Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s87: 102. Raghunandana

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s87

Language
English

102. Raghunandana

v1.c6.s87.1

Raghunandana is the last great writer of Bengal on dharmaśāstra. He compiled an encyclopædic work on the different branches of dharmaśāstra styled Smṛtitattva, divided into 28 sections called *tattvas*. He cites the names of over 300 authors and works in his encyclopaedia, which have been collected together by M. M. Chakravarti (JASB for 1915 pp. 363-375). His wonderful mastery over *smṛti* material and his erudition displayed in the Smṛti-tattva earned for him the appellation *smārtabhaṭṭācārya* or simply '*smārta*' from later writers. For example, the Vīramitrodaya refers to him in that way and so does Nīlakaṇṭha in his Vyavahāramayūkha.¹⁰¹⁷ His Smṛtitattva was printed at Serampore in Bengali characters so far back as 1834-35 A. D. and it has also been published by Jivananda (in two volumes). Some *tattvas* have been separately published as e. g. the Vyavahāra-tattva and the Dāyatattva (published at Calcutta in 1828 by the Department of Public Instruction). His Dāyatattva was translated into English by Golapcandra Sarkar. In his Malamāsatattva the names of his *tattvas* are given.¹⁰¹⁸ Vide Mitra's Notices, vol. III. p. 50 No. 1081 and I. O. cat. p. 420 No. 1405 for an enumeration of the *tattvas* and for reference to the volumes and pages in the Serampore edition. The *tattvas* are not arranged in the verses quoted below according to their chronological order, but according to the exigencies of the metre. In this work I have used Jivananda's edition.

v1.c6.s87.2

¹⁰¹⁷ Vide वीर० p. 697 on गौतम's sūtra 'स्त्रीधनं दुहितृणामप्रत्तानामप्रतिष्ठितानां च'; व्यवहारमयूख (text p. 112 of my edition) 'स्मार्तहरिनाथावप्येवमेव'.

v1.c6.s87.3

¹⁰¹⁸ मलिम्लुचे तथा दाये शुचौ च दशासंस्कृतौ। प्रायश्चित्ते विवाहे च तिथ्यां जन्माष्टमीव्रते ॥ दुर्गोत्सवे व्यवहृताबेकादश्यादिनिर्णये । तडागभवनोत्सर्गे वृषोत्सर्गत्रये व्रते ॥ प्रतिष्ठायां परीक्षायां ज्योतिषे वास्तुयज्ञके। दीक्षायामाह्निके कृत्ये क्षेत्रे श्रीपुरुषोत्तमे । सामश्राद्धे यजुःश्राद्धे शूद्रकृत्यविचारणे । इत्यष्टाविंशतिस्थाने तत्त्वं वक्ष्यामि यत्नतः ॥ The 28 तत्त्वs are on मलिम्लुच (intercalary month), दाय, शुद्धि, संस्कार, प्रायश्चित्त, विवाह, तिथि, जन्माष्टमी, दुर्गोत्सव, व्यवहार, एकादशी, तडागभवनोत्सर्ग, वृषोत्सर्ग (3 तत्त्वs on छन्दोगवृषो०, यजुर्वृषो०, and ऋग्वृषो०), व्रत, प्रतिष्ठा (two on देवप्रतिष्ठा and मठप्रतिष्ठा), दिव्य (i. e परीक्षा), ज्योतिष, वास्तुयज्ञ, दीक्षा, आह्निक, कृत्य, पुरुषोत्तमक्षेत्र, सामश्राद्ध, यजुःश्राद्ध, शूद्रकृत्य. In the Serampore edition ऋग्वृषोत्सर्ग is not printed (vide Chakravarti in JASB 1915 p. 363). In Jivananda's edition also the ऋग्वृषोत्सर्ग is not included and the जन्माष्टमीतत्त्व seems to be included under तिथितत्त्व.

