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A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c10.s8: 33. Jyeṣṭhadeva-Śiṣya (c. 1550-1625)

A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c10.s8

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33. Jyeṣṭhadeva-Śiṣya (c. 1550-1625)

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A disciple of Jyeṣṭhadeva, who studied *Tantrasaṅgraha* under him, has composed a metrical commentary on that work; this commentary extends, unfortunately, only to the first four of the eight chapters of that work.¹

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¹ Cf. the concluding verse :

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34. Māttūr Nampūtiri-s : Puruṣottama I and Subrahmaṇya I (c.1475-1550)

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Two Muhūrtapadavī-s, out of the seven texts that go under that name, have been widely known as the works of two brothers belonging to the Māttūr (Skt. Mahāvastu) family in the village of Pāññāḷ (Skt. Pāñcālagrāma), near Chelakkara in Cochin. These two works, comprising, respectively, of 36 and 43 verses, condense in themselves, independently, the prescription of auspicious times for all the major social and religious functions and indication of the baneful times which are to be avoided. Their popularity, as attested by their numerous manuscripts as available and the several commentaries on them is matched only by the obscurity that surrounded the names of their authors. It has now been possible to identify both these writers. A unique manuscript of the first of these two works, preserved in the India Office, London, (Catal. No. 8070), carries a colophon giving the name of its author as Puruṣottama :

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V(B)ṛhadāvṛtigehasambhavena dvijarajñā Puruṣottamena |
gurunathakṛpabalat kṛtam yat tad idam sadviduṣām mude 'stu nityam ||

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With regard to the second of the two works, a hitherto unnoticed commentary thereon available in the Āzhvāñceri Mana (List No. 81) etc., mentions in its introductory verse the name of the author of the text as Subrahmaṇya. Cf. :

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‘vṛddhimdheyad hitaya’sau savitā vas trayīmayaḥ
yadraśmisambhramād bhānti jyotīmṣy etāni santatam |
śrisvarṇabhumir vidvabhir sevyā, padyair iyam kṛtā
Muhūrtapadavī yena Subrahmaṇyam praṇaumi tam ||

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It is also of interest to note that the first words of the said verse, viz., Vṛddhimdheyaddhitāya (16,91,994), gives the date of composition

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ity eṣa Parakroḍavasadvijavara-samīrito yo 'rthaḥ |
sa tu Tantrasaṅgrahasya prokto 'dhyāye caturthe 'bhūt ||

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The view expressed by some scholars (cf. U¹. II. 120, Va. II. 498 and Intro., to the edn. of Tanrasaṅgraha, TSS 188) that the author of the commentary was a ‘Brāhman of the Parakroḍa village’ is not warranted by this verse.

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of the work as A. D. 1531, enabling the date of the author to be fixed correctly.¹

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¹ On Māttūr Nampūtiri-s, see K. Sankara Menon, Intro. to his edn. of *Muhūrtapadavī* with *Bālaśaṅkaram*, *Śrī Vanchi Setu Lakshmi Series*, No. 5, (Trivandrum, 1926); Ul. II.110-11 ; Va. II. 601-12.

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35. Nārāyaṇa of Kāṇvavastu (c. 15th cent.) : Nārāyaṇa II

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Nārāyaṇan Nampūtiri hailing from the village of Kāṇvavastu, which is differently identified with Tṛkkaṇṇapuram and Kaṇṇanparampu in Malabar, was the son of Keśava.² Nārāyaṇa's *Muhūrtadīpaka* is a comprehensive treatise in about 400 verses on the selection of auspicious times for social and religious functions and has been cited as an authority by Śaṅkara of Mahiṣamaṅgalam (see below).³

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² Ulloor (II. 107) suggests that Nārāyaṇa might have been one of the teachers of Parameśvara of Vaṭaśreṇi. But this is not possible, for the name of the father of the present Nārāyaṇa is Keśava (cf.: *kaścid dvijo guṇakhyāta-Keśavakhyadvij-ātmajaḥ | Kāṇvavastv-āhvayagrāmajanmā Nārāyaṇāhvayaḥ ||*), while the name of the father of Parameśvara's teacher Nārāyaṇa was Parameśvara (cf. Nīlakaṇṭha Somayājī's statement on the subject: *Parameśvaras tu Rudra-Parameśvarātmaja-Nārāyaṇa-Mādhavādibhyo golavidbhyo gaṇitagolayuktir api balya eva samyag gṛhītvā* etc. (*Āryabhaṭīya-bhāṣya*, Gola. 48 ; edn., Pt. III, p. 154).

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³ On Nārāyaṇa, see Ul. II. 107 ; Va. II. 612-13.

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36. Rudra Vāriyar (c. 1475-1550) : Rudra II

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Rudra (Mal. Uzhuttira) Vāriyar belonged to the Deśamaṅgalam Vāriyam, in South Malabar, which, during the middle ages, was a renowned centre of Sanskrit studies and a rich repository of manuscripts.⁴ Rudra wrote in A.D. 1527 his elaborate commentary called *Nauka* or *Vivarana* on Varahamihira's *Hora*.⁵ His other known work is the *Aṣṭamaṅgalapraśna* on a type of astrological query which is very popular in Kerala.⁶

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⁴ For an account of this repository of Mss., see K.V. Sarma, 'Deśamaṅgalam Mss. collection' (in Mal.), *Mathrubhumi Weekly*, (Kozhikode), 8.2.1957.

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⁵ Ed. *TSS*, No 91, Trivandrum, 1926; 2nd edn., Trivandrum, 1958.

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⁶ On Rudra, see Ul. II. 114-17; Ul. Sup. I. 531-34.

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37. Śaṅkara of Mahiṣamaṅgalam (1494-1570) : Śaṅkara III

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In the matter of the popularisation of studies on Jyotiṣa among the masses in Kerala, Śaṅkaran Nampūtiri of Mazhamaṅgalam (Skt. Mahiṣamaṅgalam) family had an important part to play. Śaṅkara hailed from the Perumanam village near Trichur but spent most of his active life at Chengannoor with his teacher Parameśvaran Poṭṭi of Vāzha-māveli house. In his work, Rūpānayapaddhati, on grammar, Śaṅkara gives the date of his birth in the chronogram jatoyam haṃsatulye('hani) (Kali day 16,78,168), which falls in A.D. 1494.

