70. Date of the Vishnu-bhakti-kalpalata of Purushottama

70. Date of the Vishnu-bhakti-kalpalata of Purushottama - Before A. D. 1495 I No attempt has hitherto been made to put definite limits to the chronology of the Visnubhaktikalpalata' of Purusottama, though this poem was published about 48 years ago. In a note on the author of this poem in 8 Stabakas the editors state that the time and place of this author is doubtful.2 In view of the above statement I propose to record in this paper some data which will enable us to put some definite limits to the date of Purusottama. Aufrecht records some MSS of the Visnubhaktikalpalata as follows:Adyar Library Bulletin, February 1941, pp. 13-16. 1. Kavyamala No. 31 (N. S. Press, Bombay, 1892) Ed. by Durgaprasad and Parab. - 2. Ibid - " purusottamah | sani - visnusamjnakayormatapitrorlabdhajanma visnubhakti- kalpalatapraneta purusottamakavih kasminkale katamam janapadamalamcakareti samdigdham " The editors then refer to several theories about the chronology and identification of Purusottama as follows:- (1) Anandarama on p. 14 of his Intro. to Purusottama belonged to halayudha vamsa . g. He flourished not century A. D. states that or Bengal and was descended from later than the latter part of the 12 th (2) Kavi Caritra (in Marathi) tells us that Purusottama was the King of Orissa and Kalinga and flourished in the 14 th Century of the Salivahana Saka. His Capital was at Cuttack. He composed trikandasesa, haravali and ekaksarakosa . (3) Rajendralal Mitra states in his Notices of Sanskrit MSS that Purusottama flourished either in the 10 th or 11 th Century A. D. The editors observe that whereas the author of and at the end of these works, our author's name as mentioned in the vishnubhaktikalpalata is given as purusottama other works is called g only. 490

-2 - "visnubhaktikalpalata by Purusottamacarya. 491 - a poem in eight Stabakas IO. 1500, 2420, 2468. W. p. 158. K. 66. B. 4, 92 (and Comm.) P. 23. Bhk. 27. Proceed. A S B. 1869, B 6. Oppert II, 4779. Peters 1, 119, 3, 396., B P 263 (eighth Stabaka ). 357. Commentary: visnubhaktikalpalataprabodha by the author B. 4. 92. ,, ,, T by Mahidhara composed in 1590.' IO 1500, 2461, W. p. 158. P. 23. Bhk. 27. Peters 3. 396. By Mahesvara composed in 16212 Bh. 26. B. P. 54. 263.357. By Haridasa. B. 4. 92. CC II, 140-far-Kavya in eight Stabakas by Purusottama, son Visnu. Stein 74 (1-4). Printed with Mahidhara's Comm. in Kavyamala 31. Comm. Mahidhara. Peters 4. 31. by CC III, 174 farby Purusottama. AS p. 177. (2 MSS) Comm. by Mahidhara AS. p. 177. The above entries show that the work Visnubhaktikalpalata has found three commentators. Of these three the dates of two are definitely known as A. D. 1590 and 1621. We must, therefore, search for the date of Visnubhaktikalpalata before A. D. 1590, which is the later limit for the date of this work. Let us now see if we can take this limit backwards from A. D. 1590. Fortunately for 1. The correct date is Samvat 1654 = A. D. 1598. 2. MS No. 86 of 1883-84 in the B. O. R. Institute MSS Library is a commentary prakasa by mahesvara on vi . bha. kalpalata . It ends. as follows :--"atha vivarana nirmanakalah | srimadbhavalayanuramjanalasatkarttirnrpadvikramat jatesvambudhiragabhumiganite'dve margasirsarjune | pakse mukhyajayatithi muruguruvare virupaksabhu-nirmatismahesvaro guru krpastikamimam sumdaram || 1 || samvat 1667 sa 1533 prajesta sudi 9 gurau likhitam || " The chronogram asva, ambudhi, raga, bhumi = Samvat 1647 = A. D. 1591 in which year the work was composed. The MS of the work is dated Samvat 1667 = Saka 1533 = A. D. 1611. This MS, therefore, was copied 20 years after the work was composed. Aufrecht's date A. D. 1621 is wrong.

