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No. 12.) SRIRANGAM INSCRIPTION OF GARUDAVAHANA-BHATTA: SAKA 1415. 93
Yan-mätā Bhuvanādhipa Vihagaradváh-abhidha-Srimadaḥ
Kävyē divyati Divyasūricharitē sargö-'yam-ădir=gatah | From them we learn that the author of that kāvya was called Sriranga-Garudavábana-Pandita, that his father's name was Saumyabrisakha-Mangalādhipa,' his mother was called Bhuvanādhipa," that he belonged to the. Kasyapa-gotra, that he bore the title of Kavi-vaidya-purandara, and that he was in charge of the arogyaśālā of god Rangarāja. As the donor figuring in the present record (A) is described as the son of Alagiyamanavāla-Mangalādarayar and was called Srintvāsa alias Sriranga-Garudavähana-Bhatta, we are enabled to identify him with the author of the Divyasüricharitam. As this inscription does not, however, specify the title of Kavi-vaidya-purandara to the Garudavāhana-Bhatta mentioned in it (not called a 'Paņdita' yet ?) in A. D. 1493, we may perhaps infer that this work, whose composition may have earned for its author the title of Kavi' had not been composed yet, and that it may therefore be ascribed to the closing years of the 15th century A. D. i.e.. to about A. D. 1600. The hitherto prevailing idea that it was the work of a contemporary of Rămănuja. may now be given up.
1 In an article on the Divyasüricharitam published in the Journul of Indian History, Vol. XIII, PP. 131 6. seq., the following alternativo verse-colophon is quoted from the Mysoro edition of the work:
Svami Rangapatir-gurur-Varavaradhisai cha yasy-atulo Vädhülő Varadab pitä Varavara-Kahēmēba-Lakshmisakhabi Lokēsā janani tu tasya Garudasrivibana-Srisadab
Kavye divvyati Divysūricharitē sargo='yam adiregatah || From this we learn that author's tutelary deity was .Rangapati'; his spiritual guru was Varavaradhisa; his maternal uncle (yan-mätulo has been taken to be the probable correct reading in place of yasy-tulo, which does not give a clear meaning) was Vädhüls-Varada; his father was vara-Lakshmisakhab (Alagiyamanavalo) Kshēmēśa (Mangaladhipa) (cf. Saumyabrisakha-Mangalādhipah of the other verse); his mother was Lõkēsă (cf. Bhuvanādhipă of the other verse); and that his own name was Garudasrivāhana-Srisadah (cf. Vihagarādváhabhidha-Srisadab of the other verse). These details agree with those given in the other colophon; while two additional names are mentioned in this verse. There is therefore no discrepanoy in the biographical details furnished in the two colophons.
Saumya-erisakha is clearly a Sanskritisation of Alagiya-maņavāla. Another more popular translation was Ramya-jämātri. Bhuvanädhipă appears to be a similar artificial translation of a Tamil name, Bhumiyandal. Ulagudaiyil or some equivalent of it.
In Sarga 17 of this work, the author refers in an impersonal manner to the jambu and dadhyannam incident which led to the founding of the hospital under an earlier Garudavahana-Pandita thus :
Rangekam yatipatir ēkada va-kishyaddaddhyann-&nupada-nivedyamana-jambum Srutva tan-milanavabad-vishatirēkl prabärid=yatitilakas sa Rangibhrityam || (v. 86) Rājñly-opacharana-lälaso Murarau tad-dōsha-pralamam-adipayatkashāyam
Arogy-Opa padam-athrakalayya balam ert-Dhanvantari-haridhama taoh-chakaralı (v. 87)
It is interesting to note that Mr. B. V. Ramanujam, M.A., who has examined the problem from & purely literary view.point has also arrived at the same conclusion. (Journal of Indian History, Vol. XIII, p. 186.)
In his History of Srivaishnavas, (Subrahmanya Ayyar Lectures, 1917), p. 56, Mr. Gopinatha Rao, however, identifies this author with the disciple of Ramanuja and places him before Pimbalagiyaperumal-Jiyar, the author of the Guruparampara in Tamil (c. 14th cent. A. D.)
In this connection it may be mentioned that the Uttamanambivankaprabhāvam (p. 7) states that & Garudavāhana-Pandita Sri-Uttamanambi alias Kavivaidyapurandara Srinivasa-mahakavi lived in Saka 996 (=A. D. 1073) and welcomed Ramanuja on his first arrival at Srirangam. This statement appears to have been based on the usual tradition which connects one Garudaváhana with Ramanuja; and the mention of Srinivasa as his personal name appears to be the result of a promiscuous mixing of different facts. He is enumerated as the 74th in descent from Periyalvår of Kali 46. The list of names of Uttamanambis with their respective you, as tabulated in this pamphlet, cannot stand a critical examination.