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Śaṅkara wrote a large number of works both on astronomy and on astrology, mostly in simple Malayalam poetry and easy prose. These works include Gaṇitasāra, Candra-gaṇitakrama and Ayanacalanagaṇita in astronomy, Jātakakrama in horoscopy and Praśnamālā with Bhāṣa in astrological query. A work which he composed in two versions is the Kāladīpaka, called in general parlance Ceriya Kaladīpakam (Short Kāladīpaka) and Valiya Kaladīpakam (‘Long Kāladīpaka’). He has a Jātakasāra in Sanskrit and another with the same title in Malayalam. He has commented on Pañcabodha (II) and Pañcabodha (IV).¹ His commentaries on Laghubhāskarīya, Muhūrtapadavī, Pañcabodha IV and his own Kaladīpaka II, all called Balaśaṅkaram, have greatly helped the popularisation of these works among the people. On Pañcabodha IV, besides the Balaśaṅkaram, he wrote another shorter (?metrical) elucidation entitled Pañcabo-

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¹ A good amount of confusion has occurred in earlier writings in the identification of Śaṅkara’s works. Thus, the Jātakasāra, noticed by Ulloor (Ul. 474) is, really, by a namesake of our author. Our Śaṅkara has actually composed two works under the title Jātakasāra, one in Sanskrit and the other in Malayalam; Ulloor does not mention the former and describes the latter as an anonymous work (Ul. III. 241-42), failing to take note of the apparent Mahiṣamaṅgalm characteristics in it. Similarly, Ulloor does not take note of Śaṅkara’s Praśnamālā and describes Śaṅkara’s own Bhāṣa on it as an anonymous work (Ul. III. 242). Again, Ulloor describes Śaṅkara’s Balaśaṅkaram, called also Pañcabodhakriyākrama on Pañcabodha IV as the Pañcabodha of Śaṅkara, while Śaṅkara’s commentary on Pañcabodha (II) is not noticed. Certain other works, viz, Bhāṣāsaṅgraha, Praśnasāra and Karaṇasāra have also been ascribed to our author but they do not appear to be his works. Of these, Bhāṣāsaṅgraha is a commentary by Vāsudeva on Muhūrtapadavī V and the Praśnasāra and Karaṇasāra are the works of different authors named Śaṅkara. A detailed study on the identification of Śaṅkara’s works is being presented by the present writer elsewhere.

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1. A good amount of confusion has occurred in earlier writings in the identification of Śaṅkara’s works. Thus, the Jātakasāra, noticed by Ulloor (Ul. 474) is, really, by a namesake of our author. Our Śaṅkara has actually composed two works under the title Jātakasāra, one in Sanskrit and the other in Malayalam; Ulloor does not mention the former and describes the latter as an anonymous work (Ul. III. 241-42), failing to take note of the apparent Mahiṣamaṅgalm characteristics in it. Similarly, Ulloor does not take note of Śaṅkara’s Praśnamālā and describes Śaṅkara’s own Bhāṣa on it as an anonymous work (Ul. III. 242). Again, Ulloor describes Śaṅkara’s Balaśaṅkaram, called also Pañcabodhakriyākrama on Pañcabodha IV as the Pañcabodha of Śaṅkara, while Śaṅkara’s commentary on Pañcabodha (II) is not noticed. Certain other works, viz, Bhāṣāsaṅgraha, Praśnasāra and Karaṇasāra have also been ascribed to our author but they do not appear to be his works. Of these, Bhāṣāsaṅgraha is a commentary by Vāsudeva on Muhūrtapadavī V and the Praśnasāra and Karaṇasāra are the works of different authors named Śaṅkara. A detailed study on the identification of Śaṅkara’s works is being presented by the present writer elsewhere.

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*dhārthadarpaṇa*. Śaṅkara is also reputed to have composed a ‘Register of muhūrtas’ for a 1000 years.¹

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¹ On Śaṅkara, see Koṭṭārattil Śaṅkuṇṇi, ‘Muzhamaṅgalattu Nampūri’, *Aitihyamala* IV, (4th edn., Trichur, 1958), pp. 89-93; Raja, 155-56; Ul. II. 269-72, 469-75; Va. II, 613-22; Ulloor, *Vijñānadīpika*, (Trivandrum), IV, pp. 187-95.

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38. Mādhava of Iñcakkāzhvā (*c.* 1500-75) : Mādhava II

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Mādhava was a member of the Nampūtiri family of Iñcakkāzhvā in Rāmamangalam in the Mūvāttupuzha Taluk (Dt. Kottayam). He composed his *Praśnasāra* in A.D. 1543, in 16 chapters, based on earlier works like the *Hora*, but incorporating in it numerous local practices. The work is historically significant for it provides the names of several contemporary astronomical and astrological authorities like Nīlakaṇṭha Somayājī of Keḷallūr, Parameśvaran Poṭṭi of Vāzha-māveli, Attimaṭṭam, Vākkaṭ, Paḷḷimaṭṭam, Mecceri, Koyikkara and Araṇappuram.²

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² On Mādhava see Ul. II. 475-77. R. Narayana Panikkar (II. 234-35) wrongly describes Mādhava’s *Praśnasāra* as a commentary on the well-known *Praśnamārga*. It may be noted that the *Praśnamārga* was composed in 1650, more than hundred years after the composition of *Praśnasāra* (1543).

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39. Acyuta Piṣāraṭi (*c.* 1550-1621) : Acyuta II

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Acyuta Piṣāraṭi of Tṛkkaṇṭiyūr (Skt. Kuṇḍapura) in South Malabar, was a versatile scholar and original thinker on astronomy. It was he who enunciated, for the first time, in Indian astronomy, the correction called ‘Reduction to the the ecliptic’, in his work *Sputanirṇaya* (before A.D. 1593) and set out its rationale, elaborately, in his work *Rāśigolasphuṭanīti*.³ As pointed out earlier, (see above pp. 12-14), this correction was first introduced in Western astronomy by Tycho Brahe, at about the same time. Acyuta was a protege of King Ravi Varma of Veṭṭattuṇāḍ (Skt. Prakāśaviṣaya) and was the teacher of the renowned poet and grammarian Melputtūr Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭa, who, in the *carama-śloka* which he composed at the death of Acyuta, expressed the date of the latter’s demise in the chronogram, *vidyātama svar asarpat* (17,24,514), which falls in A.D. 1621. Acyuta has composed about a dozen works on Jyotiṣa, including *Karaṇottama*,⁴ on astronomical computation, in five chapters, *Uparāgakriyākrama*,¹ and *Uparāgavimśati*² on eclipse computation, *Chayāṣṭaka* on shadow computation and *Jātakābharaṇa* (?) and *Horāsāroccaya* on horoscopy. He has commented on the *Veṇvāroha* of Saṅgamagrāma Mādhava,³ *Suryasiddhānta* and on his own *Sphuṭanirṇaya* and *Karaṇottama*.⁴

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³ Ed. by K.V. Sarma, Adyar Library, Madras, 1955.

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⁴ Ed. by K. Ragahvan Pillai, TSS, No. 213, Trivandrum, 1964.

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¹ This work, in four chapters, contains 130 verses, and not 20 as stated by Raja, 161.

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² Ed. by Rama Varma Maru Thampuran, Ravivarma *Granthāvali*, (Quarterly of the Skt. College, Trippunithura), 2 (1954) i-iii, 16 pp.

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³ Ed. by K.V. Sarma, with text, Skt. College, Trippunithura, 1956.

