3- Bhavabhuti as a Mimansaka. 
By DinusH CHANDRA BHATTACHARYYA. 
It is well known that Bhavabhuti belongs to a family pre 
eminently of Vedic traditions, and passages of Vedic reminis- 
cence are found here and there in his dramatic works. [See 
especially Keith : Bhavabhuti and the Veda in J.R.A.S., 1914, 
p. He was undoubtedly a Vedic scholar. The late Mr. 
S. P. Pandit, on the strength of an old manuscript of the Mala- 
tumadhava, sought further to prove that Bhavabhuti was also a 
Miménsist and a disciple of Kumarila Bhatta. [Gatidavaho 
Introd., Note iv, pp. eev, ete:]_ This singular manuscript, while 
expressly naming Bhavabhuti as the author at the end, has the 
following remarkable Colophons to Acts III and VI :— 
ata Ssqgaifiafaaaad araclarss eatatsy: | 
a c as a yp ~“ 
afa stgatfeaerfagareginat 
AMAT a WATE: | 
_ This naturally led to an inference that Bhavabhuti must 
himself have been a disciple of Kumarila Bhatta. Dr. Bhan- 
darkar (Preface to his 2nd ed. of the Malatimadhava) how- 
ever emphasises the facts that Bhavabhuti gives us the name 
of his gura as Jnananidhi (Viracharita I. 5) and precisely 
omits the Mimansa from among the subjects studied by him 
(Malati. 1.9) ; and though he does not reject the other statement 
entirely remarks that ‘its verification must be left to future 
research.” But it is possible that Jnananidhi initiated our 
poet in some system other than the Mimansa@ and that his 
t to which he gives the first place among his subjects of 
study, probably included the Mimansa. 
0 satisfactory account has hitherto been forthcomin 
about Umvekacharya and his connection with Bhavabhuti. 
Some maintain that the Malatimadhava was left incomplete by 
Umveka and subsequently finished by Bhavabhuti, though this 
duality in its authorship goes against all evidence internal or 
external. A flood of light is thrown on the question by the 
following remarkable reference. Chitsukha Muni, author of the 
, better known as the faa et, is thus refuting one of 
the definitions of qraa :— % 
TUR weegaiafata aafsataiaty (aawasaatate 
U8) snitdfeanaie arediarsafes | afwars sae 
Ais “oC CM 
5 ie | Fis Bos, Soe hae oop Bes. 
