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Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study)

by A. Yamuna Devi | 2012 | 77,297 words | ISBN-13: 9788193658048

This page relates ‘Date of Kshirasvamin� of the study on the Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (in English) which represents a commentary on the Amarakosha of Amarasimha. These ancient texts belong the Kosha or “lexicography� category of Sanskrit literature which deals with the analysis and meaning of technical words from a variety of subjects, such as cosmology, anatomy, medicine, hygiene. The Amarakosa itself is one of the earliest of such text, dating from the 6th century A.D., while the Amarakoshodghatana is the earliest known commentary on that work.

As in the case of native place, even with regard to ṣīr峾's date scholars have proposed their findings based on some evidences. These are surveyed for arriving at an approximate date of the author:

According to Prof. Mm. ۳ܻṣṭ󾱰 Mīmāṃsak:

(a) The following points are presented by Prof. Mm. ۳ܻṣṭ󾱰 Mīmāṃsak in arriving at the date of ṣīr峾�

(i) The mention of a grammarian ṣīr峾 in Ჹٲṅgṇ� of ṇa who was invited specially by King īḍa to revive the study of Ѳṣy which had decayed (IV. 488-89):

deśāntarādāgamayyātha vyācakṣāṇān kṣmāpati� |
prāvartayad vicchinna�
ṣy� svamaṇḍale ||
kṣīrābhidhānācchabdavidyopādhyāyāt sambhṛtaśruta� |
ܻ󲹾� saha yayau ṛd�
sa jayāpīḍapaṇḍita� ||

The reign of īḍa is fixed between 751-782 A.D.

Prof. ۳ܻṣṭ󾱰 Mīmāṃsak considers ṣīr峾 the author of śǻ岵ṭaԲ, as different from the one referred to by ṇa.

(ii) It is evident in both the works of ṣīr峾 namely ṣīrٲṅgṇ� and śǻ岵ṭaԲ, that he has expressly quoted from works of Bhoja. Bhoja is assigned to 1018-1053 A.D.

(iii) ղ󲹳Բ in his ҲṇaٲԲǻ岹 (1110 A.D.) cites ṣīr峾 in two instances:�

(a) IV. 303; p. 183�
jyotīṃṣi grahanakṣatrādīni vetti dzپṣi첹 iti vāmanakṣīrasvāminau |

Avariant reading of the same reads�

jyotīṃṣi grahādīnadhiṛtya ṛto grantho jyautiṣa� jyautiṣa� veda jyautiṣaka� |

This variant reading is found to tally with the reading in śǻ岵ṭaԲ (II. 8. 14; p. 179);

(b) VII. 430; p. 238�
ṣīr峾 ṣa ṣa ityapi yathā parṣat pariṣaditi ṭīkāyā� vivṛtam |

Avariant reading of the same 𲹻�

marṣaṇāt sahanāt mariṣa� | mārṣo'pi | yathā pariṣat |

Even in this case the variant reading agrees with the reading in śǻ岵ṭaԲ (I. 6. 14; p. 51).

(iv) Hemacandra (1088-1172 A.D.) in his autocommentary on Ჹ󾱻Բ cites ṣīr峾 by name in the following instances�

(a) III. 541, p. 350
kṣīrasvāmī tu - kāṣṭhamupalakṣaṇam kāṣṭhāśmādimayī jaladhāriṇ� ṇ� iti vyācakhyau |

This agrees with the reading in śǻ岵ṭaԲ (I. 9. 11; p. 63); (b) IV. 211, p. 461�

󾱳ٲᲹ貹ṃśa Ჹ� iti kṣīrasvāmī |

This agrees with the reading in śǻ岵ṭaԲ (II. 4. 61; p. 96). These citations prove that ṣīr峾 preceeded Hemacandra.

(v) The colophon at the end of ṣīrٲṅgṇ� 𲹻�

kaśmīrabhuvamaṇḍala� jayasiṃhanāmni viśvambharāparivṛḍhe dṛḍhadīrghadorṣṇi |
śāsatyamātyasūnurimā� lilekha bhaktyā svaya� draviṇavānapi
dhātupāṭham ||

It is taken to mean that the son of a minister of ⲹṃh had transcribed the work of ṣīr峾 The date of the above mentioned ⲹṃh is 1128-1138 A.D.

