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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s74: 89. Śrīdatta Upādhyāya

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s74

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89. Śrīdatta Upādhyāya

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Mithilā has made extremely valuable and substantial contributions to Dharmaśāstra Literature. From the days of the Yājñavalkya smṛti down to modern times the land of Mithilā has produced writers whose names are illustrious. Śrīdatta Upādhyāya is one of the earliest among the mediaeval Maithila *nibandhakāras*. He is the author of several works which will be briefly noticed.

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The Ācārādarśa of Śrīdatta was printed in Benares at the Divakara Press and by the Venkateśvara Press in Bombay in *saṁvat* 1961. It is a manual of the daily religious duties of the followers of the white Yajurveda (Vājasaneyins),⁸⁶⁸ such as *ācamana*, brushing the teeth, morning bath, *saṁdhyā*, *japa*, *brahmayajña*, *tarpaṇa*, daily worship of gods, *vaiśvadeva*, feeding guests etc. Among the works and writers named are the following⁸⁶⁹:—Ācāra-cintāmaṇi, Kalpataru, Kāmadhenu, Kālikāpurāṇa, Gaṇeśamiśra, Rājā (probably Bhojadeva), Smṛtimahārṇava, Harihara and Halāyudha-nibandha. There is a commentary on this work called Ācārādarśabodhini composed by Gaurīpati or Gaurīśa, son of Dāmodara Maithila, at Benares in 1640 A. D (Dr. Bhandarkar's report, 1883-84, p. 347). In this work he uses several vernacular words; e. g. he says that ‘Śāla’ tree is known as Sagavana⁸⁷⁰ (in the vernacular).

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⁸⁶⁸ अहोरात्राश्रितो धर्म इह वाजसनेयिनाम् । निबध्यते निबद्धो यो धर्मशास्त्रनिबन्धृभिः ॥ 2nd intro. verse in D. C. Ms. No. 342 of 1875-76; समूलवचनाभोगो मीमांसा-न्यायनिर्मलः । श्रीदत्तेन सतामेष आचारे दर्पणः कृतः ॥

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⁸⁶⁹ Vide for गणेशमिश्र and राजा 'अशिरस्कं मार्जनमिति गणेशमिश्राः' folio 15 b of आचारादर्श (D. C. Ms. No. 342 of 1875-76); 'इति राजाद्यलिखितं मैत्रायणीयगृह्य-परिशिष्टवचनं न प्रमाणमित्याहुः ' folio 26 a; 'इदं च बौधायनवाक्यं राजाद्यलिखित-मपि बहुजनसंमतत्वालिखितम् ।' folio 29 a.

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⁸⁷⁰ ‘शालवृक्षः सगवन इति प्रसिद्धः’ folio 9 b of the आचारादर्श. Compare Marathi ‘सागवान.’

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Another work of his is the Chandogāhnika on the daily duties for Sāmavedins. He refers to it in his Samayapradīpa⁸⁷¹ and Pitṛbhakti. A supplement to it named Chandogāhnikoddhāra was written by Śaṅkaramiśra, son of Bhavanāthamiśra (Mitra's Notices, vol. VI p. 10, No. 1989).

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⁸⁷¹ ‘उक्तमस्माभिराह्निके’ folio 53a of समयप्रदीप D. C. Ms. No. 371 of 1875-76; ‘न च सपत्नीकानामिति प्रपञ्चितमस्माभिश्छन्दोगश्राद्धकल्पे’ पितृभक्ति folio 24 a.

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The Pitṛbhakti is a manual on the śrāddha rites for students of the Yajurveda. It was based⁸⁷² on the Kātīyakalpa with Karka's bhāṣya thereon and on the works of Gopāla and Bhūpāla (i. e. Bhojadeva). It is frequently quoted in the Śrāddhaviveka of Rudradhara. Among the writers named are (besides those that occur in the Ācārādarśa also) : Pitṛhitākaraṇikāra, Nārāyaṇavṛtti (on Āśvalāyana Gr. S.), Mitākṣarā, Ratnakaraṇḍikā, Vidhipuṣpamālā (26 a), Śubhākara, Smṛtimañjarī, Smṛtimañjūṣā, Halāyudha's Śrāddhādhyāya. This work first treats of the details of the *Pārvaṇaśrāddha*, then of ekoddiṣṭa, of the monthly śrāddhas, the śrāddha on the 11th day after death, of Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa, of ābhyudayika śrāddha. It then proceeds to consider the definition of śrāddha.

