15. Date of Kesavabhatta of Punyastambha

15. Date of Kesavabhatta of Punyastambha, the Author of Nrisimhacampu And other Works Between C. A. D. 1450 and 1575 My friend Prof. N. A. Gore intends to bring out a critical edition of the Nrsimha Campu of Daivajna Suryapandita. He has asked me to fix the date of another Nrsimha Campu by Keshavabhatta of Punyastambha as there is some resemblance between the two Campus. I have great pleasure in recording the following evidence about Kesava and his works, which may enable us to fix his date within as narrow limits as possible:Prof. Dr. G. V. Devasthali describes some MSS of the works of Kesava in his Catalogue of the Bombay University MSS (1944- Vols. I and II ):Vol. I, p. 348 - MS No. 963 - antyestipaddhati of kesava, a manual of funeral rites composed by Kesava, son of Anantabhatta of the Laugaksi family and a resident of Punyastambha (modern Puntambe in the Ahmadnagar Dist. of Bombay State). nrsimhacampu and nyayacandrika are other works of this author. Cf. Velankar No. 1249 and India office Nos. 4053-54 and 5769-76. This MS was copied by Sakharama Ababhatta Pathaka in Saka 1699 = A. D. 1777. The work quotes from vidhanamala . The MS begins: 1 " yacchisyairjagatitalam parivrtam yah sarvavidyanidhih srilaugaksikularavindataranirmadhyandinih kesavah | yam prasuta sadasivamghikamaladvandvaikanistham param bhattanantamaham namami pitaram sambam krpambhonidhim || 1 || nananibandhanalokya punyastambapurah (om.: ) sthitah | antyestipaddhatim bhattakesavah praha nirmalam || 2 || " The MS ends :- 8 (1) iti madhyandiniya laugaksigotra ( or tra ) nantabhattasutakesave nai va ( 1 ) viracitantyestipaddhatih samapta || " Vol. II, p. 780 - MS No. 2287- nrsimhacampu of kesava is a small Campu in 6 of chapters narrating the story of Nrsimhavatara composed by * Swami Kevalananda Commemoration Volume, 1952, pp. 129-137.

Kesavabhatta-Author of Nrsimhacampu 133 Kesava of the Laugaksi family, a resident of Punyastambha on the bank of the Godavari (For other MSS see Velankar No. 1249 and India Office No. 4053). Kesava wrote another work on this topic known as written at the command of king Umapati Dalapati (cf. India office No. 4054 and Rajendralal Mitra's Notices, No. 1427). For quotations from the work see Ind. Office No. 4053. Kesava composed two more works, the c (see No. 1992) and antyestipaddhati ( see No. 963 ). Vol. II, p. 669- MS No. 1992. This is an elementary treatise on Indian logic composed by Kesava who is different from Kesava, the author of Tarkabhasa. For our author's cf see MS No. 963 above. As MS No. 963 (a) of Kesava is dated A. D. 1777 we may push his date to a period which is earlier than about A. D. 1750. The Govt. MSS Library at the Bhandarkar O. R. Institute possesses some MSS of Kesava's works. I record below the evidence of these MSS bearing of the history and chronology of Kesava's works:- (I) MSS of nrsimhacampuh- (1) MS No. 413 of 1887-91-. This MS is dated Samvat 1750 (A. D. 1694). (2) MS No. 144 of 1882-83--MS dated Samvat 1854 (= A. D. 1798). (3) MS No. 367 of 1884-87-.-MS dated Samvat 1855 (=A. D. 1799). (4) MS No. 186 of 1879-80 - - MS dated Samvat 1845 (=A. D. 1789). (5) MS No. 101 of A. of 1882-83 -- not dated. (6) MS No. 625 of 1882-83-.- not dated. (7) MS No. 162 of 1902-07-.-dated Saka 1705 ( = A.D. 1783). (8) MS No. 27 of 1870-71--not dated. (9) MS No. 52 of 1871-72 - dated Saka 1717 ( = A. D. 1795). - (10) MS No. 714 of 1886-92--not dated. - (11) MS No. 514 of 1891-95 - not dated.

