6. The Date of Vadirajatirtha

6. Prof. P. P. S. Sastri, and the Date of Vadirajatirtha* Prof P. P. S. Sastri, in his Introduction to Vol. III (Sabhaparvan) of the Southern Recension of the Mahabharata, p. xi, makes the following remarks about the date of Vadirajatirtha and his commentary on the Mahabharata "Reference has already been made to the Laksalamkara of Vadiraja, the contemporary of Vagisatirtha, one of the apostolic successors of Anandatirtha the great dualistic philosopher. Vadiraja died in 1261 Saka or 1339 A. D. (Vide R. G. Bhandarkar's Collected Works, Vol. II, p. 7.2) The Laksalamkara is very valuable as it may possibly turn out to be the earliest dated commentary on the Mahabharata. " Being interested in the chronology of the commentaries on the Mahabharata I felt much interested in the above remarks of Prof. Sastri about Vadirajatiirtha's date and began to read some of the works of this erudite philosopher with a view to gathering chronological data. To begin with I perused his Tirthaprabandhakavya from a Ms in the Govt. Mss Library at the Bhandarkar Institute (No. 622 of 1882-83). This poem contains description of the places of pilgrimage and the deities presiding over them in different parts of India. In particular I was much impressed by Vadiraja's description of (1) the Vithoba of Pandharpur³ (Sholapur * Annals (B. O. R. Institute), Vol. XVII, pp. 203-210. 1. I owe this information to my revered guru and colleague Mahamahopadhyaya S. Kuppuswami Sastrigal. 2. In Duff's Chronology of India (1899) this date for Vadiraja has been incorporated as under on page 210 :- A. D. 1339 S. 1261 - Death of Vadiraja, said to be same as Kavindra, 8 th successor of Anandatirtha in the Madhva Sect" (Bhandarkar's Report 1882-83, pp. 8, 203). 3. Verses 5 to 8 on folio 10 a refer to God fag of Pandharpur :- 66 'sri bhimarathyamalanirasamirakhega nirdhutatiragatarasubhagharmajalam | (Continued on next page) (31)

District) and ( 2 ) Mahalaksmi of Kolhapur. Further while describing the c on the banks of the Tungabhadra river Vadiraja was found to refer to god fag. This reference roused my curiosity still further as the verse containing this reference contains the tradition current in the Maratha country about the transfer of the image of Vithoba from Pandharpur to Vijayanagar on the bank of the Tungabhadra. I found this tradition referred to in one of the Maratha Chronicles. (Continued from the previous page) sripamduramgalasitam varapumdarika- ksetram pavitramahamanvahamasrito'smi || 5 || tire satsaritastiraskrtadhanasaktirviraktipriyah padambhojamidam madamkamahitah samcitayamtarhrdi | pascatte katimatra eva bhavita samsaravarddhirnace - cchiksamiti hi laksayatyanudinam svavasthaya viththalah || 6 || papavali pathanapatupamgah sripanipadmamcitajanujamghah | gopalabalah krpaya svayam nah sripamduramgo bhavatu prasannah || 7 || papaghanodanapatu priyabhrtyabhrmgaih pepiyamana subha sumdaratarasamdram | tapatrayopasamanam taranarka varnam gopalabalacaranamburuham srito'smi || 8 || " 1. The verse referring to the Mahalaksmi of Kolhapur reads as follows on folio 8 :- * " amanavajanasthanasarasikulasamkule | rama kolhapuraksetre * vasatiti kimadbhutam || 85 || " In an inscription (dated 1 st February 1147) of Silahara Vijayaditya on a Jain Temple near Sukrawar Gate (Kolhapur) ksullakapura is recorded as another name for Kolhapur ( Vide Ep. Ind. Vol. III. p. 209.). 2. The description of pampaksetra and the reference to viththala will be found in the following verses on folios 15-16 :- 66 " tatinisu tumgabhadre svadudakasamkula tvamasi nunam | kasmattirthapadosau dhatte tvameva damstrayorno cet || 12|| cauryanmatrnibaddhacarucaranah papaughacaryadbudhaih | baddhastvam pathi pumdarikamunina * jareti sambodhitah | (Continued on next page )

