4. A Contemporary Manuscript of Bhanuji Diksita’s Vyakhyasudha

4. A Contemporary Manuscript of Bhanuji Diksita's Vyakhyasudha * Dated A. D. 1649 And Identification of his Patron Kirtisimha of the Baghela Dynasty (Between A. D. 1620 and 1660) 919 7597 AUFRECHT 1 records several MSS of the commentary of Bhanuji Diksita on the "Amarakosa," called "Vyakhyasudha." Some of these are already described in the descriptive Catalogues of MSS so far published. Judging by this description we find in the first instance few MSS with any dates recorded in them. The India Office Library contains two MSS 2 bearing dates A. D. 1800 and 1806 while the Bodleian Library, Oxford, contains three MSS, 3 one of which is dated A. D. 1793 while the remaining two are dated about A. D. 1700 and 1800 respectively. 4 In view of the absence of dated MSS of the " Vyakhyasudha" belonging to the 17 th century, to the earlier half of which its author is generally assigned, I was interested to find that the MS of this commentary noted by Aufrecht, viz., " Bhr 200" was a contemporary copy of the work. This MS is identical with MS No. 200 of 1882-83 in the Government MSS Library at the B. O. R. Institute, Poona. It contains the commentary for the 2 nd Kanda of the "Amarakosa" and is well preserved in spite of its age. It ends as follows:Folio 218 b ityamarasimhakrtau namalimganusasane || 11 dvitiyoyam bhukamdah samga evam samarthitah || || T: 11 : || iti ising to an I sribaghela vamsodbhava srimahidharavisayadhipasrimaharajakumara sri kirtisimha devajnaya sri bhattoji diksitatmajasri bhanuji diksitaviracitayamamaratikayam kamdah sampurnatamagat || srih || sri || vyakhyasudhakhyayam Journal of the University of Bombay, Vol. XI, Part II, pp. 90-99. 1 CC I, 26; II, 5; III, 6. dvitiyah 2 Vide p. 274 of I. O. MSS Cata. Part II, 1889-MS No. 965, dated Saka 1722 = A. D. 1800, MS No. 966, dated samvat 1862 - A. D. 1806. 8 Vide pp. 118-119 of Vol. II of the Catalogue by Winternitz and Keith, 1905. MS No. 1102-Probably about A. D. 1700. MS No. 1103-Samvat 1849 = A. D. 1793. MS No. 1104-About 1800. 4 Vide. p. 163 of Cata. of British Museum MSS by Bendall, 1902-MS 390 is dated A.D. 1806. 4

samvat sarabhracalacamdramane ganesacamdre'svatrajasya krsne | gopalajiko'marasimhakamdam vyakhyasudhayam vyalikha dvitiyam || 1 || " || ||" 99 The chronogram containing the date of the copy is represented by the words sara, abhra, acala, candra - Samvat 1705 or A. D. 1649. If this date is correct we must look upon the MS bearing this date as a contemporary copy of the " Vyakhyasudha " of Bhanuji. Though this MS contains commentary for only the 2 nd Kanda of the "Amarakosa" its value for a critical edition of the "Vyakhyasudha for this Kanda at least should be very great as compared with the late MSS of the commentary. The colophon of this contemporary MS is also very important as it confirms similar colophons in the MSS of this commentary of later date. It is clear from this colophon that the "Vyakhyasudha was com posed by Bhanuji Diksita, son of Bhattoji Diksita by order of Kirtisimhadeva, "who was a prince of the Baghela dynasty, ruling over the Mahidhara territory. 1 As the MS is dated A. D. 1649, Bhanuji must have composed this commentary many years earlier than this date. 99 I shall now try to identify the patron of Bhanuji Diksita, who belonged to the Baghela dynasty and whose name was Kirtisimha. The colophon of A. D. 1649 quoted above gives the following particulars about Bhanuji's patron:ed (1) He was of the Baghela dynasty (aaa). ania (2) He was ruler of Mahidhara territory (Hzfaqinifa ). llow (3) He was a prince ( srimaharajakumara ) of the name kirtisimha . I am of opinion that Kirtisimha, the Baghela patron of Bhanuji, is identical with Fateh Singh,2 the founder of the Sohawal State in Baghel- 66 " and 1 Both " kirtisimha deva and " need to be identified. I have tried to identify "fafc" in this paper. "" is possibly identical with Maihar State now under the Baghel Khanda Political Agency as suggested by my friend Dr. R. N. Dandekar. Maihar was originally a dependency of Rewa but later it went into the possession of the Bundela Raja of Panna (vide p. 189 of Vol. IX of Imp. Gazet., London, 886 ). 2 Vide p. 47 of Imp. Gazetteer of India, Vol. XIII, London, 1887.--Sohawal-The State of Sohawal was formerly a portion of Rewa territory but about the middle of the 16 th Century, when Amarsingh was ruler of Rewa, his son Fate Singh threw off his father's authority and established his independence as Chief of Sohawal. His descendant Lal Amansingh was found in possession on the British occupation of Baghel Khanda and was consequently confirmed in his State on his tendering a deed of allegiance. In consequence of the improvidence and misrule of its Chiefs the State has more than once come under British management. It was last made over in 1871 free cf debt to the present Raja of Sohawal Lal Sher Jang Bahadur Singh, who is by race a Baghel Rajput. A small police force is maintained of about 50 mien.

