Dhātukāvya of Melputtūr Nārāyaṇabhaṭṭa

[Full title: Kerala Contribition to Śāstrakāvya Tradition (3): Dhātukāvya of Melputtūr Nārāyaṇabhaṭṭa]

Dhātukāvya is a Śāstrakāvya written by Melputtūr Nārāyaṇabhaṭṭa and it holds three cantos. The poem is a continuation of Vāsudevavijaya of Vāsudeva which is mentioned in the text and also in its commentary viz. Kṛṣṇārpaṇa. It also points out the fact that the composers of the branch of the dhātus in Sanskrit have followed different methods.

The historians have not come to the conclusion that the addition of meanings along with the root is done by Pāṇini.

udāhṛtaṃ pāṇinisūtramaṇḍalaṃ prāgvāsudevena tadūrdhvato'paraḥ |
udāharatyadya vṛkodaroditān dhātūn krameṇaiva hi mādhavāśrayāt ||^[1]

The statement in the Kṛṣṇārpaṇa commentary is as follows:

vāsudevakaviracitasya vāsudevavijayābhidhasya kāvyaratnasya śeṣaparipūraṇāya cikīrṣitaṃ pratijānīte |^[2]

In Vāsudevavijaya, the story up to the killing of the demon Keśin is narrated. In order to complete the story, Melpūttūr composed Dhātukāya. Vāsudeva illustrated almost all rules of Aṣṭādhyāyī in Vāsudevavijaya Thus in Dhātukāvya author illustrates the Dhātus in the order in which they are given in the Pāṇinīyadhātupāṭha as followed in the Mādhavīyadhātuvṛtti. The author has mentioned that the Dhātupāṭha is composed by Vṛkodara i.e. Bhīmasena, who is believed to have standardized the Pāṇinīyadhātupāṭha by incoporating the meanings of each roots which were prevalent in his time.

The Bhāgavata story from Akrūra’s journey to Gokula with the message of Kaṃsa up to the death of Kaṃsa is the theme of the poem. Akrūra’s journey and his meeting to Nanda is narrated in the first canto. In the Second canto, Kṛṣṇa’s departure of to Mathura, the killing of Rajaka, meeting with Kubja and the breaking of the bow are explained. The encounter with the wrestlers and the elephant and Kaṃsavadha are included in the third canto. The course of events is spread over three days.

The first portion of Bhvādi from bhū to arhais dealt with in the first canto. From the rest of the Bhvādigaṇa to the end of Tudādi are illustrated in the second. The remaining gaṇas are explained in the third canto.

The verse,

sa gāndinībhūratha gokulaidhitaṃ spardhāludhīgādhitakāryabādhinam |
drakṣyan hariṃ nādhitalokanāthakaṃ dedhe mudāskunditamantarindriyam ||^[3]

Illustrates the roots like bhū sattāyām, edha vṛddhau, spardha saṃgharṣe, gādhṛ pratiṣṭhālipsayorgranthe ca, bādhṛ loḍane, nādhṛ nāthṛ yājñopapatāpaiśvaryāśīḥṣu, dadha dhāraṇe, skudi āpravaṇe etc. accordingly.

Dhātukāvya is a poem of literary merit in addition to its status being a treatise illustrating the dhātus.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Dhātukāvya of Nārāyaṇabhaṭṭa, S. Venkatasubramonia Aiyer,v.I.1

[2]:

ibid.p.1

[3]:

ibid,v. I.2