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Introduction
xvii
N.V.P. Unithiri (2004) in his recent publication 'Pūrṇasarasvatī' dis-
cusses in detail the date of Pūrṇasarasvatī and concludes that his period is
likely to have been between the later half of the fourteenth century and the
first half of the fifteenth century.
Pūrṇasarasvatī's works include the Kamalinīrājahamsa, a nāṭaka in five
acts; the Hamsasandeśa, a kāvya having premabhakti as its principal sen-
timent and in which Śrīkṛṣṇa is the hero; the Rjulaghvi, a metrical sum-
mary of the Malatīmādhava of Bhavabhūti; the Vidyullata, a commen-
tary on the Meghaduta of Kalidasa; the Rasamañjari, a commentary on
the Malatīmādhava of Bhavabhūti; a Tippaṇa¹2 on the Anargharaghava of
Murāri and the Bhaktimandākinī, a commentary on the Viṣṇupādādikeśastotra
of Sankara, the subject of this volume. There are some other works that are
ascribed to Pūrṇasarasvatī, namely, a Tīkā on the Abhijñānaśākuntala, the
Natyavedavivrtisangraha, an epitome of the Abhinavabhāratī of Abhinava-
gupta, a Tīkā on the Uttararāmacarita and the Nipātavṛtti, a grammatical
treatise on the nipātas in Sanskrit. But there is not sufficient information
available about these works to definitely confirm his authorship.
Pūrņasarasvatī a Śaiva ascetic?
The name Pūrṇasarasvatī itself suggests that he must have been a Saiva
saint: while the first component of his name 'Purna' echoes his teacher's
name Pūrṇajyotis, the second component, Sarasvatī, suggests that this is a
dīkṣānāma (name adopted at the time of initiation to an ascetic order), for
it is the name of one of the ten orders known as Daśanāmi, believed to be
established by Śankara and which are assigned to Śaiva saints during their
initiation. 13
But, even if Pūrṇasarasvatī was a Śaiva saint, he seems to have had no
reservations in writing texts and commentaries related to Vișnu. This is
evident in his commentary on the Viṣṇupādādikeśastotra as well as in the
Hamsasandeśa, both of which demonstrate his devotion towards Kṛṣṇa.
As N.V.P. Unithiri observes:
One may doubt that, being one of the Saiva ascetics called
Daśanāmis, whether Pūrṇasarasvatī is likely to have commented
on a stotra praising Vișņu and written a sandeśakāvya in which
12 Ms. No. T 859, Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library, Trivandrum.
13 The other orders are known as Tirtha, Aśrama, Vana, Aranya, Giri, Parvata, Sagara,
Bharati and Puri.
xvii
N.V.P. Unithiri (2004) in his recent publication 'Pūrṇasarasvatī' dis-
cusses in detail the date of Pūrṇasarasvatī and concludes that his period is
likely to have been between the later half of the fourteenth century and the
first half of the fifteenth century.
Pūrṇasarasvatī's works include the Kamalinīrājahamsa, a nāṭaka in five
acts; the Hamsasandeśa, a kāvya having premabhakti as its principal sen-
timent and in which Śrīkṛṣṇa is the hero; the Rjulaghvi, a metrical sum-
mary of the Malatīmādhava of Bhavabhūti; the Vidyullata, a commen-
tary on the Meghaduta of Kalidasa; the Rasamañjari, a commentary on
the Malatīmādhava of Bhavabhūti; a Tippaṇa¹2 on the Anargharaghava of
Murāri and the Bhaktimandākinī, a commentary on the Viṣṇupādādikeśastotra
of Sankara, the subject of this volume. There are some other works that are
ascribed to Pūrṇasarasvatī, namely, a Tīkā on the Abhijñānaśākuntala, the
Natyavedavivrtisangraha, an epitome of the Abhinavabhāratī of Abhinava-
gupta, a Tīkā on the Uttararāmacarita and the Nipātavṛtti, a grammatical
treatise on the nipātas in Sanskrit. But there is not sufficient information
available about these works to definitely confirm his authorship.
Pūrņasarasvatī a Śaiva ascetic?
The name Pūrṇasarasvatī itself suggests that he must have been a Saiva
saint: while the first component of his name 'Purna' echoes his teacher's
name Pūrṇajyotis, the second component, Sarasvatī, suggests that this is a
dīkṣānāma (name adopted at the time of initiation to an ascetic order), for
it is the name of one of the ten orders known as Daśanāmi, believed to be
established by Śankara and which are assigned to Śaiva saints during their
initiation. 13
But, even if Pūrṇasarasvatī was a Śaiva saint, he seems to have had no
reservations in writing texts and commentaries related to Vișnu. This is
evident in his commentary on the Viṣṇupādādikeśastotra as well as in the
Hamsasandeśa, both of which demonstrate his devotion towards Kṛṣṇa.
As N.V.P. Unithiri observes:
One may doubt that, being one of the Saiva ascetics called
Daśanāmis, whether Pūrṇasarasvatī is likely to have commented
on a stotra praising Vișņu and written a sandeśakāvya in which
12 Ms. No. T 859, Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library, Trivandrum.
13 The other orders are known as Tirtha, Aśrama, Vana, Aranya, Giri, Parvata, Sagara,
Bharati and Puri.