________________
Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
( xxxvii)
p. 221). The Society is in possession of four MSS. of two extensive Tantra digests of Navamīsimha, the Tantra-cintāmani (6217-8) and Kula-mukti-kallolini (6308). No manuscript of the first of these works appears to have so far been reported from anywhere else. It seems that copies of the second work were made at the instance of Ranodyota Shah in 1877 V.S. with a view to giving publicity to it and two of these copies are now found in the Society,
NILAKANTHA THE SAIVA.
Nilakantha the Saiva--who is different from his more famous name-sake whose fame rests on his commentary on the Mahābhārata_was the author of a number of Purāna and Tantra works which are not so well-known. He has given but meagre information about himself incidentally in his works. We are told that he was born in a family of Saivas. Mayūreśvara of this family, the great grandfather of our author, earned for the family the surname Saiva. The son of Mayūreśvara was Nilakantha whose son, the father of our author, was Ranganātha, the poet. Ranganātha had his son Nilakantha by his wife Laksmi. Both the parents are referred to by name in the colophons as well as in the introductory and concluding verses of his works. He also refers to two of his gurus-Kāšīnātha and Sridhara--as well as to one Ratnaji at whose instance he is stated to have composed his commentary on the Devī-bhāgavata. He seems to have hailed from the Marhatta country, as he refers to a number of dialectic words of Marathi in the above-mentioned commentary (VIII. 24. 25–7).
Nilakantha does not mention his date but an approximate idea may be formed about his time on the basis of the references he makes to authors and works. He refers in his commentary on the Devibhāgavata among others to the Saubhāgya-kal palatā, Durga-pradipa of Mahesa Thakkura, Sarvaśāstrārtha-sangraha of Madhusudana Sarasvati, Śāradā-tilaka, Guptavatā-tākā (of Bhāskara Rāya) composed in 1741 A.D., Mantra-mahodadhi (of Mahidhara) composed in 1589 A.D., Mādhava, author of a commentary on the Sūtasamhitā, Prthvidharācārya and Nāgoji Bhatta (17th-18th century). It would therefore appear that Nilakantha flourished at a time not earlier than the middle of the 18th century.
For Private and Personal Use Only