Mitra Mishra

(early 17th c.) Author of the Viramitrodaya,
a compendium of Hindu lore. The
Viramitrodaya is an example of a class of
440
Mitakshara
commentarial literature known as
nibandhas (“collections”). The compilers of the nibandhas culled references
on a particular theme from the Vedas,
dharma literature, puranas, and other
authoritative religious texts, placing
these excerpts into a single volume.
Each of the Viramitrodaya’s twenty-two
sections is devoted to a particular aspect
of Hindu life, such as daily practice,
worship, gift-giving (dana), vows, pilgrimage, penances (prayashchitta),
purification, death rites (antyeshthi
samskara), and law; the final section is
devoted to final liberation of the soul
(moksha). In addition to citing the
relevant scriptural passages, Mitra
Mishra also provides extensive commentary of his own. His work became
an important source for later legal interpretation, particularly in eastern India.