Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s89: 104. Ṭoḍarānanda

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s89

Language
English

104. Ṭoḍarānanda

v1.c6.s89.1

Rājā Ṭoḍaramalla, the celebrated finance minister of Akbar, compiled an extensive encyclopædia of civil and religious law, astronomy and medicine. The several parts of that encyclopædia dealing with *ācāra*, *dāna*, *vyavahāra*, *śrāddha*, *viveka*, *prāyaścitta*, *samaya* were called *saukhyas*. An account of some of the *saukhyas* that were available to me may be concisely given here. The Vyavahārasaukhya (D. C. ms. No. 366 of 1875-76) begins with an invocation of Śiva, speaks of the *pārasīka* emperor¹⁰²⁹ (Akbar) of Hind (India) and then deals with the several topics of judicial procedure such as the king's duty to look into disputes, the *sabhā*, judge, meaning of the word *vyavahāra*, enumeration of 18 *vyavahārapadas*, time and place of *vyavahāra*, the plaint, the reply, the agent of the parties (*pratinidhi*), *pratyākalita*, the superiority of one mode of proof over another, witnesses, documents, possession, inference, ordeals and oaths, grades of punishments and fines. The Vyavahārasaukhya does not dwell on the exposition of the several titles of law. Besides the smṛti writers, it principally relies on the Kalpataru, the Pārijāta, Bhavadeva, the Mitākṣarā, the Ratnākara, Harihara and Halāyudha. The several sections are styled *harṣas*.

v1.c6.s89.2

¹⁰²⁹ श्रीमान्हैन्दवपारसीकधरणिशक्रस्य राजाग्रणी राजा टोडरमल्लचण्डकिरणस्तीव्रप्रतापोदयः। लोकानामतिगाढदुर्नयतमोध्वंसाय पद्मोत्सवानातानन्वन् व्यवहारनिर्णयकरश्रेणीं तनोत्युज्ज्वलाम् ॥ 2nd verse.

v1.c6.s89.3

The Vivāhasaukhya (D. C. ms. No. 868 of 1884-87) is concerned with the astrological aspects of marriage (e. g. the proper year, month, day, sign, nakṣatra &c., for marriage). It names numerous authors and works, some of which are noted below.¹⁰³⁰

v1.c6.s89.4

¹⁰³⁰ उत्पल, चण्डेश्वर (on राजाभिषेक), चतुर्वर्गचिन्तामणि, जयतुङ्ग, त्रिविक्रम, दैवतमनोहर (दैवज्ञ ?), दैवज्ञचिन्तामणि, पृथ्वीचन्द्रोदय, भीमपराक्रम, भुजबल, माहेश्वर, राजमार्तण्ड, रत्नकोश, लल्लट, विवाहपटल (of वराह), विवाहवृन्दावन, व्यवहारचण्डेश्वर, व्यवहारोच्चय, श्रीपति, सत्याचार्य, सारावलि, संहिताप्रदीप, सिद्धान्तशिरोमणि.

v1.c6.s89.5

The Śrāddhasaukhya (D. C. ms. No. 257 of 1884-87) is an extensive work and deals with the usual topics such as the different kinds of śrāddhas, the time and place for śrāddha, the proper brāhmaṇas, sapiṇḍīkaraṇa &c. The sections of this work also are divided into *harṣas*. Besides those enumerated above the authors and works mentioned are noted below.¹⁰³¹

v1.c6.s89.6

¹⁰³¹ कर्क, त्रिकाण्डमण्डन, नारायण, प्रकाशकार, माधवीय, वर्धमान, वासुदेव, श्राद्धपल्लव, श्राद्धविवेक, श्रीदत्त, स्मृतिमञ्जरीकार.