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⁴ On Acyuta, see, S. Venkitasubramonia Iyer, ‘Acyuta Piṣāraṭi and his works’, *Jl. Or. Res.* 22 (1952-53), 40-46; K.V. Sarma, Intro. to his edns, of *Rāśigolasphuṭānīti* and *Veṇvāroha*, op. cit.; Raja, 158-62; Ul. II. 319-26; Ul. Sup. I. 315; Va. II. 748-57.

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40. Nilakaṇṭha II (16th-17th cent.) : Nilakaṇṭha II

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Nilakaṇṭha II, about whom nothing more is known, is the author of a comprehensive treatise on arithmetic, entitled *Kaṇakkusāram*, couched in *maṇipravālam* verses in Malayalam and a commentary thereon. The author claims to have based his work on Sanskrit texts like the *Līlāvatī* and old Malayalam texts like *Kaṇakkatikāram*. It is noteworthy that, besides the general mathematical procedures, this work deals also with practices relating to local grain transactions, housebuilding, weighing of gold and silver, land tenure, masonry, ground measurement etc.⁵

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⁵ On Nilakaṇṭha, see Ul. II. 478-79; Ul. Sup. I. 226-27; Va. IV. 276.

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41. Nārāyaṇa III

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*Laghudarśini*, a short work on astrology, is the work of a Nārāyaṇa, about whom nothing more than his name is known at present.

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42. Dāmodara II of Maṅgalaśreṇi (*c.* 1575-1675)

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In Dāmodaran Nampūtiri of the Maṅgalaśśeri house in Kaṇṇāṭipparampu in the Chirakkal taluk in N. Malabar, we have a reputed authority in astrology, of the times. His disciples included Iṭakramañceri Nampūtiri, author of *Bhadradīpa* and the anonymous author of *Jyotiṣasaṅgraha* (II), noticed below. Vaṭakkumkūr mentions two of his works, viz., *Praśnarīti* (I) and *Līlāvatī-vyākya*, which, he adds, have been popular. Manuscripts of these works have, however, yet to be identified.¹

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¹ On Dāmodara, see Va. III. 373-79.

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43. Iṭakramañceri Nampūtiri (c. 1625-1700)

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He is author of *Bhadradīpa-gaṇita* (A.D. 1665) but prefers to remain anonymous and refers to himself only by the name of his family, viz., Iṭakramañceri (or Eṭakramañceri). He mentions his native place as Perumānūr in Malabar and his teacher as Dāmodaran Nampūtiri² of the Maṅgalaśśeri family. In eleven chapters, couched in easy Sanskrit-Malayalam verses, he provides the layman with the elements of astronomical computation. A shorter work entitled *Bhugolañayam*, composed in the same style and devoted to a description of the earth as suspended in the atmosphere, its main landmarks, the construction of the armillary sphere etc., has much in common with Ch. V of the *Bhadradīpa* and is likely to be another composition of our author.³

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² Va. III. 379 takes the word ‘Dāmodara’ occurring in the Intro., verse 2 of the *Bhadradīpagaṇita* as the author’s name on the basis of the wrong reading ‘Dāmodaro’, instead of that of his teacher, as per the correct reading ‘Dāmodaram’.

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³ On this author, see Ul. III. 232-34.

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44. Maṅgalaśreṇivipra-Śiṣya (17th cent.)

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An author, who does not give out his name and describes himself as a pupil of a Nampūtiri of the Maṅgalaśśeri family, has composed, in Malayalam, a *Jyotiṣasaṅgraha* (II). The Maṅgalaśśeri Nampūtiri in question is very likely to be the same as the Dāmodaran Nampūtiri, author of *Praśnarīti* I and teacher of Iṭakramañceri Nampūtiri, noticed above.

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45. Panakkāṭṭu or Iṭakkāṭṭu Nampūtiri (c. 1625-1725)

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The *Praśnamārga*, the most popular and authoritative work on *praśna* in Kerala, was composed in about A.D. 1650 (*cf.* kolambe ‘muraha’-saṅkhye, M.E. 825) by a Nampūtiri of the Panakkāṭṭu family. Since his family was situated in a place called Iṭakkāṭ (or Eṭakkāṭ) (Skt. Madhyāṭavi or Madhyāraṇya), in North Malabar, he was known by that name as well. K. Mahadeva Sastri gives the name of the author as Parameśvara, on what grounds it is not known.¹ The author gives the name of his parents as Mahādeva and Śrī. In 32 chapters, the work presents a detailed exposition of the different topics and types of praśna. The author has also supplied a lucid exposition called Durgamārthapradarśinī on the work. It has several commentaries in Malayalam also, including some produced during modern times. Panakkāṭṭu Nampūtiri is said to have composed in 1676 a work on astronomy, which is not available now.²

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¹ See his Des. Cata. of Skt. Mss. in the Curator's Office Library, Trivandrum, vol. IV, (Trivaudrum, 1939), p. 1539.

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² On Panakkāṭṭu Nampūtiri, see Ul. III, 87-89; Va. III, 400-5.

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46. Iṭakkāṭṭu (or Eṭakkāṭṭu) Kukkaniyāl (c. 1675-1750)

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The personal name of this author seems to be Śaṅkaran Kaṇiyār. He belonged to the house of Kaṇiyāṅkaṇṭi in Eṭakkāṭ in North Malabar and studied astrology under Panakkāṭṭu Nampūtiri. In later life, he came under the influence of a Yogi and spent his life in meditation. His Praśnarīti³ in 20 chapters is very popular among astrologers of the Kaṇiyār caste. In its first twelve chapters, it is a free metrical rendering in Malayalam of his teacher's Praśnamārga and deals, in the remaining eight chapters, with other allied and miscellaneous matters.⁴

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³ Ed. serially in the Kavanodayam (Mal. monthly, Kozhikode).

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⁴ On this author see Ul. III, 236-37; Ul. Sup. I, 536; Va. III, 405-6.

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47. Rāma-śiṣya (17th cent.)

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Manuscripts of a free explanatory rendering, in Malayalam verses, of the Laghujātaka or Laghuhorā of Varāhamihira, called Laghuhorāvivaraṇam have been identified. The author does not reveal his name but mentions his teacher Rāma and the date of composition of the work, viz., A.D. 1640. The author says in the beginning of the work that he had already composed a Horāsāra in Malayalam, possibly a free explanatory rendering, like the present work, of the Hora.

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48. Puruṣottama II (c. 1650-1725)

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A unique manuscript of the Uparāgapariccheda of a Pañcabodha-śataka (Pañcabodha V) is known. In 47 verses, this section of the work sets out the computation of solar and lunar eclipses, using its own revised multipliers, divisors and other constants. For the calculation of the precession of the equinox, it mentions the epoch *prauḍhaśri-guṇasevya* (17,53,242). This date works out to A.D. 1699 and gives a clue to the date of the author.¹

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¹ On Puruṣottama, see Ul. Sup. I. 224-25.

