115. Nāgojibhatta
Volume I: Part II pp. 963–967
Nāgojibhaṭṭa was a scholar distinguished by a truly encyclopaedic learning, reflected in the standard works he authored across a remarkably diverse range of intellectual disciplines. These included significant contributions to grammar, dharmaśāstra, and yoga, among several other fields. Indeed, the meticulous research of Aufrecht attributes no fewer than forty-seven distinct compositions to Nāgojibhaṭṭa, a substantial portion of which were specifically dedicated to the intricate domain of dharmaśāstra. Regarding his personal history, Nāgojibhaṭṭa enjoyed the patronage of Rāma, a prominent figure from the Bisen family. His scholarly lineage further highlights a crucial connection with the celebrated Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita, whose intellectual tradition he assiduously carried forward. Nāgojibhaṭṭa's prolific literary output was concentrated primarily within the first half of the eighteenth century, spanning the period between 1700 and 1750 A.D.
— Synopsis by P.V. Kane, from History of Dharmaśāstra
115. Nāgojibhatta
##115. Nāgojibhaṭṭa
The learning of Nāgojibhaṭṭa was of an encyclopaedic character. Though his special forte was Vyākaraṇa (grammar) he wrote standard works also on poetics, dharmaśāstra, yoga and other śāstraṣ The number of works ascribed to him is very large. Aufrecht in his Cat. Catalogorum, part I pp. 283–284 mentions 47 works as composed by hiṃ Dr. P. K. Gode in volume III of his ‘Studies in Indian Literary History’ pp. 214–219 deals at some length with the works of Nāgoji on Vyākaraṇa (Grammar), Poetics and Dharmaśāstra (in its On dharmaśāstra he composed several branches). On dharmaśāstra he composed several works, viz. Ācārenduśekhara, Āśaucanirṇaya, Tithīnduśekhara, Tīrthenduśekhara, Prāyaścittenduśekhara or Prāyaścittasārā- saṁgraha, Śrāddhenduśekhara, Sapiṇḍimañjarī and Sāpiṇḍya- nirṇaya. Of his far-famed works on the Paninian system, such as the Mahābhāṣya-pradīpodyota, the Paribhāṣenduśekhara, the Vaiyakaranasiddhāntamañjūṣā, (in large and small recensions), the Śabdenduśekhara (big and small) and of his commentaries on the Kavyaprakāśa-pradīpa, the Kuvalayānanda, the Rasagaṅgādhara, the Rasataraṅgiṇī, the Rasamañjarī, nothing can be said here for want of space.
For his Prāyaścittenduśekhara, vide Mitra's Notices vol. V, p. 23 No. 1735, where detailed contents are given; for the Śrāddhenduśekhara, Ulwar cat. extract No. 360 p. 139, for the Tīrthenduśekhara, Ulwar cat. p. 120, extract No. 312.
Some of Nāgojibhaṭṭa's (or Nāgeśabhaṭṭa's) works on dharmaśāstra may be mentioned here. He composed the Tithinirṇayatattva containing 101 stanzas (in writing which he relied upon the conclusions of the Nirnayasindhu).1 The names of his works on dharmaśāstra are mentioned in the note below.2 Nāgoji's surname was Kāla (i. e. Kāle in these days) but in some Msṣ it is given as Upādhyāya (vide note below).3 115. Nāgojibhaṭṭa He composed works on Kāvyasastra, such as the Kāvya- pradipoddyota, the Rasagangādhara-marmaprakāśa (Nir. eḍ), and very learned works on Vyākaraṇa (grammar) such as the Paribhāṣenduśekhara (vide Dr. P. K. Gode’s ‘Relative chrono- logy of Nāgoji’s works ‘ in his ‘Studies in Literary History’ vol. III pp. 212–219).
Nāgojibhaṭṭa was the son of Śivabhaṭṭa and Satī and was a Mahārāṣṭra Brāhmaṇa surnamed kāla (Kāle). At the beginning and end of several works of his (such as Rasagangādhara-marmaprakāśa, the Mañjūṣā) he tells us that he was patronised by Rāma of the Bisena family,1503 the ruler of a city named Śṛṅgavera (which seems to be on the Ganges above Allahabad ). He was the pupil of Hari- dīkṣita,1504 son of Vīreśvara and pupil of Rāmāśrama and grandson of the great grammarian Bhaṭṭoji-dīkṣita.1505 Tradition says that he composed the grammatical work Śabdaratna and ascribed it to his teacher Haridīkṣita in gratitude. In the1506 commentary on the Prauḍhamanoramā Haridīkṣita refers to the Śabdaratna as his own work and to the Śabdenduśekhara as that of his pupil.