v1.c6.s87.4

It is not feasible to give even brief summaries of Raghunandana's *tattvas*. Their vary names indicate the subject matter. But one of them, the Dāyatattva, deserves special mention. It treats of partition made by father, partition among brothers after their father's death, persons not entitled to a share, property not liable to partition, evidence of separation, *strīdhana* and its devolution, inheritance to one dying sonless etc. His Tithi-tattva contains a description in Sanskrit of the game called *Caturaṅga* played on the full moon of Āśvina by four players.

v1.c6.s87.5

Besides the 28 *tattvas* Raghunandana is said to have composed several other works. There is a commentary on the Dāyabhāga attributed to him. Colebrooke suspected its genuineness, but the colophon of the commentary¹⁰¹⁹ gives the same details about Raghunandana as are found in his admitted works. It is to be noticed that the Dāyatattva of Raghunandana sets forth the same principles of Hindu law that are peculiar to Jīmūtavāhana, though in matters of detail they disagree in a few cases. The Vīramitrodaya styles the author of the Dāyatattva a follower of Jīmūtavāhana.¹⁰²⁰ It has been held by the Calcutta High Court that Raghunandana's is the best commentary on the Dāyabhāga and that the authority of Raghunandana is acknowledged and respected universally in the Bengal School.¹⁰²¹

v1.c6.s87.6

¹⁰¹⁹ इति श्रीवन्द्यघटीयहरिहरभट्टाचार्यात्मजरघुनन्दनभट्टाचार्यकृता दायभागटीका समाप्ता।

v1.c6.s87.7

¹⁰²⁰ जीमूतवाहनस्तु ब्राह्मादिविवाहेषु यद्धनं तदेवानेन व्यवस्थाप्यते न तु तत्सद्विपाढोढायाः सर्वं धनम् । ... इत्याह । तदनुगामी दायतत्त्वकृदप्येवम् । वीर० p. 703.

v1.c6.s87.8

¹⁰²¹ I. L. R. 4 Cal. 550 at p. 554 ; I. L. R. 22. Cal. 347 at p. 351

v1.c6.s87.9

Besides the above, Raghunandana wrote also Tīrthatattva or Tīrthayātrāvidhitattva, the Dvādaśayātrātattva (on the principal festivals at Jagannāthapurī, one in each month), Tripuṣkaraśānti-tattva, Gayāśrāddhapaddhati and Rāsayātrāpaddhati. His works however are not very much in vogue elsewhere than in Bengal.

v1.c6.s87.10

Raghunandana was the son of Hariharabhaṭṭācārya and was a Bengal Vandyaghaṭīya Brāhmaṇa. He was a pupil of Śrīnātha-ācārya-cūḍāmaṇi, whose works are frequently quoted in the several *tattvas* (vide Chakravarti in JASB for 1915 p. 351 n. 2). According to tradition Raghunandana and the great Vaiṣṇavite saint Caitanya were pupils of the same teacher, Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma, who was the shining light of the new logic ( navyanyāya ) at Navadvīpa and were residents of that place ( Sarvadhikari's Tagore Law Lectures, first edition p. 403ff. ).

v1.c6.s87.11

Among the authors and works quoted in his encyclopaedia by Raghunandana those noted below deserve mention.¹⁰²²