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49. Putumana Somayāji (*c.* 1660-1740)

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The *Karaṇapaddhati*,² in ten chapters, is a comprehensive treatise on astronomy by an anonymous Somayāji of the Putumana or Putuvana (Skt. *Nūtanagṛha* or *Nūtanavipina*) family of Śivapuram (Trichur). The availability of manuscripts of the work in Tamil and Telugu scripts indicate its popularity in those regions as well. The work has been commented in Malayalam,³ Sanskrit and Tamil. Its date of composition is said to be given in the concluding verse of the work by the chronogram *gaṇitam etad samyak* (17,65,653) which falls in A.D. 1732.⁴ While *Karaṇapaddhati* is the best known work of the author in Jyotiṣa, it has been shown that he has written certain other works also in that discipline.⁵ In *Nyāyaratna*, he deals, in eight chapters, with certain aspects of *Sphuṭa*, *Vikṣepa*, *Chāyā*, *Viparītacchāyā*, *Grahaṇa*, *Śṛṅgonnati*, *Maudhya* and *Vyatīpāta*. The object of writing the work is expressed in its concluding verse thus :

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² Ed. TSS, No. 126, (Trivandrum, 1937); with two old Malayalam commentaries, Madras Govt. Or. Ser., No 98, (Madras, 1956); with a modern commentary by P.K. Koru, (Astro Press, Cherp, Kerala, 1953).

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³ See fn. above.

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⁴ Some scholars like Ulloor (II. 107-8) and Vaṭakkumkūr (I. 529-30) have held that this work was written in A D. 1430. For a refutation of this view and for conclusive evidences for a much later date, see K. V. Sarma, ‘The date of Putumana Somayāji’, (Mal.), *Mathrubhūmi W*, (Kozhikode), 5. 2. 1956. It has also been argued that the said chronogram, which according to the tradition recorded by Whish is the date of composition of the work, may not be so. However, in view of date indicated by the evidences set out in the said paper, there is no incongruity in believing the tradition.

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⁵ On these, see K. V. Sarma, ‘The hitherto unknown works of Putumana Somayāji’ (Mal.), *Mathrubhūmi W*, ib. 29.1.1956.

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*nyāyapradarśanāyaivaṃ gaṇiteṣvalpacetasām |*
*gaṇitābdhau nimajjyaitat Nyāyaratnam mayoditam ||*

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‘This *Nyāyaratna* has been composed by me by delving into the depths of astronomy for demonstrating astronomical rationale to the dullwitted.’

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The Nyāyaratna occurs in two versions, which differ slightly by the presence or absence of certain verses and in the arrangement thereof. The Veṇvārohāṣṭaka of Putumana Somayāji is a manual for the accurate determination of the moon at short intervals. His Pañcabodha III¹ is a practical manual for the computation of Vyatīpāta, Grahaṇa, Chayā, Śṛṅgonnati and Mauḍhya. Grahaṇagaṇita IV commences with the characteristic introductory verse of Putumana Somayāji, viz., madīya-hṛdayākāśe etc. and so is likely to be his work. So also Grahaṇāṣṭaka II, which, though a self-contained work, forms a part of the said Grahaṇagaṇita. K. Rama Varma Raja makes mention of a tradition which attributes to our author a work called Mānasagaṇitam.² This is likely to be the Malayalam commentary on (Laghu)mānasa which has now been identified and whose introductory verse contains words reminiscent of Putumana Somayāji's expressions. In horoscopy, he wrote the highly popular Jātakādeśa(marga)³ which is known in two recensions, both of which might have been written by him.⁴

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¹ Included in the Jyotiśśastrasubodhinī. Pt. II, by Punnaāśśeri Nīlakaṇṭha Śarmā, (Triśśivaperur, M. E. 1104) and in Pañcabodham Bhāṣa, ed. by Kanippayyoor Śaṅkaran Namputirippad, Kunnamkulam, M.E. 1107.

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² 'The brahmins of Kerala', Jl. of the Royal As. Soc., 1910, p. 635.

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³ Pub., Pañchangam Press, Kunnamkulam, 5th edn., M. E. 1125; A.R.P. Press, Kunnamkulam, M.E. 1105.

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⁴ On Putumana Somayāji. see K. V. Sarma, 'Putumana Somayāji', Proc. All-India Or. Conf., 18th Session, Annamalainagar, 1956, pp. 562-64; Intro. to Karaṇapaddhati, op. cit., (Madras). pp. xxi-xxxi : Raja, 162-65; Ul. II. 107-9; Ul. Sup. I. 212-15; Va. I. 529-31; A. K. Bag; 'Trigonometrical series in the Karaṇapaddhati, etc.', Indian Jl. of Hist. of Sc., 1 (1966) 98-106.

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50. Vāsudevasvāmi : Vāsudeva I

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Vāsudevasvāmi, who describes himself as a devotee of Viṣṇu, is the author of a treatise entitled Kaladīpa, dealing, mainly, with natural astrology. It is preserved in a unique manuscript procured from the Punnaṭūrkoṭṭa Mana, Koṭṭappaṭi, in Malabar. It is a comprehensive treatise dealing with a wide range of topics, which the author enumerates towards the beginning of his work.⁵

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⁵ On Kaladīpa, see Va. III. 392-94.

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51. Śyāmalavāraṇarāja

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The Kaladīpa of Vāsudevasvāmi has an elaborate commentary which gives the name of its author as Śyāmalavāraṇaraja. The name is obviously the Sanskritisation of the author's Malayalam name. Since he describes himself as a ‘rāja’ and a manuscript of the work has been found only in in the palace of Punattūrkoṭṭa, it is likely that the author is a member of that household.¹

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¹ On *Kaladīpavyākhyā*, see Va. III 393.

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52. Dāmodara of Bhāradvāja-gotra : Dāmodara III

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He was a Nampūtiri who hailed from a village east of Trppa-raṇṇoṭ in Malabar and was the brother of Keśava, who was also his teacher. Two earlier scholars of his family were Yajña and Yajña's son Dāmodara. The *Muhurtābharaṇa* of our author is an exhaustive text in nine chapters, devoted, respectively to : definitions, merits of neutral times, demerits of baneful times, merits of auspicious occasions, comparative potencies, auspicious times for : (a) religious functions beginning with *niṣeka* to marriage, (b) agriculture, consecration etc., (c) royal installations and (d) miscellaneous functions. A special distinction of the *Muhurtābharaṇa* is that it provides very readable poetry from a deft-handed poet.²

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² On Dāmodara, see Ul. II. 105-6 ; Ul. Sup. I. 210-11 ; Va. I. 383. Va's equating our Dāmodara of the ‘Bhāradvāja gotra’ with Dāmodara of Vaṭaśreṇi, who belongs to the ‘Bhārgava gotra’ is, obviously, not correct. So also his suggestion that Keśava was the father and not the brother of Dāmodara as found in the original manuscript of the work.

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53. Kṛṣṇa II

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The *Āryabhaṭīya* has a commentary in Malayalam by an author whom its only known manuscript (India Office 6273) labels as Kṛṣṇa. He is different from Kṛṣṇadāsa, another commentator (see below), as shown by the difference in the beginning of the two commentaries.