(12) MS No. 513 of 1891-95 - nr . campu- MS dated Samvat 1839 (= A. D. 1783 ). We have thus MSS of nr . campu bearing dates A. D. 1694, 1783, 1795, 1798, 1799. 1789, All these MSS are described by me in Volume XIII, Part III of the Descriptive Catalogue of the Govt. MSS library ( B. O. R. Institute, Poona, 1950 ) pages 355-368. (II) MSS of nyayacandrikah- (1) MS No. 796 of 1887-91 - not dated. (2) MS No. 138 of 1871-72- MS dated sam. 1706 (=A. D. 1650) 1 (3) MS No. 206 of 1899-1915 - not dated. (III) MSS of antyestipaddhatih MS No. 130 of 1886-92-not dated. The MS begins exactly like the Bombay University MS of this work ( No. 963 ) and is incomplete (15 folios). The last folio 16 contains a different work. There are colophons in the body of the text mentioning the name kesava, n of anamta . The author refers to a few earlier authors and their works, such as yajnavalkyah ( fol 7 ) ; amgirah (fol. 7); " madanaparijate| parasaramadhaviye " (fol. 10 ); bhavisyatpurane (fol. 10 ) ; gautamah ( fol. 10 ) ; galavah ( fol. 10 ) ; apastamba ( fol. 11 ) ; vyasa (fol. 10) ; varahapurana (fol. 12) ; paithinasih (fol. 14 ) ; sivasvamimata (fol. 13); dipika ( fol. 14 ); renukakarika ( fol. 14 ) ; visvadarsa ( fol. 15) etc. The dates of some of these works as given by Dr. P. V. Kane in his History of Dharmasastra, Vol. I ( B.OR. Institute, Poona, 1930) are as follows:Page 889 - (1) madanaparijata by Madanapala - Between A. D. 1360 and 1390. Page 380 - (2) parasaramadhaviya by Madhavacarya - Between A. D. 1385-1860. Page 734 - (3) renukakarika by renukacarya, son of mahesasuri, son of somesvara of the =) 20 sandilyagotra - A. D. 1266. 1 This date is recorded in the following colophon of the MS:- 88 iti kesavabhattaviracita nyayacamdrika sampurna || cha || samvat 1706 varse | asadha sudi 5 dine || padasahasriakabarajalaladinasuryasahasranamadhyapaka sri satrumjayatirthakaramocanadyanakasukrtavidhapaka- mahopadhyayasribhanucamdraganisisyastottarasatavadhanasadhanapramuditapadasaha sri akabarajallaladinapradattasusphahama- parabhidhanamahopadhyayasrisiddhicamdraganina likhapita pratiriyam || sri sirohinagare || maharayasri- akhayarajajivijayarajye || srirastu || nah || "

Kesavabhatta-Author of Nrisimhacampu 135 Page 625-(4) faz by fara-later than A. D. 1100 and earlier than A. D. 1200. In view of the above evidence and in particular in view of the reference to a (between A. D. 1360 and 1390) by our author Kesava we can definitely say that he is later than c. A. D. 1400, which is, therefore, the earlier limit for the dates of his works. The later limit is furnished by the B. O. R. Institute MS of (No. 138 of 1871-72) which is dated Samvat 1706 (A. D. 1650). The India office MS of Kesava's mentioned below is dated A. D. 1627. I am, therefore, inclined to believe that Kesava flourished between c. A. D. 1450 and 1575. The India office Library Catalogue, Vol. I, Part VII (by Eggeling, London, 1904) contains description (on pp. 1548-49) of two MSS of of Kesava viz. No. 4058 and No. 4054. Of these two MSS No. 4054 is dated A. D. 1627 (Samvat 1684). Burnell's Catalogue of Tanjore MSS (1879), p. 118, contains description of a MS of a commentary on the Tarkabhasa of Kesava Misra c. A. D. 1275). The name of this commentator is Kesavabhatta, son of Ananta and the commentary called Tarkadipika. These details are recorded in verses 1 and 2 at the beginning of the work, which are quoted by Burnell as follows:- " yacchisyairjagatitalam parivrtam, yastarkavidyanidhih srilokaksikularavindataranirmadhyandini kesavah | yam prasuta sadasiva kamaladvandvaikanistham param bhattanantamaham namami pitaram sambam krpambhonidhim || 1 || sakalanyayasiddhantam avagamya yathamati | bhattasri kesavenaisa kriyate tarkadipika || 2 || " is also the author of the commentary tarka It is clear from these verses that Kesavabhatta, the author of campu, antyestipaddhati and nyayacandrika fc on Kesava Misra's a (c. A. D. 1275 1 according to scholars). Our author Kesava Misra composed another Camp called prahladacampu, a MS of which has been described by Rajendralal Mitra, Notices Vol. IV, pp. 42-43, MS No. 1427. Mitra describes this work as "A poetico-prose romance, founded on the story of Prahlada, a youth who, born in a Saiva family, displayed under peculiarly trying circumstances, the most unVide p. 271 of Madhyayugina Caritrakosa by S. Chitrav, Poona, 1937, and History of Indian Logic by Vidyabhusan, p. 301.

