19. Date of Rasakadambakallolini, a Commentary by Bhagavaddasa

19. Date of Rasakadambakallolini, a Commentary by Bhagavaddasa on the Gitagovinda of Jayadeva Between A. D. 1550 and 1600* Jayadeva, the author of the celebrated Gitagovinda flourished between 1200 and 1300 A.C." He is said to have been a protege of Laksmana Sena, whose Gaya inscription is dated A. D. 1116.2 Aufrecht records MSS of numerous commentaries on the Gitagovinda.I have not studied the chronology of all these commentaries and hence cannot say anything about them in this paper, which is devoted to the chronology of one of these commentaries viz. the Rasakadambakallolini of Bhagavaddasa. This commentary is represented by some MSS recorded by Aufrecht in his Catalogus Catalogorum. These MSS are as follows:CC I, 154- "Bh. 25." CC II, 31-" Rgb. 345" ( Institute). Rgb. 345" (No. 345 of 1884-87-B. O. R. * Indian Historical Quarterly, Vol. XIX, pp. 360-366. 1. P. V. Kane, Sahityadarpana, ed. 1923. Intro. p. cxxxiii. 2. Buhler, Kashmir Report, p. 64. 3. Vide CC I, 153; CC II, 31, 197; CC III 33. Vide also I. O. Cata. VII, Nos. 3860-66, 3868-73, A. B. Keith (I. O. Cata.) Nos. 7043-6, 8125 etc. 4. CC I, p. 154 and CC III, 33. A MS of this commentary has been described by Dr. Eggeling (see India Office Cata., part VII, No. 3871) who observes:- "Besides its verbal explanations principally founded on the Amarakosa and the Visvaprakasa the commentary lays particular stress on the art of composition as developed in the poem, illustrating it by the rules laid down in rhetorical works and by specimens of poetical composition chosen from the Bhagavata and other Puranas as well as from the Srngaratilaka, the Krsnakarnamrta and similar works," (146)

" I O. 3054,' Lz. 435.2 Peters³ 5, 343, 344." 147 Besides the MSS of Bhagavaddasa's commentary recorded by Aufrecht, I find a MS of it recorded by Dr. H. Poleman in his Census of Indic MSS in U. S. A. and Canada. In my Catalogue of Kavya MSS 5 at the B. O. R. Institute (Govt. MSS Library) I have described all MSS of the Gitagovinda and its commentaries available at this Institute. The MSS of Bhagavaddasa's Rasakadambakallolini described by me are:- (1) No. 345 of 1884-87; (2) No. 77 of A 1879-80 dated Sam. 1684 (= A. D. 1628); (3) No. 45 of 1871-72; (4) No. 343 of 1892-95. In the Catalogue of Adyar MSS numerous MSS of the text of the Gitagovinda and some commentaries' thereon are recorded but 1. Vide p. 1456 of Ind. Office Cata., VII, 1904 folios 170. - MS No. 3871 2. Vide p. 130 of Aufrecht's Cata. of Leipzig MSS, 1901, MS No. 435. 3. These MSS are identical with Nos. 343 and 344 of 1892-95 in the Govt. MSS Library at the B. O. R. Institute. Poona. - 4. American Oriental Series Vol. 12, New Haven, 1938, p. 75 MS No. 1647 Gitagovinda with Bhagavaddasa's commentary Rasakadamba-kallolini folios 154. H. 1579 (Harvard University Library, Cambridge, Massachussets), MSS No. 1637 to 1654 recorded here are of Gitagovinda and its commentaries by (1) Bhagavad-dasa, (2) Vanamalin Bhatta, (3) Sankaramisra, (Sam. 1815 = A. D. 1759) (4) Kumbhakarnamahendra (Sam. 1619 = A. D. 1563), (5) Vitthalesvara and (6) a Hindi commentary (Sam. 1876 = 1820 A. D. ). - 5. Vol. XIII, part I, ( B. O. R. Institute, Poona, 1940) pp. 208- 257 MS No. 344 of 1892-95 is of Narayanabhatta's commentary on the Gitagovinda (pp. 233-34 ). At the end of it a misleading endorsement is made in a small hand as follows:- 66 " srimadvrndavanesvari ... hrdayenasrimamadbhagavaddasena ... viraciteyam rasakadambakallolini " - 6. Sanskrit MSS (Adyar ), Part II, 1928, page 17 commentaries recorded here are (1) srutiranjini by laksmidharasuri, (2) srutiranjini by laksmanasuri, and 3 keralavyakhya on 40 slokas of 1 st sarga. 7. Jayadeva's Gitagovinda has influenced Canarese literature as (Continued on the next page)

