History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s83.19

v1.c6.s83.19

Most of his works styled 'cintāmaṇi' are mentioned by Raghunandana in the *tattvas* (e. g. Kṛtyacintāmaṇi in Ekādaśītattva, Vivāda-and Vyavahāra-cintāmaṇi in Dāyatattva). The Śuddhicintāmaṇi is quoted in the Śuddhitattvārṇava of Śrīnātha-ācārya-cūḍāmaṇi, the Śrāddha-cintāmaṇi is quoted in the Śrādhha-kriyā-kaumudī (pp. 265, 475) and in the Śuddhikaumudī (pp. 89, 93) of Govindānanda, the Vivāda-cintāmaṇi is quoted in the Vīramitrodaya (p. 697) and the Vyavahāracintāmaṇi is criticized in the same work (p. 288). His Pitṛbhakti-taraṅgiṇī is mentioned in the Śuddhitattva and Śrāddhatattva. Vācaspati vouchsafes very little information about himself or his family. In the colophons of his works he is generally styled mahāmahopādhyāya and *miśra* or *sanmiśra*. In the colophon of the Śūdrācāra-cintāmaṇi⁹⁸⁴ he is described as the *pariṣad* (the adviser of the king in finally deciding difficult points of Dharmaśāstra) of *Mahārājādhirāja* Harinārāyaṇa. We saw above that his Mahādānanirṇaya connects itself with two kings Bhairava and his son Rūpanārāyaṇa. At the end of the Śrāddhakalpa we are told that Vācaspati who was the *pariṣad* of Rāmabhadradeva *alias* Rūpanārāyaṇa, son of Harinārāyaṇa, composed the work at the bidding of his patron.⁹⁸⁵ Vardhamāna in his Daṇḍaviveka says that one of his *gurus* was Vācaspati.⁹⁸⁶ It is probable that it is this Vācaspati that is meant. But as against this we must remember that Vācaspati in his Śrāddha-kalpa quotes Vardhamāna Upādhyāya on śrāddha. Vardhamāna wrote his Daṇḍaviveka while king Bhairava was reigning and his Gaṅgākṛtyaviveka for Rāmabhadradeva. So Vācaspati was an elder contemporary of Vardhamāna.