Kalandikaprakasa of Somanatha Vyasa With His Auto-Commentary-Budharanjani

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It gives me great pleasure to present to the world of scholars, this book, entitled, "Kalandikaprakasa" of Somanath Vyas edited by the late Prof. Dr. Babulal Shukla Shastri of Ujjain, published as Gaekwad's Oriental Series No. 183. The word Kalandika explained by the author himself as-Sarvavidya means 'all branches of learning'. The book in other words is 'encyclopaedia of all lores' throwing light on the different branches of knowledge in four different chapters. It gives us an authentic information about the Vedas, the Vedangas, the Upangas, the Upavedas, Sastras, Kalas, and Philosophical/Religious systems etc. The author of this voluminous compedium of knowledge is Pandit Somanath Vyas (1807-1885 A.D.)-a scholar from Gujarat who domiciled at Sehore in Madhya Pradesh. He was a versatile scholar who composed in Sanskrit nearly thirty-one main treatises and wrote commentaries on twelve works, touching nearly all the Sastras of Sanskrit literature. The present book represents one of his outstanding treatises in Sanskrit. We are sure that the book will be well- received by the students, scholars and general Sanskrit lovers as enriching their knowledge of all branches of learning. We are grateful to Dr. S. Y. Wakankar (Deputy Director), Dr. Mrs. U.M. Brahmachari, Dr. Mrs. Sweta Prajapati, Smt. Saswati Sen, Dr. Mrs. Sharmila Bagchi, (all Research Officers) & Shri Milind Joshi (Research Assistant) of our Institute for their co-operation in various ways towards publication of this book. We are also thankful to the University Authorities for releasing the necessary grant for the publication of this book. We also thank Shri P.N. Srivastava, Manager, the M.S. University of Baroda Press & his co-operative colleagues for the neat and careful composing and printing.

Pt. Somanatha Vyasa was born in Shajapur district near Ujjayini on Caitra Sukla 13 of Vikram Era 1864 (1807 AD). His forefathers were Nagara Brahmins, residents of Gujarat State. They resided in Malwa leaving Chamatkarpur or Vishnunagar (present - Vishanagar) of Gujarat. One of them was a scholar of the Vedas and Sastras, Pt. Uddhava, who was great grand-father of Somanatha Vyasa. Uddhava had a son Sambhurama, who had three sons, youngest of whom was Omkara Vyasa. He was proficient in the Vedas and Sastras. His wife was Mrs. Kashidevi. He had two sons - Bholanatha and Somanatha. Pt. Omkära Vyasa, according to religious custom and faith, became a Sannyasi in the fourth stage of his life. He was then called Kesavananda Sarasvati. His education from primary upto deep study of the Sastras was performed by his father Omkara at home. He accomplished his study of the Vedas, Grammar, Jyotiṣa, Ayurveda, Darsana, Purana etc. at home in the traditional manner. He also studied modern subjects that were taught in nearby school. We know about his family from the accounts given by him in the last words of the Chapters (puspika) of his books. His son was Bhagiratha, for whom he composed books and copied some for teaching, which is known from the puspika of the copies of Siddhantacandrika and Sarasvata Vyakaraṇa. Somanatha had also become a Sannyasin the last stage of his life like his father. He was then called Brahmatarakatirtha. This shows that this adoption of Sannyasa was his family tradition like that of the study of the Vedas and Sastras.

The description of the Sastras in the Kalandikaprakasa also establishes this fact. The reason being that the continuous process of self-realization and search for emancipation is possible in the life of a Sannyasi. To add, it can be said that this is the best stage of life for some fruitful discrimination of one's study. With the renunciation of the world, another utility of Sannyasi is that one can maintain his creativity according to his knowledge of the Sastras. This following of the asramas of life in a traditional manner, makes the family of Pt. Vyasa praiseworthy.

**Contents and Sample Pages**