Mahavidya Vidambanam

Author(s): Vadindra Bhatt, Anandpurna, Bhuvansundarsuri, Mangesh R Telang
Publisher: Central Library

Page 16

The name Vádîndra is not a proper noun as it is added as an epithet to the name of a learned man who has been at the same time a great controversialist. In the colophons at the end of all the three chapters of the
Mahavidyi-vidambana, Vadindra prefixes the epithets Harakinkara, Nyiya. charya, Paramapandita and Bhatta.1 In verse 2 on p. 2 of the Mahavidyavidambana he styles himself as Sankara-kinkara which is synonymous with Harakinkara," Madhavárya has quoted a verse under the name of Sankarakinkara in his Sarvadarshana-saugraha. Vadindra may have used this epithet
ress his devotion to the deity Siva whom alone he praises in the Mangala verses at the commencement of all the chapters of Mahavidya-vidambana.
My learned friend Mr. T. M. Tripathi B. A. of Bombay is of opinion that as Vádîndra was a pupil of Yogisvara alias Sankara, he styles himself Sankara-kinkara. This view also is possible. For Vadindra mentions his preceptor as Yogiśvara at the end of Mahavidya-vidambana. But I liave not been able to find any authority to identify Yogiśvara with Sankara.
___Vidindra's other epithets viz. Nyayicharya, Parama-pandita and Bhatta signify that he was a great logician, Mimansaka, and well-versed in the Sastras.
Vadindra's real name-Vidindra's real name seems to have been Mahadeva. For, his pupil Bhatta Raghava in the beginning of his commentary Nyáyasára-vichára on Bhásarvajua's Nyáyasára has the following verse:
महादेवमहं वन्दे गुरुं सर्वज्ञमादरात् । ग्रन्थप्रन्थिषु शैथिल्ये शक्तिर्यस्मादभून्मम ॥
1 इति श्रीहकिङ्करन्यायाचार्यपरमपण्डितभट्टवादीन्द्रविरचिते महाविद्याविडम्बने
महाविद्यावि० पृ.७५, ९८, १४९ 2 समुल्लसति वादीन्द्रचन्द्रे शङ्करकिरे । उन्मीलन्ति महाविद्यादोषकैरवकोरकाः ॥ २ ॥
महाविद्यावि० पृ.२ 3 तथा निरटकि शङ्करकिरेण
अनुकूलेन तर्केण सनाथे सति साधने ।
साध्यव्यापकताभङ्गात्पक्षे नोपाधिसंभवः॥ सर्वदर्शनसंग्रहः पृ. ९८ (आनन्दाश्रम) 4 See Introduction to Anandajnana's Tarkasangraha p: xvur (Gaekwad's Oriental Beries). 5 योगीश्वरगुरोः शब्दविद्यामासाद्य तत्त्वतः। व्यवत्त भट्टवादीन्द्रो महाविद्याविडम्बनम् ॥
महाविद्यावि० पृ. १४९ 6 This verse is quoted from the catalogue of the India Office Sanskrit Manuscripts. My friend Mr. T. M. Tripathi was kind enough to get for me the loan of a manuscript of this unpublished commentary on Bhásarvajna's Nyáyagára from the Dahilakshmi Library at Nadiad, District Kaira. Unfortunately some portion of this commentary at the beginning and at the end seems to have been lost, Thus I could not find the above