Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s91: 106. Kamalākarabhaṭṭa

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s91

Language
English

106. Kamalākarabhaṭṭa

v1.c6.s91.1

Kamalākarabhaṭṭa was one of the foremost scions of the Bhaṭṭa family. He was a grandson of the famous Nārāyaṇabhaṭṭa and a son of Rāmakṛṣṇabhaṭṭa. He was one of three brothers, the eldest being Dinakara *alias* Divākara¹⁰⁷⁶ and the youngest was Lakṣmaṇabhaṭṭa,¹⁰⁷⁷ who studied under Kamalākarabhaṭṭa. Kamalākarabhaṭṭa's father Rāmakṛṣṇa also was a very¹⁰⁷⁸ learned man and a profound *mīmāṁsaka* and his mother Umā immolated herself as a *satī*. Kamalākara was a man of profound erudition and composed works on almost every śāstra. In some of his own works there are high eulogies of his learning and proficiency in Tarka, Nyāya, grammar, mīmāṁsa (in both the schools of Kumārila and Prabhākara), Vedānta, Poetics, dharmaśāstra and Vedic sacrifices.¹⁰⁷⁹ He composed more than twenty-two works. At the end of his Vivādataṇḍava, it is said that he composed the Nirṇayasindhu, a commentary on the Vārtika (of Kumārila), a work on the *mīmāṁsā* (śāstratattva) and a series of 20 other works.¹⁰⁸⁰ At the end of a ms. of the Śāntiratna in the Bhau Daji collection there is a list of 22 works of his out of which the Nirṇayasindhu is said to have been the first.¹⁰⁸¹ More than half of these works are concerned with topics of Dharmaśāstra, viz. the Nirṇayasindhu, the Dānakamalākara, Śāntiratna, Pūrtakamalākara, Vratakamalākara, Prāyaścittaratna, Vivādatāṇḍava, Bahvṛcāhnika, Gotrapravaradarpaṇa, Karmavipākaratna, Śūdrakamalākara, Sarvatīrthavidhi. The Śūdrakamalākara, the Vivādatāṇḍava and the Nirṇayasindhu are the most famous of his works on dharmaśāstra. Brief references may be made here to some of the works of Kamalākara-bhaṭṭa other than the three mentioned above. It appears from the introductory verses of the Vratakamalākara that Kamalākara intended to compose a digest on dharma called Dharmatattva in ten paricchedas¹⁰⁸² and not only carried it out but added some more works on dharma. It will be noticed that nine out of these 10 sections are enumerated under the same names at the end of the Śāntiratna quoted above, the one not named being the section on *ācāra*. Burnell mentions a work called Ācāradīpa by Kamalākara on daily duties and on the same page notices another work on āhnika by Kamalākara.¹⁰⁸³ It is difficult to say whether both are names of the same work. It is not unlikely that the ācāra section of the digest Dharmatattva is the same as the Bahvṛcāhnika enumerated at the end of the Śāntiratna. There is a ms. of the Bavṛcāhnika at Bikaner.¹⁰⁸⁴ It deals with daily duties commencing with rising

v1.c6.s91.2

¹⁰⁷⁶ बिन्दुमाधवपादाब्जरोलम्बीकृतविग्रहम् । ज्यायांसं भ्रातरं भट्टदिवाकरमुपास्महे ॥ 6th Intro. verse of निर्णयसिन्धु.

v1.c6.s91.3

¹⁰⁷⁷ अधीत्य लक्ष्मणाख्येन कमलाकरसोदरात् । आचाररत्नं सुधिया यथामति वितन्यते ॥ 7th Intro. verse of आचाररत्न.

v1.c6.s91.4

¹⁰⁷⁸ यो भाट्टतन्त्रगहनार्णवकर्णधारः शास्त्रान्तरेषु निखिलेष्वपि मर्मभेत्ता । योऽत्र श्रमः किल कृतः कमलाकरेण प्रीतोमुनास्तु सुकृती बुधरामकृष्णः ॥ शूद्रकमलाकर.

