Bhattoji Dikshita (Pronunciation:
bʱəʈʈod͡ʒiː d̪ɪkʂɪt̪ᵊ) was a 17th-century
Sanskrit grammarian
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
who authored the , Shabda-Kaustubha, and Prauda Manorama. He was born into a Brahmin family and settled in Varanasi, a major hub for Sanskrit learning. Here, he focused on his scholarly pursuits through financial support from the local rulers.
Early life and education
Bhattoji was born into a Brahmin family possibly from
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
or
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
. Bhattoji settled in
Varanasi
Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or 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 tradition of I ...
before 1600 C.E. Varanasi, a major hub for Sanskrit learning, provided Bhattoji the opportunity to master and contribute to the tradition of Pāṇinian grammar.
In Varanasi, Bhattoji and his family received financial support from local rulers belonging to the Keladi royal family, Venkatappa Nayaka I and Virabhadra of the Ikkeri Kingdom, which allowed Bhattoji to focus on scholarly pursuits. Bhattoji learned from distinguished scholars, notably Shesha Krishna (''Śeṣa Kṛṣṇa''). Shesha Krishna was a grammarian known for his commentary on Ramachandra's Prakriyakaumudi called Prakasha (''Prakāśa'').
Notable works
Bhattoji's contributions to Sanskrit grammar are seen in his works:
# Shabda-kaustubha (''Śabdakaustubha'') - a commentary of
Patanjali's Mahabhashya
# Siddhanta-kaumudi (''
Siddhāntakaumudī'') - a categorized presentation of
Panini's grammar
# Prauda Manorama (''Prauḍha-manoramā'') - a commentary on the Siddhanta Kaumudi
His works have been studied for generations for Sanskrit grammatical studies into the modern era.
Siddhānta Kaumudī
Siddhānta Kaumudī is a Sanskrit treatise restructuring
Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī
The (; ) is a grammar text that describes a form of the Sanskrit language.
Authored by the ancient Sanskrit scholar Pāṇini and dated to around 6th c. bce, 6-5th c.BCE and 4th c.BCE, it describes the language as current in his time, specifica ...
to make it more accessible for learners. It re-arranges the sūtras of Pāṇini under appropriate heads and offers exposition that is orderly and easy to follow.
Commentaries on Siddhānta Kaumudī
Bālamanoramā
Bālamanoramā of Vāsudeva Dīkṣita's is one of the most celebrated commentary on Siddhanta Kaumudi. He goes into great detail explaining derivations and is thereby most useful to beginners (bāla, lit. "child").
Prauḍhamanoramā
Prauḍhamanoramā is an auto-commentary on Siddhānta Kaumudī by Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita. Both the Siddhānta Kaumudī and Prauḍhamanoramā are commented on by many others also.
Tattva Bodhinī
Tattva Bodhinī by Jñānendra Sarasvatī is a terser, more scholarly and demanding commentary, essentially a distillation of the Prauḍhamanoramā.
Laghuśabdenduśekhara
''
Laghuśabdenduśekhara'' is a commentary by 18th century grammarian
Nāgeśa Bhaṭṭa on the ''Siddhānta Kaumudī''.
Philosophical contributions
His work on the concept of sphota is noteworthy compared to earlier grammarians. Bhattoji shifted focus to the semantics of sphota versus the ontological aspects. Bhattoji viewed it as a single, indivisible unit of sound. Bhattoji believed sphota contained meaning not just a sound.
References
External links
Siddhanta Kaumudi of Bhattoji Dikshita English Translation in 6 Volumes*http://laghusiddhanta.vedicsociety.org/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diksita, Bhattoji
Sanskrit grammarians
17th-century Indian linguists
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
Scholars from Maharashtra