Part 2 - Sripati Panditacharya—The Author of the Srikara-bhashya (Introduction)

The author [of the srikara-bhashya] calls himself Sripati Panditacharya; also Sripati Pandita Bhagavadpadacharya. He gives also his titles when he describes himself Sriman Nirabhara Virasaiva Yathi Vraja Parivridha Sripati Pandita Bhagavad padacharya. It will be noted that he calls himself Nirabhara Virasaiva Yathi Vraja Parivridha. The term Nirabhara means being free from the cares of a worldly life and is always applied to a Sanyasin; similarly Yathi Vraja Parivridha means encircled by a multitude of those who have renounced the world and controlled their passions, i.e., ascetics. It would, therefore, be right to assume that Sripati Panditacharya, later in his life, assumed the status of a Sanyasin and had a number of ascetics either as his students or as his followers. The term Virasaiva, as is well known, distinguishes those who follow the tenets of that religion from the Samanya, Misra and Suddha Saivas. The Samanya and Misra Saivas worship Vishnu as well as Siva. The Suddha Saivas and Virasaivas are devoted exclusively to Siva. The Virasaivas differ from Suddha Saivas by the portable linga (literally meaning a symbol) that they wear on their body, preferably on the head, or suspended from the neck. The Virasaivas accept the twenty-eight Saiva Agamas, especially the later ones, as also the Siva-Gita, to which they assign an important place in their religious works. Among the leading doctrines of the Virasaivas are the Ashtavarna and Shatsthala. Sripati not only describes himself as a Virasaiva but also refers specially to the doctrine of Shatsthala repeatedly in his work. Sripati Panditacharya-or Panditaradhya as he is described in certain works to be referred to below-was thus professedly

a Virasaiva and his Bhashya must be taken as an authoritative commentary on the Badarayana Sutras from the Virasaiva standpoint. That Sripati Panditacharya was a Virasaiva is also otherwise clear from the opening verses of his Bhashya. He there refers to Revanasiddha Guru and speaks of him. Revana Kalpavriksham and Revana Desikendra. He also praises Marula Prabhu, in other words MarulaSiddha. Next he mentions Ekorama Siddha, whom he terms as Saiva Samsthapanadhyam. He also describes the last as profoundly learned in Tarka, Vyakarana and both the Mimamsas and as shining in the hermit's robes. He speaks of him as Ekorama Yathindra Sekhara Sivacharya and calls upon him to bless him in the work that he is undertaking. The author calls his work the gist or essence of the meaning of the Vaiyasika Brahmastra. Seeing that he praises Ekorama so highly in his prefatory verses, it might be inferred he was connected with Ekorama's Mutt, which is the well-known Kedara Mutt, on the Himalayas. This is one of the five famous Mutts of the Virasaiva faith-Adi Pancha Mathas. There is a tradition that Sripati wrote on the Prasthana Traya -Agama, Nyaya and Vedanta-besides commentaries on the ten principal Upanishads, the Gita and other works as well. Some of these are said to be still available in MS. form, at Haiderabad, Urlam, and other places but my enquiries have not proved successful in locating copies of them there. The Madras and Mysore Government Oriental MSS. Libraries have no copies of any of Sripati's works not even the Bhashya, barring of course a part of the printed Edition of the Bhashya, in the Mysore Oriental MSS. Library, referred to above. of the fact that Sripati describes himself a Siddhanta Sthapanacharya and a Bhagavadpadacharya, it is possible he wrote the works attributed to him as above. It is undoubted that he was an eminent Vedic and Upanishadic scholar, besides being well versed in kavya, nataka, agama and other literature. In view

