History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s71.9

v1.c6.s71.9

The date of Haradatta is a rather difficult problem. Bühler (S. B. E. vol. II. p. XLIII) at first thought that Haradatta probably wrote in the 16th century, but in his 2nd edition of the Āp. Dh. S. he says (p. VIII) that the Munich ms of the Ujjvalā written in Poona about 1600 A. D. shows the interpolated text found in all Devanāgari copies and that therefore Haradatta is older than at least 1450-1500 A. D. The Vīramitrodaya⁸²⁵ frequently cites the Mitākṣarā of Haradatta on Gautama. Nārāyaṇabhaṭṭa (born in 1513 A. D.) in his Prayoga-ratna quotes Haradatta's comment on Gautama VIII. 14-22 about saṁskāras and his son Śaṅkarabhaṭṭa names both the Mitākṣarā and the Ujjvalā of Haradatta in his Dvaitanirṇaya. The Prayogapārijāta of Nṛsiṁha, which is quoted in the Prayogaratna of Nārāyaṇabhaṭṭa and is therefore not later than the first quarter of the 16th century, cites Haradatta's explanation of Āp. Gṛ. S. (on 'pravāsād-etya putrasya śiraḥ parigṛhya japati' etc.) and contrasts it with Nārāyaṇa's view. The Subodhinī of Viśveśvarabhaṭṭa (about 1375 A. D.) on Mit. (Yāj II. 132) quotes certain smṛti passages as found in the vṛtti of Āpastamba which are found in Haradatta's gloss.⁸²⁶ Hence it follows that Haradatta cannot be later than about 1300 A. D. The fact that Haradatta hardly ever names any commentator except perhaps Devasvāmin, the Bhāṣyakāra of Āpastambe-gṛhya, and that he holds antiquated views about the widow's right to succeed to her deceased husband's estate are strong arguments in favour of the view that Haradatta is comparatively an early writer. Hardly any writer after Vijñāneśvara assigns the same position to the widow as Haradatta does. Hence it appears that Haradatta could not have flourished much later than 1100 A. D. So he must be placed between 1100-1300 A. D., very probably near the earlier limit than the later one.