CHAPTER I THE NYAYATRADITION OF KERALA

I.

Sanskrit studies in Kerala

The contribution of Kerala to Sanskrit literature is rich and varied.

It includes all branches of learning like ~ & a , ~ G a k aCarnpu and the , technical literature like Vyakarana, Tantra, Mantra, Ganita, Silpa and
4

-- Vaidya. The study of ~u;vamimamsa and Uttaramimamsa were also

prevalent in Kerala. In the field of ~ a n d e k a Ya k&i Kerala is having vast bulk of literature. It is believed that Sanskrit language got entrance to our land with and ~ t i t r a kAya,

1.

the Brahmins with their vedic culture. They came from outside in avery early period and Sanskrit existed for many years as the basic language for the spiritual social as well as cultural learning in

eral la'.

Sanskrit,

the treasure house of all kinds of knowledge is treated with great respect, awe wonder and even with devotion by the natives of Kerala. India's treasures like the Vedas, ved;ngas,
/

Sastras,

as

Itihasas, ~uran-s, Upanisads,

C

and Dramas exist in this Devabhasa. Kerala

the

southern most part of India also accepted the study of Sanskrit from very olden days.

The Nampootiri Brahmins of Kerala were held at the top in the spiritual and social hierarchy a r ~ d were well versed in the arts of war and piece. Due to their special kind of family set up there existed a leisured class who were free from the worries of day to day life and they devoted their entire time to the cultivation of literature and arts.There were many royal families in Kerala and they were also responsible for the rich contribution to Sanskrit literature. The royal courts and the aristocratic Brahmin families functioned like some sort of universities where learning in all branches of literature were freely dispersed in the traditional way to deserving students. The princes of the royal families had special attention to contribute the education in the traditional subjects. Many of the temples under the management of the Nampootiris also had facilities for teaching Vedas and Sastras. The Brahmaswam Mathom Trissur was a centre for vedic study. The Kolathiris in the north, the Zarnorins of Calicut, the members of Cochin Royal Family in the central part and the Tiruvithamkur kings in the south were some of the rulers who devoted much attention for promoting the study of Sanskrit in Kerala. It was the general practice that first the Kzvyas, ~ * k a s and
,--

preliminary Vyakarana are studied and then the study is extended to

higher level to the technical subjects such as ~ ~ a k a r a n ~ , o t i s a , a~ - Mimamsa, Smrti and the Vediingas. The great Mimamsa teacher

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~rabhakara claimed by tradition to be a son of Kerala. $ankaracarya is (9th C) the great Advaita scholar is an all Indian personality born in the central part of Kerala and his contribution is well known. The name of this great philosopher is enough to highlight that Kerala was a traditional centre for Sanskrit learning. Dr. Kunjunni ~ i j aa, recent Sanskrit scholar remarks that Kerala might have come under the influence of Sanskrit from very early time. It began to be seriously felt in Kerala much earlier than the "Kollam era3. He further says that the Avanti sundGi kath5 of Da?din belonging to 7th century A.D. refer to a great Sanskirt scholar from Kerala like ~ a t r d a t t a , the poet who wrote some commentaries and his father ~havarata who commented on some ~ a l ~ a s z r a So Sanskrit study may be regarded s. to have begun to develop in Kerala about 7th century A.D. and from about the 8th and 9th centuries there have been a continuous and luxuriant growth in all branches of Sanskrit literature. The Sanskrit literature is intimately connected with that of the Malayalam literature. Many Sanskrit authors have been authors of Malayalam too and much information could be obtained about Sanskrit from Malayalam literature.

Great dramatist Sakt~bhadra considered as a contemporary of is Sree /Sankaracarya. ~ula2ekharas Mahodayapuram (9th C.), of Bilvamangalam (14th C.), Melpattur Naraya~a bhattatiry (17th C.), and I3imapanlv6da (18th C.) come in the line of scholars in sanskrit3. This line could be lengthened to the 21st century in Kerala. The rich scholarship in Mantra, Tantra, Jyotisa and Vaidya, even now exist only in the manuscripts. The study of these's;astras were so vast but it had a secrecy in transmitting. Yet the manuscripts in our libraries and in many aristocratic families can unfold varied knowledge in this field. The learning of Sanskrit as said before was undertaken in the traditional way and there existed many traditional centresfor every kzstras. Mimamsa and ~ G k a r a n a have prominence in the study of 6astras in , Kerala. So two centres should be mentioned viz. pay$r, and ~u!allir. These two traditional learning centres are famous for the study of

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~ y i k a r a and ~ i m a m s a ~a respectively.

Ancient centres of Traditional learning

I. payyir
The payy& Bhatta's family had played an important role in the ..

history of Sanskrit literature especially in the study of ~ i r v a m i m i m s a . There were many great scholars and poets in that family and their

contribution to ~ i m a m s a literature and Sanskrit poetry is immense both in volume and in depth. The family of the payy;r Bhattas is situated near Porkalam about ..

sixteen miles away to the northwest of Trissur. Their village is called Velangad and there exists a temple of that name even today. The deity of the temple is Goddess Gopalika4. Dr. Kunjunni ~ a j remarks that the a earliest member of the pay$r Bhattas family about whom we have some .. literary reference is RsiZ He has a brother named ~hzvadtisa who was

..

a great scholar in vedanta. Rsi I married Gauri and got a son named

..

paramekwara i. This ~arame'swara has written many works. He was a great scholar, critic and poet. The following works of Parameswara Iare known
f

1.
2.

Sumanoramani,a commentary of Kalidasa's Meghaduta. Jusadhwamkarani and Svaditamkarani on the ~ ~ a ~ a k a n i k a of

4

Vacaspatimisra.
3.

Haricarita a short poem.

4.

~ ~ ~ ~ a s a r n ua work~on Mimamsa. cca a

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In the Malayalam work called ~nnunilisande'sa .. belonging to the 14th century A.D. there is a reference to the poetry of Payyur ~ h a t t a ~ . .

130th Udda?cja hastry and ~ i k k d s i e r ~ i m o d a r a .. who were i Bhatta patronised by ~;navikrama,the zamorin of Calicut of 15th century A.D. have also praised the great scholar of the Payy&family. uddand$s2stry actually mentions one Maharsi and his son Parame'swara of that ancient family as great authorities of Mimamsa and literature.
,. There are about six generations of scholars in the PayGr Bhatta

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famlly from about the fourteenth century. The Parameiwaral had five sons. Rsl 1, ~ h a v a d i s D, ~asudeval, 1 a ~ub$ramanya and/Sankara6. Of
I s

these the eldest RSI II marr~ed o ~ a l i and had a son ~aramegwara ~ ka 11. .

Th~s Parame'swara I1 was a great scholar in Mimamsa and has several important works in his credit. Paramgswara II has written commentaries on some of the standard works on Pfirvamimamsa. The commentaries are 1. ~ o ~ a l i k 5 commentary on the ~ ~ d t a s i d d h i ~attvavibh;van~ 2.

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commentary on the Tattvabindu of vacaspatimiira

commentary on Cidananda's ~ititattvivibhavanii a commentary on and

1,

3. Another

Mandana miira's Vibramaviveka. All these four great works are referred ..

to by Parame'swara 11's grandson Parame'swara Ill in his Jaiminiya sutrarthasangraha 7 . Parame(swara9scommentaries are not only

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supplementary to the text but are also helpful in understanding the difficult language of the original text. He explains the misleading parts of the texts and sometimes shows how to dissolve difficult compounds. In the ~attvavibh&aGhe gives a succinct summary of the discussion in verse at the end of each section. Paramegwara II had a brother namedvGudeva II who was not only a good scholar but also a well known poet. ~ G u d e v a
?

has many scholarly poems in his credit viz. Devicarita, Achyuta lila, Satyatapa katha and $ivodaya. The ~evicarita a yamaka poem is describing the story of Goddess ~ o p a l i k 5 .The Achyuta i a is also a yamaka poem dealing with the ~hagavata. The Satyatapa katha deals with the story of Satyatapas also called as Maharsi, an ancestor of the , author. It describes the penance of satyatapas at vedaranga and on the bank of Nila.

ParamGwara ll had a son named Rsi Ill. He married Arya and had a son named paramekwara Ill. This Parame'swara is the author of the Jaimineeya sutrarthasangraha. Thus we have seen at least six generations of scholars in the family of payy;r Bhattas among them .
/

..