(vi) Maitreyarakṣita (1083-1108 A.D.) in his ٳٳܱī貹 cites the view of ṣīr峾 through words like kecit, eke, apare, etc. , in seven instances which prove ṣīr峾's precedence to Maitreyarakṣita.

(vii) ṭa in his commentary on Yajurveda mentions that he wrote the work during the reign of Bhoja�

ṛṣyādīṃśca namasṛtya āvanyāmuvvaṭo vasan |
Գٰṇāṃ
ṛt ṣy� ī� bhoje praśāsati |

ṭa also cites (when commenting on yaj 25/8) ṣīr峾's statement on ś (II. 6. 5; p. 135)�

hṛdayasya dakṣiṇe ⲹṛt klomaī ܱܲśپ ⲹ� iti kṣīrasvāmī |

As mentioned earlier, ṣīr峾 cites Bhoja in both his works; he, in turn, is cited by ṭa.

From all these evidences Prof. ۳ܻṣṭ󾱰 Mīmāṃsak comes to the conclusion that ṣīr峾 should have lived before 1053 A.D. the extreme limit of Bhoja's date.

According to Prof. C. Vogel:

(b) Prof. C. Vogel in Indian Lexicography has deduced the date of ṣīr峾 to be about early 12th C. A.D. He suggests this date since ṣīr峾 cites Bhoja and is cited by ղ󲹳Բ in his ҲṇaٲԲǻ岹. Vogel agrees with Bhānuji īṣiٲ Leibech who interprets the colophon at the end of ṣīrٲṅgṇ� mentioned above, to have been copied by ṣīr峾 himself during the reign of King ⲹṃh of Kashmir (1128-49 A.D.) under whom ṣīr峾's father was a minister. Further, Vogel differs from ۳ܻṣṭ󾱰 Mīmāṃsak who has also mentioned that ṣīr峾 is anonymously referred to by Maitreyarakṣita in his ٳٳܱī貹 whose date according to Mīmāṃsak is about 1108 A.D.

According to Prof. Borooah

(c) Prof. Borooah opines that the date of ṣīr峾 can easily be arrived at as ṣīr峾 cites Bhoja and is himself quoted by ղ󲹳Բ (ҲṇaٲԲǻ岹 dated 1140 C. A.D). Also he opines that Hemacandra, early 13th C. A.D. is indebted to ṣīr峾 as he quotes the latter on some occasions; thus ṣīr峾 must be earlier to Hemacandra and should have flourished before the 12th C. A.D.

According to Dr. Mahesh Raj Pant

(d) Dr. Mahesh Raj Pant asserts that ṣīr峾 was a contemporary of Bhoja, based on the following internal and external evidences:

(i) ṭa's citation of ṣīr峾 in his commentary on Vājasaneyī saṃhitā and his mention that he composed his works during the reign of Bhoja implies that ṭa was a contemporary of Bhoja. This Bhoja, Dr. Pant emphasises was the ruler of ʲ dynasty of , who reigned from 1000-1055 A.D. ṣīr峾 citing Bhoja in both his works śǻ岵ṭaԲ and ṣīrٲṅgṇ� and ṭa citing ṣīr峾 confirm the fact that ṣīr峾 was a contemporary of Bhoja.

(ii) Dr. Pant also mentions that the interpretation of the colophon made by Vogel and Liebich is to be examined. Dr. Pant clarifies that the use of verb �likh� clearly suggests that the work was copied by the scribe with devotion; for Dr.Pant remarks that if it were the words of the author himself then the verbs employed would be �� or �rac�. Considering all the above facts, the main features that come to the fore are—the extensive and reverential references to Bhoja, familiarity with central India, ṣīr峾 citing ḍa (ٲū貹) and ṣīr峾 being cited by ṭa; from all these, the conclusion arrived at is that ṣīr峾 was a contemporary of Bhoja. Thus, ṣīr峾 belongs to early half of 11th C.A.D.

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