9 In the Preface to the Secunderabad Telugu script edition, spoken of above, there is a long panegyric of Sripati. He is there referred to as proficient in all the Vedas, Agamas and the Ubhaya-Vedanta (i.e., Dvaitadvaita); as a constant meditator on Siva, with all his Ashtangayogas; as a strict observer of the prescribed mode of conduct; as one who was absolutely free from all doubts in Vedic procedure and firm in his absolute belief in Siva-tatva and capable of teaching and convincing his disciples of the Ishta Linga, Bhava Linga and Prana Linga aspects of Siva-tatva; as one who had suspended at the end of a Sami branch the fire collected and tied in a piece of cloth; as a Sarvaparipurna, quite contented; as one who was capable of viewing Paramakasa Parabrahma; as one who could fully comprehend Siva-tatva throughout without a break; as one who was born in the Narayanamsa (Narayanamsya sambhuta); as one who was the destroyer of the pride of every evil opponent who had built up a mountain of argument based upon a stray text of the Srutis; who was the Guru of the three worlds (Trijagadguru), i.e., the Advaita, Visishtadvaita and Dvaita worlds, etc. In this description, we have five points of interest to note: (1) that Sripati was a great Virasaiva teacher; (2) that he was a great scholar in the Veda and the Vedanta; (3) that he was a keen-witted controversialist; (4) that he had performed what might be called a miracle in tying up burning coals in a piece of cloth and suspended the same by means of a 'Sami branch; and (5) that he was born in the Narayanamsa. As regards the fourth of these points, there is independent testimony in certain literary works to which reference will be made below. Apart from this panegyric, I have been able to trace some specific references in Telugu and Sanskrit literary works to Sripati-Panditacharya-who is styled in them as Sripati Pandita, Panditaradhya Desika, Sripati Panditaradhya or simply Panditaradhya. As mentioned below, Sripati himself uses Aradhya for Acharya and Desika for Acharya in his references to Srikanta Sivacharya. As a

matter of fact, Acharya and Aradhya have long been treated as convertible terms of title. Literally Aradhya means fit to be worshipped or propitiated, a sense in which it is used by Kalidasa in his Raghuvamsa (XVI. 12). It is the equivalent of Aradhaniya. Acharya literally means a teacher or preceptor, particularly a religious teacher or spiritual guide, as also one who propounds a particular doctrine. In the case of Sripati, this title is particularly apposite as he was both a religious teacher and the propounder of a new philosophical doctrine, the Bhedabheda. The term Desika means a spiritual teacher or guide and is generally used in the sense of guru. With these observations, we may refer to certain Telugu works in which Sripati Pandita is mentioned. The first of these is the Manuvamsapuranamu, a work in five Asvasas, which professes to be a Telugu rendering of the Sanskrit work Khandakapalakhyana (Madras Oriental MSS. Library, Telugu D.C.I. No. 160). It is said to have been originally narrated by Mahesvara to Umadevi, and describes the origin and greatness of the Telikas. It is stated that some of the Kshatriya descendants of Manu were cursed by a sage named Visvamitra and they were born as Telikas. It is said that they were devotees of Sri Mallikarjuna, the presiding deity at Srisaila, that they revelled (i.e., lived) on the banks of the great and meandering Krishna at Vijayavatika (modern Bezwada); that they were possessors of bodies which had been purified by the benign, gracious and kindly glances of Panditaradhya Desika, who had been specially blessed with countless good qualities by Nitalaksha (i.e., Lord Siva); that they had settled 2 The term Aradhya was evidently at one time used as the equivalent of Acharya. Thus Chinnabhatta in the colophon to his Tatvabhashaprakasika describes himself as the son Vishnudevaradhya. This Chinnabhatta speaks of himself as the younger brother of Sarvajna and a dependant of Harihara II. Rai Bahadur V. Venkayya identifies this Sarvajna with Sarvajna, the guru of Sayana (see Aufrecht, Cat. Cat., Sayana; Epigraphia Indica , III, 118). If this be so, the title aradhya was in the 14 th century as much in use among Virasaiva Brahmans as among other sects of Brahmans.