Malhar Ramrao Chitnis in his Life of Shivaji' composed in A. D. 1811 states that the image of Vithoba was transferred from Pandharpur to Vidyanagar or Vijayanagar as the Vijayanagar kings were great upholders of Hinduism and full of devotion to Gods and Brahmans. Later in the same context he mentions the names Jnanesvara and Bhanudasa without mentioning the retransfer of the image back to Pandharpur. Mr. K. N. Sane, the editor of the above Bakhar of Chitnis in his notes on the above mentioned passage of the Bakhar in question makes the following remarks 2.- "Ramraja of Vidyanagar transferred the Vithoba of Pandhari to Vijayanagar from whence he was brought back by sage Bhanudasa of Paithana (see Mahipati's Bhaktivijaya chapter 43)......... It was possible in the reign of Krsnadevaraya (1509-1530) that Vithoba was taken from Pandhari to Vidyanagar. It is likely that the (Continued from the previous page) tumgatiragato'si vitthala bhiyervanyakrtim vamcchitam | vettanam yadi me na dasyati tada tvatsamsthitih kathyate || 13|| pampadhyakso virupaksah sampade syatsatam sada | yo hemagirisimayam rajate rajasekharah || 14 || In a Sanskrit inscription dated Saka 1159 ( = A. D. 1237) in is there called a Sage Vadiraja also refers to Vithoba's temple at Pandharpur the story of the boon to Pundalika is referred to with the only difference that go or (Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. XX, p. 420). pundarika as muni . " Compare also the following remarks of John Wilson in his article Ancient Remains of Western India (J. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. III, Jan. 1850) p. 87-"The celebrated temple of Vithoba near Pandharpur is supposed to be a Buddhist structural temple now appropriated by the Brahmans. It certainly has the appearance of great antiquity. The oversight of the distinction of caste among the natives who frequent this shrine, when in the presence of the idol, would seem to indicate some compromise with the Buddhists. In villages near Pandharpur we have noted other ancient temples probably Buddhist which are entirely forsaken and which bear the marks of violence probably Brahmanical or Musalman." 1. Edited by Mr. K. N. Sane, Poona 1924, Pages 7-8. 2. Ibid, p. 38. S.I.L.H.3

comtemple of Vitthalasvami at Vijayanagar may have been menced during his reign. The construction of this temple was completed about A. D. 1542 during the reign of Acyutaraya, the brother of Krsnadevaraya (vide Sardesai's Musalmani Riyasat, page 200, section 51). At that time Ramaraya, the son-in-law of Krsnadevaraya, was the Prime Minister of the state and he continued in that capacity from 1542 to 1565 A. D. As he was practically in power he is called "Kiriti Ramaraja" in the Chitnis Bakhar.""" According to the tradition referred to in Mr. Sane's foregoing - 1. Vijayanagar Third Dynasty by Prof. N. V. Ramanayya, Madras, 1935 the greatest exponent of Madhvaism had much influence with Krsnadevaraya (p. 322 ). He set up the image of in the courtyard of Vitthala temple at Hampi (p. 323) and died a little later in A. D. 1532. " On p. 439 Prof. Ramanayya observes:-"He (i. e. Krsnaraya) must have undertaken to reconstruct the Vitthalsvami temple during the last years of his reign which he was obliged to leave unfinished at the time of his death "The construction of the Vitthalsvami's Temple is usually attributed to Krsnadevaraya but he could not have built that temple as it existed even in the time of Devaraya II. We learn from Haribhatta, who lived in the first quarter of the 16 th century that Proluganti Tippana, one of Devaraya's officers built a bhogamantapa for Vitthala at Hampi." " Dr. B. A. Saletore in his Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagar Empire, Vol. II (1934), p. 163 observes :- Acyutaraya's gift of Suvarnameru was commemorated in a Sanskrit verse composed by Voduva Tirumalamma (A. D. 1533) and inscribed in the Vitthal Temple at Hampi." Mr. A. H. Longhurst in his Hampi Ruins (1917), p. 124 remarks: "The temple was never finished nor consecrated. In all probability the work was stopped by the destruction of the city in 1565, but tradition gives another reason and says that it was built specially for the famous image of Vithoba at Pandharpur in Sholapur district of Bombay but that the god having come to look at it, refused to move, saying that it was too grand for him and that he preferred his own humbler home." (A fine photograph of Vitthala Temple at Hampi appears on p. 126 of Mr. Longhurst's book showing its architectural grandeur ). See also Epi. Carnatica, Vol. XI, p. 137- Inscription dated 1533 A. D. God Vitthalesvara is referred to.

