Indian Antiquary Vol 45

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

Page 23

FEBRUARY, 1916
MADHAVACHARYA AND HIS YOUNGER BROTHERS
19
(4) It is said that the Panchadasi-prabara za was composed partly by Bhiratîtîrtha and partly by Madhavacharya. Ramakrishna, who has written a commentary on the work, begins and ends his commentary with obeisance to Bhâratîtîrtha and Vidyara;ya thus:
नस्वा श्रीभारतीतीर्थविद्यारण्यमुनीश्वरौ ।
मयाद्वैतविवेकस्य क्रियते पदयोजना ॥ इति श्रीपरमहंसपरित्राजकाचार्यश्रीभारतीतीर्थविद्यारण्यमुनिवर्यकिंकरेण श्रीरामकृष्णविनुषा विरचिता पददीपिका.
We may therefore presume that Madhavacharya and Vidyara ya are identical. We have already seen that Bharatîtîrtha was one of the gurus of Madhavacharya and the juxtaposition of his and Vidyâraya's names in the above extract may be taken to trengthen the above presumption.
(5) A copparplats insoriptio2,21 dated A. D. 1386, gives the interesting information that Harihara II, described as the establisher of the path of the Vedas (aftfafag ) and a traveller in the path of dharma and Brahma (Anura ), gave in the presence of Vidyaranya-ripada, a copper grant to the three scholars-Nârâ yana-vâjapêyayâji, Naraharisomayaji and Pandari-dîkshita--who were the promotere (pravartaka) of the commenaries on the four Vedas. We know that Madhavacharya had a great deal to do with the
omposition of the commentaries on the Vedas, and it is very likely that the grant was made at his instance to the above scholars for their co-operation in writing those monumental works. If Vidyâra ya had been a different person altogether, there would have been no necessity to make the grant in his presence.
As far as I can remember, this is the only inscription that furnishes the important information that several scholars helped Madhavâch Irya and Sayana in the composition of the commentaries on the Vedas. The three scholars mentioned above may be the provenitors of the three families which receive special honours even now at the Sringeri matha. An inscription, 22 of about A. D. 1380, records another grant to Narayana-vajapêyayaji, one of the above three scholars; and another, 23 of A. D. 1416, registers a grant to Vidya . bhatta, son of Pandari-deva who is most probably identical with the Pandari-dikshita men tioned above. It is to be regretted that only one plate of the inscription referred to in the previous paragraph is available. It is, however, interesting to note that this plate
Jludes to a former grant made in A.D. 1381 to the same three scholars by Harihara II's son ( 'hikka Raya while he was the governor of Araga. This grant consisted of lands yielding in annual income of 60, 40 and 50 varahas respectively.
This inscription makes it quite clear that Madhavâcharya was a sanyúsi under the name of Vidyaranya in A. D. 1386. Another inscription, 21 dated A. D. 1378, tells us that he was a sanyasi in that year, the grant recorded in it having been made by order of Vidvara uya. In the light of these facts the following statements, which are based on the wrong identification of Madhavacharya with Madhava-mantri, are clearly untenable :
" Madhavacharya acquired the title of Vidyaranya after he retired from worldly affairs and became a Sanyasi. This event took place after the year a. D. 1391."25
“The exact date at which Mâdhavacharya's tenure of ministership came to an end cannot be ascertained. Judging from epigraphical evidence it must have terminated after the year A. D. 1391."2u 21 Mysore Archæological Report for 1908. para: 54.
22 Epi. Car., VI, Sringeri 23. 3 Ibid., Sringeri 34.
21 Epi. Car., VI, Koppa 30. 25 J. B. Br. R. A. S., XXII, 370.
26 Ibid., p. 376.