v1.c6.s87.12

¹⁰²² अद्भुतसागर, अनन्तभट्ट, अनिरुद्ध, अपिपाल, आचारचन्द्रिका, आचारचिन्तामणि, आचारादर्श, कर्मोपदेशिनी, कल्पतरु, कविकान्तसरस्वती, कामधेनु, कामरूपीयनिबन्ध, कालकौमुदी, कालनिर्णय ( of माधव ), कालविवेक, कालादर्श, कुल्लुकभट्ट, कृत्यकौमुदी, कृत्यचिन्तामणि, कृत्यतत्त्वार्णव, गङ्गावाक्यावलि, गृहस्थरत्नाकर, गोविन्दभट्ट, गोविन्दमानसोल्लास, चण्डेश्वर, जितन, जीमूतवाहन, ढुण्ढपद्धति, तीर्थचिन्तामणि, दानवाक्यावलि, दीपकलिका, दुर्गाभक्तितरङ्गिणी, द्वैतनिर्णय, नव्यवर्धमानोपाध्याय, निर्णयामृत, पण्डितसर्वस्व, पशुपति, पारिजात, पितृदयिता, पितृभक्ति, पितृभक्तितरङ्गिणी, पृथ्वीधरमिश्राचार्य, प्रयोगसार, प्रायश्चित्तविवेक, बल्लालसेनदेव, बालक, ब्राह्मणसर्वस्व, भवदेवभट्ट, भीमपराक्रम, भुजबलभीम, भोज, मदनपारिजात, महादाननिर्णय, माधवाचार्य, युद्धजयार्णव, योग्लोक, रामार्चनचन्द्रिका, रायमुकुट, रुद्रधर, वाचस्पतिमिश्र, विद्यापति, विवादचिन्तामणि, व्यवहारचिन्तामणि, शूलपाणि, श्राद्धचन्द्रिका (of his teacher), श्रीदत्त, सुगतिसोपान, हरिनांथ, हरिभक्ति, हरिहर, हेमाद्रि.

v1.c6.s87.13

Aufrecht placed Raghunandana between 1430-1612 A. D. Dr. Jolly ( Tagore Law Lectures p. 10 ) places him early in the 16th century. In I. L. R. 48 Cal. 643 ( F. B. ) at p. 695 it is said that Raghunandana belongs to the latter half of the 15th century. As Raghunandana's works are quoted and criticised by the Vīramitrodaya ( pp. 79, 531, 683, 697, 703 etc., ) and by Nīlakaṇṭha, Raghunandana is certainly earlier than 1600 A. D. As he names Mādhavācārya, Śūlapāṇi, Rāyamukuṭa, Rudradhara and Vācaspati, he is later than about 1500 A. D. If tradition is to be believed that he was a fellow-student of Caitanya he must have been born about 1490 A. D. Caitanya is said to have been born in 1485 or 1486 A. D. ¹⁰²³ In his Jyotiṣtattva he mentions *śake* 1421¹⁰²⁴ in connection with the position of Viṣuva. That shows that the work was not composed probably very much long after that date ( i. e. 1499-1500 A. D. ) In the same Tattva ( vol. I. p. 568 )

v1.c6.s87.14

¹⁰²³ Vide Prof. Jadunath Sarkar's ' Caitanya's pilgrimage and teachings ' for 1485 ( as birth date ) and M. T. Kennedy's ' Religious life of India ' ( 1925 ) p. 13 for 1486 A. D.

v1.c6.s87.15

¹⁰²⁴ विषुवं मीनकन्यार्धे त्वेकाक्षीन्द्रे शकाब्दके । ( Jivanand,a vol. I, p. 568 ).

v1.c6.s87.16

for calculating ravi-saṁkrānti he takes śake 1489 as the basis (i. e. 1567 A. D.). So that Tattva was composed just about that year. A ms. of the Chāndoga-śrāddha-tattva was copied in *śake* 1497 (1575-76 A. D.)¹⁰²⁵ and a ms. of the Maṭha-pratiṣṭhā-tattva was copied in *śake* 1498 (i. e. 1576-77 A. D.).¹⁰²⁶ Therefore he must have flourished before 1575. Thus he flourished between 1490 and 1570 and his literary activity, which must have been spread over a long period if we consider the number of his works, lies between 1520-1570. Vide an interesting discussion about his date in JASB for 1915, pp. 354-357 by M M. Chakravarti who places Raghunandana between 1510-1565 A. D.

v1.c6.s87.17

¹⁰²⁵ Mitra's Notices, vol. III, p. 50 No. 1081.

v1.c6.s87.18

¹⁰²⁶ Mitra's Notices, vol. III, p. 53 No. 1083.

Linked texts (34)