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⁸⁷² कातीयकल्पं सहकर्कभाष्यं गोपालभूपालमतादि दृष्ट्वा । सतां च वाक्यानि निशम्य सम्यग्यजुर्विदां श्राद्धविधिं विधास्ये ॥ first verse of पितृभक्ति (D. C. Ms. No 152 of 1892-95).

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The Śrāddhakalpa was composed by him for the Sāmavedins. It is referred to in his Samayapradīpa⁸⁷³ and Pitṛbhakti (folio 33b)

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⁸⁷³ ‘निर्णीतमस्माभिः श्राद्धकल्पे’ समयप्रदीप folio 49 a (D. C. Ms. No. 371 of 1875-76).

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The Samayapradīpa treats of the proper times for various *vratas*.⁸⁷⁴ It is divided into three chapters (*paricchedas*). The first is called Samayapariccheda and dilates upon the definition of *vrata*, on the procedure about fasts, *nakta* and the *vratas* of Gaṇeśa and other deities, the second is called Saṁvatsara-kṛtya-pariccheda and treats of *vratas* from the *pratipadā* to the *amāvāsyā* in the several months and the third is called prakīrṇaka (miscellaneous) dealing with the *vratas* on *saṅkrānti* (the Sun's passage into another Zodiacal sign) etc. In this work Śrīdatta often refers to the views of the Gauḍas and contrasts them with his own. He also refers to Gauḍanibandha. No other writers or works except those that are already enumerated under Ācārādarśa and Pitṛbhakti are named in this work. On folio 7a there is a name which is somewhat indistinct and appears to be ‘Mitāmitrādibhiḥ’. The Samayapradīpa is mentioned in the Kṛtya-ratnākara (pp. 400, 479, 505) of Caṇḍeśvara and in Śūlapāṇi's Durgotsavaviveka.⁸⁷⁵ Śrīdatta is more frequently quoted in the Śrāddhakriyākaumudī of Govindānanda than almost any other author or work.

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⁸⁷⁴ श्रीदत्तेन व्रतादीनां सारमाकृष्य लिख्यते । verse 2 of समयप्रदीप.

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⁸⁷⁵ समांसरुधिरदानमाह श्रीदत्तोपाध्यायकृतसमयप्रदीपे भविष्यपुराणम् । दुर्गोत्सवविवेक p. 21 (Calcutta Sanskrit Sahitya Parishad ed.).

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As Śrīdatta names the Kalpataru, Harihara and Halāyudha's work on Śrāddha he must have flourished later than 1200 A. D. As Caṇḍeśvara mention his Samayapradīpa, Śrīdatta must have flourished before the first quarter of the 14th century. If Gaṇeśamiśra mentioned in the Ācārādarśa be the same as Gaṇeśvaramiśra, the author of Sugatisopāna and uncle of Caṇḍeśvara (which appears extremely probable), then Śrīdatta flourished a short time before Caṇḍeśvara and must have composed his works between 1275 and 1310 A. D.

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It appears that there was another Maithila writer called Śrīdattamiśra, son of Nāgeśvaramiśra, who composed the Ekāgnidānapaddhati and one or two other works (Hp. Nepal cat. p. 129). The Nepal Ms. of the Ekāgnidāna-paddhati was copied in La-Sam 299 (Lakṣamaṇasena era 299, i. e. 1418 A. D.). Vide Hp. Nepal cat. XII, 45 and 129. So this Śrīdatta flourished towards the end of the 14th century in the reign of Devasimha son of Bhaveśa. Vide JASB for 1915 pp. 379-381 and 388-390 for Śrīdatta.

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