Acknowledgments

Swāmī Prabhudānanda Sarasvatī taught me to think and to read Sanskrit texts thoughtfully and logically. I owe him a debt of gratitude for many long hours spent poring over texts and their commentaries, struggling with logic and argumentation, and for teaching me the Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya. I also owe a deep debt of gratitude to Prof. M. G. Dadhphale, who introduced me to Dr. Madhavi Kolhatkar and suggested I pursue a Ph D under her direction. I could not have asked for a more knowledgeable advisor on matters of Sanskrit or Vedic ritual. Thank you, Dr. Kolhatkar. The staff of at the Sanskrit and Lexicography Department at Deccan College, whose services in the Scriptorium I relied on many times, were incredibly supportive of this transnational collaboration. I especially wish to acknowledge Prof. Shilpa Sumant, Prof. Jayashree Sathe, and Prof. Vinaya Kshirasagar. I thank Dr. G. B. Deglurkar, whose home I visited on my first trip and who reciprocated by attending my viva, for encouraging me to continue my theological exploration of the Mahābhārata. His enthusiasm gave me the confidence to undertake this introductory commentary and gloss on the Nārāyaṇīya. I also owe personal thanks to Joachim Eichner, for supporting and funding this project. Joachim is the material cause of all my work and whose wisdom and love keep me going in my work. I am indebted to Joydeep Bagchee, my student and philosophical interlocutor and an unfailing source of bibliographic assistance. The scholars from whom I learnt (even when I sometimes disagreed with them) are too many to list here. I acknowledge the love and support of Alf Hiltebeitel, John Lenz, and Thomas Komarek. Finally, I dedicate this work with a verse from the Gajendra Mokṣa by Pothana. Pothana was born in Warangal, where my father Indrasena Adluri was also born. I regret that my father and my beloved mother Suguna have passed away and cannot read this work. I acknowledge their blessings.