20. Manuscripts of the Tantrasara of Krishnananda Vagisha

20. Some dated Manuscripts of the Tantrasara of Krishnananda Vagisha and their Bearing on the Limits for his Date (A. D. 1500 to 1600 )* According to Farquhar' the Tantrasara of Krsnananda Vagisa dates from A. D. 1812. In the Catalogue² of MSS in the Vangiya Sahitya Parisat we find two MSS of the Tantrasara of Krsnananda Bhattacarya, which are dated A. D. 1693 and 1770. If the work called the Tantrasara mentioned by Farquhar is identical with its name-sake represented by two dated MSS referred to above we must reject the date A.D. 1812 for it given by Farquhar. In fact this contradiction of dates for the Tantrasara led me to the search of a MS of the work which is dated 54 years earlier than the MS of A. D. 1693 mentioned above. This MS 3 is identical with MS No. 388 of 1882-83 in the Govt. MSS Library at the B. O. R. Institute, * Journal of Ganganatha Jha Research Institute, Vol. I, part 2, pp. 177-184. 1. Vide p. 355 of Outlines of Religious Literature of India, Oxford, 1920. On p. 389 also this author and his work are assigned to A. D. 1812. 2. Published 1935 (Calcutta) - Page 57. MS No. 585 - tantrasara by krsnanandabhattacarya Copied in Saka 1615 ( = A. D. 1693); in Bengali characters. MS No. 1623 - Do copied in Saka 1692 (= A. D. 1770 ). " 3. MS No. 388 of 1882-83 (F) begins as follows:- sri ganesayanamah natva krsnapadadvamdvam brahmadisuravamditam | gurum ca jnanadataram krsnanamdena dhimata || tattadgranthagatadvakyannanartham pratipadyata | saukaryartham ca samksepattantrasarah pratanyate || " Colophon on the last folio 337 b resds:- '... srikrsnanamdanavagisabhattacaryaya samgrahah .... padi va lisita paksadharamisrena || " . samvat 1685 samaya asadha vadi (154)

Poona. It is very old but well preserved. It is dated Samvat 1695 ( = A. D. 1639) and may, therefore, be looked upon as one of the oldest dated MSS of the Tantrasara. I note below some of the references to previous authors and works as found in this MS of A. D. 1639 :- (1) sarasamgraha - fol. 1. (2) naradavacanat - fol. 1, 3, 10. (3) yoginitamtre - fol.31, 2, 9, 31. (4) ganesa vimarsinyam - fol. 2, 31. ( 5 ) rudrayamale - fol. 2, ( rudrajamale ) 6. (5) (6) matsyasukte - fol. 2, 48. (7) vaisampayanasamhitayam - fol. 2. ( 8 ) bhairavatantre - fol. 2, 124. (9) varahitantre - fol. 3, 9, 18. (10) sampradayikah - fol. 3. ( 11 ) tantraratne - fol. 4. 1 (12) srikrame - fol. 4, 10, 132. (13) ramarcanacandrikayam - fol. 5, 8. (14) nibandhe - fol. 6, 24, 29, 32, 49, 55, 66, 87, 96, 109, 114, 121. - (15) visvasare fol. 6, 22, 59, 162. (16) varahijamaladau - fol. 7. ( 17 ) agamakalpadrume - fol 7, 81. (17) (18) sanatkumaravacanat - fol. 8, 11, 45. - (19) gautamiyat - fol. 9, 11, 12, 16, 25. (20) sanatkumarasamhitayah - fol. 9. (21) hamsaparamesvare - fol. 10. (22) mumdamalayam - fol. 10, 17, 122. (23) bhagavadvavacanat (B. Gita ) - fol. 11. (24) yoginihrdaye fol. 13, 15, 17, 18, 190. - (25) agastya samhitayam - fol. 13, 17, 80. - (26) kularnave - fol. 14, 16, 253. . (27) tantraraje - fol. 17. ( 28 ) svatamtratamtre - fol. 20, 35, 156. (29) nilatamtre - fol. 20, 177, 186. 1. Aufrecht CCI, 222 - tantraratna by krsnavidyavagisa (of navadvipa ) IO, 364, L 240, Bik. 617.

