2022-10-20 06:33:42 by sanskrit_hitaay
This page has been fully proofread once and needs a second look.
translation can ever adequately convey the beauty and richness of the original and
this is more so when the entire poem is founded upon an exquisite use of Slesha.
The commentator Kutti Suri or Vanchesvara is a namesake and a great grand-
son of the author and has faithfully recorded in his commentary the interpretation
and explanations which he had handed down to him from his own father. The
commentary is very lucid, learned and to the point and but for it the hasty reader may
lose sight of many a point of beauty in the original. He was himself a very eminent
scholar and had his early education at the feet of Isvara Sastri of Tiruvisanallur
itself and later on of Srinivasarya of Manalur close by. From the latter he learnt
the intricacies of the modern school of Nyaya and mastered the Tatvachintamani of
Gadadhara just then coming into prominence. He easily worsted many a combatant
in the field of logic by handling this new weapon Chintamani and Amara Simha a
Mahratta chief who appreciated him gave him the appellation of Chintamani Kutti or
more shortly Mani Kutti. In acknowledgement of this honour, he has written four
books known as Datta Chintamani, Sraddha Chintamani, Brahmasutrartha Chintamani
and Bhatta Chintamani.
King Sarabhoji II of Tanjore started a Veda Sastra Pathasala at Orattanadu
village and appointed Kutti Suri as one of the staff. But after a short time he felt
the royal service somewhat irksome and decided upon a pilgrimage to Northern India.
Before starting, he poured out his heart to the Goddess Dharmavardhini at Tiruvadi
in beautiful stanzas of which the only remnant now available is the line
कतीन्द्रयामः कति चन्द्रयामश्चण्डं पुनः पूरयितुं पिचण्डम्॥
He went to Mysore and was detained there by Haidar Ali who had great
respect for him. After Haidar's death, Tippu Sultan also held him in high reverence
but one day he asked the Pandit in a very light manner when it would please him to
become a Muslim. This made him décide to leave the state and he started for
Benares and on the way went to Poona then ruled over by Bhaji Rao Peshva. The
Court Pandit Chanda Narayana Bhattacharya had a contempt for southerners as they
were not uptodate in the new school of Nyaya and declined to grant an interview
to Kutti Suri. The latter however persisted and the court Pandit thought it proper
to remain in a reclining posture when Kutti Sastri was admitted to his presence.
But after a few minutes conversation he realised the great learning of the visitor and
made friends with him so much so that Kutti Sastri himself was soon after enrolled
as a Pandit of the Peshva's Court. At the request of the Peshva he wrote commen-
taries on the Hiranyakesi Srauta and Samanya Sutras. After staying there for some
time he went to Benares. While there he had the rare fortune of studying Vedanta
this is more so when the entire poem is founded upon an exquisite use of Slesha.
The commentator Kutti Suri or Vanchesvara is a namesake and a great grand-
son of the author and has faithfully recorded in his commentary the interpretation
and explanations which he had handed down to him from his own father. The
commentary is very lucid, learned and to the point and but for it the hasty reader may
lose sight of many a point of beauty in the original. He was himself a very eminent
scholar and had his early education at the feet of Isvara Sastri of Tiruvisanallur
itself and later on of Srinivasarya of Manalur close by. From the latter he learnt
the intricacies of the modern school of Nyaya and mastered the Tatvachintamani of
Gadadhara just then coming into prominence. He easily worsted many a combatant
in the field of logic by handling this new weapon Chintamani and Amara Simha a
Mahratta chief who appreciated him gave him the appellation of Chintamani Kutti or
more shortly Mani Kutti. In acknowledgement of this honour, he has written four
books known as Datta Chintamani, Sraddha Chintamani, Brahmasutrartha Chintamani
and Bhatta Chintamani.
King Sarabhoji II of Tanjore started a Veda Sastra Pathasala at Orattanadu
village and appointed Kutti Suri as one of the staff. But after a short time he felt
the royal service somewhat irksome and decided upon a pilgrimage to Northern India.
Before starting, he poured out his heart to the Goddess Dharmavardhini at Tiruvadi
in beautiful stanzas of which the only remnant now available is the line
कतीन्द्रयामः कति चन्द्रयामश्चण्डं पुनः पूरयितुं पिचण्डम्॥
He went to Mysore and was detained there by Haidar Ali who had great
respect for him. After Haidar's death, Tippu Sultan also held him in high reverence
but one day he asked the Pandit in a very light manner when it would please him to
become a Muslim. This made him décide to leave the state and he started for
Benares and on the way went to Poona then ruled over by Bhaji Rao Peshva. The
Court Pandit Chanda Narayana Bhattacharya had a contempt for southerners as they
were not uptodate in the new school of Nyaya and declined to grant an interview
to Kutti Suri. The latter however persisted and the court Pandit thought it proper
to remain in a reclining posture when Kutti Sastri was admitted to his presence.
But after a few minutes conversation he realised the great learning of the visitor and
made friends with him so much so that Kutti Sastri himself was soon after enrolled
as a Pandit of the Peshva's Court. At the request of the Peshva he wrote commen-
taries on the Hiranyakesi Srauta and Samanya Sutras. After staying there for some
time he went to Benares. While there he had the rare fortune of studying Vedanta