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54. Keraliya-dvija

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An author who calls himself merely as Keraliya-dvija and does not give out his real name has written a good Malayalam commentary on the *Karaṇottama* of Acyuta Piṣaraṭi. No personal detail is known about this author.

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55. Govinda-śiṣya

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There is an anonymous author who describes himself as a devotee of Lord Śiva at Vaikkam (Skt. Vyāghra-grāma) in Central Kerala and as a pupil of Govinda. He has composed an elucidatory and highly popular commentary called *Balabodhini* or *Balaprabodhini* on the *Jatakapaddhati* of Parameśvara of Vaṭaśreṇi. His teacher Govinda is identified, generally, as Govinda Piṣāraṭi of the Kailāsapuram house near Vaikkom.¹

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¹ On this work see, Ul.III, 89-90; Ul. Sup. I, 464; Va. III, 382-83.

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56. Veṇāḍ-brāhmaṇa

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The *Jātakodaya* is a succinct work on astrology in 103 verses, whose author does not give out his name, but styles himself as a brāhman of Veṇāḍ.² Veṇāḍ, as is well known, is the name of the southern part of the erstwhile State of Travancore in Kerala.

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² The actual expression is: *dvijena...dvi* (?) *Veṇāṭikadeśajanmanā*.

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57. Azhvāñceri Tamprākkaḷ (c. 1725-1800)

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The painstaking enterprise and zeal for propagating, among the Nampūtiris, studies on Jyotiṣa, evinced by a member of the Azhvāñceri Tamprākkaḷ's family is apparent from his series of adapted texts and extensive commentaries thereon, covering the entire field of astronomy and astrology in eleven books. In the penultimate volume of the said works, viz., *Phalasārasamuccaya-Bhāṣā*, while setting out his objectives, he makes a mention of his earlier works: "In the Malayalam area, those who are not eligible to learn Jyotiṣa study it. And, brāhmaṇas ask them about *muhūrta*, *praśna* etc. Since neither of these is proper, I, with a view to change this state of affairs through making the brāhmaṇas learn Jyotiśśāstra, summarised the most essential matters thereof in the *Jyotiśśāstrasaṅgraha* and, also prepared a commentary in Sanskrit-Malayalam on this *Saṅgraha*. Later, in order to enable the understanding of the working of the matters set out in the *Saṅgraha*, a *Saṅgrahasādhanakriyā* was written and also a Malayalam commentary thereon. Then I compiled the *Jātakasārasaṅgraha* and its Malayalam commentary. Then, in order to be of help in the drawing of horoscopes, I wrote the *Jātakanītimārga* and a Malayalam commentary on it. Later, with a view to enable an understanding of the results of astrological aspects, I compiled the work entitled *Phalasārasamuccaya*. Now, I am writing the present work, being its Malayalam commentary." The *Jyotiśśāstrasaṅgraha* is a résumé on the essentials of practical astronomy and astrology (text, 650 granthas; *Bhāṣā* 1700 gr.) is in two parts: I. *Siddhāntaskandha* or *Gaṇitaskandha*, on astronomy and II. *Horāskandha*, comprising of *Muhūrta*, *Jātaka* and *Praśna*. The *Saṅgrahasādhanakriyā* (text, 150 gr.; *Bhāṣā*, 600 gr.) is intended to indicate the working of the matters set out in the *Jyotiśśāstrasaṅgraha*.

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The *Jātakasārasaṅgraha* (text, 230 gr.) in six sections and the *Jatakanītimārga* (text, 200 gr. ; *Bhāṣa*, 1300 gr.) in fourteen sections are complementary texts on horoscopy. The *Phalasārasamuccaya*, the author's *magnum opus*, (text, 1300 gr.; *Bhāṣa*, 21,000 gr.), is an extensive work in three sections, devoted, respectively, to *Jātaka*, *Praśna* and *Muhūrta*. The Tamprākkaḷ wrote also a detailed commentary called *Tamprākkaḷ Bhāṣa* in Malayalam on *Muhūrtapadavī* II.¹

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¹ Pub. Keralakalpadruman Press, Trichur.

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The author does not give out his personal name anywhere in his works, but gives his family name, viz., Āzhvāñceri Tamprākkaḷ.² Some of the manuscripts of his works are dated. The earliest of these dates, viz., A.D. 1756, which is possibly, the date of composition of the work, occurs in a manuscript of *Gaṇitasārasaṅgraha* Section of *Jyotiśśāstra-saṅgraha*, Kerala C. 2183-I. This provides a clue to the author's date, which might be put as *c.* 1725-1800.

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² One of the ms. *Jyotiśśastrasaṅgraha-Bhāṣa* (Kerala C. 2197-A) has the name of Kaypañceri Tamprākkaḷ mentioned in the post-colophonic statement, though, without being 'specifically' stated as the author.

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58. Vāsudeva of Vaḷḷimana : Vāsudeva II

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Vāsudeva hailed from Kaṇṇamaṅgalam and wrote a metrical commentary on a hitherto unrecognised *Muhūrtapadavī* (V) beginning with the words *cakrārdham mṛtvaidhṛtam ca gulikaḥ*. Two versions of this commentary, which is called *Bhāṣāsaṅgraha*, are known, one in 178 verses and the other in 185 verses ;³ to all appearances, Vāsudeva himself has effected this revision.⁴

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³ Cf. the concluding verses of the two versions : i. '*dāsakṛt*' (178) *ślokasaṅkhyā ca Vāsudevena nirmitā* | *Vaḷḷimanru gṛham, deśam colliṉṟu Kaṇṇamaṅgalam* || and ii. '*mandāyuḥ*' (185) *ślokasaṅkhyā ca Vāsudevena nirmitā* | *Vaḷḷimanru gṛham, deśam colliṉṟu Kaṇṇamaṅgalam* ||

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⁴ Ulloor, inconsiderate of the content of this work and the colophon (as above) at the end, wrongly takes (Ul. II. 272, 473) this work as an independent treatise and ascribes it to Śaṅkara of Mahiṣamaṅgalam on the basis of a superficial similarity of its introductory verses with those in the works of Śaṅkara.

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59. Tuppan Nampūtiri of Iṭavaṭṭikkāṭ (*c.* 1725-1800)

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Tuppan Nampūtiri was a member of the Iṭavaṭṭikkāṭ family of Pāṅkode in Kunnathunad taluk, Dt. Kottayam, and was patronised by Maharaja Rāma Varmā, surnamed *Dharmarāja*, of Travancore. He was also a poet of some merit. His work on Jyotiṣa is *Muhūrtapadavī* VI, in 40½ verses.¹

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60. Nārāyaṇa of Iṭavaṭṭikkāṭ (c. 1728-1800) : Nārāyaṇa IV

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Nārāyaṇan Nampūtiri of Iṭavaṭṭikkāṭ family was the younger brother of Tuppan Nampūtiri and was, like his brother, patronised by *Dharmarāja* of Travancore. He too was a poet of merit, both in Sanskrit and Malayalam and has left some exquisite writings. He wrote in Jyotiṣa *Muhūrtapadavī* VII, in 36 verses.²

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61. Parameśvara II

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The *Praśnasaṭpañcaśikā* of Pṛthuyaśas and the *Horā* of Varāhamihira have concise commentaries called *Pārameśvarī* by a Parameśvara who has to be distinguished from his namesakes. In the commentary on the *Horā*, which is also called *Horābhiprayanirṇaya*,³ Parameśvara often adds his own explanatory verses in elucidation of the text.