(30) saradayam - fol. 25, saradayam (fol. 30), 44. (31) navaratnesvare - fol. 28, 43, 153. (32) raghavabhattah fol. 29, "iti bhattah " (fol. 42, 46, 244), "bhattatatam " (fol. 45). (33) vasisthe - fol. 30, 32, 295. Colophon on folio 34 - " iti mahamahopadhyaya srikrsnanamda vidya- vagisa mattacaryaviracite tamtrasare prathamah paricchedah (34) malinitamtre - fol. 35. (35) mahasammohanatamtre - fol. 36. (36) jnanarnave - fol. 36, 41, 44, 113, 117, 298. (37) kulacudamanau - fol. 36, 61, 263. (38) taradau - fol. 39. - (39) visuddhesvaratamtre - fol. 40. (40) brahmayamale - fol. 45, brahmajamale (130). (41) vidyanamdanibamdhe - fol. 48. ' (42) svacchamda samgrahe - fol. 49. (43) daksinamurtisamhitayam - fol. 64, 113, 126. - (44) purascaranacandrikayam - fol. 81. (45) brhadgautamiye - fol. 85. (46) sanatkumara kalpe - fol. 89. (47) brahmasamhitayam - fol. 93. (48) prapamcasare - fol. 112. (49) tripurasare fol. 122. - (50) kubjikatamtre - fol. 129, 261. (51) maharudrayamale - fol. 130. (52) hamsamahesvare tamtre - fol. 131. (53) svachamda bhairave - fol. 136. - (54) kalitamtre - fol. 169, 171, 191. (55) viratamtre - fol. 169, 180 (56) nilasarasvatatamtre - fol. 172. (57) siddhasarasvate - fol. 184. (58) mahasankha - fol. 185. - (59) mayatamtre - fol. 185. (60) matrkarnave - fol. 186. -1 ,, 1. Aufrecht - CC 1, 574 - mentions one vidyanamdanatha as the author of two tantra works laghupaddhati and saubhagya ratnakara ( Burnell 208 MSA. D. 1509 ).

(61) bhavacudamanau - fol. 191. (62) camumdatamtre - fol. 205. (63) kukkutesvaratamtre - fol. 207. (64) mantradeva prakasikayam - fo 1. 220. (65) garudatamtre devisvarasamvade - fol. 223. (66) batukastotra - fol. 226. - (67) mantratamtra prakase - fol. 239. (68) kalikapurane - fol. 241. (69) "iti guravah " - fol. 254. (70) bhagavata sasthaskamdha - fol. 270. (71) padmapurana - fol. 272. (72) vasisthasamhita - fol. 304. (73) kumaritamtre - fol. 324. (74) uttaratamtre - fol. 324. On folio 29 we find an author of the name ' who is, in my opinion, identical with a the author of a commentary on the Saradatilaka. This commentary was composed in A. D. 1494. Subsequent references to cHE (vide reference No. 32 in the above list) are made briefly as itibhattah . If this identification is accepted we may fix the date of the Tantrasara of Krsnananda Vagisa Bhattacarya between A. D. 1494 and A. D. 1639, the date of the B. O. R. I. MS of the Tantrasara analysed above. 66 " According to Dr. Binoytosh Bhattacharya² Krsnananda, the 1. This reference is found in the Oxford MS of the Tantrasara (vide p. 95 b of Aufrecht's Cata. of Oxford MSS, 1864). - 2. Vide p. 80 of Bulletin of Rama Varma Research Institute, Vol. X, Part II (July, 1942) "Krsnananda, the author of Tantrasara was a disciple of Purnananda, who in his turn was a disciple of Brahmananda. Purnananda wrote a work Tattvacintamani, which was composed in the Saka year 1499, which corresponds to A. D. 1577. Krsnananda, who is one generation later, can be confidently placed in about A. D. 1607." Dr. Bhattacharya notes the following works mentioned in the Tantrasara :- agamasara, bhairavitantra, ekavirakalpa, govindavrndavana, hamsamahesvara, agastya samhita, devyagama, ganesavimarsini, hamsaparamesvara, jnanarnava, kriyasara, kulamrta, kularnava, kali- kapurana, matsyasukta, mundamalatantra, navaratnesvara, pingala, purascaranacandrika, ramarcana- candrika, srikrama, saradatilaka, siddhayamala, samayatantra, tarapradipa, tattvasara, vaisampayana- (Continued on next page)