flinching devotion to Vaisnavism by Kesava Pandita. The MS begins:- " kanakarucidukulah kundalollasi gandah samitabhuvanabharah ko'pi lilavatarah | tribhuvanasukhakari sailadhari mukundah parikalitarathango mangalam nastanotu || 1 || yacchisyairjagatitalam parivrtam yastarkavidyanidhih srilaugaksikularavindatarani madhyandinah kesavah | yam prasuta sadasivanghrikamaladvandvaikanistham param bhattanantamaham namami pitaram sambam krpambhonidhim || 2 || kim bhojah kimu vikramah kimaparah karnavatirnah kalau sarvesamiti yatra dhirbhavati sah ksonitale nandati | surah srimadumapatirdalapati govindabhaktipriyah srimatkesavapandito vitanute campum tadiyajnaya " 201 | na " Colophon :- " iti srimat kesavapanditakrte prahladacampukavye caturthastabakah samapto'yam | " ate The above MS contains 214 Slokas and is dated Samvat 1869 ( A. D. 1813 ). It belongs to Govt. of India. Prof. Gore may get it on loan from the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, and see if this prahladacampu is identical with nrsimha- campu or is a different work. 28 Aufrecht makes the following entries about Keshava and Keshavabhatta :-. Cata. Catalogoroum, Part I, p. 127-- " kesava son of Ananta, Laugaksikula, of Punyastambha. - -anandavrndavanacampu N. P. X, 16 -nrsimhacampu -prahladacampu written by request of king Umapati Dalapati kesavabhatta Son of Ananta Bhatta : tarkadipika a comm. on the Tarkabhasa of Kesavamisra Burnell 118 a" I have proved above that kesava the author of nrsimha-campu, antyestipaddhati, nyayacandrika, and prahladacampu is also the author of tarkadipika represented by the Tanjore MS described by Burnell on p. 118 of his Catalogue of Tanjore MSS. I could not get detailed description of anandavrndavanacampu mentioned as Kesava's work by Aufrecht. A MS of this work ( N P. X, 16 of Aufrecht's entry ) is mentioned in the Catalogue of North Western MSS by Sudhakara Dvivedi,

Kesavabhatta Author of Nrsimhacampu 137 Part X (Allahabad, 1886) p. 16. The details of this MS as given by Dvivedi are as follows:IP -A Campu with commentary of Kesava-333 leaves- 16,000 Slokas - on paper in Devanagari characters in the possession of Bhagavatacari of Benares Old, complete and correct." If this description is correct the MS contains the Camp and its commentary by one Kesava. It is not clear if this Kesava is identical with Kesava, the author of Nrsimhacampu and other works. The evidence recorded so far gives us the following information about our author:- (1) His name was kesava, His father's name was ananta . (2) He belonged to laugaksikula and madhyandina amnaya . ( 3 ) He was proficient in mimamsa, tarka, sahitya, etc. (4) He was the resident of goaz (modern Puntambe in the Ahmadnagar Dist. of the Bombay state) on the banks of river Goda. (5) He composed nrsimha-campu and pralhadacampu by the order of his patron umapatidalapati, son of govimdadalapati . (6) He composed also antyestipaddhati, nyayacamdrika, tarkadipika and possibly anandavrndavanacampu . (7) He flourished definitely, between A. D. 1400 and A. D. 1600 and approximately between A. D. 1450 and 1575, a period of about 125 years. This period can be narrowed down if we can identify his patron umapati dalapati, son of govimda dalapati, 1 Very probably fa afa, the patron of Kesavabhatta residing at Puntambe in the Ahmadnagar District between c. A. D. 1450 and 1575, belonged to the family of cfa, son of ag and author of the work on dharmasastra called a composed between A. D. 1490 and 1512. The points of similarity which go to connect these two Dalapatis may be represented in the following table :- 1. Dr. P. V. Kane has devoted section 99 of his History of Dharmasastra, Vol. I (1980) to a work on Dharmasastra, called nrsimhaprasada by dalapati or daladhisvara son of vallabha and of the bharadvajagotra and yajnavalkyasakha . This dalapati was a great exponent of vaisnavadharma . He was the pupil of suryapandita and the chief minister and keeper of records of Nizamshah, ruler of devagiri . nrsimhaprasada af was composed between A. D. 1490 and 1512 (page 410). 18