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some of them adorned the court of ~anavikrama,the great. There is a verse in prarse of Maharsi which is attributed to Uddanda Sastri. .

Another famous traditional learning centre which is to be mentioned here is K$allur. Kutailur Mana - the family of Narnpootiri BrZhmins stands formost for the study of ~ G k a r a n a This family is called ~ a r n g a r n a l a ~ a . in Sanskrit and was situated at Nagasreni generally known as N a r e ~ i near Pattambi. The ~;jallur Nampootiris were believed to be the descendents of Mezhathol Agnihotri. They with their scholarship in Sanskrit andkistras, and with the proficiency in teaching, contributed much to the Sanskrit literature especially f o r ~ y a k a r a ~ Everyone born a. in Ku!allur was avaikGkarana. The study of ~ G k a r a n which undergone a by the Gurukula method was praised by the scholars. There is a verse in praise of this Gurukula.

This Gurukula was famous not for the study of Kaurnudralone

but for higher studies in vyakarana it was the only abode in Kerala. It is believed that the study of vyakarana continued in this Gurukulaforfourteen

generations. Ever1 then there are some scholars who are to be mentioned particularly. The most famous among them was ~>r$a?an Nampootiri the author of ~ubhadriharava belonging to 15th century A.D. ~his'sastra kavya containing twenty sargas illustrates the sutras of ~ @ i n i . The are other scholars of ~ G k a r a n a Kunjunni Nampootiri and ~unjikkravu Nampootir~.visudevan Nampootiripad is another well known scholar
.. and Kunjunni Narnpootiripad was his disciple. The son of Kunju ..

..

~ a r n ~ o o t i r i p viz. Kunjunni Nampootiripad was a famous Mimamsaka ad .. and his elder brother Kavu ~ a m ~ o o t i r i c a d the teacher of was ~ ~ ~ ~ & a s t r i kfamousvaiyakarana who adorned the court of R2arsi the a l ~ ,

Rarnavarman -the king of Cochin.

We have reference to Unni Nampootiripad of the Mana whom

U l l h refeslike this-"This Unni Nampootiripad once said to R;jarSi, ..

..

the

Abdicated Maharaja of Cochin that the ~ G k a r a n a study in this family is continuing for the last fourteen generations and I feel sorry that the tradition will last after me''. So this Unni Nampootirip2d is believed to be the last -.

scholar of that Gurukula. There are many scholars in ~ G k a r a n a who got education from that Gurukulam. Mahamahopidhy5ya Killimangalathu Narayanan Narnpootiripad, vadanamkuritgi ~ i c h u & s t r i k a l ,
6,--

--

Cennarnangalam Ayya Sastrikal and the Abdicated Mahgrija of Cochin

were the great disciples of ~u!all;r

of Killimangalam Narayana Nampootiri is a krodapatra in which two Gtras

.-I/

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Nampootiris. The ~rthav:da&atakoti

of Paqini are interpreted widely. Cennamangalam Ayya Sastrikal wrote an upotghata for that3atakoti. Besides this there are many vyikarana works from Kerala. The Vaiyakarana siddhinta sangraha is a kzstra kzvya written by ~nnakkattu .. Rajarajavarma~ampur5n.It surnmarised the whole ~iddhintakaumudi in 'anustup' metre. The Rgmavarma maharaja carita of p ~ c c u m ~ s a t , ,. Suruparaghava of Elantur Rama'sastri are other famous kgstra k h y a s of Kerala. ~ r i k k a n t i y C r ~ c ~~is;ro!y, . uta

..

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the teacher of famous Melpattir

~irayanabhatta . was a scholar in ~ G k a r a n aVaidya, ~ l a n k a r k>stra , a and Jyotisa. His famous ~qakarana work is Prave'saka. It includes the whole Sanskrit grammar in five hundred karikas.

disciple Naraya"a Bhatta is a famous vai$karana as well as a poet and .. philosopher. Beside ~aGya$yathe famous kavya he wrote three works
F

--

Acyuta Piszrofi's

in v@karana viz. ~rakriykarvaswa, h a t u k G and Apavya pr%n@ya ~ a

7fiL

sadhana. The works of modern scholars viz. A.R. Rajarajavarrna's (1863-

1918) ~ a ~ h u ~ & ~and y a Ananda Nar:ya?a n i P.S.

kastri's 6kyatatva are

also to be remembered in this context. ~eruntiinam Narayanan Nampootiri, the teacher inSesacarya mahapa!ha'sila upto 1963 wrote a ~ y a k a r a n a

--

--

work called ~ u ~ a l ~ t h a m a l a deals with the meanings of lakara in which

130 'slokas. Sn. D. ~amodara,~isaroti, NGya teacher of the same the

-.

institution upto 1972 wrote a commentary on this work known as'Dipik5'.

II. Tradition of

N GSgstra~ Kerala ~ in
/

The study of ~ G k a r a n aMimgrnsa etc.were prevalent in Kerala, , but Nyiiya study was not much popular. The ~abh2mathorrrs not did include NGya as a subject for study in their curriculum. Yet there are Vadakkamkur some references about the scholars of ~ ~ < ~ a . Rajarajavarma states that the books relating to Nygya was not written by Keralites and the study of N G y a was not popular1 l . But we can see in many places,~adakkamk~r mentions many authors as studied Tarka from somebody. So Tarka was studied by sankrtists and many had h basic knowledge of that sistra. Kumbfko?am ~risnas&try is told as the student of vidvzn Elaya ~ a m ~ u r a n vadakkamkurl*. by It is also

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stated by vadakkumkur that ~ u t u k u ~ u i~hgskaran gi Nampootiri was a student of a Mani Tampuran of Kozhikode. He was called as Mani Tampuran because he was well versed in "Cintamani" a NGya grantha 13 Moreover the style and methodology of Navya Nygya can be seen in the works of other kZstras. As the study of sanskrit language

and Gstras flourished under royal patronage, the study of

N ~ also ~ G

got entrance to the royal courts at a later period. While thinking about these royal courts Kotungallur and ~ripunithura to be remembered are first where blyiya scholars from the neighbouring states were invited and respected by appointing them as the teachers in ~ Gurukulam and Palace. $ in their ~ a

1.

Contribution of ~ y a y a scholars from Tamil Nadu to the study of ~ y z y a

The literary patronage of Kerala chieftans attracted not only

scholars and poets trom the different parts of Kerala but also from the neighbouring states. Many scholars outside Kerala visited and spent considerable part of their life time in this state. The scholars are fortunate enough to enjoy sufficient encouragement and highly favourable atmosphere. The kings regarded that it is their duty to give patronage to those scholars. The Nyiya study in Kerala was popularised with these scholars of Kumb3konarn. Kumbakonam Krsna Sastry and/Satakbpacarya were Y . . appointed as Nysya teachers in the Kotungallur Kovilakam. Tripunithura acquired eminence in the study of ~ y a y a from three reputed scholars
h
h

--

from Tam11 i d u v ~ z ' ~ e s a c a r ~ a , % a t a k o ~ ~Rangappacaryal4. N and r ~ a

f

Sesacarya's grandson ~etum:dhavadeeksitar,

was the friend of Pariksit Rama varman and ~ a s t ~ s a r r n a n . The famous ~ y i y scholars of Kerala viz. Bhatan Tampuran of a
e

an eminent ~ y & ascholar

/
/

Kotunyallur, ~ a j a r s iRamavarma and Pariksit ~ a m a v a r m a from Tripunithura are the disciples of these scholars who came to Kerala seeking patronage. Other Nyaya scholars are also considered as the 'Pra6isyaAsof these pandits. The contribution of these scholars should be recognized with gratitude by the lovers of ~ in Kerala. $ as that chain continues ~ a

Pracina Nyiya. The manuals like Tarka Sangraha with Dipika, Mukt5valT and Dinakari are studied first within three years. Then the higherworks like Pihcalaksani, ~aturdakalaksani, . , Siddhinta laksana, .SamGya nirukti, . .
% ,

It seems that Navya NyZya was more appreciated in Kerala than

-.

Avayava, ~ a k s a G vyutpattivada are studied within three years. Thus and the study of Nyaya'sastra in the formal level lasts within six years. Then

<.- sadas'was a great help for them to think deeply on the subjects sastra
and students got opportunities to participate in it alongwith the teachers.

the students enrich their scholarship by self study and discussions. The

2.

