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Pravacanasara
3. Balacandradeva and his Kannada Tatparya-vytti.
INFORMATION ABOUT BALACANDRA.-Balacandra has written Kannada commentaries on all the three works of Kundakunda. Putting together the pieces of information contained in the colophons of his commentaries, we learn that he styled himself as Adhyatmi Balacandra;2 that he was the sisya [p. 105:] of Nayakirti Räddhanta (Siddhanta) cakri; and that he came to realize atma-svabhāva through the service of Sagaranandi who was the nandana of Nayakirti.
HIS TEACHER, COLLEAGUES, DISCIPLES, DOMICILE ETC.-Balacandra had the unique honour of being the sisya of Nayakirti who was a great religious force and authority in Belgola and the surrounding country. The heirarchical line was that of Mülasangha, Desigana, Pustakagaccha and Kundakundänvaya, Nayakirti
100
1 The prose colophon runs thus: idu samasta-Saiddhantikacakravarti-sri-Nayakirti-devanandana-vina (e?) ya-janānandana-nijaruci-Sāgaranandi-paramätma-deva-seva-saditātmasvabhāva-nityananda -Balacandradeva-viracita-Samayasaraprabhṛta -sutranugata- Tätparyavrtti. From my translation of this passage given above, it is clear that I do not agree with Dr. Venkatasubbaiyya's interpretation(see his Kelavu Kannada Kavigala Jivana-Kalavicāra p. 190) which has its own handicaps: if the words were to be separated, as he proposes, then they stand without necessary terminations; if all the words so separated necessarily go with Balacandra, then the adjective Saiddhantikacakravarti goes with Balacandra and it would be against the very statement of Balacandra in the concluding verses; and lastly there is no objection to Balacandra's having another spiritual teacher in Sagaranandi, as Nayakîrti died in 1176 A. D.. and Balacandra lived upto at least 1232 A.D. It appears that the name Sagaranandi has somehow escaped the notice of Narasimhacarya, though he suggests that Balacandra appears to have studied with a pupil of Naya
kirti'.
2 There have been many Balacandras. Though much has been written on different Balacandras, still it is necessary to clear the whole position once more in the light of different inscriptional references. I have confined myself here only to Adhyatmi Bāļacandra, the commentator of Kundakunda's work; and only the relevent epigraphic references have been utilised. For different discussions about Balacandras see R. Narasimhacharya: Karnataka Kavicarite vol. I, pp. 99 etc., 253ff., 321ff. vol. III Intro. pp. 45ff. Venkatasubbaiyya: Kelavu Kannada Kavigala Jivana Kala-vicara, pp. 33ff. pp.190ff; and Pai's article in Abhinava Pampa, Dharwar 1934 pp. 1-41. For Balacandra the commentator of Upadesa-kandali of Asada see Peterson's Reports III, p. 39.
3 I know two Sagaranandis from inscriptions: the first who is mentioned in an inscription of 1145 A.D. (see E.C. IV, Nagamangala No. 76); and the second, Sagaranandi Siddhantadeva is mentioned in a S.-Belgola inscription (E.C. II, 380) and to him Santinatha temple, which is just in the vicinity of Belgola, was made over by Recimayya. Another inscription of 1220 A.D.(E.C. V Arsikere No. 77) mentions Sagaranandi and further informs that Recimayya was the minister of Kalacuryas first and later on he placed himself under the protection of the Hoysala King Ballala II (E.C. II, Introduction p. 33). So this second Sagaranandi was living in 1220 A. D. and his place of residence too was near about S.-Belagola; thus it is possible that Balacandra received lessons in spiritual culture from this Sagaranandi after the death of Nayakirti. We have no positive evidence to say that Sagaranandi was also the pupil (nandana) of Nayakirti but he could be called so by Balacandra, when Nayakirti was a great teacher, a Mahamaṇḍalācārya. The presence of a contemporary Sagaranandi confirms my interpretation of the prose colophon.
4 E.C.II, 345, 335 of 1195 A.D.
5 E.C. II, 327, IV Nagamangal No. 70.
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