Lakshmidhara

(ca. mid-12th c.) Scholar, commentator,
and author of the Kalpataru, one of the
earliest examples of commentary literature known as nibandhas (“collections”). The nibandhas were compendia
of Hindu lore, compiling themes from
the Vedas, dharma literature, puranas,
and other authoritative religious texts,
into a single volume. Each of the
Kalpataru’s fourteen volumes is devoted
to a particular aspect of Hindu life, such
as daily practice, worship, gift-giving,
vows, pilgrimage, penances (prayashchitta), purification, and liberation
(moksha). As one of the earliest nibandhas, the Kalpataru served as a model for
later writers. Lakshmidhara’s work is
unusual in that he uses very few sources
for his work—primarily the epic
Mahabharata, and a few of the sectarian compendia known as puranas.
Unlike later commentators, he does not
cite the Vedas, the earliest Hindu religious texts, or the prescriptions found in
the dharma literature. His text consists
almost solely of excerpted passages,
with very little commentary of his own,
whereas later nibandha writers often
give voluminous explanations.