Bhanuji Diksita's Vyakhyasudha 27 khanda in Central India. My reasons for the above identification are as follows:- 9101 (1) The name "Kirtisimha" mentioned by Bhanuji Diksifa is only a paraphrase of the name "Fatesingh. 99 (2) Bhanuji Diksita 1 may be assigned to a period A. D. 1600 to 1660. His patron Fatesingh was living at this time.2 99 (3) It appears that Kirtisimha or Fatesingh had already founded the Sohawal Kingdom when Bhanuji wrote his commentary as Bhanuji calls his patron "the ruler of Mahidhara territory ( mahidharavisayadhipa ). It is quite probable that "Hc " is equivalent to " is equivalent to "Maihar" and "" means the "Maihar State" mahidharavisaya which was the dependency of Rewa and is now under the Baghelakhanda Political Agency as stated in the Gazetteer. 3 As the town of Maihar is about 40 miles from Rewa, Fatesing may have made it his headquarters, when he threw off his father's authority. His brother Anupasing was a minor when he came to the gadi of Rewa and ruled between A. D. 1640 and 1660. In view of this chronology for his brother's rule at Rewa we may safely assign him to the period A. D. 1620 to 1660 or so and make him a junior of Bhanuji 1 Vide my paper on the date of Bhattoji Diksita in the Annals (Tirupati Institute) Vol. I, pp. 117-127. As Bhttoji's career ended about A. D. 1620 we may assign his son Bhanuji to the period A. D. 1600 to 1660. 90 2 The genealogy and chronology of the Baghela dynasty corresponding to the dates of Bhattoji and Bhanuji may be given here:-Jan saoguca of eidraad di abas (A. D. 1540-1555) ne te egolloss of ramacamdra (A. D. 1555-1592 ) I virabhadra ( A. D. 1592-1598 ) Jog 10. r 10 vikramaditya (A. D. 1599-1624 ) 8008 1 sarupasimga kum amarasimga (4. D. 1624-1640 ) imdrasimga a anupasimga (A. D. 1640-1660) phattesimga (founder of Sohawal State ) 3 Vide p. 189 of Vol IX of Imp. Gazet., 1886.--Maihar is a station on the Jabalpur extension of the East Indian Railway, 97 miles from Jabalpur and 40 miles from Rewa. The town contains a fort built in the 16 th century, where the Raja now resides.