Kotungallur G u r u k u l a m The Kotungallur Kovilakam was well known as the Taksisila of

south India in the eighteenth century A.D. It was a centre forthe distribution of all kinds of traditional knowledge. The rulers of that family were great scholars and patrons. Depending on them a number of scholars served

a lot for the propogation of the study of 'kzstra, kZvya and sangita. So it is known as the ~otungallGr~ u r u k u l a m ' ~The great scholars like . ~avisarvabhauma Koccunni ~ s aKuncikuttanTampuran famous as Kerala , ~ y z s aValiyakoccunni Raja,great scholar in Astronomy were some of , the teachers that adorned this Gurukulam. ~ o d a v a r m a ElayaTampuran, ~odavarrna , . Tampuran were the great scholars in ~ ~ a ~ a . Bhattan ~ a n d i t a h j a n i n t i.. t Kunju Nampootiri -the famous Naiyayika, ~ t a ~ t t u Krisna ~ i s a r o t - famous as ~ b h a y a k a d w a r a the disciples of r y are the above said scholars who were later become more famous than their teachers Vadakkamkur states that in that Gurukula learning and teaching were done on ~ ~ d h ~ z y a d i (days on which teaching is not prohibited) nas and d~scussionsand other academic activities were done on ~nadhya~adinas (days on which teaching is prohibited)'6. The'sastra-

sadas', kavisarnrnelana in Sanskrit and Malayalam were the chief functions of the Gurukula.The dramas were played and even the kings participated as actors. The women also had opportunities to study>~stras. There were many scholars among the queens of this Kovilakam. All the queens were well studied in the preliminaries of the Sastras like NyGa, vyakarana and ~ a h i t y a . Koccikkavu rajfic wife of ~ g n t i t t a u ~ ~ u K Narnpootiri was a famous scholar who was ornated with the title

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'~anditaraja'by Pariksit Rarnavarma. The grandmother of ~ e r a l a v y z s a

ie ~pp';ccira]?ii was also a scholar in differentsistras 17.

3.

~ ~ i scholars from Kotungallur Gurukulam i ~ a

Godavarrna Vidvan Yuvaraja (Elaya Raja) and Godavarma Bhattan .,

Tampuran are the two important ~ y g y a scholars to be mentioned from this Gurukularn.

Godavarrna

idv van ~ u v a r a j a an accomplished scholar in was

various branch of learning like ~ y o t i ~ Kavya, Tarka, Silpa, Vaidya, a, ~ k a u c a and was famous as a ~ a i y a y i k a by his work
A

' ~ e t v a b h ~ s o d a h a r a ~ a ' , Tampuran was born in 1800 A.D. and his Elaya parents were ~lankuru'ssi Matrdatta Nampootiri and Vidusi Kunnikkutty

..

Tampuratty. His first teacher was Valappil Asan and studied ~yakaraqa from De'samangalam Warrier.
h

adh ha van Atitiri was another teacher.

His famous disciples are Kumbakonam Krsna &str j a famous teacher . and ~accumusat another scholar and composer of many books 18.

..

Vadakkamkur mentions about fifteen works of this great scholar viz. Rarnacarita, Hetvabhasa, Sri ~ a d a s a ~ t a k a m , ~udhanandalahari, Rasasadanarn, Goladhyaya etc19. Among his works Rgmacarita is the most important one which is a kavya deals with the incarnation of Sreerama upto the ~ i t z d a r i a n a ~ a v a ~ a .is a narrative one but of It incomplete. " ~ e t v ~ b h ~ s o d ~ h a r a "a work which deals with the fallacies a"is of hetu. It gives the 'slokas as examples for hetGbhasa-s. ~etvabhasa is an important topic in the ~ y a system which is included in the ~ n u m a n a ~ a portion. The knowledge of hetvabhisa prohibits the production of anumiti. There are five kinds of hetvabhasa3 viz. 'savyabhicara', 'viruddha', 'satpratipaksa', 'asiddha'and 'badhita'. Vadakkamkur quots three karikzs from that book. Among them the first one is -

"Fiqg**rn*mw

This karika is given as an example for'sadharana savyabhicara' which is defined as sadhyabhavavat vrtti hetu*- the hetu exists in the t locus where the absence of's~dhyaoccurs. Here sadharaqasavyabhicara can be shown in the inference, Ramah namyah parthivatvad'(~ama is salutable as he is a king). ~ a r t h i v a means a king and king is saluted by all. But this word can also denote the genus of Pritivi (earth - ~arthiva). So in this inference the hetu p2rthivatva (earthness) exists in the pot which is made up of earth. But the'&dhyaLnarnyatva' (salutable) is not existing in a pot. Then next karika
u

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,-

-.

It may be an example for asidhirana savyabhicari which is defined as "Sarvasapaksa vipaksa vyavrttal> paksam>travrtti" - the hetu is with the character of existing only in the paksa and not in'sapaks~or~ipaksa. In the 6lokai the character of the beloved is described as its own that is existing in the paksa alone, so it is a fallible reason called 'asiidhirana'.

Vadakkamkur mentions that there are many such works in ~ G k a r a n a no other work of this type is found inTarka'sastla21 . but

Godavarma BhattanTampuran -.
GBT of Kotungallur Kovilakam was a famous scholar in many sastras espec~allyin NyZya sastra. He was born in 1858 A.D. and his parents were ~kkarakkurigsi Rarnan Nampootiri and Srnt. Kunjikutty Rajnl. It is beheved that this Tarnpuran was so unhealthy in his childhood and was even unable to speak. He gained the ability to speak by the grace of Kotungallur ~ h a ~ a v a t h i ~ ~ . GBT's first guru was his own father. He gained the knowledge about ritual practices from his father. His uncle Godavarma and ~unjunnirgja taught him kavya and jyotisa. Rsjarsi Rgrnavarma of Cochin
) I

- .*.

Palace taught ~ G k a r a n a Nyzya. But higher works in Nygya were and studied from Kurnbakonam sadakopacarya who was famous as Nyiya ~ancanana. GBT gained deep knowledge in ~ ~ Z from him. SO y a
/"

~ a t a k o ~ a c a r y a considered as his principle teacher. A kirika in is ~jddhantarnila denotes the devotion to that teacher23. ~ e d z n t a and Dharrna6;stra were studied by his own effort. Even though well versed

in all sastras ~ G y was h ~ favourite subject. People approach GET to a s

clear their doubts in various subjects. Ullur remarks that even Rsjarsi ~amavarma, famous scholar in Nyhya approached BhattanTampuran a .. to clear his doubts in Nyaya24 . The title 'Bhatta', the greatest honour was conferred on the ,. scholars who proved either their superior excellence in several kgstras in open contests of scholarship in debates at ~ a b h a marhorn, or who proved their super intelligence in composing or interpreting books of high ~ t a n d a r d * ~ . Godavarma, a famous scholar who deserved the title in both ways was awarded with the same by the contemporary s&colars.
-

The Visroy of India awarded him the title ~ a h g m a h o ~ a d h ina ~ a1 ~ 191

A.D. as a recognition for his all sided scholarship. ~ l l u remarks that r

after Ganapati sistri the title ~ a h & n a h o ~ a ; f h ~was a a ~ given to two scholars and they are Killirnangalarn Narayanan ~ a r n ~ o o t i rands i~ Godavarrna ~ h a t t a n ~ a r n ~ u r a n ~ ~ . The great disciple of GBT - ' ~ g t r / ~ a r m a n remembers his Guru in the work &aka ~andeha very reverently as a well versed teacher in

--

the'sastras of ~ G k a r a ? aN ~ G~ ~ d, G t and ~ h a r r n a ' s k t i ~t u r~ . , e a t ~ Krsna Pisaroty,a well known Malayalam writer is also his disciple. ..

Works of Godavarma BhattanTampuran .. It is believed that there are about 12 books as that of GBT like
A

Upaharaprakasikzvyakhya, Saktiprak%ika, ~ h i ~ a v aPradhamasloka ta

vygkhya, ~y$aratn&ali vy;khya, Pramanya vada v 6 k h y a and

--

/'

~idhintam>la. Among these works of Bhattan Tampuran, some are ,. commentaries on standard works. Some of them are not yet published. ~ h e ' ~ r ; m & ~ avzda ~ G k h G n is a ~ y % work but this is also d ~ a unpublished. ~iddhantamala a1s;stya grantha'written in karika style is which describes briefly the meanings of seven cases according to the
..4 -

~~utpattivada of Gadadharabhattacarya. There are various theories about the'/Sabdabodhi in Indian Philosphy. ~adadharabhattaproposed his . theory of 'samsarga maryadavada in ths text28. GBT composed the commentary in the ~ i i r i k iform with all the i

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,.

theories proposed by ~adadharabhatta.It includes seven prakaranas and 495 karikas. The first kLarika is a'managala$lbkiand it includes the concept that cakti is the power of words to denote the meaning and the

. .

same is the desire of ~ o d ~ The method followed in this work is simple '. and very much useful for the beginners to understand and byheart the theories.