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62. Parameśvara, pupil of Śaṅkara : Parameśvara III

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The *Horā* of Varāhamihira has a commentary called *Jātaka-candrikā* or *Viśvārthadīpinī* by a Parameśvara who describes himself as a disciple of a Śaṅkara, but about whom nothing more is known.⁴

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63. Bhāradvāja-dvija (c. 1750-1800)

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An astronomer who calls himself merely as Bhāradvāja has composed two important works, *viz.*, (1) *Gaṇitayuktayaḥ* which sets out the rationale of several mathematical and astronomical procedures and (2) *Karaṇadarpaṇa*, an advanced manual for astronomical computation. The former work cites frequently a ‘Bhāṣyakāra’ who is, obviously, Nilakaṇṭha Somayāji, Jyeṣṭhadeva, the author of *Yuktibhāṣa*,

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1. On Tuppan Nampūtiri, see Ul. III. 470-76.

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2. On Nārāyaṇa, see Ul. III. 470-76.

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3. Ed. by K. Raghavan Pillai, TSS, Trivandrum, 1963.

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4. On this author, see Va. III. 394.

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and *Nyāyaratna*, most probably, the work of that name by Putumana Somayāji. The *Karaṇadarpaṇa* has been commented in Malayalam.

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64. Nārāyaṇa of Perumanam: Nārāyaṇa V

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Nārāyaṇan Nampūtiri of Perumanam village, near Trichur, is the author of an astronomical treatise entitled *Tantrasāra*. There is also a Malayalam commentary available on the work.¹

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¹ On this, see Raja, 153.

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65. Kṛṣṇadāsa (Koccukṛṣṇan Āśān) (1756-1812)

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Koccu-kṛṣṇan Āśān was born in the family of Neṭumpayil in the Tiruvalla taluk of Kerala, as the son of an erudite astrologer named Rāman Āśān. He studied Jyotiṣa under his father as also under Śūlapāṇi Vāriyar of Kozhikode. He came of a long line of astronomers and astrologers and had several disciples who continued that tradition.² He was a great devotee of God Kṛṣṇa and was a poet with several works to his credit. His works on Jyotiṣa, all intended for the novice, include *Pañcabodha* VIII, in Malayalam verse, *Bhāṣājātakapaddhati*, being a free rendering-cum-commentary of the popular *Jātakapaddhati* of Parameśvara of Vaṭaśreṇi, incorporating several matters not dealt with in the original.³ *Kaṇakkuśāstram* presenting mathematical procedures in Malayalam verse and a *Bhāṣā-Golayukti* which he mentions in his *Bhāṣājātaka-paddhati* as a work which he intended to write but which yet remains to be traced.

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² *Vide* above, pp. 5-6.

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³ Ed. by K. Sankara Menon, *Bhāṣājātakapaddhati*, Sri Vanchi Setu Lakshmi Series, No. 3, Trivandrum, 1926.

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A hitherto unknown work of Kṛṣṇadāsa is a commentary in Malayalam prose on the *Āryabhaṭīya*. The commentary is elucidative and quotes several authorities including Bhāskara I, *Laghubhāskarīya*, Saṅgamagrāma Mādhava, Parameśvara of Vaṭaśreṇi, *Karaṇapaddhati* and a *Prakāśikā* which remains to be identified.⁴ A Malayalam quotation from Parameśvara¹ poses a problem, for all known works of Parameśvara are in Sanskrit. Possibly, Parameśvara has written also in Malayalam or the passage in question is only a view of Parameśvara expressed in Malayalam.²

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⁴ The relevent quotation occurs in the com. on *Gitika* 5 and gives the number of Kalpa days up to the beginning of Kali: *Prakāśika enna granthattil varttamānakaliyugattil ninnu munpu atītaṅṅḷāya kalpadivasaṅṅḷ ‘śarāśviṣaṭkha-dṛśarādrivedakṛteṣuyugmasvara-sammitāḥ syat’ (7,25,44,75,70,625 ) ennu paṭhikkappeṭṭiṭṭumuṇṭu*.

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¹ Cf. : ‘iviṭe yojanakarnam candrante madhya-yojanakarnam akunnu’ enniṅṅane Parameśvarācāryar paraññiṭṭumuṇṭu.

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² On Kṛṣṇadāsa, see Ul. III. 519-27 ; Ul. Sup. I. 647-48 ; Va. III. 384-85.

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66. Śaṅkara of Muktisthala (17th cent.) : Śaṅkara IV

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This author was a Nampūtiri who hailed from Mūkkola (Skt. Muktisthala) in North Malabar. He refers, in his works, to Nārāyaṇa, his teacher on Jyotiṣa, and to his patron, the Zamorin of Kozhikode. In his *Mantrasāra*, he says that the name of his house was ‘Rājakula’ (Mal. ? ) and that he imbibed his knowledge in *mantraśāstra* from Dāmodara, son of Nīlakaṇṭha of the Bhāradvāja-gotra, who belonged to Kuṇḍapura (Mal. Tṛkkaṇṭiyūr).³ He wrote, on natural astrology, the *Sāmudrasāra*, called also *Aruḍhapraśna* and *Lāñchana-śastra*, a comprehensive work which dealt with omens, palmistry, astrological query etc. He is the author also of another work, in Malayalam *maṇipravāla* verses, tentatively entitled *Ayuḥpraśna*, but dealing, besides *Ayus*, with *Aṣṭamaṅgala*, *triṣphuṭa*, *viṣṭi* etc.⁴

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³ For extracts, see Va. II. 719.

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⁴ On Śaṅkara, see Ul. III. 86-87 ; Va. II. 718-23.

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67. Śaṅkara V

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A Śaṅkara, about whom little personal details are available, is the author of two works, entitled *Jātakasāra* (III) and *Praśnasāra* (I).⁵ Both are in Malayalam prose interspersed with Sanskrit verse and have four chapters each. The former deals with the main topics of practical astrology starting from the drawing of a horoscope, and the latter with astrological queries relating to age, marriage, children and profit and loss. He is, probably, the author also of *Praśnānuṣṭhana-paddhati*, which occurs in two versions, I and II.

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⁵ Ulloor does not notice this *Jātakasāra*, which is different from its namesake by Śaṅkara of ‘Mahiṣamaṅgalam’. Of *Praśnasāra* II, Ulloor (II. 473) takes Mahiṣamaṅgalam Śaṅkara as the author. This is unlikely, for this work does not bear any of the characteristic *mudrās* of the Mahiṣamaṅgalam author.