us we have a dated MS of the text of the Visnubhaktikalpalata in the India Office Library which was copied in A. D. 1495' and hence is earlier by 103 years than A. D. 1598 ( = Sam. 1654) which is the exact date of Mahidhara's commentary Prakasa on the Visnubhaktikalpalata. We must, therefore, search for Purusottama's date before A. D. 1495. Mahesvara's commentary on the Visnubhakti-kalpalata was composed in A. D. 1591 and not in A. D. 1621 as stated by Aufrecht³ (CC I, 591 ). The above data show the following chronology of the Mss of the Visnubhaktikalpalata and also of the commentaries on the work: A. D. 1495 Date of India Office MS of Visnubhaktikalpalata. 1591 1598 - - Mahesvara composed his comm. on Visnubhaktikalpalata. Mahidhara comments on Visnubhaktikalpalata. 1611 Date of a MS Mahesvara's Comm. on Visnubhaktikalpalata. These dates enable us to conclude that Purusottama lived. - " 1. Vide p. 1475 of I.O. MSS Cata. VII, 1904-Visnubhaktikalpalata a poem in 8 Stabakas, consisting of meditations and devotional effusions on the names and qualities of Visnu by Purusottama, son of Visnu and Mani." The MS ends: samaptoyam visnubhaktikalpalatakhyah samvat 1551 varse caitre sudi 10 gurau damodarena lilikhe || mani mata pita visnurya- syakhya purusottamah | visnubhaktilatam cakre satam cakre krtanjalih|| " The 2 nd MS of Visnubhaktikalpalata (IO No. 3909) dated Samvat 1848 = A. D. 1792. The third MS (No. 3910) is dated about A. D. 1650" and ends as follows:- iti sri visnubhaktikalpalatavivarane citraprabodho namastamah samapta vivrtih || " " srutibana rasendumanavarse nabhasi skandadine site'rkavare | mahidasabudho girisapuryam krtavankalpalataprakasametam || " FATE: 11 The chronogram sruti (4) bana ( 5 ) rasa ( 6 ) indu ( 1 ) = Samvat 1654 = A. D. 1598. 2. Aufrecht records A. D. 1590 as the date of Mahidhara's Prakasa Comm. but this statement is incorrect as the exact date of this Comm. is Sam. 1654 = A. D. 1598 and not A. D. 1590, which is the date of Mahidhara's another work Mantramahodadhi (Sam. 1645). 3. Aufrecht's date A. D. 1621 for the composition Mahesvara's Comm. on the Vishnubhakti-kalpalata is directly contradicted by the date of Ms No. 86 of 1883-84 which was copied in A. D. 1611 i. e. ten years earlier before the work was composed (in A. D. 1621 according to Aufrecht.)

before say A. D. 1450-and therefore we must try to make a search for his date in sources of prior date i.e., before A. D. 1450. The earlier terminus to the date of the Visnubhaktikalpalata will have to be fixed on the strength of internal evidence. Unfortunately the nature of this devotional poem calls for no references by the author to earlier authors or works and consequently the task of flxing the earlier limit becomes rather difficult. Whether and to what extent Purusottama's present poem in 8 Stabakas was influenced by earlier Vaisnavite works, I cannot say at present. I have not also traced. any references to the Visnu-bhakti-kalpalata in later Vaisnavite or other works. There are some Vaisnavite works with titles analogous' to the Visnubhaktikal palata but their priority or posteriority to the present work will have to be examined separately before anything could be definitely said in this matter. - " - 1. Cf. Aufrecht, C C I, 592- visnubhakticandrodaya, visnubhaktiprabamdha, visnubhaktimahatmya, visnubhaktirahasya, visnubhaktistuti, and C C II, 758 - haribhakti- kalpalata by visnupuri, haribhaktikalpalatika by srikrsnasarasvati, haribhaktilata, hari- bhaktilatikastava etc.