Ill. ~ y a y a Scholars fromTripunithura

-- - taught ~ scholar Sesacarya from ~umt$akonarn.~esacar~a ~ y a ~ a & a

P
f

The tradition of

N ~ is G ~ inTripunithuraby the eminent popularised

to the Mahsraja of Cochin i.e Fl$arsi ~ a m a ~ a r m and it was developed an by the descendents of that family and by their disciples. It is believed that the kings of Cochin had their origin from the Perurnals of Mahodayapurarn. The capital Mahodayapuram was shifted to Cochin in the fourteenth century A.D. Later it came under the rule of British kingdom. Cochin ceased to exist as a separate state consequent to the integration of Cochin andTravancore in 1948. Then it became the central part of Kerala by the formation of states in the basis of languages used by people. The mention of Nyaya scholars are seen in Kerala from the early time but their erudition was transmitted to their disciples only by oral tradition. The disciples also followed the same method and there existed this traditional scholarship without break. They are happy and satisfied if their disciples had attained the erudition which was given by these 'Guru-s'. So they were not cared much to record their scholarship. The scholars had chances to show their all round scholarship in

' the 7Sastra Sadas: while doing the Vakyartha varnana: The strong

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arguments proposed by them are enough to highlight their deep knowledge. The winners of'sadaiwere honoured with titles and presents. More over these scholars had wide recognition and patronage from the rulers. That may be one reason for the scholars that they were reluctant to write more. The other reason may be the thought that have occured in their minds that even the vast literature written by the earlier eminent scholars could not be studied completely in this life, then what is the use for writing more. All the members of the Cochin royal family were scholars and patrons of learning and some of them have contributed to other branches of Sanskrit literature also. Among them two kings should be specially mentioned who had devoted their whole life for studying and popularising sanskrlt language and especially ~ ~ a ~ a ' s a s tThey are ra. &jarsi Ramavarman, the Abdicated ~ a h a r a j a Cochin and ~ a i k s i t of Ramavarrnan the last ruler of Cochin.

RRV was a scholar king, a patron of learning and an efficient ruler, who adorned the royal palace of Cochin. His reign was considered as the golden age for the study of Sanskrit literature and especially for ~ ~ Z ~ a $ > s t RRV was the king who made Cochi as the modern Cochin. ra.

RRV was born in 1852 as the son of Kutalzthpurath ~ h i s k a r a n Nampootiripad and ~ m b a l i k a Tampuratty. RRV's first teacher was .. Kunnunni Nambi. His Highness studied English from Robert white and ~ ~ a ~ a ' s a sfrom Sesacarya. tra
/

..

--

Contribution of RRV to the study of ~ & t r a

The important contribution of RRV to the study of kistra is the establishment of Samskrta ~ i p a 6 a l in the name of his ~ ~ teacher a & a /Sesacarya and there by the king showed his devotion to that Guru. The

origin of the present Sanskrit College, Tripunithura,is to be traced to the sastra classes conducted by the'Gthana

who were specially invited by the Maharaja and appointed for imparting instruction in the Higher branches of Sanskrit learning in the traditional way3'. These scholars held regular sastla classes in some buildings

andi it& of Cochin Palace

attached to the Palace where students eager to pursue advanced studies in'sastras came and lived as in Gurukula. Facilities for free lodging and boarding were provided. Books and manuscripts of Palace Grantha library
/
4 .

were made accessible to them. Scholars like Rangapacarya, Bhimacarya, i i' sesac2rya, Satakopacarya, ~ / c h ~yotsyar, u Trikkdvil Uzzuthara Warrier
d

and Sri ~etumadhava Diksitar were some of the well known teachers lived in that period.

RRV the Maharaja of Cochin was a profound scholar in k5stra's particularly in ~ y a y a and ~ ~ a k a r a n a . had a strong desire for the He preservation and advancement of the indegenous system of Sanskrit study in its higher branches, so that the old type of Pandits with their profound knowledge of 'sastr,aas may not altogether die out. So ~ z j a r s i established the2istra ~ah&itha'sala which offered advanced instruction in three sastras viz. N G ~vy6karana and Vedanta. The duration of ~ , course of study was seven years; five years for the study of the above subjects and two years for the study of general subjects which would enable the students to appear for the oriental Title Examination of the Madras university. 1-he college was not affiliated to any university, for the founder has the view that the affiliation to the university might not be conducive to the realisation of the purpose for which the college was started. So the college was existed under the control of the Divan. On the opening day itself MahZGja appointed prominent teachers in this institution. In the Ravivarma GrantfiZvaliit is said "on the opening day itself the Paiha'sGa had the prevelage of having in its staff two eminent
%., '

-.

scholars of South India ~ r a h m a g r i ~ i n t i tKufiju Nampoothiri and M.B. ,. t a Sankara Nariyana /Sastri as lecturers in ~ ~ and vyskaraPa a ~ a "31

Brahmakfi P.V. Pancapake"sa/Sistri joined as lecturer in ~ e d a n t a and

these three scholars were in full charge of their respective sections as far as teaching work is concerned. It was because of these three gems that the ~ a h a ~ a t h a 6 areached the zenith of its glory. Later this institution la was handed over to the Government of Kerala and known as Government Sanskrit College, Tripunithura. Even then the encouragement given to the study of5astras was continued and arrangements were made by the kings of that family to continue the-/Sistra Sadas' and to publish unpublished valuable works.
&stya Sadas - an outline

It was at the time of RRV that the 'Sastra Sadas' at Tripunithura was established as an annual function. Reputed scholars inside and outside of Kerala were invited to that sadas. The scholars assembled and there were interactions among them. It was a common platform for them to discuss the various knotty points of the'sastra. Each scholar

'-

will get opportunity to present his opinion in that assembly. King RRV will preside over the function. All the other scholars in that sabha also will get chance to present ideas either as complimentary or contradictory proposed by the previous scholars. Always there will be to the opin~ons deep discussions and each one try to explain his points with strong arguments. The sabha will continue till they reach to a determination

about the discussion. The winners are fotunate enough to get valuable presents, or titles from the ~ a h a & j a . Eminent scholars like Panditagjan Punnasser~ Nambi, ~;!al;r Kunhu""i Nampootiripad, Killimangalam ~ ~ r a ~ a n a n Nampootiripad, panditarajan Uzuthara Warrier, Setumidhava ~ l k ~ i t a~r i, n t i . t a .t Kunju Nampootiri were sorne of the eminent participants and winners of honour from that sadas. The sabha of such eminent scholars was very helpful for the participants to enrich their knowledge and to think about a subject deeply with all the connected issues. The rules followed in that'sabhi were that marked in the Nyaya sfitra -the first systematic work of ~ y a ' y a sastra. The subjects of NGya'sast!a were included as important topics of discussion. Even now the'sistra sadaiand publication of books are going on in that institution. Honours Received The fame of RRV as a 'scholar king' was recognised all over lndia and he was the president in the conference of All lndia Ayurvedic Samiti held at Poona on 1917 A.D. It is noted that after hearing the ~a ara presidential address ~ o k a m ; d n ~ a l a ~ a n ~ a d hTilak remarked "It is known that you are a scholar among kings, but now I know that you are

*/

a king among scholars"32. RRV participated in the all lndia philosophical conference in Trivandrum and talked about the intellectual tradition of lndia wh~ch impressed the members and his erudition was accepted by all. He was so humble to approach other scholars to clear the doubts. It is said that if the doubt is in ~ ~ a k a r a n he will go to Killimangalam a, Narayanan Nampootiri and if the doubt is in ~ ~ he is ready to a a ~ clear it

with Bhattan ~ a m ~ u r aRRV ~ . a recognised scholar and was the ., n ~ was ruler of a state but still he lived as an ascetic. RRV was not interested much to record his scholarship yet we have two books of him. First one isVedanta Paribhasa Sangraha which is a resume of the ~ e d $ t a principles. Next one is ~ i l a b o d h a n a a primary text to ~fakarana. It is great help to the beginners to study. Sanskrit grammar which deals with the nature of technical forms in ~y'gkarana's~stra Pada,Vskya, Sakarmaka, Akarmaka and Vibhakti. .. like &jar$ abanded his position as the ~ a h a r a j a Cochin in 1914 of and so he is well known as the Abdicated ~ a h i r i j of Cochin. Then he a led his life in Trissur as ascetic until his sad demise in 1931 A.D.

