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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s95: 110. Nāgojībhaṭṭa

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s95

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110. Nāgojībhaṭṭa

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The learning of Nāgojībhaṭṭa was of an encyclopaedic character. Though his special *forte* was Vyākaraṇa ( grammar ) he wrote standard works also on poetics, dharmaśāstra, yoga and other śāstras. The total number of his works is about thirty. On dharmaśāstra he composed several works, viz. Ācārenduśekhara, Āśaucanirṇaya, Tithīnduśekhara, Tīrthenduśekhara, Prāyaścittenduśekhara or Prāyaścittasārasaṁgraha, Śrāddhenduśekhara, Sapiṇḍīmañjarī and Sapiṇḍyadīpikā or Sāpiṇḍyanirṇaya. Of his far-famed works on the Paṇinean system, such as the Mahābhāṣya-pradīpoddyota, the Paribhāṣenduśekhara, the Vaiyākaraṇasiddhāntamañjūṣā ( in large and small recensions ), the Śubdenduśekhara ( big and small ) and of his commentaries on the Kāvyaprakāśa-pradīpa, the Kuvalayānanda, the Rasagaṅgādhara, the Rasataraṅgiṇī, the Rasamañjarī, nothing can be said here for want of space.

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For his Prāyaścittenduśekhara, *vide*, Mitra's Notices vol. V, p. 23 No. 1735, where detailed contents are given; for the Śrāddhenduśekhara, Ulwar cat. extract No. 360 p. 139, for the Tīrthenduśekhara, Ulwar cat. p. 120, extract No. 312.

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Nāgojibhaṭṭa was the son of Śivabhaṭṭa and Satī and was a Mahārāṣṭra Brāhmaṇa surnamed Kāla (Kāḷe). At the beginning and end of several works of his (such as the Rasagaṅgādhara-marmaprakāśa, the Mañjūṣā) he tells us that he was patronised by Rāma of the Bisena family,¹¹³⁶ the ruler of a city named Śṛṅgavera (which seems to be on the Ganges above Allahabad). He was the pupil of Haridīkṣita,¹¹³⁷ son of Vīreśvara and pupil of Rāmāśrama and grandson of the great grammarian Bhaṭṭoji-dīkṣita.¹¹³⁸ Tradition says that he composed the grammatical work Śabdaratna and ascribed it to his teacher Haridīkṣita in gratitude. In the¹¹³⁹ commentary on the Prauḍhamanoramā Haridīkṣita refers to the Śabdaratna as his own work and to the Śabdenduśekhara as that of his pupil.

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¹¹³⁶ याचकानां कल्पतरोररिक्षतहताशनात् । नागेशः शृङ्गवेरेशरामतो लब्धजीविकः ॥ रसगङ्गाधरमर्मप्रकाश.

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¹¹³⁷ अधीत्य फणिभाष्याब्धिं सुधीन्द्रहरिदीक्षितात् । at the end of the मञ्जूषा.

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¹¹³⁸ गूढोक्तिमथितां पितामहकृतां विद्वत्प्रमोदप्रदां भक्त्याधीत्य मनोरमां निरुपमाद्रामश्रिमात्सद्गुरोः । तत्त्वाज्ञानवशात्परेण कलितान्दोषान् समुन्मूलयन् व्याचष्टे हरिरेष तां फणिमतान्यालोच्य वैरेश्वरीः ॥ 2nd Intro. verse to the शब्दरत्न, I. O. cat. p. 174 Nos. 651-52.

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¹¹³⁹ विस्तरस्तु अस्मत्कृते शब्दरत्ने मदन्तेवासिकृतशब्दन्दुशेखरादौ च द्रष्टव्यः । at end of D. C. ms. No. 520 of 1886-1892 and Tri. cat. Madras Govt. mss. for 1919-22 p. 4913 (1st verse).

