Dhundhi-raja (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Ḍhuṇḍhirāja), also known as Ḍhuṇḍhi Vyāsa, was an 18th-century

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

writer from

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

, who settled in the

Thanjavur Maratha kingdom The Thanjavur Maratha kingdom ruled by the Bhonsle dynasty was a principality of Tamil Nadu between the 17th and 19th centuries. Their native language was Marathi. Venkoji was the founder of the dynasty. Maratha conquest of Thanjavur Follo ...

of present-day

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

, India. He is noted for writing a commentary on '' Mudra-rakshasa'' (1713 CE) and an adaptation of '' Gita-govinda''.

Biography

Dhundhi-raja was also known as Dhundhi-raja-vyasa-yajvan or Dhundhi-raja-yajvan, ''yajvan'' being the title accorded to a person who had performed a ritual sacrifice (''

yajna Yajna ( sa, यज्ञ, yajña, translit-std=IAST, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering) refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.SG Nigal (1986), Axiological Approach to the Vedas, Northern Book ...

''). King Shahaji I gave him the title ''Abhinava-Jayadeva'' ("the new

Jayadeva Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem ''Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the '' gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which presen ...

") for writing ''Shaha-vilasa-gita'', a free adaptation of Jayadeva's '' Gita-govinda''. Dhundhi-raja was a

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

-speaking

brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

, originally from

. His father's name was Lakshmana-vyasa alias Lakshmana-sudhi. In the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom, Dhundhi-raja resided at Svamimalai near Thanjavur. His patrons included several members of the Thanjavur court, including the kings Shahaji I and

Serfoji I Serfoji I Bhonsle ( ta, முதலாம் சரபோஜி ராஜா போன்ஸ்லே, mr, शरभोजी राजे भोसले (प्रथम)) (1675–1728), also spelt as Sarabhoji I Bhonsle, was the son of the ...

, as well as the ministers Tryambaka and Raghunatha. He describes himself as a ''pauranika'' (

Purana Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

story-teller ''The Story-Teller'' was a monthly British pulp magazine, pulp Literary magazine, fiction magazine from 1907 to 1937. ''The Story-Teller'' is notable for having published some of the works of prominent authors, including G. K. Chesterton, Will ...

) of Shahaji. Dhundhi-raja had a son named Balakrishna, and a grandson named Shankara-dikshita, who composed ''Pradyumna-vijaya''.

Works

* ''Shaha-vilasa-gita'' or ''Shaha-vilasa-gitam'' (

: Śāhavilāsagīta or Śāhavilāsagītam), a poem adapted from Gita-govinda. It celebrates the love between king Shahaji I and a

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...

. * ''Mudra-rakshasa-vyakhya'' (IAST: Mudrārākṣasavyakhya), a commentary on '' Mudrarakshasa'' The introductory verses in Dhundhi-raja's ''Mudra-rakshasa-vyakhya'' are same as those of his patron Tryambaka's ''Dharmākūta'': it is possible that Tryambaka took these verses from Dhundhi-raja's work. Alternative theories ascribe the authorship of ''Mudra-rakshasa-vyakhya'' to Tryambaka or the authorship of ''Dharmākūta'' to Dhundhi-raja.

References

Bibliography

* {{ref end 18th-century Indian writers People from the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom Sanskrit writers