Dattaka-Tilakah

The Sanskrit Text critically edited with the editor's Tika named dipti along with English and Bengali Translation together with and elaborate introduction and Appendices.

The Dattakatilaka, a newly discovered Smrti-work written by the illustrious polymath Bhatta Bhavadeva, is a text book on the question of the hereditary property of the adopted sons. Though written between the last quarter of the 11th century and the first quarter of the next one, his Smrti-books were (and are still) followed by the Bengali Hindus for their socio-religious life. The dattakatilaka deals with the question of having a son and different kinds of sons. Of the various kinds of sons, only the natural (aurasa) and adpted son (dattaka) are said to be in cxurrency in the Kaliyuga, while the other types of sons are prohibited. Bhavadeva says that one could take more than one adopted sons and the number is limited to three only. Wife can also adpt three sons on the consent of her husband. On the Dattaka’s right to property Bhavadeva did not say much. This book will give a socio-political picture of India in the 11th-12th centuries A.D. e Dattakatilaka, a newly discovered rti-work written by the illustrious ynath Bhatta Bhavadeva, is a text book the qi.iestion of the hereditary property f the adopted sons. Though written he:ween the last quarter of the 11th cu.r and the first quarter of the next his Smrti-books were (and are still) 1,&ied by the Bengali Hindus for their axo- religious life. The Dattakatilctha deals with the question of having a son and ±ferent kinds of sons. Of the various kinds sons, only the natural (aurasa) and iacpted son (dattaka) are said to be in rrency in the Kaliyuga, while the other ys of sons are prohibited. Bhavadeva sa-s that one could take more than one adopted sons and the number is limited to three only. Wife can also adopt three sons, the consent of her husband. On the £taka’s right to property Bhavadeva did say much. This book will give a sociopo itica1 picture of India in the llth-l2th centuries AD.

Dr. Jaydeb Ganguly secured First Class Honours in Sanskrit form the Sanskrit College and also got First Class in the M. A. examination in 1954 from Group I (Inscription). He worked as a Research Assistant under Professor Dr. R. C. Hazra and obtained his Ph. D. Degree on Dharmasastrra in Mithila. Dr. Ganguly joined the West Bengal Educational Service (Junior) in 1957 and after spells of service in different Govt. Colleges went on deputation to the Rastriya Samskrta Samsthan as Deputy Director (Academic) in 1973. He served as Principle in the Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapith, Jammu and in the Jagannatha Kendriya Vidyapith, Puri. He returned to join his parent service as Reader in Sanskrit and became the Head of the Dept. of Sanskrit, Govt. Sanskrit College, Calcutta, a post form which he retired in June 1994. Dr. Ganguly served the Calcutta University as a Guest Lecturer for more than two decades and was an active Member of the Asiatic Society for quite a long time. He was also associated with the different Universities of West Bengal and of India in various capacities. Dr. ganguly secured a certificate of merit in German language from the Calcutta University and was awarded the title of Sastri by the Director of Public Instruction, Govt. of West Bengal.

Dr. Ganguly’s contributions do not speak in terms of numbers but in point of quality. Almost each of his articles glitters with sparks of originality and critical discernment. In all of his writings one can notice a happy blending of both the traditional Sastric method and of the modern western methodology. His articles on the Puranas betray ample evidences of his learned expertise in selecting the proper text form a mass of Mss, a sense of judgment and objective approach. In fact objectivity was the quintessence of his approach,--a quality which he acquired from his learned preceptor Dr. R. C. Hazra.

It is my privilege to present to the discerning readers of Oriental Studies, and particularly the students of Hindu jurisprudence, Dattaka-Tilakah, the Sanskrit text critically edited with TIka named Dipti along with English and Bengali translations by Professor Jaydeb Ganguly Shastri. This publication is based on two Smrti manuscripts written in old Bengali script having almost the same contents and obtained from manuscripts collection of the Library of the Sanskrit Sahitya Parishat, Kolkata. This publication throws much light on Hindu Samskaras relating to adoption—its justification and mode and in the process an indelible mark of scholarship and erudition of the editor. This publication perhaps would not have seen the light of the day but for the active cooperation of my colleague, Dr. S. R. Banerjee, the present Library Secretary, Sm Sarbani Bose, and our staff of the Publication Division, since the Late Ganguly Shastri had an untimely death immediately after completing the work.