" author of the Tantrasara, can be canfidently ptaced in about A. D. 1607" because his guru Purnananda composed his Tattvacintamani in Saka 1499 = A. D. 1577. Dr. Bhattachary's date for Krsnananda, viz., "about A. D. 1607" is in harmony with the limits for the date of this author fixed by me (Between A. D. 1494 and 1639). It, however, conflicts with the date of a MS of the Tantrasara recorded by Poleman. This MS is dated Samvat 1586 = A. D. 1530. Presuming that this date is correct we have to fix the limits for the date of the Tantrasara between A. D. 1494 and 1530. These limits harmonize with the dates of as given in the Madhyayugina Caritrakosa, where we are told that our Krsnananda was the pupil of vasudevasarvabhauma ( C. A. D. 1550-1525). Dr. S. K. De³ in his recent book on Vaisnava Faith and Movement in Bengal states: "Krsnananda Agamavagisa, the author of Tantrasara and the great exponent of Tantric doctrines in Bengal, is said to have been (like Raghunandana) a contemporary of Caitanya; and there can be hardly any doubt as to the widespread character of Tantric teaching in Bengal." Later in the same book Dr. De refers to the tradition according to which Vasudeva Sarvabhauma had 4 pupils : - ( 1 ) raghunatha siromani, (2) raghunandana, (3) krsnananda agamavagisa and (4) (Continued from the previous page) samhita, visvasara, visuddhesvara, kulacudamani, kulavali, kulottara, kubjikatantra, malini- vijaya, nigamakalpadruma, nilatamtra, prapancasara, rudrayamala, ratnavali, sarasamgraha, saktiyamala, siddhasarasvata, sammohanatamtra, tantrarnava, tantraraja, varahitantra, visnuyamala, yamala | 1. Vide p. 218 of a Census of Indic MSS in U. S. A. and Canada, Newhaven, 1938 Poleman's entry reads as follows:- " Krsnananda Vagisa. 4372. Tantrasara. Bengali Script. 390 ff. 18 x 3.75. 8 lines. Sam. 1586. Auf. I. 222. UP 765. " - 2. By Pt. Chitrav Shastri, Poona, 1937 Page 730. Farquhar (p. 289 of Outlines, etc.) puts a to the period from 1470-1480" when he taught at Nuddea. 3. Published, Calcutta, 1942, page 21. Navadvipa (modern Nadiya) was a famous seat of mediaval Sanskrit learning." It was also the stronghold of orthdox Brahmanism, as well as of Neo-Tantricism and produced a stringent social dictator like Raghunandana as well as a champion of obscure Tantric rites like Krsnananda "- (ibid. p. 23).

a, Dr. De thinks that Caitanya's pupilship, even though plausible, appears to have no foundation in fact and that belonged to much later times.' 1. 66 raghunandana and According to Dr. J. B. Chaudhuri Raghunandana "was a contemporary of Sri- Caitanya and flourished towards the close of the fifteenth century. The period of his literary activity probably lay between 1520 and 1570." According to Dr. S. K. De Caitanya was born in February, 1486 and passed away in June-July, 1533.3 Prof. Sri Ram Sharma includes Raghunandana in his list of Sanskrit writers of the reign of Emperor Akbar (A. D. 1542-1605). The chronological data recorded in the foregoing discussion may now be tabulated as follows:A. D. Remarks; K = Krsnananda, author of Tantrasara 1486 Birth of Caitanya, who is supposed to be a contemporary of K and Raghunandana. C. 1450- 1525 1494 Dates of Vasudeva Sarvabhauma, supposed to be the guru of K. Date of a by Raghavabhatta, who is mentioned by K in his Tantrasara as pointed out by me. 1. Ibid., p. 65, footnote 2. · - 2. Vide p. 132 of Appendix to the Edition of Gangavakyavali, Calcutta, 1940. There is some contradiction in the extract, quoted above. "Close of the fifteenth century "would necessarily be before A.D. 1500 while Dr. Chaudhuri gives "between 1520 and 1570" as the period of Raghunandana's literary activity. This period falls in the 16 th century. 3. Vide pp. 51 and 76 of Vaisnava Faith, etc. 4. Vide p. 156 of Bibliography of Mughal India, K. P. House, Bombay. 5. According to M. M. Prof. P. V. Kane Raghunandana flourished between A. D. 1490 and 1570 and his literary activity lies between 1520 and 1570.

A. D. Remarks; K = Krsnananda, author of Tantrasara 1530 Date of MS of Tantrasara of K in U. S. A. according to Poleman. 1533 1520-1570 1542-1605 Death of Caitanya. Literary activities of Raghunandana according to M. M. P. V. Kane and Dr. J. B. Chaudhuri. K is supposed to have been a contemporary of Raghunandana. Dates of Emperor Akbar during whose reign Raghunandana flourished according to Sri Ram Sharma. 1577 Date of Tattvacintamani by quia, the guru of K according to Dr. B. Bhattacharya. C. 1607 1639 Date of K according to Dr. Bhattacharya. Date of B. O. R. I. MS of Tantrasara analysed in this paper. 1693 Date of a MS of Tantrasara of K with V. S. Parisat, Calcutta. C. 1725 Date of Gauri-kanta who quotes Tantrasara in his commentary on Anandalahari (Oxford, 108 b) MS of A. D. 1770. 1770 Date of another MS of Tantrasara with V. S. Parisat. 1812 Date of Tantrasara of K according to Farquhar. The chronology tabulated sbove will, it is hoped, help to clarify the problem of the exact date of the Tantrasara of Krsnananda Vagisa, who can be definitely put between, say, A. D. 1500 and 1600 according to my data recorded in this paper. If the date A. D. 1530 of the MS of the Tantrasara as recorded by Dr. Poleman is correct it will clinch down the date of the Tantrasara between A. D. 1494 and 1530. I request Dr. Bhattacharya to examine the data recorded by me in this paper and see how far it could be reconciled with his date for Krsnananda, viz., "about A. D. 1607."