The 20 Commentary Bhagavata Gita commissioned by Majaraja Ranbir Singh I had mentioned last time is now finally ready for viewing.
The name of the Commentaries once again are:
i. Anandi – Anand Rajanak
ii. Kusum Vaijayanti – Giridhari Das
iii. Gita Tatparya Shuddhi – Ram Chandra Saraswati
iv. Gudartha Chandrika – Vanamali
v. Gudartha Prakashika – Madhu Sudan Saraswati
vi. Tatva Prakashika – Rajanak Lakshmi Ram
vii. Tatparya Nirnaya – Anand Giri
viii. Pancholi –
viiii. Paramartha Prabha – Surya Pandit
ix. Pishach Bhashya
x. Gitartha Sangraha – Abhinavagupta
viiii. Paramartha Prabha – Surya Pandit
ix. Pishach Bhashya
x. Gitartha Sangraha – Abhinavagupta
xi. Bhava Deepika – Neel Kanth
xii. Bhav Prakash – Sadananda Vyas
xiii. Bhashya – Shankaracharya
xiv. Bhashya – Ramanuja
xvi. Madhu Bhashya – Ananda Tirtha
xvii. Sarvatobhadra – Ram Kantha Rajanak
xviii. Subodhini – Shridhar Swami
xix. Ranavir Samdbodhini – Court Pandit of Maharaja Ranbir Singh
xx. Hindi Bhashya – Court Pandit of Maharaja Ranbir Singh
xvi. Madhu Bhashya – Ananda Tirtha
xvii. Sarvatobhadra – Ram Kantha Rajanak
xviii. Subodhini – Shridhar Swami
xix. Ranavir Samdbodhini – Court Pandit of Maharaja Ranbir Singh
xx. Hindi Bhashya – Court Pandit of Maharaja Ranbir Singh
Items marked in Red are Kashmirian
One of the Commentary is in Hindi and another Ranbir Samidbodhini( Jagdishwar Vedapathi) in Sanskrit – these both were composed by Maharaja’s Court Pandits at his Orders. Hence Late 19th Century Works and the youngest in the Compilation. Approximate Time Period would be within Maharaja’s Reign 1857-1885.
Could this Hindi Tika be labeled as the Oldest Known Hindi Prose Translation of Bhagavata Gita. I should soon get a copy of a Nawal Kishor Press Hindi Translation of Bhagavata Gita – will be interesting to see what date it has. And if that predates this Hindi Tika.
Sarvatobhadra of Ram Kantha – another tika of the same was also done and viewable:
Would like to point out a Source of Confusion in the Naming of Rajanak Lakshmi Ram( aka Lasa Kak )’s Tika. The 18 Manuscripts ( each manuscript for each Chapter, hence for BG’s 18 Chapters 18 manuscripts ) consistently refer to Lasa Kak’s Tika as Lasiki.
But another manuscript which is exlusively Lasa Kak Tika we did viewable below:
refers to it as Tattva Prakashika.
Stein when referring to Lasikia Tika in this Group of Texts – against the actual usage in the Manuscript – calls it Tattva Prakashika as well.
This can be seen in the following 2 Pages of the Catalog:
Prof. Sanderson in his Survey of Kashmirian Literature also refers to Lasa Kak’s Tika as Tattva Prakashika.
The Texts of the Tikas in both places are identical. Hence we have to conclude that Lasiki is an alternate Name for Tattva Prakashika.
The Last Portion of the Commentary on the 18th chapter has some biographic Data inserted in the margins which amongst other things confirms his Kashmirian Origins:
लक्षमीराम इति द्विजोऽत्र निवसन्काश्मीर भूमण्डले मेरोर्मातुह पाङ्ग देह जननोराजान(क)गोपालकात् श्री शाके द्विगुणा(?) भूपरि मित्रे मासेस्थितावाश्विने शुक्लायां प्रतिपद्यजां चितिरतो गीता सुटीकां व्यवधात्
Now – going by Shri Jai Kishan Sharma’s List* – I have five more Kasmirian BG Tika’s remaining to discover:
i. Keshavabhatt Kashmirin’s “Tattvaprakashika” (16th century), …..
ii. Bhatta Bhaskara’s “Bhagavad Gita Tika” (900 AD),
iii. Sahib Koul’s “Gita Sar” (17th century),
iv. Sahib Ram’s “Gita Vyakhya Sahibi” (19th century),
v. Pandit Daya Ram’s “Bhagavad Gita Tika” (19th century),
* Original Article for those who dont have the context from the Last Issue, please view:
Item (i) is confusing. Tattva Prakashika as we have shown is Lasiki Tika but then who is Keshava Kashmiraka? and what was the name of his Tika.
Sahib Ram’s Gita Vyakhya Sahibi – which Jai Kishan Sharma says is in the Srinagar Archives – remains to be digitized. With blessings of the Almighty in 2016.
Daya Ram Shastri ( son of Sahib Ram’s )’s Gita Tika is in the Library and that will soon be digitized.
That makes Sahib Koul’s GIta Vyakhya Sahibi and Bhatta Bhaskar’s Tika two tikas yet to be discovered.
Inquiries with many scholars in Jammu and online regarding Jai Kishan Sharma ji has not yielded any results.
I am sure readers will also appreciate two Printed Copies of Bhagavata Gita we have found in Srinagar:
1921 Publication
and a 1916 Publication
Will be back with the Nawal Kishor Press Edition of Bhagavata Gita and manuscripts of many Kashmirian Texts like Tantraloka with Jayaratha( a second one ) and Pratyabhijnas and Vigyan Bhairavas.
https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%2218+Commentary+Bhagvata+Gita%22
eGangotri Digital Preservation Trust 