11 at Kanakapuri, Ayodhya, Gajapura, Vijapura and Vijayavatika; and that their fame had spread all over the worlds. The author of the work, Pochiraju Viranamatya, son of Virabhadra Mantri and Murtamamba, of Sandilyagotra, declares himself a protege of these Telikas of Bezwada and dedicates his work to God Mallesvara of that place. In the introductory verse, he praises God Mallikarjuna of Srisaila and then proceeds to narrate the circumstances under which he undertook the task of composing this mahaprabandha. It is in setting out these details that he tells us that the Telikas of Bezwada were disciples of Panditaradhya Desika and that they had won that great teacher's special grace. Not only that, poet Pochiraju Viranamatya sets down his own genealogy at some length and narrates the grants made to the leaders of the Telika (oil-pressing) caste by former kings of the country. Thus, he states that the grants made to Peda-Vegi Erra Pothanna Setti, Nidadavole Poli Setti, Vaddadi Sami Setti, Tatikelapudi Bommi Setti, Bezwada Varna Rami Setti and others of the Telika caste are to be found recorded in detail on the stone pillars to the east of the Mallikarjuna temple at Bezwada, the moon, the stars, the heavens and the earth being witnesses to the grants. Pratapachola, it is said, granted to several other Settis the towns of Bezwada, Peda-Vegi, Jananathapura, Dhananjayapuram, Tatikelapudi, Padmavati, Bhogavati, Chintalapudi, Gathavaram and Saketa, towns in Panchala and other kingdoms, including Atreyapuram in Madura and Manikarnika in all fourteen towns to be enjoyed by them solely by themselves. He then adds the following:Thus with these towns and with wealth of every kind, they (i.e., the Telikas of Bezwada and other towns) lived happily by the good graces of the guru and Mahesvara, protecting the poor, the whole being praised and blessed by Brahmans as respected merchants, as descendants of Manu, as fortunate and lucky (people). They lived thus in the reign of that ornament to the Chalukya dynasty, King Vishnuvardhana Maharaja Devabhallana Vira Perumal " -

Pratapachola, rendering bright (the greatness) of the guru, God (Mahesvara) and the throne. While they were thus prospering, in Saka 1109, some of the Telikas of certain towns lacking in good sense, said to their brethren at Bezwada: "As Bezwada, the Krishna river and God Mallikarjuna are (specially lovable) to you, to us are Nellore, the Pennar and God Mulasthanes vara. So you and we cannot commingle." So saying, they departed southwards to Nellore. Then Rami Setti, with the aid of such of the more well-to-do merchants (of Bezwada) as agreed with him, built a temple of many pillars to the Mallikarjuna temple and arranged for the conduct of the daily worship in it." The following three points emerge from the above narration of poet Viranamatya: (1) that Sripati Pandita was not only the guru of the Telikas of Bezwada and other towns but also that of the then reigning king whose name he gives, as Chalukya Vishnuvardhana Maharaja Devabhallana Vira-Perumal Pratapa-Chola; (2) that both Sripati Pandita and the king lived in Saka 1109 (= A.D. 1127); and (3) that the Telikas of Bezwada and round about separated into two sections in that year, one portion of the caste going southwards to Nellore and settling itself there and the other continuing to live in Bezwada and the adjoining towns. Among the latter were Rami Setti-evidently the poet's chief patron-and others, who built the temple of Mallikarjuna and arranged for daily worship in it. Inscriptions now found at Bezwada throw some light on the above statements made by Viranamatya. A mutilated lithic record, discovered in the courtyard of the Mallesvara temple at that place, which mentions the Pallava king Mahamandalesvara Pallaketa as a subordinate of the Chalukya king of Vengidesa, registers among other things that l'anditaradhya came to Bezwada and there proclaimed the superiority of Sivabhaktas to Brahmans by holding live coal in a piece of China-muslin with the tender twig of a Sami tree (Madras Epigraphy Report , 1910, No. 536 of 1909; see also paras 8-9 of Part II of the Report). The reference is