v1.c6.s89.7

The Jyotiḥsaukhya (D. C. ms. No. 915 of 1886-92) constitutes the Saṁhitā branch of Indian astronomy and deals with such topics as the results of eclipses, the appearance of comets, the rise of Agastya, Ursa major, the signs of the Zodiac &c. It frequently refers to Kāśyapa, Garga (or Vṛddhagarga), Parāśara, Mayūracitra, Varāha. The colophons state that Ṭoḍaramalla was a scion of the Ṭaṇḍala (or -na) family and that the work was compiled by Nīlakaṇṭha at the order of Ṭoḍaramalla.¹⁰³² This Nīlakaṇṭha appears to be the author of the Sañjñātantra on which a commentary was written by his son Govinda in 1622 A. D., in which it is stated that Nīlakaṇṭha was honoured by Akbar and had composed the Ṭoḍarānanda.¹⁰³³ In the Tājika-Nīlakaṇṭhī of Nīlakaṇṭha it is stated that the author composed works on the three branches of Jyotiṣa which gave delight to Ṭoḍara.¹⁰³⁴

v1.c6.s89.8

¹⁰³² इति श्रीमन्महाराजाधिराजश्रीटंडलवंशातिलकटोडरमल्लकारिते श्रीदैवज्ञवर्यनीलकण्ठ-विरचिते तोडरानन्दे ज्योतिःसुखे संहितास्कन्धे &c. folio 23a.

v1.c6.s89.9

¹⁰³³ Vide cat. of BBRAS mss. part I, p. 187 No. 262.

v1.c6.s89.10

¹⁰³⁴ यन्नाम प्रथितं हि भूमिवलये शिष्यप्रशिष्यैर्महद् भूमीपालसमूहसेवितपदालोकाध्वरेणान्वितः। श्रीदिल्हीप्रभुना हि टोडरविभोरासन्ददं ज्योतिषकं त्रिस्कन्धं स्वरुतैः सुपद्यनिवहैस्तत्ताजिकं चाकरोत् ॥ 9th verse, Peterson's cat. of Ulwar mss., extract No. 502.

v1.c6.s89.11

The Jyotiḥsaukhya was composed in śake 1494¹⁰³⁵ (i. e. 1572 A. D.). The ms. of the Vyavahārasaukhya bears at the end the date *saṁvat* 1638 (1581-82¹⁰³⁶ A. D.) which seems to be the date of its composition. Ṭoḍaramalla was a man of versatile genius. He distinguished himself as an able commander as well as a great financier and statesman. For a brief account of his life, vide Blochmann’s translation of the Ain-i-Akbari, vol. I. pp. 351-352. It is there stated that he was *Khetri* by caste, that, though it is generally stated that he was born at Lahore, he was really born at Laharpur in Oudh (p. 620) and that he died at Lahore on the 11th day of 998 of the Mussulman era¹⁰³⁷ (i. e. 1589 A. D.). The Marathi magazine ‘Itihāsasaṁgraha’ publishes an inscription on a stone found in the Draupadīkuṇḍa at Benares wherein it is said that Toḍara of the Ṭaṇḍana family constructed that beautiful reservoir in 1646 of the Vikrama era¹⁰³⁸ (i.e. 1589 A. D.). Therefore it follows that literary works were compiled under the patronage of Todarmal between 1565-1589 A. D.

v1.c6.s89.12

¹⁰³⁵ ' तथा च सांप्रतिकः शकः १४९४ षट्द्विकपञ्चद्वियुतः ४०२० ' folio 38.

v1.c6.s89.13

¹⁰³⁶ ' संवत् १६३८ समये कुरसुदि २ शुक्रवार ' D. C. ms. No. 366 of 1875-76.

v1.c6.s89.14

¹⁰³⁷ Vide also ‘Akbar’ in the Rulers of India series (1890) p. 134 where the date of his death is given as 10th Nov. 1589 A. D.

v1.c6.s89.15

¹⁰³⁸ Vide इतिहाससंग्रह ed. by the late Rao Bahadur D. B. Parasnis, vol. I, part 4, p. 20. ऋतुनिगमरसात्मासंमिते (१६४६) वत्स्रेशे सुकृतिकृतिहितैषी टोडरक्षोणिपालः। विहितविविधपूर्तोचीकरच्चारुवापीं विमलसलिलसारां बद्धसोपानपङ्क्तिम्॥

Linked texts (17)