remarks the transfer of Vithoba to Vijayanagar took place in the middle of the 16 th century, while if the date of Vadirajatirtha was correct, this transfer would appear to have taken place before, A. D. 1339, the date of Vadiraja's death, as given by Prof. P. P. S. Sastri on the authority of Sir R. G. Bhandarkar. The difference between the dates for this tradition being more than 200 years it could not but raise doubts in my mind about the date of Vadiraja as recorded in the Succession Lists of the High Priests of the Madhva Sect,' as recorded by Sir R. G. Bhandarkar in his Report for 1882-83 (p. 203 onwards). I also reported this contradiction between the two dates to my friends Prof. S. V. Dandekar, M. A. of the S. P. College, Poona, who has made a special study of the literature about the Vithoba of Pandharpur as also Dr. B. A. Saletore, M. A., Ph. D. of the same College. The former told me that the tradition known to him pertained to the 16 th century, while the latter informed me that the date for Vadiraja in the list published by Sir R. G. Bhandarkar was definitely wrong. I thereupon asked Dr. Saletore to state his evidence on the strength of which he considered Bhandarkar's date A. D. 1339 for Vadiraja's death as definitely wrong. He was kind enough to send me a note recording epigraphic evidence in support of the date A. D. 1571 for Vadirajatirtha and I have great pleasure in reproducing it here in extenso :Vadiraja of Udipi Vadiraja Svami's date can be determined from the following stone inscription found in the Kantanahalli grama, Soraba Hobli in front of the Venkataramana temple. It relates the following: 1. The unreliability of these lists has been made clear by Prof. B. N. Krishnamurti Sarma of the Annamalai University in Nov. 1935 issue of the Anna. Univ. Journal, pp. 96-118. According to him the dates of accession and demise of Madhvacarya and his first five successors are as follows:Birth Exit Sri Madhvacarya A. D. 1238 1317 A. D. 1. Padmanabhatirtha 1318 (accession) 1324 2. Narahari Tirtha 1324 1333 " 3. Madhava Tirtha 1333 1350 2 d, 4. Aksobhya Tirtha 1350 1365 " 5. Jayatirtha 1365 1388 ,،

That when the Raja-paramesvara Tirumala Raya Maharaya was on the throne in his residence at Penugonda, and Keladi Sada- siva Raya Nayaka's (Agent) Rama Raja Nayaka (was over the Banavase Twelve Thousand), Rama Raja Nayaka made to Krsnadeva of Udipi, to the parama-hamsa Vadiraja-tirtha-sripada and to Raghunidhi-tirtha-sri pada, the grant of an agrahara with a stone sasana as follows (details given) on the date specified (which is the following:-sri jayabhyudaya Salivahana Saka-varusa 1493 neya Prajotpatya-samvatsarada Karttika suddha 15 Kruttika jananayogadallu). (E. C. VIII. Sb. 55, p. 10, p. 23 text. ) The date works out to A. D. 1571, November the 1 st Thursday when the naksatra was Bharani and not Krttika. This was a Paurnima (Swamikannu, Indian Eph. V, p. 345.) From other sources we know that Vadiraja's favourite disciple was the well-known Kanaka Dasa, the Non-Brahman (Bedar) devotee of Krsna. Kanaka Dasa's dates are circa 1550-1570." In addition to the above direct inscriptional evidence for Vadiraja we find two more inscriptions' one of A. D. 1614 and the other A. D. 1613, in which Vadiraja and his pupil are mentioned. There are in all 40 inscriptions at Udipi, the seat of Madhva Matha. Two of these refer to Vadiraja and his pupil:- "No. 231-110 of 1901-(Kanarese). On another slab built into the same wall (i. e. North wall of the Krsna Matha). A record of the Vijayanagar King Vira Venkata Pati (1) recording in Saka 1536 (A. D. 1614) (Pramadin) the grant of the village of Huvinkere by Venkatappa Nayaka of Keladi while vedavedyatirtha, pupil of afara was the priest of the temple. See Nos. 234 and 235 below. arf was a man of great erudition and wrote several works.² "No. 235-114 of 1901-(Kanarese). On another Slab built into the same wall. A record in Saka 1535 (=A. D. 1613) Pramadin mentioning area and his pupil and providing for offerings." 1. Rangacharya : Madras Inscriptions, Vol. II, pp. 870-871. 2. There is a Ms of a work called ratnasamgraha by raghunathacarya in the India Office Library (No. 6051 - Keith's Catalogue Vol. II, p. 659). It is an anthology of the views of Vadiraja " compiled by his pupil Raghunatha, "