Bhaṭṭojidīkṣita was a pupil of the Mīmāṁsaka Śaṅkara- bhaṭṭa and of Śeṣa Śrīkṛṣṇa and almost a contemporary of Jagannāthapaṇḍita. Bhaṭṭoji’s pupil Nīlakaṇṭha Śukla wrote a work in saṁvat 1663 (Dr. Belvalkar in ‘Systems of Sanskrit Grammar’, p. 47). Therefore he flourished in the first half of the 17th century. For the date of Bhaṭṭoji, vide J. O. I. (Baroda) vol. IV pp. 33–36 and J. of Veṅkaṭeśvara O. I. vol. I part 2 pp. 117–127. In Kane Festschrift Dr. Gode places Varadarāja, a pupil of Bhaṭṭoji, between 1600–1650 A. D. (pp. 188–199) and so Bhaṭṭoji, who was a pupil of Śaṅkara- bhaṭṭa, may be assigned to the period between 1575–1645 A. D. Nāgojibhaṭṭa was a pupil of Bhaṭṭoji’s grandsoṇ There- fore Nāgojibhaṭṭa must have flourished towards the end of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century. Nāgoji- bhaṭṭa’s literary activities, looking to his vast out-put, must have extended over a long period of more than 50 yearṣ The pedigree4 from Bhaṭṭojidīkṣita, through a succession of teacher and pupils or father and son, is given below. Vide introduction to the Rasagaṅgādhara (Nirṇ eḍ); Trivedi’s introduction pp. 18–20 to the Vaiyākaraṇabhūṣaṇa of Koṇḍa- bhaṭṭa, a nephew of Bhaṭṭoji (B. S. series); Dr. Belvalkar’s Systems of Sanskrit grammar pp. 46–50 and Kielhorn’s preface to the Paribhāṣenduśekhara p. xxv (where the succession of teacher and pupil is brought down to the days of Kielhorn himself) for further detailṣ In the Indian Antiquary, vol. 41 115. Nāgojibhaṭṭa p. 247, Mr. S. P. V. Raṅganātha Svāmi makes Bhaṭṭoji a pupil of Śeṣa Vīreśvara and not of Śeṣa Kṛṣṇa. But the passage of the Manoramākucamardana, if properly interpreted, makes it clear that Bhaṭṭoji was the pupil of Śeṣa Kṛṣṇa and not of Vīreśvara.5 A mṣ of Nāgojibhaṭṭa's commentary on the Rasamañjarī is dated saṃvat 1769, Māgha 7th bright half, Wednes- day, i. e. 21st January 1713 A. D. (vide 1. O. cat. vol. III p. 365). It is not unlikely that Nāgojibhaṭṭa first composed his commen- taries on the comparatively easy śāstra of poetics and that he then worked upon Dharmasśāstra and Vyākaraṇa. The edition of the Rasagaṅgādhara in the Kāvyamālā series says that there is a tradition that Nāgoji was invited by king Savai Jaising of Jaipur to a horse-sacrifice in 1714 A. D., but that Nāgoji declined on the ground of Kṣetra-sannyāsa. That Savai Jaising of Amber performed the Aśvamedha sacrifice was scouted by Prof. D. C. Sarākar, but long and forceful arguments have been advanced against this theory by Dr. P. K. Gode (in his ‘ studies in literary history ’, vol. III pp. 166–180) and in J. I. H. (Madras) vol. 15 pp. 364–367; vide also ‘Poona Orientalist’, vol. II pp. 166–178 for Savai Jaising. Therefore his literary activity must be placed between 1700 and 1750 A. D. Mahāmahopādhyāya Haraprasāda Śāstri says (Inḍ Ant. vol. 41 p. 12) that Nāgoji died about 1775. But this appears rather improbable. If one of his works was copied in 1713 A. D. he could hardly have lived up to 1775, unless he was about 100 years old at that time.