Adwait Dipika Part 03

Author(s): S Subramanya Shastri
Publisher: Sampurnand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya

Page 7

(2) synchronising with the formal ceremony for the award of the Mahamahopadhyaya degree, honoris causa of our University on my revered Guru, Sastraratnakara Brahmas; S. R. Krishnamurthy Sastrigal, former Professor of Vedanta in Madras Sanskrit College. My sentiments are best expressed by Sri Harsa's well known words, which he used as a refrain of his prefatory verses to his three plays : वस्त्वेकैकमपोह वाञ्छितफलप्राप्तेः पदं, किं पुनमद्भाग्योपचयादयं समुदितः सर्वो गुणानां गणः। (Each little circumstance here is such that it can independently contribute towards the fulfilment of my desires. How much more should be my delight, when all the blessed factors have come together, by my good fortune ?) Nssimhasrama has a special place of importance in Dvaita-Advaita and Visistadvaita-Advaita polemics. He was a recognised authority on Advaita of his days and possibly spent most of his days in this city of Kashi. The best proof of this is the Vyavasthapatra (1657 A. D.) carrying his signature along with those of great luminaries like Gagabhatta, Appaya Diksita and Khandadeva, to which the learned editor called attention in his Upodghata to the first Volume. That Khandadeva lived and worked in Kashi is vouchsafed by Panditaraja Jagannatha when he wrote : देवाध्यगीष्ट स्मरहरनगरे शासनं जैमिनीयम् Gagabhatta, likewise, was also a celebrated resident of Kashi. There are anecdotes about Appaya Diksita and Jagannatha, centering round Kashi. As against this proved association of Ntsimhasrama with Kashi, the present work contains a strange reference which seem to indicate that this work was probably not written in Kashi. In the course of the discussion on Sabdaparoksa, he writes : न हि काशीस्थं पदार्थ शब्देन, जानन, जानामीत्यनुभवन्नपि ममेदानी काशीस्थः पदार्थोऽपरोक्ष इत्यनुभवति /