--

PRV a scholar king, and the last Maharaja of Cochin is accepted

: 27 :

as the author of many works in N y ~ y a ka'stra as well as in another branches of Sanskrit learning. His ~ ~ g works are Subodhini, Jalavad y a h!da nibcayatvavic~ra and 6hGmika to the work of ~astr.?arman.

'-

Life and Education

Ramavarma Kunnunni Tampuran otherwise known as Tampuran was born in 1876 A.D. as the son of Ottur Raman Nampootiripad

- a Rgvedic scholar and Mankuiampuran of Cochin Palace. He started

his primary education from his mother and then studied Sanskrit from Kunnan Warrier - the teacher in Sarnskrita ~ i i h a & l a . Kavyas and rudiments of NyGa were studied from this ~a!ha$ala. Higher studies in ~ygya were under his uncle ~ a j a rand sri3atakopacarYa, the court ~i Pandit and one of the greatest Nyaya scholars of India. Moden Education was in Maharaja's College Ernakularn and in the Presidency College Madras. Then the prince settled in Tripunithura and studied the sastras

- -

like Mimzmsa, Vedsnta and Nyiya. PRV led a Pure and Chaste life. Most of his time was spent for meditat~on, worship, reading books and forSZstric discussions with the court pa~dits the palace. As the ~ $ was brought up in an atmosphere of a where Sanskrit learning was held in the higher level, and was surrounded

with well known scholars like his uncle ~ a j a r ~ i : ~ a t a k o ~ a & rMantit!a ~a, -r Kunju Nampootiri, Ayyasastrikal and ~etumadhava diksitar. It is no

wonder that the R2ja had a special attachment to the ancient language, literature and kastra. PRV's life was for learning and contributing learning. He dedicated his life for the propogation and advancement of knowledge. Even though His Highness was a highly orthodox follower of the ritualistic practices in his personal life, he is the first ruler who abanded the royal power merely for three copies of Government Calender and paved the way to function a socialist government in the state. Thus PRV stood for the love and wellfare of his people when he knew that democratic rule is more preferable for them. Honours received ~ r a n k a r ~ c i i r ~ aKanci K k a k o t i Mathorn bestowed the title Si of ~ a k a n a k a l a n i d h ion PRV by recognising his authority in Indian

-..

Philosophies. The Acaryas of ~ g n cKzmakoti awarded the title Abinava i .Tarkavagisa in recognition of his erudition in ~ ~ & a . Banaras The
.-

University proposed to give him the degree Vidyavacaspaty but His Highness declined it owing to poor health. Dr. C. Kunjan r s a - a modern

scholar wrote a beautiful poem about him and Achyuta ~ o t u v a- a l 'Pra<isya3 ~ a j a, r.swrote ~ariksitcarita of i about his life. Contribution of P.R.V. t o Sanskrit study
/

The encouragement given by PRV to the study of Sanskrit Sastra and Sahitya is very great. ~he'sgstra a d astarted by his uncle RRV; ~ i got more enthusiasm in his period. PRV presided over the sadas and the scholars were treated as guests. ~ a n d i t a r i j a and sahitya nipuna gold medals were being awarded for deserving scholars. Works of PRV PRV was the author of many works which include Commentaries, Stotras and Campus. The ~ a r a r t h a d e e ~ i k a the commentary on is ~ i l i d a s a '~bhij'n:r,akikun$ala. s It is a product of the combined workof

~ a j k s iand his friend ~anditaGjjan ~ a m a ~ i & r o t yIt gives exhaustive t K. . explanation to every word rasa and bh'iva. The other commentaries are the Rasikapriya to the 'Narayaneeya' of ~ e l p u t t k a r a ~ a n a ~ Bhattatiri and ~ a l a ~ r i ~ ~ to the4~hvanGloka'of commentary Gandavardhana. 1-heStotras written by PRV are praises shown to PGrnatrayeeka which is the family diety of the author. The collection of stotras is known

..

: 30 :

as ~totram'ala where Visnu and Subrahmanya are praised. ~angzstava .

is another short devotional poem praising the river ~ a n ~The critical z .

essays written by him in Malayalam is known as'Dalangall. PRV was closely associated with Keralastage in its performance of ~ G t t u Kirtiyattarn. PRV patronised great actors like ~ a c c c;kyar, and u .- Paimkulam ~ & Cakyar and ~ a nMadhava c;kyar. a i He wrote many Prabhandhas for their performance. The Campu works are ~rahlidacarita, Ambarisa carita, ~ u k a n ~ a c a r iand ta

adh ha ~ g d h a v a .

Nyayasastra.
importance of Subodhini

Subodh~n~ Jalavad hr,da nihcayatva viczra are the works in and

4

The work Subodhini written by PRV is a monumental work from Kerala to ~ ~ a y a ' s a s t r It . a commentary on Mukthali andTarangini a is the commentaries for the ~ h a s a ~ a r i c c h e d a Bhasapariccheda- a manual of ~ ~ ~ ~ a v a i s ehaskmany commentaries. The first commentary si a Muktavali is written by the author himself. Mahaeva wrote acommentary and known as ~raka/sa it was completed by Dinakara, his son. So it is called as 'Dinakari' also. Likewise ~ a m a r u d or~ TarangiYT is the r commentary written by ~amarudra it was completed by Rajasekhara. and

- ---

Later commentaries are ~ r a b h a ~ ~ s i r n h a k s and ~ a f i j u $ by by st~ ~ a,. t ~ b h i r ~ m a " s i Subodhini is a commentary which includes all the t str~. views of these commentators. There are two kinds of works in the 'sastra viz. Prakarana and ~ & a . One can enter the second type only after studying the first type. The modern works are generally cosidered as Prakarana even though there are exceptions. IheTarkasamgraha, ~ u k t i v a l i~ e d g n t a , paribhacs,5 and Arthasangraha can be included in the former type. The works like -tL Tattvacintamani, Di,:dhi,and ~ a d h d h a rare examples for the second i type. The ~ h a s pariccheda of Viswanatha ~ancanana 7th century a (1 A.D.) and his commentary on the same were very popular and important among the Prakaranas as that of ~attvacintarnani DiNdhLamong the and
d

;+

Vada works. The Prakarana or manuals of logic is defined as a book which concerns itself with the topics of a portion of a'ssstra which may deal even with matters not included in t h a t % ~ s t [ a ~ ~ . ~hasgpariccheda is avaiiesika work which incorporates the ~ ~ category of pramina. a ~ a

The prarnana concept of ~ y a y a included while discussing the category is of dravya.

The commentaries like Prabha and

ahj jug are very vast in

certain places but it is silent in some other places. The criticism porposed by these authors against ~ a h g d e v a Dinakara are sometimes out of and place, as without understanding the apt meaning. But ~ a h c d e v a discusses the toplc with enough words (mitaksara). So it is very much conducive to understand the real meaning intended by the author. Hence Prominence of this work is accepted by the teachers and students. The commentary of it- the ~amarudriends the 5abdakha"da. with Subodhini is a commentary for all these commentaries, but always tries to establish the views of ~ahadevabhatta.It is a valuable ,. contribut~onto Tarka'sistra in which high thinking and power of interpretation is displayed. It is composed after deep research in other commentaries and old manuscripts along with the scholarship the commentator had obtained from his erudite teachers. Subodhini starts with a salutation to the family deity - 'P;rnatra$aland Then he gives the nature of the work35. The author 01'~rabh: has attacked the views of'Prak&a on to his teachers.

several occassions without sufficient justifications. ' ~ a " h j u s ~ g e n e r a l l ~ appreciates and approves the line of'Prak%a: Yet at times it too has

adversily criticised the views of ~ a h i i d e v a .The author of ~ u b o d h i nis i

partial towards the views of Mahadeva. SS in his ~ v a t G i k a 'Subodhini' to commends that Tarnpuran has a tradition which is gathered from
A

Sesacarya who is the prakisya of the author of RarGarudri:

So the

appreciation to ~ r a k & acommentary is natural and the Subodhini can be considered as aC'Guru a ~ a r y ? ~ ~ to the Guru). For instance ~ (Offering explaining the sentence beginning from "~ak.smT~iida~u~am", the author of Dinakafisays that this term is referential to father and mother because they are considered as deities on the lJpanisadv;k)hya

- "Mat~dwo bhava,

Pit[devo bhava". So the salutation is done to these deities. Then he gives the vlews of others with the term 'Kecit'. Their view is that the

vigraha of ' ~ a k s r n i ~ a d a ~ u g given as 'Lak~mi is a ' pgdayuge yasya tam' (to him, where the laksmy resides in his feet). So the term may be treated as the qualifier of pita. So the invocation is done by throat to the father37. PRV refutes it by saying that - it cannot be approved in a humble word 'Tadasundararn', because there is no laxity in approving the secondary meaning. Another example can be shown from the first part of Subodhini, while discussing the significance of the word 'vigha&;ta7 (Vighna vigh6tiya), he says that the words of the~aran~i"i'and abuses put on the e by the author of ~ a h j u $ should be discussed38. The word "Paraib!" t

denotes -the author of ~ a n j u ~ a . In another place PRV says that ~atJa'bhi~ma elaborately explained the law that "vkista vacakanZm padanam sati visesana &aka ,

..

pada

samavadhine ~ i ~ e ~ y a : ~ a t r a ~ a rbut a " , says that the view of a t PRV ~ahgdevabhatta more reasonable3'. is The author had given vivid explanations where the subject matter dealt in the earlier works remained abruse. So new light has been shown and new ideas have been incorporated in this book by PRV
0

..

Jalavad hrda ni&cayatva viczra n The other ~ y a y work of PRV is'Jalavad hrda niscayatvavicaral. a A It is a small work dealing with a special topic in the hethbhasa prakarapa. ln the~attvacintamar?i Gange'sa there is a Prakarana called ~ & n ? m ~ a of nirukti prakarana which deals with the 'hetvabhas&' (fallacies of hetu). According to ~ y i y concept - anumana is the second means of knowledge a which produces the inferential knowledge (anumiti) and it is defined as ~aramarkajan~am jGanarn. ~ a & m a & ais 'vyaptivi'sitapaksadharmat~j&nam'. So vyapti and paksadharmata are the components of this type of knowledge. yapt ti is the special feature of'sadhetu: Hetu can be of two types,"sadhetd- possessing vyapti and paksadharmata andisadhet;

which is lacking such features. ~he'asadhetu'isalso called as' hetvabhasa or dusta hetu and it is divided into five kinds i '~avyabhicgra, . e viruddha,
, satpratipaksa, asiddha and badhita'. Dusta hetu is that which possess

--,

dosas viz. vyabhicara virodha etc. Anumiti is obstructed when the knowledge of the d6sas occur in the hetu. Naiyayika considers the pratibhandhakatvabhava as a common cause for the production of the effect because pratibhandhaka always obstructs the production of it. Here anumiti which is also an effect must j k n a which obstructs the anumiti or paramar& is defined in three ways by ~ a n ~ & o ~ ~ d h 40. y a ya have this cause prior to its production. ~etv>bh;sa
e

Among these definitions,a topic in the second one is the content of the work of P R V He tliscusses about the meaning of the case 'Trhiya' in the term "yatvisayakatvena" and it is accepted as 'avacchedakatva'. h Then the 'avacchedaka' can be qualified as ' ~ v a r ~ ~ a s a m b $ a n dora ' 'anatirikta vrittitva'. While discussing about these issues he says that the 'pratibandhakatva' is to be approved to a definite knowledge qualified with another definite knowledge (ni<cayaviiista niicaya). For example in the inference 'Lake posseG:fire
-. .

-.

0-

as there is smoke (hrdo vahnirnan h

dhumat) the h(da is paksa, fire is sSdhya and smoke is the hetu. It is an example for the heGbhasa viz.'satpratipaksa'because we can point out

another hetu which can prove the absence of sadhya in the paksa - the absence of fire in the lake can be proved by another hetu viz. water. We are sure that the lake is possessing water and if there is water there will in not be fire. So the nature ~f'~ratibandhakatvgisthe form of a qualified knowledge i.e.'jalavyapaka vahnyabhzva iti nigcaya vigista jalavat hrda h
d .

a,

visayaka niicayatvena rbpena'. This 'jalavat hrda ni6cayatva'is discussed

\ :

elaborately in the text by PRV. written The next contribution to Nyaya'szstra by PRV is a ~ 6 u m i k a for the '~acaratnar&likac' of kastr,iarman. It is a brief and significant

essay which includes many contemporary problems, the traditional sastric study has to face. At the beginning of this essay ~aGksit seems to be so anxious about the future of it because it is not conducive to wealth, respect and fame4'. But this condition is changing because new trends are seeing i.e new Sanskrit colleges are establishing, the students and scholars of'sastra are encouraging. In this condition, the scholar like ~antitta Kunju Nampootiri is really a lightening star who is a traditional y a scholar in all the branches of learning especially in ~ ~ S and who have wrote many works in Nyaya and fahitya. PRV gives a summary of the (chapters) one by one. So it servesas content of NRM taking t h e z v a l i ~ a great help to enter that scholarly work.

IV. ~ a n t i . t a .t Kunju Nampootiri - the author of

~acaratnamalika 876 1959) (1

/ -

Sastrsarman well known as ~ a n d i t a r a j a n~ g n t i-.t a t Kunju

Narnpootiri is a famous Naiyayika from Kerala in the nineteenth century

A.D. His Magnum Opus - ~acaratnam%iika really a valuable is

contribution to the wealth of ' ~ g d a prasthiina'. He was also a poet who

has composed many other works viz. a devotional poem ~ a n g a t a r a n ~ i n i with Viswanathastaka and the message poem &takasandeta. ,.

Education and Life

&&[&arman was a native of Venkitangu near Guruvayoor in
h

Trissur district. He was born in 1876 as the second son of Subrarnanyan

Narnpootiri, a great vedic Pand~t Parvathy Antarjanam. The family and name was ~ a n t i. t t a . The elder brother of Sarrnan, SrivGudevan . Nampootiri became a great ~ a i y a k a r a ~ a his younger brother and Subrarnanyan Nampootiri was a ~ a i ~ g ~ i k a . A . SS was known by the pet name Kunju in his childhood and Sarrna' is the term added to denote brahmins4'. He was initiated into formal
v'
C.
/

education at the age of seven. SS began to learn Rgveda Samhita with Pada in the family temple of Sankara ~ a r a ~ a n aSarrna in the .

/.

~<takasandekaremembers this temple as a place where even now Nampootirl s study ~ e d a Higher. studies in Veda were started at the ~ ~ age of fifteen in the Brahmaswam Mafhom Trissur. Basic ~ y a y a and sahitya were studied from Panditarajan ~ a m a 5 2 s t r ~ .

Sarma reached Kotungallur at the age of eighteen for higher

P

studies in NGya. This Gurukulam, a famous centre of all kinds of traditional learning was adorned with many great scholars. Sarma studied ~ ~ i under GBT. This Tampuran was well versed in many sastras but y a was unparallel in Indian logic. The Natural intelligence and effort of the student attracted the teacher and 'Kunjikkivu Tampuratti' the niece of .. Bhattan Tampuran was given to him as his wife. This Tampuratti also .. was a well versed scholar who was adorned with the title "Panditafija" by the king of Cochin Royal Family. So Sarma got a co-sharer in the intellectual persuit as his wife.
< ,
/

..

Sarma was a permanent participant in the ' ~ ~ s t rSadas' at a Tripunithura. He was duly respected by the kings and scholars of that sadas who showed the wast knowledge and deep thinking in that sadas. The participants were amazed by his deep scholarship. ~anditaGjan Acyuta potuval remarks that3arma's learned performance in such sadas was astonishing to all scholars around. The historic encounter in one of

these conference between the aged/~r~nivasacarya ~ a n c h i ~ u r a r n from who was known as Singalacarya and the young garma has been described by many Pandits to that of Bhismacarya and Arjuna in the battle field of ~ u r u k ~ e t r 6arma defeated S~ngalacarya a~~. who was a terror to Pandits and won the title of honour "~$kikatilaka" from the Mahsraja of Cochln.
/'

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..

fi.