no MS of Bhagavaddasa's: commentary is found in this catalogue. The spread of Jayadeva's Gitagovinda to the Deccan is attested by its influence on Bhaskara-Bhat Borikar, a Mahanubhava author who flourished between 1275 and 1320 A. D. Prof. V. B. Kolte' of Amraoti has already pointed out parallel passages from the Gitagovinda and Bhaskarabhatta's Sisupalavadha composed about Saka 1230 (A. D. 1308). The spread of the Gitagovinda in Gujarat has recently been pointed out by Dr. M. R. Majmudar² of Baroda. This influence is vouched by the stone inscription of Sarngadeva dated Samvat 1348 (A. D. 1291) in which the invocation verse is taken from the last verse of the 1 st canto of the Gitagovinda. References in the Rasakadambakallolini to earlier works and authors are as follows as found by me in MS No. 345 of 1884-87 in the Govt. MSS. Library at the B. O. R. Institute :- (1) karnamrte, 2, (2) bhagavate, 3, 18, 35, 36, 37, 63, 132, 150, (3) T:, 4, 23, 36, 52, 54, 90, 131, (4) :, 18, 10, 12, 16, 17, 22, 24, 29, 30, 34, 38, etc. (5) :, 8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 18, 19, 28, 32, 34, 39, 48, (6), 9, 59, 95, 110, 114, 119, 131, 147, 172, (7) :, 13, 103, 107, 116, 130, 143, 144, 150, (8) srutih, 18, (9) bhagavadgita, 18, 180, (10) dasarupake, 26, 77, (11) padme, 35, (12) haravali, 39, 52, 67, 70, 76, 129, 146, 155, (13) jera, 41, 45, 52, 66, 65, 74, 80, 100, 143, etc. (Continued from the previous page) well. My friend Prof. K. G. Kundangar of the Rajaram College informs me in a private communication dated 6-11-1940 as follows:- 66 Aprameya Sastri of about A. D. 1750 has written a commentary in Kannada on Jayadeva's Gitagovinda by name Srngaraprakasike. He hails from Malur (Mysore State). The colophon at its end says:- " iti srimadbhaktivardhanavimanasthitaravimdavallikapateraprameyasvaminah padaravindarca- kena appajibhattarakaputrenaprameyasastrina viracitagitagovimdatikayam srmgaraprakasika - yam etc. " Cikka-devaraja (A. D. 1672-1704) the ruling prince of Mysore has written a poem called Gita-gopala on the lines of the Gitagovinda.........From the internal evidence it is suggested that this poem was written by his minister Tirumaleyarya." 1. Vide p. 103 of by V. B. Kolte, Amraoti, 1935. 2. Jour. of the Bombay University, (Sept. 1943) Vol. XII, (N. S.) part 2, p. 43.

(14) samgitaratnakare, 51, 53, (15) ratirahasye, 52, 56, 112, (16) ratnamala, 52, ( 17 ) pamcasayake, 53, 54, 116, - (c. A. D. 1324 - This work was com posed by jyotirisvara kavisekhara ), (18) vatsyayaniye, 56, (19) brahmasamhitayam, 62, (20) rasarnavasudhakare, 57, 64, 66, 73, 143, 161, (21) kavyaprakase, 70, 77, (22) sasvata 70, (23) ratnakosah, 82, 155, (24) rasamrtasimdhau, 123, (25) visvaprakasah, 150, (26) varahasamhitayam, 163, (27) svamicaranaih, 179. - (28) manoramakara, 56. " taduktam vatsyayaniye purusayitaprakarane svajaghana- meva dolayamanam sarvatra bhramayediti kholitamiti tatra sarvatrasabdo mano- ramakarena vyakhyatah madhyatpurvapascimabhage daksinottarabhage ceti " | (29) rasaratna dipika fol. 41 - " bhavayanti visesena ye rasan vai manoharan | te vibhavastu kathyante natyasastravisaradaih || " containing a All the foregoing references are found in the other MSS of this commentary at the B. O. R. Institute viz. No. 77 of A 1879-80 which is dated A. D. 1628. The following extract reference to Rana Kumbhakarna of Mewar (A. D. found in MS No. 77 of A 1879-80 but is not found in MS of 1884-87, which appears to be a late copy though it is undated :- 1433-1469 ) 2 is No. 345 1. In MS No. 77 of A 1879-80 of the Rasakadambakallolini this extract reads as follows:- " taduktam vatsyayaniye || purusayitaprakarane | svajaghanamevam dolayamanam sarvatra bhramaye diti| prekholitam tu vijneyam rasikaih sarvada janairiti tatra sarvasabdo manoramakarena vyakhyatah | madhyatpurvapascimabhage daksinottarabhage ceti " is found is dated Samvat methaji, son of vasudeva at mallapura ruling (vide also folio 53 of This MS in which the reference to c 1684 = A. D. 1628. It was copied by while maharajadhiraja raula sriudayakarna was MS No. 343 of 1892-95 and folio 68 of MS No. 45 of 1871-72 where the above reference to manoramakara will be found ). 2. G. S. Gahlot, History of Rajputana, Vol. I, p. 207, Jodhpur, 1937. 3. Vide folio 133 a of MS No. 345 of 1884-87 where the extract ought to have been between "pidayavasokamityarthah " and " tavedamiti " ( in line 6 from the top of the folio ).