In view of the foregoing epigraphic evidence it is difficult to believe in the accuracy of the Madhva Matha lists published by Sir R. G. Bhandarkar so far as exact chronology is concerned. If Vadiraja was living in A. D. 1571 as proved by the Soraba Hobli inscription mentioned above it is perfectly natural for him to refer to the transfer of the image of Vithoba to Vijayanagar in the line " tumgatiragato'si vitthala " in the verse 13 of his tirthaprabandhakavya quoted above and hence there is no sort of contradiction or anachronism involved in the reference. A question may be raised whether there was another vadiraja aff in the Madhva line of succession distinct and separate from the arfa referred to in the inscriptions mentioned above. The Madhva lists published by Sir R. G. Bhandarkar already alluded to by me show only one vadirajatirtha and it was this vadiraja aef that composed a commentary on the Mahabharata. There is a Ms' of bharatatatparyanirnaya tippani ( bhavaprakasika ) in which vadiraja gives the derivation of his own name in the following verses :- " pranamya nrharim madhvaguruscanyanyathamati | mahabharatatatparyanirnayarthah prakasyate || vadi madhvo yasya raja so'ham tasya krpabalat| vadirajena svasaktya vrine varanayami tat "" We may, therefore safely conclude that there was only one Madhva philosopher of the name ana and that he flourished about the 2 nd half of the 16 th century and that the date A. D. 1339 of his death recorded in the Madhva succession lists is definitely wrong. Prof. P. P. S. Sastri on pp. XIV-XV of his Introduction to the Sabhaparvan (Vol. III) of the Southern Recension of the Mahabharata states that the Ms' of Vadiraja's commentary used by him records the following date when the copy was made by the scribe Narasimha :- " tarane vatsare caiva maghe sukle ca pancami | budhavare narasimha idam likhita pustakam || " Prof. Sastri observes that "The earliest date for the above is 30-1-1465 A. D. and the latest date satisfying the other particulars is 25-1-1645 A. D.' " 1. Madras Cata. No. X, p. 3620.

As the date 30-1-1465 A. D. cannot satisfy all particulars mentioned by the scribe, we have to reject it and adopt the date 25-1-1645 A. D. which as Prof. Sastri states satisfies all particulars. This later date is perfectly in harmony with our date for Vadiraja viz. 1571 A. D. If Vadiraja wrote about 1571 it is natural to have a copy of his work in A. D. 1645. In view of the facts recorded in this note it is difficult to accept an early date for Vadirajatirtha as Prof. P. P. S. Sastri has done in the extract from his Introduction to one of the Mahabharata volumes quoted by us already. In case Prof. Sastri succeeds in establishing on incontrovertible grounds an earlier date for Vadirajatirtha I shall be very glad to know the independent evidence, if any, on the strength of which his conclusion may be based. For the present at least the inscriptional evidence recorded by me in this note compels me to reject all conjectural and other data gathered on the question so far.