As a recognition to his scholarship Sarma was appointed as the teacher in 5ree kesacirya Sams5;ta ~ Z t h a t a l a Figjarsi Tampuran. by Later he was appointed as the professor of ~ y a y a the Sast!q in ~ah-a~;!h&ila. % a r m had unequal knowledge in otherfs':stras like

~ G k a r a ~ a sahitya but his special interest laid in the ~ k s a & d a and daGana and there in Vsdagrantha was his favourite field. The vgda granthas are treatises which includes strong arguments and discussions about the topics in a 'sastra. The study, discussion and composing of these kinds of books were regarded as interesting sports by them, which were really an exercise for developing the intellectual powers. PRV remarks that one can not point out even a single part in the works like Tattva cintaman~ in its commentaries - Didhiti, ~ a ~ a d i Gadadhari or ii, or in its wide interpretations, which is not thought about by them, making the night as a day45. Sarma's intellect was much interested in the more
P,

- -

higher works known as'~rodapatra'-s. Moreover the intellect was nourished by the acquaintance with great scholars in ~ $ and Mimarnsa. ~ a
/

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Sri ~etumadhava deeksitar, the grandson of Sesacarya and king ~ a j a r s i

/

T ' - -

are to be noted here. Sarma himself says frequently that the acquaintance with ~eturnadhava deeksitar is the main reason that he could enter the higher treatises like the'Kroda patra which are very difficult to enter and even more difficult to come out46 . SS served in the ~ahafa\ha&la for a long time with the blessings of ~ a j a rand other scholars. He was so lucky to have distinguished ~i disciples IikeT. Rama Warrier, C.K. Raman Nambiar, K. Acyuta poduval and P.C. ~asudevanElayath. There were only very few persons like
/ -

Sarrna who spent the whole life for attaining and distributing knowledge and who lived only for the cause of knowlege. 6arma was a great devotee of Siva and was always seen worshiplng/Siva with bilvapatras. His life was pure and chaste following all the ritual practises. People approached him with hesitation whether he is approachable or not but his innocent friendship and patronage made him approachable to the people as well as for his students to clear their doubts.

Honours Received
After RRV the next ~ a h a r i j a Cochin known as ~ h 6 r m i k a of cakravarthy awarded to Sarrnan the title of honour "pandita6janW. This was the greatest horiour conferred on scholars of outstanding erudition. b J' The same R&'a awarded the golden " ~ ' i a 2 r n ~ a lthree times to Sarma. a"
,/ '

*.

Sarma retired from his official position in 1931 but was retained in the Palace as the 'Asthma Pa?dita'. The Cattarji commission instituted by

the Government of India for the encouragement of Sanskrit studies accepted many valuable suggestions from Weakened by diseases

of old age this valuable life breathed his last in the year 1959.

Contemporary ~

~ scholars respected with ~ a s t Sarman a ~ a r

in Tripunithura
K. ~ ~ m a ~ i s (1876-1947) and Cennarnangalam Ayya Sastrikal ~r.ot~

.-.

sm.

were the other scholars entitled by RRV with SS as Sahrdayatilaka and kibdikatllaka.

K. Ramapiszroty, a great authority in Poetry and ~

~ was a

considered as the outer life (bahi$carap&?a) of pa'?bsit. He was a friend

of Pariksit and they spent most of their time with/s&tric discussion and they jointly produced a commentary for Abhijnana Sakuntala known as ~ariirthadee~ika. ~amapisarojy came toTripunithura at the age of eleven and studied under Rijarsi. Higher works in ~ y i were studied from ~ a
+ -

+-

p -

~id,avacaryain the royal palace with PRV. Then he continued his studies under Kumbakonam 'S~strikal. In the year 1890 at the age of 23 Ramapisaro~i became the teacher of Sesacarya ~atha'sila and was a permanent participant in the 'kastra sadas'. His sad demise was on
1947.
c

. -

. +

Works of Rams P i s a r o ~ Rsmavarma ddsaka a khanda k&ya. are Tippani for Citramimamsa, ~inaka;ya and vyutpattiv&ia. laid in teaching ~

--

His interest

~and Alanksra. He travelled all over Kerala and i ~ a

collected valuable manuscripts from Cochin and Malabar and they were donated to the Cochin Palace library.

Cennarnangalam ~~$/S&trjka1(1864-1945)
Cennamangalam Ayya Sastrikal was another brilliant scholar who was graded in the first category and choosen to be the first receipent of ~aharaja's 'PanditaGja gold medal'. He was appointed as the teacher in , the F'a!ha<ala Tripunithura. Another honour is the title 'Sabdikatilaka'
*'-

. . received from Rajarsi along with SS. He was reluctant to write anything.

~ t t u Krisna ~ i s i r o t i r

Attur Krisna Pisaroti is the friend of SS from his student days in .. Kotungallur Gurukulam. He received theUPanditar?ija" title from the Sastra sadas'of ~ripunithura. The title '~avitaratna'is received from the 'Vidwad sadas', Ayodya. Pisaroty's special attention was for the enlightenment of Malayalam literature. His scholarship in interpretation, publication,
s
I/

translation and research is recognized by the scholarly society. ~ t t G r published three works of his preceptor Godavarma Bhattan Tampuran viz. LJpah~apraka.iika,Saktitatvaprakaslka and ~iddhantamala.
P.S. Ananta ~ i i r a ~ a Sastry (1885-1957) na P.S. Ananta Narayana'sastry, another contemporary ~ G y a
r'-

/.

<

scholar of SS belonged toTrissur. He was a dependent of Rarnavarma of Cochin. Tarkasara , is a ~ y z work written by him. As its title refers ~ a it is a summary of the rnaln principles of'~arka ~ s t r i . the beginning s In of the work it is said that it is written for the use of beginners who wish to study Nyaya4'. This work is a true follower o i ~ a r k a s a r n ~ r awhich hi

vaiiesika in a simple style. deals with the categories of ~ y z y a

V.
Commentators of ~utanaloka
Three disciples of ~<ntif!a, viz. C.K. Raman Nambiar, K.Acyuta Potuval and T. Rama Warrier jointly wrote a sub commentary to ~acaratnarniilik6.Sarma's commentary is known as ~Gtansloka and the disciple's commentary is the ~ l o k a ~ r a k i These commentaries ~a. serves as great help to get the explanations of the sentences given by the author. At times they quote the ideas from vedas and puranas as supportive to the~rviews. Many incidental topics are included and exhaustively discussed in this commentary.

C.K.

ama an ~ a m b i a r
C.K. Raman Namb~ar a reputed Nyaya scholarwho contributed was

to the Nacaratnamal~ka the form of the sub commentary ~ l o k a ~ r a k i s a . in He was ihe professor of Nyaya in the Sanskrit College,Tripunithura, and was honoured by the king PRV by awarding the titleuPandita&ja". Raman Nambiar was born in 1900 in the Kuzuppilli Mathom at Vallachira village in Trissur district. His parents were Polapurath Putiyedath Govindan Nambiar and Kunnippilly Nangiaramma. Early education was at Palapurath. Sanskrit was studied under Pasedath Nampootiri. Higher studies were in the Samskrita ~atha<ala,~ri~unithura.
h

- -

~ i n t i.,t t a Kunju Nampootiri is the main teacher who taught N passing' ~ y a y a \ , bh;sarial and principal.

~ G After . ~ ~

- the title exam Nambiar was appointed as the

tutor in ~ ~ a in the same institution. Later he was promoted as lecturer y a

Raman Nambiar was the chief editor of the journal - Ravivarma Samskrta Grantavali - and wrote many short essays and Slokas in it.
/

The Govt. of India recognised his scholarship and a fellowship was

k

awarded. Even now his wife Amminiyamma belonging to Kadekuzi family < near Tripunithura is receiving the financial help from the Central Government. '~~ An essay seen in the Journal titled, ' ~ a r k a s a s t r ashows the scholarst~ipof Sri Narnbiar. It is an essay in which he gives a short history of

N Gvaiiesika system of Indian philosophy. Nambiar is of ~ ~

opinion that this 'sistra is conducive for the betterment of man in this world and for attaining Moksa in another world. He further remarks that the difference between ~ $ and~aibesika in the nature of treatment ~ a lies not in the content. The unique quality of ~ ~ 'sastra is~ a that a accepts it

the importance of anumzna which is the most required means of knowledge for a ~ l ' s i s t r a s ~ ~ . Udayanacarya and other philosophers uses the anumana more than any other pramana. Raman Narnbiar further

--

holds that Paninyyam is used to know the proper words to denote the objects and ~ a n g d a conducive to know the object and thereby the is right knowledge can be attained by these'sistras5'. At the end of this essay he seems to be anxious about the present condition of ~ y i y a 6astra that people without studying this's;;stra, argues like a6Vaita@ika'
and so the kzstra itself is known as 'Kutarka'. Nambiar concludes the

essay by saying that even then there exists two or three eminent scholars. Among them the first one is His Highness ~ a r i k s i~ a m a v a r m a the t and second person is Sri Mantitta Kuncu Nampootiri, the honourable teacher of the author. They ornates the'paramparalof ~ a d a d h a r a bhatta and at the end he express hrs devotion and reverence to these eminent scholars.