Diksita, who calls him II, whose father Amarsing ruled from A. D. 1624 to 1640. 1 ewolkt as If it is possible to determine when Fatesing or Kirtisimha became the ruler of the Mahidhara territory we can easily fix the earlier limit to the date of Bhanuji's Vyakhyasudha, the later limit being of course A. D. 1649, the date of the MS of the 2 nd Kanda of this commentary already described in this paper. As Anupasing, the brother of Fatesing, ruled between A. D. 1640 and 1660 and as he was a minor when he came to the gadi of Rewa in A. D. 1640, we may not be wrong in assigning Fatesing to the period A. D. 1620 to 1660 as we have remarked above. It is also possible to suppose that he threw off the authority of his father some years before A. D. 1640, when obviously he lost his father and the question of succession arose. If these statements, which I have based on the notes sent to me by the late Diwan Bahadur Janaki Prasad, are correct we may safely suggest that Bhanuji composed his "Vyakhyasudha" between A. D. 1620 and A. D. 1640. In making this suggestion I have presumed that Fatesing, the patron of Bhanuji, was born about A. D. 1620 and that he was about 20 years old when his father died in A. D. 1640 and was succeeded by the minor brother Anupasing. In the foregoing discussion I have made use of the scanty information in my possession regarding Fatesing Baghel whom I regard as the patron of Bhanuji Diksita. How Bhanuji came into contact with this prince I cannot say at present. Tavernier visited Benares in A. D. 1666. He refers in his Travels 2 to a college at Benares founded by Raja Jaising (A. D. 1621-1667) for the education of the youth of good families. Is it possible to suppose that Fatesing or Kirtisimha may have had some contact with this college where some of the contemporary Rajput princes got their education at the hands of Brahmin pandits of Benares? As it seems, however, that Fatesing Baghel was a contemporary of Mirza Raja Jaising, he may not have received his education at the above college where the sons of Jaising got their education. We have, therefore, to presume that the contact of Bhanuji with Fatesing was independent of the above college like that of 1 The chronology of the Baghela rulers given in this paper is based on the notes supplied to me by my friend the late Diwan Bahadur Janaki Prasad, M. A., LL. B., the Adviser to H. H. the Maharaja of Rewa. He was in constant correspondence with me on many matters of historical interest and I put on record my deep appreciation of his critical insight and indefatigable industry in investigating the history of the Rewa State. Unfortunately he died in 1938. 2 Vide pp. 234-235 of Vol. II of these Travels (1889). Vide also my paper on Visvanatha M. Ranade (p. 50 of Vol. 17, 1941, of B. B. R. A. S. Journal).

Bhanuji Diksita's Vyakhyasudha 29 Kavindracarya Sarasvati with the Mughal Court and the Rajput princes who thronged at this court in the 17 th century. 1 I have identified a with the Maihar State and Kirtisimha Baghel with Fatesing Baghel, whom the Gazetteer calls the founder of the Sohawal State. As both the Maihar and Sohawal States are near 2 each other in the Baghel Khanda agency it is possible to suppose that f mahidharavisaya comprised area belonging to both these states, when Fatesing became the ruler of this area and perhaps made HTT or Maihar as his headquarters. I await more light on this question from close students of the history of Baghel Khanda, who may be able to settle the exact limits of the f over which Fatesing ruled after throwing off his father's authority sometime before A. D. 1640. At present I have no detailed knowledge of the history of the Maihar or Sohawal States subsequent to the rule of Fatesing or even before it and hence cannot say anything in this matter with certainty. Curious views 3 have been current regarding the caste of Brahmins to which Bhattoji Diksita belonged. Some say he was a Desastha Brahmin, while others say that he was a Sarasvata Brahmin. According to the generally accepted view he was a Telanga Brahmin. In view of these opinions I was surprised to find in the colophon 4 of a MS of the Vyakhyasudha the statement that it was composed by Ramasrama, (1) the pupil of Bhattoji Diksita and (2) of Gurjara caste. This statement adds one more caste to the list of castes, to which Bhattoji's family is supposed to have belonged. I shall deal in a separate paper with the validity of the tradition that Ramasrama was the name of Bhanuji Diksita after he became a sanyasin. The colophon of the Tanjore MS which refers to the Gurjara 1 Vide my paper on "Kavindracarya Sarasvati at the Mughal Court " (pp. 1--16 of Annals of Tirupati S. V. Ori. Institute, Vol. I, Part IV). The poet Jayarama in his (Poona, 1922), composed about A. D. 1658, refers to a '' baghelanrpateh kavisvara " at the court of King Shahaji, father of Shivaji the Great. 2 The latitude and longitude of Sohawal and Maihar as recorded in the Imp. Gasetteer are as follows:-- (1) Maihar-Lat. 24°16' N ; Long. 80°48' E. (2) Sohawal Lat. 24°34'35" N ; Long. 80°48'50" E. - 3 Vide Bhattoji Diksita Jati viveka by Rao Bahadur W. A. Bambardekar. Bombay, 1939. SS (1930) 4 Vide p 3821 of Vol. IX of Des. Cata. of Tanjore MSS (1930) -- MS No. 4948 65 iti sri baghelavamsodbhava mahidharavisayadhipasri kirtisimhadevajnaya sribhattojidiksitasisya- - gurjarajatiyaramasramaviracitayamamaratikayam vyakhyasudhakhyayam prathamakamda samaptah " kharasamvatsara vaisakha sukla dvitiya bhanuvasare ... likhitamidam pustakam "