" 13 undoubtedly to Sripati Pandita's exploit already referred to above. The date of this inscription is unfortunately lost, but the late Rao Bahadur H. Krishna Sastri, Government Epigraphist for India, has suggested that it might be referred to the period of the Kakatiya King Ganapati (1199-1260 A.D.) and his daughter Rudramba (1295- 1323 A.D.). That this date is a little too early for Sripati will be made clear below. The inscription gives some interesting anecdotes relative to the Mallesvara temple at Bezwada and it is necessary to set them down here. It is recorded that prior to the Kali Age, the sage Agastya had named the god at Bezwada as Jayasena. Arjuna, the Mahabharata hero, whose capacity for wrestling (Mallayuddha) is famous, next called him, it is said, Mallesvara. "The thus famous Siva," says the record, " graces with his presence the blessed town Vijayavata, the ornament of which is the river Krishna. In the Kali Age, again, as early as the Saka year 117 (295 A.D.), there was a king famous on earth by name Madhavavarman. The son of this king having killed a child of the woman "who eked out her livelihood by selling shoots of the tamarind tree (tintrini-jivani)", the king sentenced him to be hanged in order to meet the ends of justice. On seeing this, God Mallesvara was pleased and rained (on him) a shower of gold which brought back to life the deceased prince and the dead body of the child of the beggar woman. Thus the God Mallesvara established in this world the fame of the great king (Madhavavarman). Later on, the record continues, came a pious devotee of Siva by name Panditaradhya who proclaimed to the world that the devotees of Siva were superior to the divine sages (perhaps, Brahmanas) and illustrated the truth of it by bundling up live-coal in a piece of China-muslin, with the tender twig of a Sami tree-of course without burning the cloth! God Mallesvara was pleased and manifested himself in the presence of his devotee. Such is Mahadeva Mallesvara "the endless one, the lover of his devotees worshipping whom the lords of the earth prospered of old." (See Madras Epigraphy Report for 1910,

But para 8.) Such is the story told in the lithic record. as Mr. Krishna Sastri has pointed out, an archaic Telugu record found at the same place and assigned by him to the 9 th century A.D. (Madras Epigraphy Report , 1910, Part I, page 3) registers the building of a temple at Bezwada for the God Kumaraswami (or Kartikeya) by a certain Nripadhamundu, while King Rajasalki Rajasraya Satyatrinetra Yuddhamalla, the beloved (son?) of Nripankusa, was ruling. Another part of the same inscription states that the king built for the merit of his grandfather Mallaparaju, a mansion for (the god) and placed a pinnacle (Kalasa) over it. The third part of the same inscription adds that on the occasion of the king's coronation (?) a certain Mallundu, son of Trinayana, came to Bezwada from Chebrolu in order to attend a public festival (jatra) when, finding there the manifest presence of God Kartikeya, he raised this temple for him. From these statements, Mr. Krishna Sastri traces the historical origin of the modern town of Mallesvara to the founder Yuddha-Mallundu alias Nripadhamundu. If this be so, then the question arises how a temple dedicated to Kumara (Skanda), who is generally worshipped in the form of an image, came to be the shrine of a linga? Mr. Krishna Sastri suggests an answer to this query when he states. that "perhaps the subsequent history of the temple, as given in the mutilated record under discussion, which reveals how in a later age a Saiva Aradhya established the superiority of the Saivas over the (Brahmana) sages, may give a clue as to the period when the Kartikeya temple at Bezwada was converted into the modern temple of Siva, Mallesvara" (Madras Epigraphy Report for 1910, para 9). would seem to follow from this suggestion that the conversion of the temple should have taken place as the result of Sripati Panditaradhya's influence at the place. That Sripati was against idol worship (Saligrama Sila-puja) will be clear from what is stated below. It There are at least two literary references to Sripati's exploit. One of these occurs in Sankararadhya's Basavesavijaya, where it is thus referred to:-