In the following pages we have given for the first time the printed text of a newly discovered Smrti-work named Dattakatilaka, written by the illustrious polymath Bhatta Bhavadeva of Bengal. He was the Dharmãdhyaksa of the King of Vanga and had a queer sobriquet Bãla-valabhibhujañga(ma) added to his name. Of all the Smti-digest writers of this province, it is he whose work on sacraments is still followed by the Bengali Hindus. We had before him Bãlaka, Jikana, Yogloka and others, after him many including the great Raghunandana, but on Samskãras the influence of his work continues to be felt on the socioreligious life of the people of this province.

Raibahadur Manomohan Chakravorty’, Nanigopal Majumdar, Prof. S.K. De, P.V. Kane and my teacher Prof. RC. Hazra have made detailed and interesting discussions on Bhatta Bhavadeva. Here I have made free use of their writings, specially of Prof. Hazra’s writing which is the latest on the subject with important additions and modifications wherever necessary.

Bhatta Bhavadeva’s date has been taken as the period from C. last quarter of the 11th century to the 1st quarter of the next one and this was the period that witnessed the progress of a movement for Hindu revival, specially of the religion based on the Vedas. This movement, as we have seen, originally started with abara’s interpretation of the Mimãmsã Sütras, Kumãrila’s comments on them and Sañkara’s monistic interpretation of the Vedãnta Sütras. It aimed at firmly establishing the Vedic religion, refusing the attacks against it started by nonbelievers like Dinnaga, Dharmakirti, Dharmottara and their followers, and went on increasing with considerable force. This feeling formed expression in the writing of Smti-digest writers of Mithilã and Bengal like Bhatta Bhavadeva, Valllasena, Halãyudha, ridattopadhyaya, Candevara Thakkura and others who set on interpreting Vedic tenets and maintained rebellion against the path of the non-believers.

From the Bhuvaneshwara (Ananta Vãsudeva) temple inscription2 eulogising Bhata Bhavadeva and from other sources we learn that he was a versatile scholar, a renowned author, a learned jurist, an able politician3 and a great warrior — all the qualities combined in one. Naturally he was one of the most remarkable personalities of his time. He became the minister of king Harivarman of Vanga who flourished about the last quarter of the eleventh or the first quarter of the twelfth century AD and issued a copper plate grant from Vikrampur in East Bengal. He was a brahmin of Sävaria gotra and belonged to the village Siddhala in uttara Raçtha. To supply potable water to the arid zones of Rãha he caused excavation of reservoirs of water. His dear friend (priya suhrt) the poet Vãcaspati depicted in his praasti his remarkable career. Bhavadeva caused the construction of the temple at Bhuvaneshvara installing Narayaiia, Ananta and Nrsirhha and thereby expressed his religious inclinations. His genealogy is given thus:

This inscription and colophons to some of his works note that he was well-versed in Brahmãdvaita (ie. äñkaravedãnta) and Bhatta mimãrnsã (ie. Kumärila’s4 interpretation of the Mimãipsãsãtra). He was the Jar born sage (Agastya) to the ocean in the form of the Bauddha and was expert in refuting the wisdom of all heratic dialecUcians (pa. ai a-vaitandika) and played the part of omniscient (ie. all knowing Brahmä) on earth. He acquired thorough knowledge ofSiddhãntaTantra, Ganita, Agama, Arthaãstra, Ayurveda, Astra-veda etc. and also of Phala Sarnhitã (astrological sciences), the Sãmans and all the poetic arts (sakala kavikalã). He himself was the author and promulgator of a new tract on horoscopy (navirja horã.ãstra) and thus appeared like another Varãhamihira. Following the line of Kumãrila Bhatta he wrote a guide book on Mimãrnsã in which there are a thousand maxims (nyãya) which like the thousand rays of the sun, do not admit of ‘tamas’ (darkness or ignorance of errors) and he made blind (ie. Cast into shade) the old digests in the different branches of Dharmasastra by himself composing proper treatises and removed the doubts relating to the Smarta rites by elucidating the verses of Sages on dharma by his excellent commentaries.