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68. Bhūtanāthapura-Somayāji

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An anonymous Somayāji of Bhūtanāthapura, who was a disciple of Vaidyanātha has composed a comprehensive work on astrological query, entitled Praśnasāra (III).

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69. Śaṅkara VI

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Śaṅkara, about whom nothing more is known than his name, has composed a commentary in Malayalam to the Praśnasāra III of Bhūtanāthapura-Somayāji.

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70. Śrīkumāra, son of Nīlakaṇṭha

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Śrīkumāran Nampūtiri, son of Nīlakaṇṭha and pupil of Nārāyaṇa, is the author of Praśnāmṛta, a succinct work on astrological query. The author is good at versification and writes in a pleasing language. He mentions his village as ‘Dvipakānana’ (? Mal. Ānakkāṭ).

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71. Nārāyaṇan Iḷayatu of Maccāṭ (1765-1843) : Nārāyaṇa VI

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Nārāyaṇan Iḷayatu was a member of the Chāntampiḷḷi family in Maccāṭ near Cochin. He was a gifted poet, author of several poems in Sanskrit and Malayalam and a resourceful astrologer whose predictions have developed into legends.¹ He was patronised by the royal house of Cochin, especially by Śaktan Thampurāṇ. In Jyotiṣa, he wrote the Jyotiṣabhāṣāvali, called also Maccāṭṭu-Bhāṣa, being an introduction to astrology, and the Jātakadeśaratna,² based on the Jātadeśamārga of Putumana Somayāji.³

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¹ Several of these feats are described by Puthezhathu Rama Menon in his book Śaktan Thampurāṇ, (Mangalodayam, Trichur).

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² Manuscripts of this work are yet to be recovered, but the work is referred to by Puruṣottama III, the grandpupil of our author, in his Praśnayana, III.19, VIII 88, XV. 41.

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³ On Nārāyaṇa, see Kuṭṭamaśśeri Nārāyaṇa Piṣāroṭi, ‘The works of Maccāṭṭu Iḷayatu’ (Mal.), Sahitya Parishat Traimāsikam (Ernakulam) 9 (M.E. 1119) 130-31, Ul. III 527-29; Ul. Sup. I. 618-49; Va. IV. 216-21.

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72. Parameśvara of Puradahanapura (c. 1775-1839) : Parameśvara IV

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Parameśvara, disciple of Agnidatta, was a member of the Nampūtiri family of Purayannūr (Skt. Puradahanapura), in the Vaḷḷuvanāṭ taluk of South Malabar. He was a poet of merit and is the author of two long poems in Malayalam. His significant contribution to Jyotiṣa is his commentary Varadīpikā, composed, in A.D. 1815 (cf. ‘naḷadhi’-saṅkhya-koḷambe, M.E. 990), on the Muhūrtapadavī II of Māttūr Puruṣottaman Nampūtiri. This commentary is highly elucidative, profusely documented and extremely elaborate, in 2000 granthas for a text of 35 verses. One of the important works quoted by Parameśvara is the Prācīna-Muhūrtapadavī (Muhūrtapadavī I), supposed to have been written by Govinda Bhaṭṭatiri of Taḷakkuḷam.¹

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73. Śrīkaṇṭha Vāriyar of Veḷḷārakkaḍ

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The popular Jātakapaddhati of Parameśvara of Vaṭaśreṇi has a lucid commentary in Malayalam which has been made available in print in a slightly adapted form by Kanippayyoor Sankaran Namputirippad.² The edition contains a verse, carried over from the original manuscript, to the effect that it was written (likhitavān) by Śrīkaṇṭha, a ‘devadāsa’ of Śvetagrāmaṭavi (Mal. Veḷḷārakkaḍ). It is not definite, however, whether Śrīkaṇṭha was only the scribe or the real author.

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74. Ghaṭigopa (c. 1800-60)

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Ghaṭigopa, which is, presumably, not his real name but only the Sanskritisation of his personal or popular name,³ calls himself a disciple of Parameśvara and a devotee of God Padmanābha, the presiding deity of Trivandrum. His contribution to astronomy is in the form of two commentaries, one in Sanskrit and the other in Malayalam, on the Āryabhaṭīya. The commentary in Malayalam occurs in two

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1. On Parameśvara, see Ul. III. 476-77 ; Ul. Sup. I. 627 ; Va. II. 605-12.

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2. Pub. under the title Balapiṇḍavum āyurdāyavum, Kunnamkulam, M.E. 1102 (A.D. 1927).

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3. The South Indian village accountant is called Maṇiyakkāran ; this term, which can be rendered, literally, as ‘clock-man’ could give rise to the Sanskritisation ‘Ghaṭigopa’. To hazard another specific suggestion : Prince Goda Varma Koyittampurān (1810-60) a member of the scholarly family of Kilimanoor and a resident of Trivandrum, had the distinction of constructing, all by himself, a clock, and, thereby, getting as present a golden bracelet from the reigning ruler of Travancore (Ul. IV. 57 : RNP V. 21). Following this achievement, he gained the popular appellation ‘Maṇikkāran Thampurān’ (‘Prince of the clock’). This prince was also a good astronomer. Can it be that he composed the commentaries on the Āryabhaṭīya under the Sanskritised version of his name ‘Ghaṭigopa’? In that case, the date arrived at on the basis of internal evidence (see below) and the author’s being a devotee of God Padmanābha, would fit in well.

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distinct versions, the longer one being nearly one and a half times in extent as the shorter. In the shorter version, under *Kalakriyā* 4, Ghaṭigopa gives the rationale for the 248 *candra-vākyas*. An indication of his date is given by his mention of Putumana Somayāji's (1675-1750) *Pañcabodha*, *Chāyākhaṇḍa* 20, in the said shorter version of his commentary. Ghaṭigopa might, for this reason, be palced after 1800.¹

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¹ On Ghaṭigopa, see Ul. III. 234-35 ; Ul. Sup. II. 535.

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75. Goda Varmā, Vidvān Iḷaya Tampurān (1800-51)

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Among the renowned scholars and patrons of literature produced by the scholarly royal house of Koṭungallūr, near Cochin, Goda Varmā, better known as Vidvān Iḷaya Tampurān, occupies a place in the front rank. He was a versatile scholar and has written profusely, both in Sanskrit and in Malayalam. In astronomy he has produced erudite commentaries in Sanskrit on the *Gaṇitādhyāya* (*Bhāskarīya-gaṇita*) and the *Golādhyāya* of the *Siddhāntaśiromaṇi* of Bhāskara II.²

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² On Goda Varmā, see Ul. IV.31-44 ; Ul. Sup. II. 19-23 ; Va. IV. 315-44.