K. Acyuta ~ o t u 6 (1898-1972) l
K. Acyuta ~ o t u & lis the disciple of ~ a s t ~ / s a r m aand Meladath n,

Govindan Nambiar. He was awarded with the title'~andita<ajari from the Cochir~ Royal Palace and was appointed as the professor of ~ y a y a the in
I

Sesac5rya Mahapatha(sLla. It is said that Acyuta PotuvZil was a permanerlt participant in Sastra sadas'and attracted the participants by his sweet and musical sgnskrit. Acyuta ~ o t u v awas the sub editor of the Ravivarma Samskrta l
<

Journal published from the ~ a t h a z i i l a once in three months and

C.K. Rarnan Nambiar was the chief editor. After the retirement of C.K.
R h a n Narnbiar, Acyuta PotuGl had taken that position. He had written many essays and short poems in that journal. Acyuta PotuG;l is the author of many works viz. vilapasaptati, ~atrnivedana, Pariksit carita, 'kivastuti, ~ a ~ h C andt ~haktirassyana ~i i beside the commentary to NUA. Among these w o r k s ' ~ i l ~ ~ a s a ~ t a t i ' i s a poem in 700 stanzas bemoaning the death of F?;jarsi

carita is a Khacga kzvya which describes the life history of Pariksit

alankargs and ttie depiction of rasa are so attractive and that surpass even the ~ a r i k s icarlta. The sub commentary - Aloka prakgga shows t

~gmavarrna. a z k s i t ~

Tarnpuran in four sargas. The others are stotra works in which the use of

the deep knowledge of the author in ~ ~ a as well as that of/Sruti smriti, y a Upanisads arid Purana.

T. Rama Warrier
Trikovil Rama ~ a r r i e was a familiar and respected Ayurvedic r physician for the inhabitants of Tripunithura. He was also a ~ y z scholar ~ a who joined with C.K. Raman Nambiar and K.Acyuta ~ o t u v ato compose l ~ a r the commentary for ~acaratnam2likS. a m ~ G r i ewas respected by

the king of Cochin Roayal Family by awarding the title 'PanditaGjan'.

T.Rama Warrier was born in 1897 A.D. in theTrikkovil Warriyam

in Valluvanad Taluk as the son of KuttypisZrasySr and Podumana Krsnan Nampootiri. After the primary education in his birth place, he reached Tripunithura with his uncle Uzutra ~ a r r i e r who was the professor of Ayurveda in the Samskcta ~ a h ~ ~ a ! h a / andlthe Ayurveda physician s~ a in royal palace. The remaining education of ~ g m a Warrier was at Tripunithura. He joined in the Samskrta P;tha&la from the reputed ~
C
I

...

and studied ~ G y a

~ teacher ~ a n t i t t a & a Kunju Nampootiri and passed

the ~~a~abh;sana. got the traditional knowledge of hyurvedafrom He his uncle and took the title 'iyurveda bhzsana'. After the education he
I
/

served for two years as the teacher of Ayurveda in the Madras university. In 1933 he was appointed as the Ayurveda teacher in the place of his uncle in the ~i!ha&la atTripunithura.
7. ~ a m Warrier spent most of his time in the Palace holding the a

position of "Kottaram Vaidyan". ~

$ also a his favourite subject and ~ was

until death he enthusiastically participated in the Vakyarte sadas held at Tripunithura and Sringeri. After the retirement from the Samskrta
I

PZthak2la he served as the Sanskrit teacher in Palace school and retired from there when this school was handed overto the Government. As his

wish

Rams Warr~er'slast days were

at ~a'kii. He breated his last in

\

1978 A.D.

Thus the members of Cochin Royal Family had served a lot for the development of the Sanskrit language and iastra. ~ y i y was the a subject which is studied handled and taught by most of the kings of this Royal Family. Their contribution can be evaluated from the existing %stra works composed by them. The chain of ~ a i ~ a ~ i continues in this kas state as the flames of lamps lightened from another lamp.

vide. Keraliya Samskrta Sahitya Caritram, Vadakkurnkur, Sahitra pravarthaka co-operative society, 1962, Part 1 p-4. vide. TCKSL p- XVll See Ibid, chapters 1 to 6 Ibid, p-91

vide. unninilisandesa Part II, verse 14 vide.

bt WW@Ffi~&T~E@TT+&w

W?W

$2 vh7lCqj & firnp7mG :

. ~ ~ 0 7 t v ~ h :

Nititattvavirbhava vyakhya.
?FIT
?l7 V.J?I: q T 7 h h T K d U d ? V

k+m:
\

~ r r d w db 4 * & W :
Jaiminiya ~ Z r a r t h a Sangraha of Parameswara 11, p.49 KSSC VOI. p- 556 V, KSC vol. V, p-214 Ibid, p-214 KSSC vol.VI, p-502 KSSC vol. IV, p-317 Ibid, p-306

vide. KSC vol. V, p-221

KSSC voi. IV, p-312 KSSC VOI. p-254 V,

vide. ~ ~ u t p a t t i v ~ d a s i d d h a n t a -edited by Dr. P.C. ~uralirnadhavan, m~la p-36

KSSC Val. V., p-:317

Ibid, p-318 Ibid, p-317 Ibid, pp - 337-348

vide.

3~&~d-&

~ ~ u t p a t t i v ~ d a s i d d h ~ n t - karika 3 am~la

KSC vol.V, p - 224

Ibid, p-219

vide. ~ i h ~ ~~ l r7i r

&+: hT h i h I W d ~ ~ G

vyutpattiva>a of

~adadtiarabhatt&&a opening lines.

v~de

d?i@$.~ 7
U &
iq

fid

Vyutpatti ~ i d d h ~ n t a r n a l a , kariki I

v~de. Ravivarrna Sarnskrta ~ranthavali Edited by ~anditaGjan Achyuta ~ o t u & l1961 October Book No.9. November 18., p-1
Ibid, p-3

KSSC Vol. V, p--186 KSC Vol. V, p-224 HIL, p-392 vide.

3WT 1 j u i ~ 4 h

yFC?I J j i 5 7 J l f q
V T V ~

fkd@
J ai'k
H

~ ??@ h T ? T ~ ~

~?ikFii~d=1~ F d d
~ v a t G i k a Subodhini, p-1 of Subodhini, p-3 vide. vide.

Subodhini Mangalasloka

rn.v ~ ~ u ~ ~ i ~ ~ i m r f ? &~rnKt(r+~fS?V: p-3 d+~?m: bib,

~ h f l
0

h d ,$i7Jj~4'~4h: ~ ~li?ikR f , 7FWI7

~f % ~& Fd y $T&Wkhf%k ~ , TT/?i/kh $ d - i ? Ibid, p-3

vrde TS w f ~ f l p i l W f d ? c~ $

w,
$?

f%$TFR

- Tattvacintarnani

of ~ a n ~ e s ' o p & t l ~Parta p-763 a ~ 11, vide. ? & : ~ 7 ! 1 ~ ~ 4 ~ C?TVJTE~&T

-

~ C R T Tk ~F F 7 f P

6rn71?4? yik? r~h+~i;;~ t 3 h h ka to NRM, PRV, p - % &%w-

CS, sI. - 8
~vatarika GT, Achyuta ~ o t u v i l ,p-Ill to
4

Bhurnika to NRM, p - 9 Ibid, p - %:

CS, Edited by Dr. ~uralimiidhavan,p-XX
vide.

i
-

&*k~*mdi$elTiJ@77rjBi~mi

* ,

introduction of Tarkaszra

vide. Ravivarrna Sanskrit series 1959 January, p-4 Ibid, p-4

+ . *'fu

J -1

Ibid, p-4