umapati dalapati Patron of Kesavabhatta (1) He was the patron of kesavabhatta between c. A. D. 1450 and 1575. (2) He was possibly fa in the a army of some king ruling at Ahmadnagar between A. D. 1450 and 1575. His protege kesavabhatta resided at punyastambha (Puntambe in the Ahmadnagar District). (3) He was devoted to god and is called 6 in govimdabhaktipriya " kesava Kesava's prahladacampu . • composed nrsimhacampu and prahlada- campu by his order. These works illustrate unflinching devotion to god Govinda. govimda (4) His father's name was fa dalapati . Sm 0031 .. bus 752 dalapatiraja, author of nrsimhaprasada (1) He composed nrsimhaprasada between A. D. 1490 and 1512. (2) He was the chief Minister and Keeper of Records of a Ahmad Nizam Shah, who Terruled ruled at Ahmadnagar between A. D. 1490 and 1508. she zoo tuoda (3) God was the family deity of dalapatiraja, who calls his work nrsimhaprasada and invokes god at the beginning of each section of nrsimhaprasada (the fruit of the grace of god nrsimha ). (4) He was a Brahmin of A- kula and yajnavalkyasakha . He was the son of a and a great exponent of vaisnavadharma . ahi It would seem from the above table that fa fa is connected with dalapatiraja the author of the nrsimhaprasada and his family. " dalapati " indicates a title of an army officer in command of a body of troops. Later on it may have become a family name of persons. At present the surname "at" corresponds to the name "fa" current in the 15 th and 16 th dalavi century in the Deccan. The author of the a being a prominent member of the " dalapati " family appears to have been called "dalapatiraja, " whom I have identified 1 with "Dalpat Rai" Mentioned in the Burhani-Masir as aspiring after the office of the Prime Minister of Ahmad Nizam Shah (A. D. 1490-1508). There is possibility of fa fa being identical with dalapatiraja if we presume that govimda the father of umapati, and agc, the father of fac, are identical persons. Even if this 1. Vide my paper in the Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Allahabad, 1988, pp. 313-318.

Kesavabhatta - Author of Nrisimha-campu 139 possibility is not accepted it is possible to suggest that fc and cf were important Hindu officers, who were great patrons of learning, in the employ of the Muslim kings, who ruled at Ahmadnagar from A. D. 1460 to 1637. A Hindu grandee called coposed an encyclopaedic work on Dharmasastra called the c. He was patronized by Burhan Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar (A. D. 1508-1554) as I have proved in a special paper (Annals, B. O. R. Institute, 1944, vol. XXIV, pp. 156-164). Punyastambha or Puntambe, the native place of our author Kesavabhatta was a great centre of learning for centuries. anantapandita, 2 son of tryambakapandita, composed his commentary vyangyarthakaumudi on rasamanjari at Benares in A. D. 1636. He was also a resident of great. T who flourished between c. A. D. 1775 and 1820 and composed many Sanskrit works was also a native of goata (Vide my paper on this author in Annals B. O. R. Institute, 1943, Vol. XXIV pp. 27-44). H c. A. D. 1700) the great logician continued the tradition of our author Keshavabhatta in the study of logic and composed some works on logic (Vide p. 486 of History of Indian Logic by Vidyabhushan). He also hailed from Punyastambha or Puntambe. The real history of the contribution of Maharastra to Sanskrit learning is yet to be written. For this purpose we must fix up the chronology of every author belonging to different centres of learning in Maharastra, whose works have come down to us and are represented by manuscripts in puplic libraries and in private collections, which remain still untapped. most bozang 9.00 207 a gof to go 101-10010 o it's adian twoiled adenorA 1. Vide article on Nizam Shahi kings of Ahmadnagar in Madhyayugina Caritrakosa by S. Chitrav, Poona, 1937, page 494. 2. Vide p. 378 of History of Sanskrit Poetics by P. V. Kane, Bombay, 1951.