 'the great poet Simhabhütı' the fifth in ascent from our poet Nothing, however, is known of this Simhabhūti
2 Ananta-pandita in his commentary on the verse bhavabhuteh sambandhat', &c, in Arya-saptasati, mentions the verse as leading tapasvi kam gato 'rastham at smerananav tva | giryjayah stanau vande pārvati-paramesvarau'.
s Mal I 1 invokes Śiva, I 2, the headshakings of Ganesa at the dance of Siva, I 8, the river Ganges as she flows on the head of Siva; and I 4, the third eye of SLTA
4 Vide mahesvara-prit in Mo II 9, 10; and sawa-prityä in II. 11
Vide Mu VI 14, 15, and note on the first passage
| SR No. | 010406 |
| Book Title | Mahavira Charitam |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Todarmal Pandit |
| Publisher | University of Panjab Lahore |
| Publication Year | 1928 |
| Total Pages | 407 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 34 MB |