Bhaskararaya
Hindu writer and exponent of Shaktism / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bhāskararāya Makhin (1690–1785) was a religious exponent and writer known for his contributions to the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. He was born in a Maharashtrian Brahmin[1] family at Hyderabad, Telangana. Bhaskara raya was welcomed by king Serfoji II of Bhonsle dynasty in South India, and thereupon he settled in Tamil Nadu.[2] According to Douglas Renfrew Brooks, a professor of Religion specializing in Shaktism studies, Bhāskararāya was "not only a brilliant interpreter of Srividya, he was an encyclopedic writer", and that he was a "thinker who had the wealth of Tantric and Vedic traditions at his fingertips".[2] He belonged to the Srividya tradition of the Shakta Tantrism.[3]
Bhāskararāya is the attributed author of more than 40 writings that range from Vedanta to poems of devotion, from Indian logic and Sanskrit grammar to the studies of Tantra.[4] Several of his texts are considered particularly notable to the Shaktism tradition, one focussed on the Mother Goddess:
- Commentary on Tripura Upanishad and Bhavana Upanishad[4]
- Commentary on Devi Mahatmya, titled Guptavati.[5] Bhaskara raya, in his Guptavati, offers comments on 224 out of the 579 verses of the Devi Mahatmya.
- Varivasya Rahasya,[6] is a commentary on Sri Vidya mantra and worship. The Varivasya Rahasya contains 167 ślokas numbered consecutively. It has an accompanying commentary entitled "Prakāśa", also by Bhaskara raya.
- Setubandha is a technical treatise on Tantric practice. It is his magnum opus. It is a commentary on a portion of the Vāmakeśvara-tantra dealing with the external and internal worship of Tripura Sundari. This work was completed either in 1733 AD or in 1741 AD.
- "Soubhāgyabhāskara"is a commentary (bhāsya) on Lalita Sahasranama.[7][8] This work was completed in 1728 AD.
His Khadyota ("Firefly") commentary on the Ganesha Sahasranama is considered authoritative by Ganapatya.[9]
The important events of Bhāskararāya's life is written by his disciple Jagannath Paṇḍitor Umānandnātha in Bhaskaravilas Kavyam.[10]