v1.c6.s91.5

¹⁰⁷⁹ तर्के दुस्तर्कमेधः फणिपतिभणितिः पाणिनीये प्रपञ्चे न्याये प्रायः प्रगल्भः प्रकटितपटिमा भाट्टशास्त्रप्रघट्टे । प्राप्तः प्राभाकरीये पथि प्रथितदुरुहान्तवेदान्तसिन्धुः । श्रौते साहित्यकाव्ये प्रचुरतरगतिर्धर्मशास्त्रेषु यश्च ॥ from काव्यप्रकाशव्याख्या D. C. ms. No. 433 of 1895-1902.

v1.c6.s91.6

¹⁰⁸⁰ येनाकारि प्रौढता वार्तिकस्य टीका चान्या विंशतिग्रन्थमाला । श्रीरामार्ङ्घ्योर्पिता निर्णयेषु सिन्धुः शास्त्रे तत्त्वकौतूहले च ॥ Vide I. O. cat. p. 455 No. 1502; also vide D. C. ms. No. 122 of 1883-84 for a ms. of कमलाकर's commentary on the first pāda of the 2nd chap. called भावार्थ of the तन्त्रवार्तिक.

v1.c6.s91.7

¹⁰⁸² रामकृष्णतनूजेन कमलाकरशर्मणा । क्रियते धर्मतत्त्वानां कमलानामिहाकरः ॥ व्रतदाने कर्मपाकः शान्तिपूर्ते तथैव च । आचारो व्यवहारश्च प्रायश्चित्तमथापरम् ॥ शूद्रधर्मस्तीर्थविधिः परिच्छेदा दशात्र तु । Intro. verses to व्रतकमलाकर, vide Mitra's Bikaner cat. p. 499, No. 1071.

v1.c6.s91.8

¹⁰⁸³ Vide Burnell's Tanjore cat. p. 135 b.

v1.c6.s91.9

¹⁰⁸⁴ Vide Mitra's Bikaner cat. p, 355 No. 767.

v1.c6.s91.10

करः ॥ शान्तिरत्नं ततः पूर्तव्रतयोः कमलाकरः । धन्या वेदान्तरत्नं च सभादराकुतूहलम् ॥ प्रायश्चित्ते रत्नमेकं व्यवहारे तथापरम् । बह्वृचाह्निकमन्यच्च गोत्रप्रवरदर्पणः ॥ रत्नं कर्मविपाकाख्यं कार्तवीर्यस्य पद्धतिः । सोमप्रयोगः शूद्राणां धर्मो रुद्रस्य पद्धतिः ॥ टिप्पणी च तथा शास्त्रदीपिकालोकसंज्ञिता । मीमांसायां तथा शास्त्रतत्त्वस्य कमलाकरः ॥ सर्वतीर्थविधिश्चैव भक्तिरत्नं तथोत्तमम् । रामकृष्णसुतेनेत्थं कमलाकरशर्मणा । द्वयधिका विंशतीनां च ग्रन्थानां रत्नमालिका । सेवां कर्तुमशक्तेन समर्पिता रामपादयोः ॥ concluding verses of शान्तिरत्न.

v1.c6.s91.11

from one's bed at the *brāhma muhūrta*. In this work Kamalākarabhaṭṭa refers to his own Prāyaścittaratna, and to the Madanapārijāta, Madanaratna, Mādhava and Śūlapāṇi. The Pūrtakamalākara¹⁰⁸⁵ was an extensive work and dealt with the dedication of tanks, wells, trees and gardens to the public, the dedication of Aśvattha tree and five sacred trees, dedication and laying the foundation of public buildings, consecration of sacred images, of Śālagrāma, of temples and flags, repairing of images, accidental breaking of temples, consecration of Vināyaka, pacification of planets, coronation of kings and emperors. In this work he mentions his own Dānakamalākara.

v1.c6.s91.12

¹⁰⁸⁵ Vide Mitra's Notices vol. V. p. 138 No. 1881 for पूर्तकमलाकर; in the Bombay Asiatic Society's collection there is a portion of this.

