Studies in the History of Sanskrit Poetics v1.c31.62

v1.c31.62

19. RĀJĀNAKA ĀNANDA. His commentary is called *Nidarśana* or *Śitikaṇṭha-vibodhana*². Hall (*Vāsavadattā* p. 16) is mistaken in attributing this work to Śitikaṇṭha and taking it as dedicated to Ananda. The colophon, as well as the first verse¹, of this commentary accounts probably for Hall’s mistake; but the author himself explains that the commentary is so named from the fact that an attempt is made in it to interpret Mammaṭa’s text as having, besides its *ālaṃkārika* meaning, a mystical sense relating to Śitikaṇṭha or Śiva. Mammaṭa himself might have been a Kashmiriian Śaiva; but this leaves no doubt that Ānanda was one, although it is doubtful whether the text lends itself to such an interpretation. The date is given in the colophon as 1665 A.D., although Hall thinks that this is the date in which the MS of the work was copied. Stein remarks: “Ānanda, who composed his commentary in 1665 A.D. is still well remembered in the tradition of Kashmiriian Paṇḍits as the contemporary and friend of Rājānaka Ratnakaṇṭha²”, one of whose known dates is 1648 A.D. Ānanda, therefore, may be assigned to the second and third quarters of the 17th century. Ānanda also appears to have written a commentary on the *Naiṣadha*.