Indian Antiquary Vol 41

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 14

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
JANUARY, 1912.
He was a Banerji. His father Vilya-vachaspati is described as one whose feet were constantly rubbed by the crown jewels of Rajas. Vidyânivasa's sons were all well-known Pandits. His second son was the author of Bháshú-parichchheda, a standard work of Nyâya all over India. His third son was in high favour with Bhava Simba, the son of Mân Simba of Amber. Even Vidyanivasa bad to yield his palm to Bbatta Narayana and the point at dispute was one of vital importance to modern Brahmanism. The ancient Rishis declare that at the performance of a Sraddha, live Brahmans are to be fed with the cooked food offered to the manes. Bengal holds that this is impossible in the Kaliyaga as there are no Brâhmans worthy to feed. And so they feed symbolical Brahmans (Brâhmans made of kuśd-grass). The southern people hold that the injunctions of the Sástras should be respected, and live Brahmaņs are to be fed.
Among his principal students were :
Brahmendra Sarasvati and Narayana Sarasvati. The first presented an address to Vidyanidhi Kavindra (of whom later on), about 1640. The latier wrote niany Veldnta works about the end of the 16th century (See Cat Cat.).
Narayaṇa wrote two great works on Smrits. One is Dharma-Pratritti, current in Southern India, and the other, Prayogaratna, carrent in Northern India. He wrote a commentary on Vrittaraindkara in 1545 (see Ind. Of. Cat., pages 303-4) and not in 1680, as Aufrecht says. He wrote an independent work on prosody entitled Vrittaraindrali and also a Prakrita Vioriti of Abhijñána Sakuntala. Besides these already mentioned, Cat. Cat. registers 28 other works, some of which are undoubtedly parts of Tristhali-setu and Prayogaratna. Among these are Mimánsd works a commentary on Sastra-Dipikd and Karikas on Madhavacharya's K dlanirnaya. He wrote on a variety of topics in Smriti, such as consecration of gardens, tanks, wells, etc., phallic emblems of Siva, images of gods, and so forth.
As a Grihastha he seems to have been peculiarly averse to the renunciation of the world. Though a teacher of Velanta, he often had disputations with celebrated monks. He is said to have defeated in arguments, Nșsimbásrama, tbe writer of so many Vedanta works, Upendrasrama who was universally regarded as the first man of his time, and even Madhusûdan Sarasvati, whose fame rests on his successful assailment of the Naiyayikas. Pandits all over India looked cpon him as their patron, and he spared neither money nor pains to help them. This position was held for a long time by his son Sankara and after Sankara, by Vid yanidhi Kavindra, Tradition says that he often worked miracles. Once upon a time, there was a severe drought in India, and at the request of the Great Moghul he brought down rain in twenty-four hours. The Great Moghul pleased with his wonderfal powers granted bim permission to re-erect the temple of Visvesara at Benares destroyed about 100 years before. The spacious and beautifully ornamented temple destroyed by Aurangzib's Sabahdar about 1670 and converted into a mosque is pointed out as the temple erected by Bhatta-Narayana. Mândalik supports this tradition, but the Gadhi-vamsa Anucharita is silent on the point.
Not only was be a voluminous writer, but he was a great collector of manuscripts. Manuscripts copied by him and copied under bis directions are often found in different libraries. He died at a ripe old age, leaving three sons well established in the world, and a number of grandsons, many of whom became famous writers in the 17th century.
Narayana's eldest son was Râmaksishņa, who wrote Jivat-pitrika-nirnaya, Kati-hômádipaddhati, Asvi-stuti-vyakhyana (Gádhivuniédnucharita), Jyotishļoma-paddhati (Mandalik), Ananta, vrat-ody&pana prayoga, Yasika-śráddha-nirnaya, Sivalinga-pratishthd-vidhi, Vastu-sánti-prayoga and Rudra-endna-paddhau (Aufrecht). His principal student was Trimalla Bhatta. He died at the age of 52, leaving three sons, Dinakara, Kamalakara, and Lakshmaņa. His wife Uma died a sati.