v1.c6.s91.13

The Śāntiratna or Śāntikamalākara is a huge work.¹⁰⁸⁶

v1.c6.s91.14

¹⁰⁸⁶ Vide I. O. cat. p. 568 No. 1758 and BBRAS cat. p. 234 No 729 for शान्तिरत्न.

v1.c6.s91.15

It deals with various rites for propitiating Vināyaka, the nine planets, and for averting the consequences of portentous occurrences and evil omens, birth on such constellations as *mūla*, the observances known as Ekādaśinī, Laghurudra, Mahārudra, Śatacaṇḍī &c. He refers to his own Nirṇayasindhu in this work.

v1.c6.s91.16

For his Gotrapravaradarpaṇa or Gotrapravaranirṇaya, vide I. O. cat. p. 579 No. 1780. He follows the Pravaramañjarī in this work. This work is referred to in his Nirṇayasindhu.

v1.c6.s91.17

In the Bombay Asiatic Society's Library there is a ms. of his Saṁskāra-prayogakamalākara which appears to be over and above the 22 works enumerated above.¹⁰⁸⁷ He starts with an enumeration of the 48 *saṁskāras* mentioned by Gautama, deals with the several saṁskāras of puṁsavana, jātakarma, marriage &c., and with utsarjana and upākarma, propitiatory rites on the first appearance of menses, the Aṣṭakā śrāddha &c.

v1.c6.s91.18

¹⁰⁸⁷ Vide I. O. cat. p. 514 No 1630 for संस्कारकमलाकर.

v1.c6.s91.19

His Śāstratattva-kautūhala or Tattva-kamalākara appears to have been a work of considerable interest dealing with the bearing of the doctrines and maxims of the Mīmāṁsā system on ritual and dharmaśāstra.¹⁰⁸⁸ A ms. of it is dated *saṁvat* 1695 caitra śukla 4 Friday (i. e. 9th March 1638 A. D. ).

v1.c6.s91.20

¹⁰⁸⁸ Vide Mitra's Notices, vol. III. p. 335 No. 1331 for तत्त्वकमलाकर.

v1.c6.s91.21

For the Prāyaścittaratna, vide Bühler's report, 3, p. 108.

v1.c6.s91.22

I was able to secure a ms. of the Vivādatāṇḍava from the Mandlik collection in the Fergusson College at Poona. That work closely resembles in method and matter the Vyavahāramayūkha of Kamalākara's cousin Nīlakaṇṭha, the section on ordeals being almost the same in both. It treats of the following subjects : the *sabhā* ; members of the *sabhā* ; Judge, amātya ; the scribe and the accountant ; conflict of smṛtis ; the plaint, the reply, the modes of proof, viz., documents, witnesses, possession ; modes of punishment ; the principal and secondary sons ; the enumeration of the eighteen titles of law ; partition of heritage and detailed description of the other titles. Like the Vyavahāramayūkha, the Vivādatāṇḍava quotes the Madanaratna as frequently as (or perhaps more frequently than) the Mitākṣarā. The other writers and works quoted are noted below.¹⁰⁸⁹ As it mentions several works of his own, viz. Nirṇayasindhu, the Dānakamalākara, the Prāyaścittaratna and the Śūdradharma (i. e. Śūdrakamalākara), the Vivādatāṇḍava was one of his latest works. On several points he differs from his own cousin Nīlakaṇṭha. For example, he prefers the mother to the father as an heir and does not give the sister a high place among the *gotraja* heirs as Nīlakaṇṭha does. The Vivādatāṇḍava has been frequently noticed in judicial decisions.¹⁰⁹⁰

v1.c6.s91.23

¹⁰⁸⁹ अपरार्क, कल्पतरु, गोविन्दराज, जीमूतवाहन, दिव्यतत्त्व (of गौड i. e. रघुनन्दन), भोज, मनुटीका, माधवीय, रत्नाकर, विश्वरूप, शिरोमणि, शिरोमणिभट्टाचार्य.

v1.c6.s91.24

¹⁰⁹⁰ Vide I. L. R. 33 Bom. 452 at p. 459, I. L. R. 9 Cal. 315 at p. 324, I. L. R. 39 Cal. 319 at p. 331 for references to विवादताण्डव.