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Bhaṭṭojidīkṣita was a pupil of the Mīmāṁsaka Śaṅkarabhaṭṭa and of Śeṣa Śrīkṛṣṇa and almost a contemporary of Jagnnāthapaṇḍita. Bhaṭṭoji's pupil Nīlakaṇṭha Śukla wrote a work in saṁvat 1663 (Dr. Belvalkar in 'Systems of Sanskrit Grammar', p. 47). Therefore he flourished in the first half of the 17th century. Nāgojibhaṭṭa was a pupil of Bhaṭṭoji's grandson. Therefore Nāgojibhaṭṭa must have flourished towards the end of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century. Nāgojibhaṭṭa's literary activities, looking to his vast out-put, must have extended over a long period of more than 50 years. The pedigree¹¹⁴⁰ from Bhaṭṭojidīkṣita, through a succession of teacher and pupils or father and son, is given below. *Vide* introduction to the Rasagaṅgādhara (Nirn. ed); Trivedi's introduction pp. 18-20 to the Vaiyākaraṇabhūṣaṇa of Koṇḍabhaṭṭa, a nephew of Bhaṭṭoji (B. S. series); Dr. Belvalkar's Systems of Sanskrit grammar pp. 46-50 and Kielhorn's preface to the Paribhāṣenduśekhara p. xxv (where the succession of teacher and pupil is brought down to the days of Kielhorn himself) for further details. In the Indian Antiquary, vol. 41 p. 247, Mr. S. P. V. Raṅganātha Svāmi makes Bhaṭṭoji a pupil of Śeṣa Vīreśvara and not of Śeṣa Kṛṣṇa. But the passage of the Manoramākucamardana, if properly interpreted, makes it clear that Bhaṭṭoji was the pupil of Śeṣa Kṛṣṇa and not of Vīreśvara.¹¹⁴¹ A ms. of Nāgojibhaṭṭa's commentary on the Rasamañjarī is dated *saṁvat* 1769, Māgha 7th bright half, Wednesday, i. e. 21st January 1713 A. D. (vide I. O. cat. vol. III p. 365). It is not unlikely that Nāgojibhaṭṭa first composed his commentaries on the comparatively easy śāstra of poetics and that he then worked upon Dharmaśāstra and Vyākaraṇa. The edition of the Rasagaṅgādhara in the Kāvyamālā series says that there is a tradition that Nāgoji was invited by king Savai Jaising of Jaipur to a horse-sacrifice in 1714 A. D., but that Nāgoji declined on the ground of *Kṣetra-saṁnyāsa*. Therefore his literary activity must be placed between 1700 and 1750 A. D. Mahāmahopādhyāya Haraprasad Śāstri says (Ind. Ant. vol. 41 p. 12) that Nāgoji died about 1775. But this appears rather improbable. If one of his works was copied in 1713 A. D. he could hardly have lived up to 1775, unless he was about 100 years old at that time.

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¹¹⁴⁰ The pedigrees are :—

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¹¹⁴¹ इह केचित् ... शेषवंशावतंसानां श्रीकृष्णपण्डितानां चिरायार्चितयोः पादुकयोः प्रसादासादितशब्दानुशासनाः तेषु च पारमेश्वरं पदं प्रयातेषु ... तत्रभवद्भिश्छासितं प्रक्रियाप्रकाशमाशयानवबोधनिबन्धनैर्दूषणैः स्वयं निर्मितायां मनोरमायामाकुल्यकार्षुः। सा च प्रक्रियाप्रकाशकृतां पौत्रैः ... अस्मद्गुरुपण्डितवीरेश्वराणां तनयैर्दूषितापि स्वमतिपरीक्षार्थं पुनरस्माभिर्निरीक्ष्यते ॥ p. 3 of the Intro. to the रसगङ्गाधर. If पादुका means 'pupil' here as Mr. Ranganath Svami contends (Ind. Ant. vol. 41 p. 251), why should the dual be necessary or be used and not the singular or plural? The प्रक्रियाप्रकाश is a com. on the प्रक्रियाकौमुदी of रामचन्द्राचार्य. Vide Journal of Oriental Research vol. III, part 2, p. 146 where it is said that Jagannātha was a pupil of वीरेश्वर, son of शेषकृष्ण, who lived under the partronage of Giridhārī, son of Toḍarmal and that Bhaṭṭoji was pupil of शेषकृष्ण and later of अप्पयदीक्षित.

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