caste of Ramasrama has not much historical value as it is contradicted by the colophon of A. 1). 1649 which neither refers to Ramasrama nor to his Gurjara caste as will be clear from this colophon already quoted elsewhere in this paper. Presuming that Bhanuji Diksita and Ramasrama 1 are identical we may infer that Vatsaraja, a pupil of Ramasrama, in the following verse of his "Varanasidarpanatika" composed in Samvat 1698 (A. D. 1641) refers to Bhanuji Diksita after he became a sanyasin :- " bhattojidiksitam natva ramasramagurum punah | vatsarajah karotyetam kasidarpanakasikam || " gan Bhanuji Diksita may have become a sanyasin before A. D. 1641. It is also possible to surmise that he composed the "Vyakhyasudha" before he became a sanyasin. I have already referred in this paper to the importance of the MS of A. D. 1649, viz., No. 200 of 1882-83 for purposes of textual criticism. This importance will be better understood by a test comparison of the text of the "Vyakhyasudha" as represented by the printed edition and that found in the MS of A. D. 1649. The inflated character of the text in the printed edition is apparent from the Appendix to this paper prepared by Mr. M. M. Patkar. The authentic life-history of the scholars who flourished in the 16 th and 17 th centuries is difficult to reconstruct on the strength of contemporary evidence. I have tried in this paper to collect and discuss some useful data regarding Bhanuji Diksita and his patron, which I hope will attract the attention of senior scholars, from whom I expect to get some more information on the subject than what I have gathered in this short paper. 1 Vide p. 177 of Des. Cata. of Kavya MSS, Vol, VII, by H. P. Shastri (R. A. S., Bengal), Calcutta, 1984. The genealogy of as given by him on folio 10 A of the MS of prakasika is as follows :- ganesa agnihotra of surname tripathin raghava ( tripathin ) vatsaraja ( 4. D. 1641 ) ma

Bhanuji Diksita's Vyakhyasudha APPENDIX orat bharg (BY DR. M. M. PATKAR, B. A. PH.D.) 100 31 (This appendix gives a specimen of the variants in the text of the Vyakhyasudha of Bhanuji Diksita as represented by the printed edition and the MS of A. D. 1649). Printed Edition Nirnayasagar Press, Bombay, 1929, end Kanda (Bhumivarga) PAGE VERSE READING 110 1 ukta omitted kartari ca " " " " " prthivyadibhih siladini manah siladi- ni | vrksadini puspadini 110 2 ksitau " "9 " iti va anavadhau " " guducyoh tallA " aida "" ibo bo ac va ghanarthe ko va iti mukutah | tanna | pariga- nanat | acah satvacca yadva dhriyate | dhrd ada- sthane pacadyac MS No. 200 of 1882-83 dated Samvat 1705--A. D 1649 2 nd Kanda (Bhumivarga) FOLIO VERSE 1 b 1 READING udita kartari ca " " " " 93 "9 puradibhih The Ms omits this portion 29 " " 2 a " ,, sthitau va niravadhau gaducyoh omitted ac va etc. GII. " tule'tha medo " " nipatitah omitted " " " " ,, " 99 " mule'tha bhede nipatah a SII 99 " iti visvah 8 BLI " omitted 2 b 3 na lopo " 111 " " 3 " " dw " " " " iti medini yattu - ksiyantyatra - - iti mukutah | tanna abjabhyam iti lyuta badhat | nu lopah omitted iti upratyaye samprasarane 'vo to guna ' iti nisiprthvi ityac ! yattu - prsodara- } ditvat allopah | bahula kanman tilopasca | iti mukutah | tanna uktaritya | nirvahat | 1 " " 19 vo to guneti visi prthvi kalama omitted ed abbs. omitted ka " Ape II AMI