prasadah pavana iti pratijnayamimamsuke | badhva babandha yassamyam jiyacchripati pamditah || Prasadaha pavana iti pratignayagnimamsuke 15 Badhva babandha yassamyam jiyachchripati panditaha Let Sripati live long, who avowing seriously that His grace is holy and purifying, tied up fire in the folds of his cloth, and suspended it in the Sami tree. Gubbiya Mallanna, the Kannada poet, in his Bhavachintaratna, praising the Virasaiva Panditatraya-Sivalenka Manchanna, Sripati Panditaradhya and Mallikarjuna -refers to Sripati's exploit thus :- hariyanabhavange vandanegeyisi sikhiyanam. baradalli katti murdhaksigala padedu ni.! stura vakramandati vrada durganagala vaisnava viprajainaremba | varavatapittadustamam kidisi sam.! karalenka mancanna sripatisvaradeva | to nurumallikarjunam panditatrayavadarem'ma bhavarogagalige i Hariyanabhavange vandanegeyisi sikhiyanam-\ Baradalli katti murdhakshigala padedu ni-1 Shthura vakra manda tivrada durganagala Vaishnava Vipra Jainaremba || Vara vata pittha dussleshmamam kidisi SanKaralenka Manchanna Sripatisvaradeva Nurumallikarjunam pandilatraya vadaremma bhavarogagalige "Having bowed to Siva, the destroyer of sorrows, Sankaralenka Manchanna, Sripatisvaradeva and Mallikarjuna, tied up (the god of) fire in a cloth and obtained pre-eminence and stupefied the crowds of wicked, hardhearted, crooked, sluggish (in movement) and quickwitted (in argument) Vaishnavas and Jainas and became the Panditatraya-they proved spiritual physicians to those suffering from the diseases arising from the (wrong modes of) searching Brahma just as temporal physicians are to those who are suffering from the diseases arising

from (the preponderance of) excessive vata, pittha, and dussleshma.3 In the above verse, though praise is bestowed on all the three great Virasaiva Pandits-Sivalenka Manchanna, Sripati Panditaradhya and Mallikarjuna Panditaradhya- the exploit of tying up the fire in a cloth belongs to Sripati alone. The story goes that Sripati took a vow that Siva's blessing was all supreme and collected Agni (the god of fire) in a piece of cloth and tied him up to a Vahni tree, with the result that for seven continuous days Agni-having been thus tied up-was unavailable. Brahmans living in the vicinity feeling that their daily ceremonial, which involves the worship of Agni, whether for sacrifices to be offered to the gods or to ancestors, would be rendered wholly impossible by this act of Sripati, waited on him and handing him a certificate of victory, obtained back Agni from him. (See R. Narasimhachar, Karnataka Kavicharite, Ed. 1924, 212-13.) This miracle of Sripati evidently produced a great impression and his fame spread far and wide, so that long after he ceased to exist, it appears to have given him a preeminence wherever Virasaivas lived. That is how we are to understand the references to it in the works of Sankararadhya and Gubbiya Mallanarya. When was the miracle wrought? The inscriptional record in which it is referred to has been assigned, as we have seen above, to the reign of Rudramba, the Kakatiya Empress, who ruled from 1295 to 1323 A.D. This may be temporarily accepted, provided it is understood that the event is set down to the end of Rudramba's reign rather than to its beginning. This is the more necessary, as Sripati appears as a critic of Madhvacharya's views in his Commentary and sufficient time should be allowed for such a dissemination of his views as to require pointed refutation at his hands. On 3 In this Kannada verse there is a pun on the words Bhava and Pandita. The whole verse is an example of what is known as the double entendre.

17 this ground alone, I would suggest that Sripati was a younger contemporary of Queen Rudramba and lived long after the close of her reign. This view is strengthened by the Kondavidu lithic record of 1405 A.D. which mentions Sripati's grandson (see below). We may here dispose of another suggestion that Sripati should be assigned to the 12 th century A.D. Mr. R. Narasimhachar in his Karnataka Kavicharite states that as Virasaiva poets mention always together, at the commencement of their poems, the three Pandits, Sivalenka Manchanna, Sripati Pandita and Mallikarjuna Pandita, and praise them quoting Basava Purana (Sandhis 9 and 58), they should have been contemporaries of each other and of Basava. This suggestion cannot be maintained in view of the fact that as Basava lived about 1160 A.D. in the reign of King Bijjala (1156-1167), Sripati would have to be assigned to about 1167 A.D. to make him his contemporary. As a matter of fact we find him refuting the doctrines of Madhvacharya, mentioning him both by name and by implication. As Madhvacharya lived on and after 1238 A.D., Sripati should be referred to a date posterior to him. As pointed out above, Gubbiya Mallanna, the Virasaiva poet, who flourished about 1513 A.D., mentions Sripati (he calls him Sripatsvaradeva) in his Bhavachinta-ratna. As Gubbiya Mallanna specifically states that he wrote the Bhavachinta-ratna in Saka 1435 (A.D. 1513), there can be no doubt about that date. This fact leads us to the conclusion that the upper limit for Sripati's time should be set down at about 1400 A.D. allowing about a hundred years for his attaining the status of an ancient worthy to be associated with the earliest resuscitators of Virasaivism and quoted with respect by Mallanna. It follows from this that Sripati's date should be between 1238 A.D. and 1400 A.D. We may not be far wrong if we tentatively assigned him to about 1400 A.D. This would allow just a century and a half for the development of Madhva's system which Sripati criticises in some detail. 2