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76. Śaṅkara Varmā of Kaṭṭanāṭ (1800-38)

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Prince Śaṅkara Varmā, known also as Appu Tampuran, belonged to the royal house of Kaṭṭanāṭ in North Malabar. He was an astute astronomer and his *Sadratnamālā*,³ in six chapters, is a compendium of the Kerala school of mathematics and astronomy. The date of composition of the work is indicated in the concluding verse of the work by the chronogram *lokāmbe siddhisevye* (17,97,313), which falls in A. D. 1823. The author himself has written an elaborate commentary on the work, which, however, extends only up to verse 32 of the last chapter.⁴

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³ Ed. with auto-commentary, in *Kavanodayam*, (Mal. monthly, Kozhikode), vol. 16 (1898),

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⁴ On Śaṅkara Varmā, see Raja, 165-66 ; Sen, 191 ; Ul. III. 499-501 ; Ul. Sup. I. 635-37 ; Va. IV. 334-93.

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77. Subrahmaṇya Śāstri (1829-88)

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Subrahmaṇya Śāstri was a versatile scholar who hailed from the village of Nalleppalli in Chittur taluk (Cochin). His erudition extended to different disciplines, including Jyotiṣa, Mantraśāstra, Viṣavaidya, Music and Dramaturgy, and has, to his credit, several works in Sanskrit, Malayalam and Tamil. His contribution to Jyotiṣa is his *Agaṇita* (A.D. 1851) which enunciates procedures to compute the planets for a thousand years.¹

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¹ On Subrahmaṇya Sastri, see Ul. IV. 292 ; Ul. Sup. II. 122-23 ; Va. IV 607; RNP IV. 481-82.

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78. Subrahmaṇya of Kunnaṭṭu Mana (1835-1903) : Subrahmaṇya II

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Subrahmaṇyan Tirumuṉpu was a member of Kunnaṭṭu Mana of Bhūtānāthapura (Payyanur) in North Malabar. He wrote a commentary called *Bhāvaprakāśaka* on the *Muhūrtadarśana* Vidyāmādhava. This commentary is very extensive, though it has not grown popular.²

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² On this author, see Ul. Sup. I. 540 ; Va. I. 444.

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79. Puruṣottaman Mūssatu (c. 1850-1900) : Puruṣottama III

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Puruṣottaman Mūssatu of Kūṭṭaleṭṭu Mana is the author of *Praśnayana*,³ a comprehensive work in 1018 verses, distributed in fifteen sections called *ayana*'s, composed in A.D. 1881.⁴ The author mentions, at the beginning of his work, his teachers as Bhāskara, Śaṅkara, Vahni and Nārāyaṇa and, at the close, he indicates the inspiration behind its composition :

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³ Ed. by K. Raghavan Pillai, TSS, No. 223, Trivandrum, 1968.

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⁴ Cf., *Praśnayana* X. 14, *yātā ‘rājadhavaḥ’ samāḥ* and com. thereon *idānīm, ‘rājadhava’ (4982) ity akṣarasankhyā, samāḥ kalybda, atītaḥ* (Edn., op. cit., p. 176). Kali 4982=A.D. 1881.

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*Madhyāraṇyadvijāsyād vigalita iha yaḥ Praśnamārgo ‘marādau*
*kolambe, chatraśiṣyo ‘sya ca viracitavān Jātakadeśaratnam |*
*tacchiṣyasyānumatyā Sthalipuranilayasy ‘Āyanam’ ‘Praśna’to ‘sau*
*Sṛprā-deśādhivāsī vyaracayam aham apy ‘Uttamaḥ Pūruṣāṇām’ ||*

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According to this statement, Madhyāraṇyadvija (Iṭakkāṭ or Panakkāṭ Nampūtiri) composed his *Praśnamārga* in the Kollam year *marādi* (825=A.D. 1650)⁵ and a grand-pupil of his (identified as Nārāyaṇan Iḷayatu of Maccāṭ, 1765-1842) composed the *Jātakadeśaratna*. At the instance of a pupil of his from Sthalipura (Mal. Taḷipparampu), his grand-pupil¹ Puruṣottama, who hailed from Sṛprādeśa (Mal. Tṛprayāer ?) composed the *Parśnāyana*. The work has a succinct commentary included in the edition of the work, which, too, to all appearances, has been composed by the author himself.²

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⁵ On this, see above, p. 66 § 45.

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¹ Elsewhere also in this work, Puruṣottama refers to his teacher's teacher as the author of *Jātakadeśaratna*. Cf., *madguror-śrīguror vaktrāj Jātakadeśam utthitam* (III. 19) and *Śrīman-madgurunāthasadgurumukhāj jātaḥ sphuṭam Jātakadeśas tena* (VII. 88). The contraction of *Jātakadeśaratna* to *Jātakadeśa* in the above references is, obviously, due to metrical exigencies.

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² On Puruṣottama, see Ul. Sup. I. 225.

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80. Rāma Varma Koyittampurān (1853-1910)

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Rāma Varmā of the royal house of Grāmam was a scion of the principality of Parappanāṭ which took refuge in Travancore when Tipu Sultan of Mysore invaded Malabar in 1807. He was a versatile scholar and author of several literary works. He studied Jyotiṣa under Prince Ampurājā at the Chirakkal Palace in North Malabar and composed, in that discipline, the *Jyotiṣapradīpa*, an instructive introduction to astronomy.³

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³ On Rāma Varma, see Ul. IV. 544-50.

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81. The later phase

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Among later scholars who continued the tradition of Jyotiṣa and who, by their expositions and interpretations, helped to sustain and promote astronomical and astrological studies in the land, a mention might be made of four important names: (1) Rāma Vāriyar of Kaikkulaṅgara (1833-97), author of *Samudrikaśastra* and *Gauliśastra* and commentator of *Hora* and *Praśnamārga*;⁴ (2) A. R. Rajaraja Varma Koyittampurān (1853-1918) who wrote two studies entitled, respectively, *Karaṇa-pariṣkaraṇa* and *Pañcāṅgaśuddhipaddhati*⁵ and *Jyotiṣaprakāśana*,⁶ being an exposition of the *Golādhyāya* of Bhāskara II;¹ (3) Vāsuṇṇi Mūssatu of Veḷḷanaśśeri (1855-1914), author of an erudite commentary in Malayalam on *Pañcabodha*;² and (4) Puṇṇaśśeri Nampi Nīlakaṇṭha Śarmā (1858-1935) who compiled a very instructive manual on astronomy under the title *Jyotiśśāstrasubodhinī* with an extensive elucidation³ and wrote a *Pañcabodhakriyā-Bhāṣā*, besides commenting, elaborately, on the *Camatkāracintāmaṇi* and the *Praśnamārga*, both published through the Bharata Vilasam Press, Trichur.⁴

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⁴ On Rāma Vāriyar, see the biography included in P. V. Krishna Variyar, *Manmarañña sahityakāranmār* (Mal.); Ul. IV. 267-76; Ul Sup. II. 107-16; Va. IV. 587-607.

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⁵ Pub. Trivandrum.

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⁶ Ms. No. 719, *Des. cata. of Skt. Mss. in the Curator's Office Library*, vol. V, Trivandrum, 1939, pp. 1489-91.

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