उत्तररामचरितम् (महाकवि भवभूति - संस्कृत मूल एवं हिन्दी व्याख्या)

INTRODUCTION. —>o<— I. Personal History of Bhavabhûti Although Bhavabhuti is one of the brightest stars in the galaxy of Sanskrit poets, our knowledge about his personal history is very meagre and is almost entirely derived from his own works. Out of his three known works, the Mahâvîracharita¹ gives us the fullest account of him. The ancestors of Bhavabhuti came from a town called Padmapura in the Deccan (in the Berars). They belonged to the Kasyapagotra, they studied the Taittirîya recension of the Black Yajurveda and their surname was Udumbara. The fifth in ascent from Bhavabhuti was called Mahâkavi, who had performed the Vâjapeya sacrifice. The name of the poet's grandfather was Bhatta Gopâla. The father of the poet was Nîlakantha and his mother's name was Jatukarni (or Jâtukarnî). His teacher was Jnânanidhi.² From the fact that Bhavabhuti's family belonged to the Berars and studied the Taittirîya Sâkhâ, Dr. Bhandarkar conjectures that his native place must have been somewhere near Chandra- pura or Chanda in the Nagpur territories, where there are still many families of Maratha Desastha Brahmanas of the Taittirîyas'akha with Âpastamba for their Sutra, and in the country to the south and south-east of which there are Tailanga Brahmanas following the same Veda and sutra. The commentator Ghanasyâma infers from Bhavabhuti's peculiarities of expression that the poet was an inhabitant 1 'अस्ति दक्षिणापथे पद्मपुरं नाम नगरम् । तत्र केचित्तेत्तिरीयाः काश्यपाश्चरण- गुरवः पङ्क्तिपावनाः पञ्चाग्नयो धृतव्रताः सोमपीथिन उदुम्बरनामानो ब्रह्मवादिनः प्रति- वसन्ति । तदामुष्यायणस्य तत्रभवतो वाजपेययाजिनो महाकवेः पञ्चमः सुगृहीतनाम्नो भट्टगोपालस्य पौत्रः पवित्रकीर्तेर्नीलकण्ठस्यात्मसंभवः श्रीकण्ठपदलाञ्छनः पदवाक्य- प्रमाणज्ञो भवभूतिर्नाम जतुकर्णीपुत्रः' महावीरचरित (प्रस्तावना) The मालतीमाधव omits the name of महाकवि. The मालतीमाधव adds that पद्मपुर was in विदर्भ (Berars) and gives the surname as डम्बर. Whether पद्मपुर is to be identified with पद्मावती that occurs in the मालतीमाधव is a question. We think that they are not identical. 2 'श्रेष्ठः परमहंसानां महर्षीणामिवाङ्गिराः । यथार्थनामा भगवान्यस्य ज्ञाननि- धिर्गुरुः ॥' महावीर० I 5, so also मान्ती० I 9 'गुर्वी गता न मम सा वयसो गुरुत्वः प्रख्यापितो मनेतु । यथार्थनामा भगवन्दस्य ज्ञाननिधिर्गुरुः ॥'.