Reverting to Viranamatya's reference to Sripati, we have to enquire who was the king of Peda-Vegi whose guru was Sripati. Viranamatya gives his name as "that ornament to the Chalukya dynasty King Vishnuvardhana Maharaja Devabhallana Vira Perumal Pratapa-Chola," who is coupled with the Saka date 1109 (A.D. 1187). This prince may be identified with Bhallanarendra (or Balladhinatha) who is mentioned in a couple of inscriptions at Peddakallepalli in the Krishna District. Both of these records are to be found on the Nandi pillar at the Nagesvara temple at that place, one dated in Saka 1076 (A.D. 1154), recording gifts of gold (Kulottunga-mada) for lamps by Somaladevi, queen of Bhallanarendra (Balladhinatha), the son of Chalukya Bhima and Abbaladevi and grandson of Balla of the lunar race (Madras Epigraphy Report , Nos. 131 and 132 of 1897; as to Chalukya-Bhima I, see C. P. Grant No. 14 of 1908-09, Madras Epigraphy Report , 1909, pp. 108-09 and Epigraphia Indica , V. 127-137). As the difference between the date given by Viranamatya and that mentioned by the two inscriptional records is only 33 years, it may be conceded that the king's name is correctly given, though it has to be remarked that Sripati could not have lived so early as 1187 or 1154 A.D., which is nearly a century earlier than the date. of Madhvacharya, whose views he criticises. The only possible inference is that Viranamatya has mixed up the dates of Sripati and Bhallanarendra and ante-dated the former, by nearly two centuries. It is possible that he did so in order to make Sripati's connection, as their guru, with the Telikas, which was a fact, look more ancient. While Sripati might not have been the guru of Bhallanarendra, it is possible he was actually the guru of certain princes of his own time, as we know from other sources that Saiva teachers were actually during many centuries gurus of kings all over Southern India. Pochiraju Viranamatya also calls himself as Kolakaturi Virana, he being named after Kolakaturi Virabhadra, his family God. He was the author of many other Telugu works including Krishnarjuna Samvada,

19 written in his 14 th year, Vibhutimahatmyam (in dvipada metre) in his 22 nd year, Markandeyacharitram in his 26 th year and Srimuktadevukatha in his 36 th year. He states he composed the Manuvamsapuranamu in his 30 th year. He also rendered Sankaracharya's Anandalahari and Soundaryalahari and Bhartruhari's Subhashita into Telugu Satakas. One other work of his of interest to us is Bhallanacharitramu, in which there is a further reference to Sripati Panditacharya (Madras Oriental MSS. Library, D.C. II, No. 600). The genealogical verses and colophons of Manuvamsapurana and Bhallanacharitramu agree throughout, while in the introductory verses of the latter Viranamatya acknowledges his authorship of Manuvamsapurana, which he styles Manuvamsamukhya-nripa-purana. There is, therefore, no doubt that he is the author of both these works, besides many others, for in the Manuvamsapurana he states that he had spent many days most piously in composing stories relating to Siva. sikatha racanadi visesabhakti ! yukti dinamulu gadupucununna vada || Sivakatha rachanadi visesha bhakti v Yukti dinamulu gadupuchununnavada || Saiva-probably a He was evidently an ardent Virasaiva of the Krishna district. There are vivid descriptions of Masulipatam (or Bandar) and Bezwada in his work. Though he belonged to Kolakaturu, he probably had made Bezwada his headquarters. Here he found a patron in a painter (of the Chitrakara caste) named Damu Moggana, the second of four sons of Peddaya and Venkamamba. His guru was, we are told, Sambhulinga, son of Mahadeva-Desika, who was born of the family of Sripati Panditaradhya of the prosperous town of Vijayavatika (i.e., Bezwada). This part of the text may be quoted :- sri lalita jayavati konagara sansthanasripati panditaradhya venka samudbhavi mahadevakhya desikatma sambhana sambhulinga nama guru karajana nundunu..