Printed Edition 01 Nirnayasagar Press, Bombay 1999, 2 nd Kanda (Bhumivarga) PAGE 111 VERSE READING 3 yattu - mahyante bhutanyasyam, mahyate, va 'pumsi ' iti ghah | gauradinis iti mukutah | tanna | 'halasca ' iti ghana prasam- gat | karmani ghasyaprasamgacca | 'karanadhikaranayoh ' anuvarttanat ) "" " iti kascit | tanna grahanannam ' ityuktatvat | Ms No. 200 of 1882-83 dated Samvat 1705-A.D. 1649 2 nd Kanda (Bhumivarga) FOLIO VERSE 2 b 3 omitted READING kara- } " ,, omitted omitted " " trisvatho 111-12 5 yattu sthalyatetra | ' ghanarthe kah '- iti mukutah | tanna | parigananat 112 2 atho 99 nipatitah debas " 113 113 " " vrddhiksayo 6 'ekam mahabhutam prthvi, pancamaha- bhutendriyavisayatmakam tu jagat ' iti prthvi jagatorbhedah 8 pacadyac | disyate va | ghan | " "1 " iti mukutah | tanna | ghano lyudapavadatvat atah - ' anya- trapi iti yuc adds gramasamudaya laksanasya before sthanamatrasya adds agosthat before " " gosta sabdamabhivyapya 114 10 trisu ityasya badhanartham pumsi iti | 11 catvari 'asma praya mrdadhikasya valukayuktatresasya, Ba 3 b 6 " " " nipatah After set the Ms inserts the following verse jagatsya- dvistape klibam etc. which is found in the printed edition after yaha vidhanasca ' vrddhiksayau 99 99 omitted 99 ", omitted " " omitted pumsi } omitted " 19 sya } omitted 99 99

Bhanuji Diksita's Vyakhyasudha Printed Edition Nirnayasagar Press, Bombay, 1929 2 nd Kanda (Bhumivarga) PAGE VERSE READING sikatasakera 114 11 " " " " " 12 nadyamburbhirvrstayambubhih sampannadesasya 13 samanyarajayuktadesasya " " 14 gavastisthanti yatra gostham gosthanake, gosthi sabha- samlapayoh striyam bhutapurva gosthasya sarantyatra alatyambhah 33 Ms No. 200 of 1882-83 dated Samvat 1705 = A. D. 1649 2 nd Kanda Bhumivarga) FOLIO VERSE 5 a READING 11 The Ms trans. sikata " " 99 " 99 99 and sarkara Adds asmaprayamrdadhikasya before catvarivaluka bahula desasya omitted omitted gavasisthantyatra } 13 Adds this after " svartheh omitted " 14 santyatra " " " " " 29 alantyambhah dw " Adds pipilikadi niskasi- tamrtpunjasya after trini " " 115 15 mukutah | tanna | ghano lyudapava- datvat | ato yuc karmani va varttate'tra " iti mukutah | tanna 'ajabbhyam | iti lyut prasamgat | karana- syapi kartrtvavivaksayam ktimc- ktauca ' iti 'ktic ' tarkapinde omitted " " 99 99 margasya " " omitted " 99 " 16 mukutah | tanna | iti klibata- prasangat | atah 'viruddhah pathah ' iti vigrahitavyam " " kadesah | kumargo'pisanmargom bhavati | kutsitah pathah | 'vatah pathasca margasca ' iti 5 omitted " 99 5 b 15 omitted omitted 99 99 6 a tarkapinde " " " svangacceti omitted 99 99 adds rajahah sakhibhya- " " 99 stac after tatpurusah and omits rkpura- ityah omitted omitted 99 "

Printed Edition Nirnayasagar Press, Bombay, 1929 2 nd Kanda ( Bhumivarga) Ms No 200 of 1882-83 dated Samvat 1705 = A. D. 1649 2 nd Kanda (Bhumivarga) PAGE VERSE READING 115 16 durmargamya MVOTIOE FOLIO VERSE READING MOAT 6 a 15 17 "9 omitted kantaro catvarasya " " 17 kantaram " " ,, catuspathasya " " rgasya " " durasunyacchayajaladivarjitama- ekam ' coradyupadravairdurgamamargasya ' 116 18 krosadvayaparimitasya " " "3 " " 19 " 'catuhsatahastaparimitasya ' iti mukutah | tanna | yasyaluda- pavadasvat | bahulakadva lyut | yuc tu yuktah iti mukutah | tanna | apo badhakasya lyuto spi 'pumsi ' iti ghasyapavadatvat ekam 'puramargasya ' Destino bettimo betime rotalaro logy abbe Crust bette - esimo LE Bettino holland 19 omitted 99 6 b 18 omitted omitted " 99 omitted " 19 99 omitted omitted 99 FE kuka bettimo. 211