Folio 504 - iti srigitagovyamde saptadasaprabamdhah || slokah kumbhakarane ' uktah - sadanandasamdohakamdam mukumdam namaskrtya padmamkavidyutpayodam | nrpah kumbhakarno vidhatte vicitram varam gitagovyam dadhatu vicitram || 1 || srikrsnatavasmi | suratanatha tavasmi | tadevamiti " If the above extract found in a MS of A. D. 1628 is a genuine part of the Rasakadambakallolini of Bhagavaddasa we may safely infer that this commentary was composed between A. D. 1469 and A. D. 1628. In the list of references recorded above there is a reference to a work called Tarag² (vide folio 123 of MS No. 345 of 1884-87 and folio 18 of MS No. 77 of A 1879-80). This work appears to be identical with the bhagavadbhaktirasamrta sindhu ' composed by Sanatana Gosvami in A. D. 1542. If this identification is correct the date of Bhagavaddasa is narrowed down between A. D. 1542 and 1628. These limits may be further narrowed down between say A. D. 1575 and 1620 or so if we can identify the mentioned by our commentator with Bhattoji Diksita, the author of praudhamanorama a commentary on the Prakriyaprakasa of his guru Sesa- 1. Perhaps the correct reading ought to have been "TA kumbhakaranena ()" as Rana Kumbhakarna wrote a commentary on the Gitagovinda. Vide p. 75 of H. Poleman's Indic MSS in USA., where MS No. 1152 of this comm. called dated A. D. 1563 (Sam., 1619) is recorded. Another reference to Kumbhakarna is found on folio 3 a of MS No. 77 A 1879-80.- " tvayaivayam grhinimana syat iti samkhyagudham parisitamiti kumbhakarnokteh " ( Vide folio 7 of MS No. 45 of 1871-72). 2. Vide Aufrecht, CC, I. 3. Ibid., CC, I. 4. Vide my paper on A new Approach to the Date of Bhattoji Diksita" in Annals (Tirupati ), Vol. I, part 2, pp. 117-127, where I have tried to prove that Bhattoji flourished between c. 1560 and 1620 A. D. 5. This is a commentary on the Prakriyaprakasa of Sesa Krsna a guru of Bhattoji. Jagannatha Panditaraja did not like Bhattoji's criticism of his guru's work in the H and hence he wrote a refutation of manorama in a work called manoramakucamardini .

krsna. If Bhagavaddasa's reference to in a MS of A. D. 1628 turns out to be a genuine reference to Bhattoji Diksita, the author of I, it supports my limits for Bhattoji's date viz. A. D. 1560-1620. In my paper on Bhottoji's date referred to above I have noted that A. D. 1633 is the earliest date of a MS of Bhattoji's Sabdakaustubha (R. A. S. Bengal). Since this paper was published I have traced a MS': of an abridgement of Bhatttoji's Siddhantakaumudi dated A. D.:1624. Now we find cISIT ( = Bhattoji) referred to in a MS of A. D. 1628. The cumulative effect of all these dates viz. A. D. 1624, 1628, and 1633 strengthens my inference that Bhattoji's literary career ended by A. D. 1620. Leaving aside the reference to made by Bhagvaddasa in his Rasakadambakallolini let us examine some other references which may enable us to fix the earlier limit to his date. Our commentator mentions several times a work on alamkara called the Rasarnavasudhakara (vide No. 20 in the list of references given above). This work was composed about A. D. 1330 or A. D. 1350 according to scholars² by Singabhupala. This reference enables us to fix about A. D. 1400 as one sure limit to the date of the Rasakadambakallolini. This limit is further strengthened by another reference made by this commentary to a work on erotics called 1. Vide H. Poleman: Indic MSS in U. S. A., (1938), p. 130 MS No. 2635 of Laghusiddhantakaumudi by Varadaraja, a pupil of Bhattoji Diksita, dated Samvat 1680 = A. D. 1624. We must necessarily presume some intervals of time between - (1) the composition of Siddhantakaumudi by Bhattoji. (2) its abridgement by Varadaraja in the form of the Laghu Kaumudi, and (3) the copying of this abridgement in A. D. 1624. I may also note here the references to manoramakarah- (1) A. D. 1628 - MS of rasakadambakallolini refers to manoramakara . (2) Bhattoji's son " his commentary on z refers to HHI on p. 14 of (N. S. Press, 1905)- karagrahananna iti manoramayam unadau diksitah " (3) A. D. 1652- B. O. R. I. MS of HHI (No. 331 of 1895-1902). 2. Vide pp. 242-43 of History of Sanskrit Poetics Vol. I, (1923) by Dr. S. K. De. Prof. P. V. Kane assigns it to about A. D. 1350 (vide p. clxxiii of his Intro. to Sahityadarpanna, 1923).

