Studies in the History of Sanskrit Poetics v1.c31.34

v1.c31.34

12. GOVINDA ṬHAKKURA. His well-known commentary is called °Pradīpa.¹ Govinda also wrote an °Udāharaṇa-dīpikā, apparently the same as °Śloka-dīpikā² in Stein (pp. 60, 269), cited by Nāgoji Bhaṭṭa. This is supplementary to the larger exegetical work, being a commentary on the illustrative verses of the text. The °Pradīpa has been commented on by Vaidyanātha (°Prabhā) and Nāgoji Bhaṭṭa (°Uddyota). Govinda was a native of Mithilā, born in the family of Ravikara, eldest son of Keśava and Sonodevī, elder brother of the poet Śrī-harṣa who is not, however, as Peterson supposes, the author of the Naiṣadha.³ In addition to this information about himself, Govinda tells us that he learnt kāvya and sāhitya from his elder step-brother Rucikara. His exact date is not known, but Govinda refers to Viśvanātha as arvācīna, quoting the latter's criticism of Mammaṭa's definition of poetry, as well as the latter's own definition of the same, without actually naming him or his Sāhitya-darpaṇa. Govinda, therefore, is probably later, but not very much later, than the 14th century. On the other hand, he is earlier the last quarter of the 16th century, being quoted in Prabhākara's Rasa-pradīpa which was composed 1583 A.D. Narasimha Ṭhakkura, who flourished later, but not much later, than 1612 A.D. (having himself quoted Kamalākara), is supposed, on the authority of the family genealogy, to be fifth in descent from Govinda, This will roughly place Govinda towards the end of the 15th century¹.