History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s72.11

v1.c6.s72.11

Hemādri gives some account of himself in his work. The Mss. present great variations from the printed text. He belonged to the Vatsagotra.⁸⁴⁶ He was the grandson of Vāsudeva and the son of Kāmadeva. The introductions to the *khaṇḍas* contains fulsome praise of Hemādri. One verse says that Hemādri scored out by showering wealth on poor people the lines that Brahmā had drawn on their forehead at the time of their birth (foredooming them to eternal poverty) and that Brahmā acquiesces in such conduct of Hemādri.⁸⁴⁷ Another verse says that none existed, exists or will exist surpassing Hemādri.⁸⁴⁸ He describes himself as in charge of the imperial records of Mahādeva, the Yādava king of Devagiri (modern Daulatabad).⁸⁴⁹ In the colophons and the body of the work also he is described as the *karaṇādhīśvara* of Mahādeva, as highly honoured by the king and as a minister (*mantrin*) of the king.⁸⁵⁰ He gives in the introduction to the Vratakhaṇḍa a detailed pedigree of the Yādavas of Devagiri. In the section on kāla (vol. III, part 2) he starts with Saṅghaṇa (i. e. Siṅghaṇa of the inscriptions), then speaks of his son Jaitrapāla (i. e. Jaitugi), his son Kṛṣṇa (or Kanhara) and lastly of Mahādeva, son of the younger brother of Kṛṣṇa. This is not the place to go into the genealogy of the Yādavas. There are some discrepancies between the genealogy as presented by Hemādri and as gathered from the inscriptions and numerous copperplate grants of the Yādavas. *Vide* Bombay Gazetteer, vol. I, part 2, pp. 248-249 for Hemādri and pp. 268-275 for extracts from the Vratakhaṇḍa, pp. 252 and 519 for two pedigrees of the Devagiri Yādavas and pp. 511-534 for history. The following may be consulted for the principal grants of the Yādavas:-- Ind. Ant. vol. 17, p. 117 (Kalasbudruk plate of Bhillama dated *śake* 948 or 1025 A. D.), E. I. vol. III p. 110 (Bahal inscription of Siṅghaṇa dated *śake* 1144), E. I. vol. III p. 217-18 (Gadag inscription of Bhillama dated *śake* 1113 i. e. 1191 A. D.), Ind. Ant. vol. 14, p. 68 (grant of Kṛṣṇa or Kanhara dated 1249-50 A. D.), Ind. Ant. vol. 14, p. 314 (Paithan plate of Rāmacandra dated *śake* 1193), E. I. vol. XIII, p. 198 (Thana plate of Rāmacandra dated *śake* 1194 i. e. 1272 A. D.), E. I. vol. XIX, p. 20 (Mamdapur inscription of Kanhara dated *śake* 1172 i. e. 1250 A. D. wherein his younger brother Mahādeva is described as *yuvarāja*). Mahādeva reigned from 1260 to 1271 and Rāmacandra, the son of Kṛṣṇa, from 1271 to 1309 A. D. Since in the Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi Hemādri is said to be the keeper of the state records of Mahādeva, that work must have been composed at some time between 1260 and 1270 A. D. There are contemporary records available showing that Hemādri was in high favour not only with Mahādeva but also with his successor Rāmacandra. The Thana plate of Rāmacandra (dated *śake* 1194, i. e. 1272 A. D.) records the the grant of a village called Vaul in Sāsaṭi (modern Sāṣṭi in the Thana District) to thirty-two brāhmaṇas by Acyuta Nāyaka of the Gautama gotra and descendant of Jalhana, who was the governor of Konkan, and describes⁸⁵¹ Hemādri as one who had attained a pre-eminent position in the government through the favour of Rāmacandra and as one who was in charge of all (state) records and was the foremost minister.