v1.c6.s91.25

The Śūdrakamalākara (also called Śūdra-dharmatattva or Śūdradharmatattvaprakāśa) has been printed in Bombay several times (with Marathi translation). I used the Nirṇayasāgara edition of 1895. In this work he refers to his own Dānakamalākara, Pūrtakamalākara, Prāyaścittaratna and Nirṇayasindhu. Out of about two hundred authors and works quoted therein, prominent ones are noted below.¹⁰⁹¹ This work is a standard treatise on the duties and religious observances of Śūdras.

v1.c6.s91.26

¹⁰⁹¹ आचार्यचूडामणि, तिथितत्त्व, मदनरत्न, माधवीय, रूपनारायणीय, शुद्धिविवेक (of रुद्रधर), शूलपाणि, श्रीदत्त, स्मृतिकौमुदी, हरिहरभाष्य.

v1.c6.s91.27

He first starts with the discussion that the Śūdra is not authorised to study the Vedas, but that he can listen to the recitation by Brāhmaṇas of smṛtis and purāṇas and religious rites are to be performed for Śūdras with Purāṇic *mantras*. Then the following subjects are dealt with :— worship of Viṣṇu and other deities by Śūdras and the observances of *vratas* and fasts by them ; Śūdra can make gifts of works of public utility (pūrta) ; Śūdra can adopt a son ; the conflicting views as to the number of saṁskāras for a Śūdra, most authors holding that he is entitled to ten saṁskāras (without Vedic *mantras*), viz. garbhādhāna, puṁsavana, sīmanta, jātakarma, nāmakaraṇa, śiśuniṣkramaṇa, annaprāśana, cūḍākarma, karṇavedha and vivāha ; the five great daily yajñas were to be performed for the śūdra according to the Vājasaneyaśākha ;¹⁰⁹² śrāddhas for Śūdra (to be performed with uncooked food) ; actions prescribed and forbidden in the case of Śūdras ; the details of various rites and saṁskāras of Śūdras ; the daily duties of Śūdras ; impurity on birth and death ; rites after death ; duties of wives and widows ; persons of mixed castes who have to follow the rules laid down for Śūdras ; rules for those who are born of *pratiloma* connections ; about *Kāyasthas*.

v1.c6.s91.28

¹⁰⁹² This is interesting ' तथा शूद्राणां पञ्चमहायज्ञाश्च भवन्ति । ... ते च वाजसनेयिशाखया कार्याः । शूद्रा वाजसनेयिन इति गौडनिबन्धे दक्षोक्तेः । हरिहरभाष्ये विवाहप्रकरणेप्येवमुक्तम् ' शूद्रकमलाकर p. 51 ; vide शूद्रकृत्यविचारतत्त्व (Jivananda vol. II p. 634) and मलमासतत्त्व (vol. I, p. 792) for an explanation of this.

v1.c6.s91.29

The Nirṇayasindhu or Nirṇayakamalākara is the most famous of Kamalākara's works. It is a monument of erudition, industry and lucidity. It has been judicially referred to as a work of authority.¹⁰⁹³ I have used the Nirṇayasāgara edition of 1905 (with Marāṭhī translation). In the whole range of nibandhakāras there is hardly any other writer, except perhaps Nīlakaṇṭha and Mitramiśra, who lays under contribution as many works as Kamalākara does. In the Nirṇayasindhu about one hundred smṛtis and over three hundred nibandhakāras are mentioned by name. In the introductory verses he expressly says that he pondered over the views of Hemādri, Mādhava and other learned writers. The work is divided into three *paricchedas*. The following is a very concise statement of the contents of this voluminous work. The principal subject is to give decisive opinions as to the proper times

v1.c6.s91.30

¹⁰⁹³ I. L. R. 3 Bom. at p. 197 ; *Khushalchand v. Bai Mani* I. L. R. 11 Bom. 247 at p. 254 ; I. L. R. 46 Bom. at p. 556 ; I. L. R. 49 Bom. 739 at p. 757 ; I. L. R. 9 Cal 315 at p. 324.

Linked texts (12)