• • • Sri lalita Jayavatikanagara samsthana Sripatipanditaradhya vamsa samudbhava mahadevakhya Desikatma sambhava Sambhulinga nama guru karajananundunu. Virana states that it was at Moggana's instance that he undertook to compose the Bhallanacharitra (also called Bhallananripu-Katha). He was entrusted with this work, because Moggana knew that poet Virana was a learned poet in both Sanskrit and Telugu and that he had made an intelligent study of the works in those languages. These are statements put into the mouth of Moggana about himself and may be taken as evidence of his intimate knowledge of Sanskrit and Telugu literature. Bhallanacharitra was, however, not dedicated to Moggana, who, though only a painter by profession, had humility enough. to suggest to Virana that he should compose his work in the name of Mahesvara. From the manner in which Damu Moggana is mentioned-holding court surrounded by his castemen, etc.,-it would seem he was a flourishing merchant who had evinced some interest both in religion and literary effort. His patronage of Virana helps us to realize the fact that Sripati Panditaradhya had left an abiding influence in his native district of Krishna and round about and that he had a large number of followers even among the humbler classes, who looked to his descendants for their spiritual welfare. Evidently Sripati's name was still-in Virana's time-a name to conjure with; otherwise Virana would not have taken the trouble to mention Sambhulinga's 'descent from him. Sripati's name evidently added, in Virana's opinion, to the weight of his patron's position and status in society. The selection of Bhallanacharitra for the display of his poetical talents would seem to indicate that both Virana and his patron were ardent Saivas-and Virasaivas too. This inference is partially at least confirmed by the mention of the name of Sripati Pandita as the ancestor of Sambhulinga, the guru of Virana's patron. The Bhallanacharitra narrates the story of Bhallana, a devotee of

21 Siva, who is said to have pleased Him by sacrificing his dearest things for His sake. That it is a highly popular Sivakatha is evidenced by the fact that besides Virana's poetical version of it in Telugu, there are two others of it, one by Mallavarapu Vatesvara (see Madras Oriental MSS. Library, Telugu MSS., D.C. VI, No. 598) and another by Kuchimanchi Timmaya, the well-known author of the Achcha Telugu Ramayana (see ibid., Triennial Catalogue, Telugu, Part III, No. 59). The next literary reference to Sripati Panditaradhya is in the Pattabhiramavilasamu by poet Nagalinga, son of Viranaradhya (or Viresalinga), grandson of Sambhulinga, and a descendant of Sripati Panditaradhya. This Sambhulinga may be identified with Sambhulinga, the guru of Moggana, to whom Virana dedicated the Bhallanacharitra. (Madras Oriental MSS. Library, Telugu MSS., T.C., Part III, No. 16). In the introductory verses we are told that Nagalinga was well versed in Sanskrit and Telugu and that he was a great grammarian in both these languages. Also, he is spoken of as proficient in different kinds of poetry-such as bandha, chitra, etc.-and that he was a handsome-looking person and bore a character for equanimity of temper. It is specially mentioned that he was a descendant of the family of Panditaradhya (i.e., Sripati Panditaradhya). The exact words used are:- panditaradhyavansa sambhavumdu (Panditaradiya vamsa sambhavundu). In the colophon, we are further told that he belonged to the Kausika-gotra, and that he was born as the moon to the ocean of the family of Sripati Panditaradhya. actual words used are:The . . . . kavitamadhuridhurina kasika gotrapavitra sripatipanditaradhyavansa payah payorasi rakosudhakarayamana sambhulingaradhya pautra viranaradhya satkaviputri sakalasukavividheya nagalingabhidheya pranitambaina ...... Kavita madhvri dhurina Kausikagotra pavitra Sripati panditaradhya vamsapayah payorasi rakasudhakarayamana..