the Pancasayaka' which was composed by Jyotirisvara about A. D. 1324 and which is referred to by our author several times (vide No. 17 in the list of references ). Other references to earlier works like the tar of the 13 th century need not be considered as they don't help us to improve our chronology of this author. It would thus be seen that the date of Bhagavaddasa surely lies between A. D. 1400 and 1600 and if the references to the rasamrtasindha and the manorama turn out to be genuine references to the bhagavadbhaktirasa- mrtasindhu composed in A. D. 1542 and to the praudhamanorama composed before A. D. 1600 or so by Bhattoji Diksita we shall be in a position to infer that Bhagavaddasa composed the Rasakadambakallolini say between A. D. 1600 and 1628, the date of the B. O. R. I. MS of this commentary. As regards the personal details of our commentator no information except the name of the author and the title of the commentary has been recorded by him as will be seen from the following extract at the end of the commentary :- " - praphullabhagavajjanam rasakadamba kallolini praphullayatu mohane bhajanatanasamvarddhini | samastapatucaturivalitagitagovyamdatah prasastarasadipika madhurapumjamamjusika || 2 || gitagovyamdata ' iti sasthayamtam padam | sarvavibhaktikastas ityabhidhanat || || sri- vrmdavanesvara priyakrccaranapamke ruha makaramdasvadanapatucamcarikasambhasanamadhvanamdadolanacapalahrda- yena srimadbhagavaddasena bhagavajjanaparitosaya viraciteyam rasakadambakallolini sri- madrasavedibhirbhagavatpriyaih anamdasamdohasamdipitaparamojvalarasavagahitamanasa aharnisa- vicaraniya || 6|| iti srigitagovyamdasya rasakadambakallolini tikeyam samapta || " Aufrecht records only one namesake of our commentator and 1. Vide p. 650 of History of Classical Sanskrit Literature by Krishnamachariar, 1937. 2. MS No. 345 of 1884-87 reads "vapita gitagovimdatah " 3. Ibid, govimdatah for govyamdatah 4. I have copied this extract from MS No. 77 of A 1879.80. 5. Vide CC, II, 89 - "bhagavaddasa In Rgb. 652 he is called a pupil of Damodara. (1) astadasarahasyatika ( 2 ) isvaratatvanirupanatika . " (Continued on the next page)

his works, which are commentaries in Hindi on Sanskrit works. I have not examined the question of the identity or otherwise of the author of the Rasakadamba-kallolini with this Hindi commentator. (Continued from the previous page) CC, II, 7" by Ramanuja, Comm. by bhagavaddasa Rgb. 651. " C C, II, 11 - " isvaratattvanirupana ( ramanujamata ) by varadanayakasuri ' Comm. by Rgb. 652. " " MS Rgb. 652 and 651 are identical with MSS No. 652 of 1884-87 and No. 651 of 1884-87 in the Govt. MSS Library at the B. O. R. Institute. In the colophons MS No. 651 is dated Samvat 1757 = A. D. 1701. of both the MSS the author is called a pupil of T. The colophon of MS No. 651 reads as follows:- 66 sriprativadibhayamkaracarya ke vidyarathi sri svamikuvaji ke potasisya srisvami damodaraji ke sisya gusai bhagavanaddasa || e astadasarahasya namagramtha upari | vrjaki bhasa- mahi | rahasya prakasanama gramtha kiyo hai || 6 || samvat 1757 varse asadha sudi guruvasara " etc. Vide 23 of Report, Hindi MSS, 1914 p. one where we find mentioned author of a (over 10,000 slokas). No date of this author is known.