If, as suggested above, Sambhulinga, the grandfather of Nagalinga, may be justifiably identified with Sambhulinga, the guru of Chitrakara Moggana of Bezwada, to whom Kolakaturi Virana dedicated his Bhallanacharitra, then these two works-Bhallanacharitra and Pattabhiramavilasamu-cannot be separated from each other by a long distance of time. Probably a period of fifty years separated them from each other in regard to the date of their composition. Nagalinga, the author of Pattabhiramavilasamu, dedicated his work to Venkataraya, a Madhva Brahman, whose genealogy is given at length by him in the introductory verses. He evidently belonged to a respected family which had for some generations been connected on the maternal side with the family of Kondaviti Appaji, whose descendants had administered the territories dependent on the fortresses of Vinukonda, Bellamkonda and Kondavidu, in the present Guntur district. Another reference to Sripatipandita is to be found in a work called Gurustotram, which is in praise of one Paramaradhya. This Paramaradhya is described as the son of Mallikesvaralinga, who again is spoken of as a descendant of Sripatipandita. As Paramaradhya is said to have belonged in this work to the Jayavatika family, it has to be inferred that Sripatipandita's family was familiarly known by this name, because Sripati had made himself famous in Vijayavatika (i.e., Bezwada). The following verse from the Stotra gives the above information :- srimacchripatipanditanvayasudha sindhvadi mula guruh | svamisri jayavatikanagara samtano dvijagresarah || srimallesvara lingagarbha jananah srngara bhavadvaro | dhamaryah sakalarthamuktiphalada stambhavaye'ham sada || Srimad Sripati Panditanvaya sudha sindkvadimulo guruhu Swami Sri Jayavatikanagara santano dvijagresaraha || Sri Mallesvaralinga garbhajananaha sringarabhasvadvaro | Dhamaryaha sakalarthamukti phaladaha tam bhavaye aham sada ||

23 "I meditate upon him always him always who is the chief descendant of the family of Sripatipandita of spotless fame and who is the best among the Dwijas of the Sri Jayavatikanagara family; who was born in the parentage of Mallesvaralinga, who was shining resplendent in good qualities and who was the chief source for granting the fruit of salvation (Mukti) to many of his adorers." Perhaps the title of " Jayavatika" was applied to by Sripatipandita's descendants to distinguish them from the descendants of other Sripatis known to Sanskrit literature, e.g. Sripatidikshita and Sripati, the author of Jyautisharatnamala, Siddhantasekhara and other astrological works. (See Madras D.C. Sanskrit XXIV, R. No. 13423 at p. 9049; R. No. 13506 at p. 9125, etc.) Sripatidikshita was the father of Devaradikshita or Devaraya, the author of Prasannaramayana. (Ibid., XX, No. 11607 at p. 7780.) There was, besides, a Sripatibhatta, who was the father of Narayanabhatta, author of a commentary on Vadiraja's Rukmanisavijaya. (See ibid., XX, R. Nos. 11717 and 11718.) The combined testimony of inscriptions and literary references so far put forward may be held to establish the following facts:-(1) That Sripati Pandita was a person of great fame as a Virasaiva teacher and was not improbably the guru of the ruling king of Vegi of his time; (2) that he lived about circa 1400 A.D.; (3) that Bezwada was the centre of his religious activities, at least before he attained to Sanyasa; (4) that the miracle of bundling up live coals. in a China-muslin cloth was performed at Bezwada; (5) that one of the effects of his activities and of the miracle performed by him was probably the conversion of the old temple of Skanda there into that of Mallesvara, probably after the famous god of Sri-saila, to whom he was devoted; (6) that his influence spread as far as Sri-saila in the Kurnool district; (7) that he had a large number of followers in what are now the Guntur, Nellore, Kurnool and probably also Godavari districts; (8) that influential industrial and mercantile classes like the Telikas, Chitrakaras and others

more largely adopted Virasaivism as the result of his activities; (9) that he belonged to a highly literary family, learned in both Sanskrit and Telugu; (10) that some of his descendants distinguished themselves as religious teachers and as poets; and (11) that there is every reason to believe that he was himself instrumental in popularizing the Virasaiva faith over a wide extent of country.